Franco Battiato - Daniele Bossari
Io Chi Sono? Dialoghi sulla musica e sullo spirito.

"Sages must always be approached, even if they do not teach. Because even their talk of elemental things contains wisdom." Yoga Vasishtha Sara

Franco Battiato is the most philosophical among all the "singer-songwriters" on the Peninsula, and if his extensive discography wasn't enough, this book "Who am I?" from Mondadori arrives to remind us.

A book of 136 pages (less than 100 actual pages) where the Sicilian singer unfolds his philosophy infused with Sufism, Buddhism, inner exploration, and bursts of new age thought. Providing contrast in this sort of tabletop interview, is Daniele Bossari, a well-known DJ as well as a fan and admirer of the guru, who alone occupies almost 50% of the book (on the cover, the name "Battiato" is 4 times larger though!).

This is because Andrea understands oriental philosophies and esoteric/spiritual themes, thus being the "perfect disciple" of Battiato's thought.

The chapter titles are evocative in themselves and could easily feature as titles for upcoming songs (chap.1- Music is the furnishing of mysticism, chap.5 The fullness in the void, chap. 9 Previous forms of existence... etc.) and they well convey the idea of the booklet's content which spans, as we said, between great existential questions (the I WHO AM of the title, indeed) and reflections on contemporary society, the use of new technologies, and today's Italy.

A fairly interesting book, interspersed with lyrics from certain songs that directly relate to the topic being discussed but a bit vague and not in-depth in addressing certain considerations in less than 7/8 pages per theme. Franco Battiato, when he finds space among Bossari's relentless analyses and questions, nibbles here and there, throwing out phrases, concepts, or thoughts that should be further explored and analyzed at another time (or in a second book, as the more malicious would say...).

An esotericism-take-away summary. A potpourri of Tibetan lamas, theosophy, Mahabharata, mystical journeys, meditation, philosophy, reincarnation, and much more which, in the end, leaves a bit of a bitter taste for having talked about incredibly interesting things but... that ultimately remain too hinted at and that's it.

A book recommended for those approaching these themes for the first time. Dispensable for everyone else.