Max Pezzali
Max 90

Max 90 - My Story, the Myths and Emotions of a Super Cool Decade is a great book, where Max Pezzali recounts songs and life in parallel.

After the nostalgic preface by Lodo Guenzi and the Postscript by Mauro Repetto, it begins by talking about the deca, New York as a destination in the imagination, the true meaning of Spider-Man, and the Margaridas, complete with a pronunciation error.

It then continues with the black T-shirt as a symbol of generational belonging, and the cell phone transitioning from a tool for the few to a tool for everyone; with the arcade mentioned in Jolly blue, strobe lights, and erotic imagery.

Then the sentimental arrives, with a chapter on 2 of clubs, the love letters of Come mai, and the models of Nella notte, up to the Zundapp motorcycle of Cumuli, with a chapter on swords, meaning heroin syringes.

Erotic imagery returns with porn (and how to get it) and the nightclub, a symbol of youth.

Then a series of chapters on education and work: the dream of a permanent job, vacations, September exams before the credit/debt system, the American myth, the house of God, and the highway diner, the latter two connected to the song Rotta per Casa di Dio.

We are still in 1993 of Sei un mito, and there is a chapter on the mythological girl and the Arbre Magique, then cocktails and dark beers, the ability to handle hangovers, and the stealthy step of S'inkazza (questa casa non è un albergo).

The central role of the nineties includes the vasche, or Sunday gatherings, and the little radio for listening to matches.

In 1987, Auditel arrives, which disrupts the TV of the years to come.

There is then a return to the past, with the 80s, the bar as a mythical place, mentioned in Gli anni.

The chapters representing the third album of 883 are each dedicated to a typical element of the nineties:

- The water gun

- Street soccer

- The car radio, which was carried by hand

- The Golf Cabrio

- The music video

- Bad luck (Fattore S)

We return to 1993 with Gli avvoltoi, Il richiamo della cumpa, video jukeboxes, the discopub (the last two will have a short life), the goatee, growing up.

In 1997 we are in the era of "Andrà tutto bene," the home phone, Sunday goals, the closed bar of La dura legge del gol, La regola dell'amico, the balm, regret, dramas and dignity, the shaft, meaning hazing, down to her parents mentioned in Non ti passa più.

The neighborhood, the scooter, and the hex key, as well as the cap and political "celodurismo," are still from the 1997 album.

We arrive at 1999 of Grazie mille with the afternoon nightclub, the beep, the leather jacket, sushi, IKEA, university, and Kurt Cobain.

The book closes with the following 5 chapters:

- Riccione, the memory of youth

- The shopping mall, bridging the nineties and the 2000s

- The bedroom mirror

- The chill in the stomach

- The 2000s

Max's '90s are temporally expanded both before and after, also including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the attacks on the Twin Towers.

Beautiful book devoured in two days, top marks!