Venice is one of the dreamiest and most romantic cities in the world. It’s easy to get lost amidst the narrow allies, admire the crumbling old buildings, and stare out across the azure lagoon as gondolas lazily float by.
However, if you were in Venice last week this serenity would have been severely tested by the sight of Kanye West‘s bare behind bobbing along the Grand Canal as he uh, well; let’s say shared an ‘intimate moment’ with his ‘wife’ Bianca Censori. As The Daily Mail put it, Censori appeared to be “nestled with her head in his lap.”
Now it seems that, at least on this boat company, West and Censori won’t be reenacting a (little) death in Venice again. Venezia Turismo Motoscafi have confirmed that neither is welcome on their boats again after the incident. They clarified that they were completely unaware of what was happening, saying:
“On board, the driver had to keep a lookout for traffic and did not see these obscenities. If this had happened, he would have immediately disembarked and reported the transgressors to those in authority. In addition, there was a third person on board the taxi, who accompanied Mr. and Mrs. West, who obstructed the captain’s view to the stern in any case.”
Needless to say this situation sucks for Kanye, who will have to find other transportation next time he’s in Venice. But his legal troubles may not end there, as there have been calls for him to face a charge of public indecency, though punishment would be limited to a relatively small $320 fine. Also, Italian commentators and not happy, telling him to “keep it in the privacy of your own home”, that “kids probably saw”, and that “how are these two not arrested for lewd behavior?”
This is now at risk of blowing up into an international incident. Here’s hoping that, for once, Kanye will keep his head.