Della Porta - Ezzu - Ursus
No Strange e sogni correlati

In the mid-'80s, I was obsessively following the so-called neo '60s scene: I was starting to refine my musical tastes, and feeling distant from post-punk and new wave sounds, I naturally plunged into bands that seemed vital and fresh to me. I collected all the garage-punk and neo-psychedelia records I could. Even Italy boasted respectable bands: in the psychedelic field, I particularly liked the Birdmen Of Alkatraz and the No Strange. Then the trends changed, and music in the '90s took other directions. However, something remained: the rediscovery of the '60s culture opened up a world for me, and thanks to No Strange, I later became interested in the German Cosmic Couriers and the less mainstream Italian progressive, namely early Battiato, early Alan Sorrenti, Claudio Rocchi, and Aktuala. No Strange, in reality, apart from a few pauses, never ceased to exist, a testament to their being above any current fashion: theirs was and is a philosophical approach to existence that stems from a cultural broth rooted in psychedelic culture: a changing universe made of Eastern philosophies, colors and sounds, psychedelic drawings, "progressive" music in the truest sense of the word. The group of Salvatore D’Urso “Ursus” and Alberto Ezzu has always shunned musical labels, often limiting and empty, although it rightfully belongs to psychedelia, seen, however, not as the usual word used perhaps to cage something whose cultural references are hard to understand but as "a method to deepen the knowledge of one's self," to quote the words that Salvatore D’Urso himself used when responding to a question on the subject in the book “No Strange e sogni correlati.” It is a volume – published by the commendable Area Pirata by Tiziano Rimonti - that retraces all their history starting from the first incarnations of the group named Ra-Gebel and No Strani. Salvatore D’Urso and Alberto Ezzu's testimonies are rich in anecdotes and lead us to rediscover an era not so distant when spontaneity, the desire to experiment, and creativity were the natural way to approach art. There is talk of Timothy Leary and Albert Hoffmann, comics and science fiction, avant-garde music, Italian beat, Mario Schifano's Stars, and '70s German music. The book is a cross-section of the cultural life in our country during a particular period: the historical context in which the No Strange members lived is well outlined, as well as their cultural roots. Today, nothing similar exists; everything is standardized, and we live in a dark age: however, for those who wish, there is always the possibility of being themselves. “No Strange e sogni correlati” is an unmissable book and a gift to Culture. The text is enriched by numerous drawings and photos, as well as the testimonies of important figures including, among others, Jutta Taylor Nienhaus, the singer of Analogy, Lodovico Ellena, historical leader of the Elefanti Effervescenti, Matteo Guarnaccia, psychedelic artist, Cosimino Pecere, boss of Psycht-Out Records, Twink, mythical figure of English psychedelia, Peter Daltrey of the British Kaleidoscope, Brian Godding of Blossom Toes, James Lowe of Electrc Prunes and Marco Conti of Technicolour Dream. There are also contributions from journalists such as Aldo Chimentie Roberto Calabrò and Antonello Cresti. The interviews are curated by Fabrizio Dela Porta. Definitely purchase “No Strange e sogni correlati,” it will surely make you more cultured than many years of school.