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Rating: - The Live Performance of Telespalla No.10 -
I believe this review is in the wrong place.
I have a confession to make straight away: I find it embarrassing to try and chat with artists. I just can't do it. Friends often try to encourage me, but I'm simply not capable. I need to find a strange instinct within me, and so far it's been particularly strong on two occasions. One is this, the other was almost two years ago with Max Collini (singer of Offlaga Disco Pax, Ed.). What do they have in common? They are both from Reggio Emilia, is it a coincidence? Who knows, all I know about that city is where the stadium is, since the only time I went there I watched a Salernitana match. 1-0, goal by Galeoto. In truth, at the time, when own goals still existed, the match report read: Own goal by Galli. Today it would probably be credited to the Sicilian full-back.
It wasn't a concert, but a Reading. A journey from Zamboni's Berlin experience to the birth of CCCP Fedeli Alla Linea. A path of words, music, and videos. The most varied: from an English-language documentary on the Berlin Wall to German songs of the era that I had never heard of, you never stop learning. It's around midnight when we start the conversation and the questions (which were initially three but then became five) are these.
TUWAT, DO SOMETHING. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO WRITE IT (I found out on the Internet, Ed.) BUT IT WAS A UNIVERSAL MESSAGE; IT APPLIED IN BERLIN AS IN REGGIO EMILIA, OTHERWISE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE MENTIONED IT IN “EMILIA PARANOICA”. DO SOMETHING (the translation of Tuwat, Ed.), THE NAME OF AN EVENT OF THE TIME AND WHILE WATCHING THAT VIDEO I HAD A FLASH OF ANOTHER EVENT, THAT OF THE G8 IN GENOA. THE CLASHES IN BERLIN AND THOSE OF VIA TOLEMAIDE ARE THE SAME, MORE CLEARLY BUT THE SAME (Zamboni nods, Ed.). I ASK YOU: IS THIS SIMILARITY BETWEEN MY GENERATION AND YOURS AN ILLUSION OR IS THERE SOMETHING TRUE?
There probably is. It's very convenient to tell others: "move, make yourself useful. You’re worth nothing!” It often works and there's an agenda behind it. We were told this many times by parents, priests, and politicians of the time. We were as atavistic as ants. Obstacles didn't matter, we moved forward regardless of what was there. What matters is trying to do something that can be meaningful for one's life.
BILDUNGSROMAN, COMING-OF-AGE NOVEL. IT'S A WORD YOU MENTIONED RIGHT AWAY BECAUSE BERLIN WAS A FORMATIVE EXPERIENCE. IT ALSO REQUIRES COURAGE. IS IT GREATER COURAGE TO SEEK OUT A PLACE LIKE BERLIN OR TO ESCAPE FROM ONE'S DAILY PROVINCIAL LIFE?
I must say the truth that in my microcosm of Reggio Emilia I was fine but Berlin was a very strong call. In life, there are continuous calls, but some, those that inspire you the most, must be followed. I read about Berlin in a June issue of “Frigidaire,” by July I was already in Berlin. It was something instinctive and immediate.
IN THE SHOW YOU DID, THERE IS A HISTORICAL PAST, THE WALL, A MUSICAL PAST, AND A HUMAN PAST WHICH RIGHTLY IS THE MAIN PART. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU TO REVISIT THE PAST AND PRESENT IT TO AN AUDIENCE?
I try to trace a path, to look back on what I did and include it. Everything that happens to you is unique. We are often led to say: “yes, okay. I did it but it’s not important.” Then they come back nonetheless, when you least think about it or expect it. I know what I did, but it’s always useful to revisit it.
YOU MENTIONED D.A.F. OFTEN THIS EVENING, YOU HIGHLIGHTED THEIR IMMEDIATE WAY OF PLAYING, WITHOUT THINKING OR KNOWING WHAT A CHORD IS. FROM CCCP, WHERE YOUR GUITAR HAS THAT SENSE OF IMMEDIACY, YOU MOVED TO CSI AND TO YOUR SOLO CAREER WHERE YOU PLAYED IN DIFFERENT AND POSSIBLY MORE REFINED WAYS. IS THAT PRIMAL APPROACH TO PLAYING STILL THERE?
I never learned to play the guitar, I am essentially inept in my relationship with the instrument. When I play, I understand, I realize on my own, that that kind of sound is what I was looking for, what I like. Later I have it explained to me by others what it is, what's behind it instrumentally.
THE SONGS THAT GIOVANNI LINDO FERRETTI WROTE OFTEN HAD VERY STRONG, IMMEDIATE, AND CAPTIVATING SLOGANS FOR THE PUBLIC. MESSAGES THAT WERE ALSO BROUGHT OUT IN THIS SHOW, HOW MUCH DOES THAT WAY OF WRITING LYRICS AND COMMUNICATING BELONG TO THE MAN MASSIMO ZAMBONI?
At the time it was our way of living, an immediate reflection. Instinctive as well, like the trip to Berlin. Our capacity for judgment wasn’t greatly important but it’s very nice to be able to synthesize, concentrate everything in a word or a short message. “Fedeli alla linea,” just to name one, is beautiful. It encompasses everything and represented us remarkably. We were able to show ourselves with great ease.
The interview ends here, exchanging a few more words I indulge in the pleasure of thanking him for a particular song, “Cupe Vampe.” Musically it is stunning and also the lyrics represent important values in which I enclose myself and strongly believe. “Ci fotte la guerra che armi non ha,” it seems incredible but it's like that. The only great weapon of war is human despair, something that doesn’t have a direct and clear violent potential like a bullet can. It also makes me think that in the world there are “just” wars, like the one in Kosovo (the Balkan world being the protagonist in the song and thoughts) with Italy on the front line dropping bombs, and “wrong” wars like the one in Iraq (in truth for ENI executives it was a “just” war). The responses given by Zamboni have been somewhat summarized, unfortunately, I don’t have a voice recorder with me. I might even buy one. At most, I would know what to do with it, Scrubs teaches us
P.S. Besides thanking the editors for the effort spent on all the links I would like to add that almost all the videos, except the one from the G8 in Genoa, were shown during the Reading.
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