GENNARO CASTALDO WATCH

This is more like the Gennaro Castaldo we know and grudgingly respect - he might have been quiet for a few weeks, but with Eminem in rehab, he's swung back into action. Today, he's taken a deep, deep breath to bring his - and, by implication, HMV's - perspective on what it all means to the Guardian:

Gennaro Castaldo from HMV said: "While he may not be in the place he was three or four years ago, he has been following to an extent in Dr Dre's footsteps.

"He may have had a bit of a setback, but he is still incredibly well placed and he could take his career any way he wants to go. It could well be that he feels he has achieved everything he possibly can and he is looking to apply his talents to other things.

"I think he has been so busy and under a lot of pressure that he has been talking about stepping back, but it is difficult to believe he will walk away. This is an opportunity for him to back off a bit - but you can bet he will come back bigger and better than before.

"The latest news about being in rehab just adds to the mythology of an icon anyway - you can't be in rock'n'roll without the odd addiction and affliction."

So... let's just boil that down to its barest essentials: He could be feeling that he's gone as far as he can, and it's time to do something else, but it's hard to believe that he would quit. Righto. So: you don't know either, then.

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