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Rating: A long hot summer of universal love: '68.
Winter 2010 Cosenza is certainly not, nor Seattle, apart from some similarities of climate discomfort, nor any other physical place. So, what unites all these places-non places? Surely it is all the invisible but audible notes of the Stratocaster that few at the time understood what it REALLY WAS (go back and read how deep and wise the cultural depth of the chroniclers of the time was... AND IT GETS WORSE)... ... As we were saying... "hear my message of love don't run away" ...so who was waiting for the mystical File having started strumming the harmful Italian harmonies years before waiting for the sun! And finally, it materialized. The title was: Are you experienced? Many of us went "up the sky" responding "yes we are." And we danced in joy in Woodstock's acid rain, closing with our conscious manifesto "star spangled banner": the demonic nature of "Merika" had been illuminated. Jimi did it...The party was over, and Jimi returned among the galaxies to ride other waves. Then Janis joined him... He left the planet Earth's reptilians his tongue and his tail and, having become an astro-man, he could take off free among the infinities of the galaxies. "The age of Aquarius" was beginning to appear. The fish was finally starting to gasp! We remained long at the mercy of the deadly effects of the breath and vomit of the planetary dominating reptilians who reveal themselves with increasingly arrogant brazenness, knowing well that they are finally about to go extinct. This tragic farce is nothing but the last tail blow, a prelude to the tragic epilogue of their "miserable" species.
...And so, in a small Cosenza, on an unusually warm November day, while it snows heavily in other parts of Italy, young apparent sourcers capture a luminous vibration and materialize it in an ancient building... city high. A photographic exhibition dedicated to the greatest electric guitarist of the 20th century: JIMI HENDRIX. Wow (rightly so). In the evening, a big concert at Morelli with special guest Leon Hendrix (Jimmy's brother) and Randy Hansen (sound-visual reincarnation) of the Genius. R.&R. (coincidence?) that is... Roberto & Roberto, possessors of authentic and original documentation as well as authentic devotion and sincere gratitude to a living memory of their 20 years, a time of great generational enlightenment wanderer and joyous, dominant trait of the hipster-generation (after Beat). "Do you want to come and see a photographic exhibition in the small Cosenza... dedicated to J.H.?" It begins more or less like this, with an SMS from my friend Walter, who invited me in his way to give me a huge emotion always kept as an uncontaminated faith in my deep heart as a devoted disciple to my master of sound (and more!). What a beautiful opportunity, I think, there is someone even in this strange place who is aware of what quality is. So, I dart without hesitation with W. toward Cs. We find the organizers busy finalizing the display cases setup, last touches, with great attention together with a sense of reverence... almost a ritual! Then, as always happens in these cases, while time seems suspended, accelerations and requests of all kinds come from everywhere. There's still this to do, there's that to do. And up and down, and right, and left... Well, the usual hustle before any respectable event, with the right adrenaline rush, to ensure that everything goes perfectly. ...And so, between going here... yes but there's also there to go... Well... I offer to give a hand to the "guys" - "run rabbit run"... yes ok! But I'm not a rabbit, actually, if we don't want to exaggerate, at least a cat (I was about to say a lion) but I would have disrespected the guest I was about to pick up at the hotel where he was resting before the conference at the Province's office, enlightened sponsor of the event. So, as I transformed into Leon Hendrix's personal driver for the occasion, I thought that after all, I was lucky and a feeling I now know well and live without asking myself anything else but to follow the wave was slowly emerging in reality. It was Karma fulfilling: I was in Cosenza that day of September 70; just back from Germany where I was living and working at the time. In July I took factory holidays and had already organized the return because in Hamburg I would attend JIMI's live tour after the Isle of Wight concert... I dawdled along the usual Mazzini course and, I don’t know why, I bought the newspaper. I read: "...found dead in a London hotel the famous guitarist Jimi Hendrix..." ; I went home...!! I found the military postcard, and on October 10, I was in line at the barrack barber in Bari wearing a "rookie" uniform. I left my life closed in my Fender Stratocaster case until 1978. 1973 Bologna, factory, movement, Radio Alice, Kossiga with a “K” (in all senses!). A/through and Bifo. Andrea Pazienza and "all along the watchtower". Psychedelia and revolution. Movement!! Are you experienced? yes I am!
November 5, 2010 - Leon Hendrix in Cosenza in the car with me and Roberto who doesn't like to drive (cross down traffic!! A Cuse’??!!) but come on!! "Hi Leon; glad to meet you: it's really a pleasure!"- Me too... "Now we are going to Province's Palace for the press conference." "Half past 9 in Morelli's theatre the concert! OK?" - “Well, it's all right” At a certain point the emotion captured me, and in a crescendo of pleasant circumstances everything went perfectly. The concert was something that to define as magical (with as many Gs as possible) is an understatement. EVERYONE, and I say everyone, "felt" that JIMI...WAS THERE. Anyway, the least was BEING THERE! I just want to say to those who weren't there, even if the empty seats could be counted on the fingers of one hand, that if you turn up your nose too much you end up: "I STORTU". Signed Es ti Kat zi! (alias Woodoo Chile').
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