One Dimensional Man / Il Teatro degli Orrori
5 Questions to Pierpaolo Capovilla

Until recently, I was a bloody foreign enthusiast. I used to think, and I was convinced, that our tricolor zombism had infected even the most beautiful sector, that is, the musical one. Just recently, I've realized that the Italian underground is pulsing, and quite strongly at that. Perhaps you might have realized it from my latest reviews (and I will remain faithful to this line, that is to give more space to Italians)... I have fallen in love with the independent music of our much-loved/loathed Bel Paese. In the end, if you crunch the numbers, limiting ourselves to this last couple of years to provide a specific example, everything has come out: we have floor-raising rock (Super Elastic Bubble Plastic, Hell Demonio, One Dimensional Man, and Il Teatro degli Orrori), the most experimentally ambitious formations which would outperform even the American ones (Dead Elephant, Putiferio, Zu), the cultured and never self-referential metalheads (Ephel Duath), the most original drone of recent years (Lent0, Morkobot, Ufomammut), and also the most courageously innovative songwriters (Samuel Katarro).

A scene, I dare say, alive and prolific, which owes everything to certain figures. One of these is the interviewee here, Pierpaolo Capovilla, the mind and creator of One Dimensional Man, a band that gave a revitalizing jolt to the carcass of Italian rock between the Nineties and the new Millennium. A true, honest, consistent person, only to be thanked for his contribution to our music. Someone who does not lose the willingness to respond to the curious seventeen-year-old of the moment, despite having over ten years of an honorable career, and who, indeed, responds in the most accommodating way possible, managing to provide interesting insights even to the usual stupid circumstantial questions. Ladies and gentlemen... Pierpaolo Capovilla!

Let's start with Il Teatro degli Orrori, your latest, but not least important, project. "Dell'Impero delle Tenebre" received positive feedback from critics but, especially, from the people. A devastating fusion of music, lyrics, and, particularly live, performative art but, more simply, one of the best Rock albums (with a capital R) in Italy of at least the last decade. What makes you, made you, and will make you most proud of this project? 

Ppaolo: Dell'Impero delle Tenebre was a difficult album to make. First of all, it required a lot of time: just for the gestation of the repertoire, it took two years of rehearsals. In this span, not only did we work hard, but we also had to overcome all the "human" difficulties that were between us, and become a true, cohesive band where problems are faced together, with a spirit of democracy, friendship, and brotherhood. The songs underwent countless transformations, both in performance and especially in the lyrics. It was an enormous struggle: I believe this is what makes me proud of our work: we struggled for a long time, we asked ourselves questions that demanded a collective answer, we bet on the success of the project. Finally, we did an endless tour.

Still regarding "Dell'Impero delle Tenebre," I often claim that this album has driven me to read more than my thus far four boring years of high school. You often defined it as "music for the brain, not for the feet", and I can only agree. "Dell'Impero delle Tenebre" on one side presents a very personal cut, and on the other, it's an enormous Pandora's box that cites and refers to the most disparate contexts, from Demetrio Stratos to Carmelo Bene. Some even saw Celine and Baudelaire in it. Can you reveal any other hidden quotations "to spread a little culture"?

Ppaolo: The Italian school system is in shambles, just as its ministerial programs are not suited for contemporary times. That sort of minister of education we have is taking decisive steps toward the definitive defeat of public education.
Having said that, it seems to me that in the real country, there is a desire for culture, literature, poetry, and politics that has long remained unexpressed in Italian pop music. Il Teatro degli Orrori decided from the outset to pursue a path opposite and contrary to that of the majors, the little song, the dance entertainment, etc., etc.
Dell'Impero delle Tenebre is therefore dense with literary quotes: there's Carmelo Bene, Baudelaire, Céline, Antonin Artaud, Shakespeare; but there are also Dalla, De Andrè, De Gregori, Demetrio Stratos.
I share Oscar Wilde's maxim: "To steal from one is plagiarism, to steal from many is research"....
 
Let's now move to One Dimensional Man. What are the upcoming projects you have for this group? Also, I'm afraid that when each one of you is busy with your respective groups, Gionata with Super Elastic Bubble Plastic, Giulio with Putiferio, and you with One Dimensional Man, a side project like Il Teatro degli Orrori might be suffocated by these heavy commitments. Obviously, I don't want to be presumptuous, what can you tell us about this?

Ppaolo: Il Teatro degli Orrori started as a side project, but it quickly became our main commitment. One Dimensional Man, Super Elastic, and Putiferio will not interfere with the success of Il Teatro. We are working on a new album. We hope to finish by October. You'll hear some great stuff!
One Dimensional Man, for now, is still on stand-by. I'd like to make a new album, but frankly, I don't find the will or the time right now. We’ll see.

I know of your love for bands like Melvins and Jesus Lizard. Looking at the present instead, what's your most recent musical love? Which albums struck you the most, for instance, from the recently ended 2008?

Ppaolo: I'm 40 years old and I don't exclusively listen to rock anymore. I've had enough.
Jesus Lizard and Melvins, as well as The Birthday Party and Oxbow, remain a point of reference. But now I listen to the first Pino Daniele, second only to the best De Andrè. I admit I have a crush in Interpol, in whose music I perceive a lyricism that fascinates me, but who among us doesn't have at least one weakness to confess?
I love Radiohead and Blur; I still listen to Genesis and King Crimson... but what can I do if, when I hear "Cammina cammina" (Pino Daniele, "Terra mia" 1977), it breaks my heart. After all,.... I am a romantic.

Let's close with a nice opinion that a veteran like you can give us. From your long and prolific career, what is your greatest satisfaction? And your greatest regret? Then, what do you think of the Italian independent scene? Is it a scene of hope, or, as many foreign enthusiasts claim, just a surrogate of English and American music?

Ppaolo: I believe my greatest satisfaction lies in the very fact of being a musician and the author of my songs. This job has gifted me with a constant projectuality that makes my life more beautiful and interesting, and makes overcoming daily difficulties feel easier. For me, rock is a vocation...
The Italian independent scene is full of wonderful things. Playing many live concerts gives us the opportunity to hear very diverse things. Sometimes they're interesting, other times boring. But I really don't think the Italian "scene" is a "surrogate" of the English (unreachable) or American one. It has its specificities, the desire to play and make music exists and gives hope. The important thing is not to get entangled in a collective imaginary imposed by the media, trash TV, MTV and its majors, commercial radio, and music control.