Renato Pozzetto
Ne uccide più la gola che la sciarpa

"I was in the dark. There was humidity. Silence. Then, suddenly, someone turned on the light. I don't know if they washed me afterward. Then I saw my mom. Beautiful, gorgeous. It was July 14, 1940. It was the day of my birth."

This is how the autobiography of Renato Pozzetto, "Ne uccide più la gola che la sciarpa", published by Rizzoli, begins. Actor, comedian, cabaret artist, singer, screenwriter, director, Pozzetto is one of the main exponents of that hilarious comedy born from early Lombard cabaret.

Fifty years after the first of seventy films and three years since the last one ("Lei mi parla ancora" by Pupi Avati), this book comes out as a well-deserved homage to an extraordinary career.

The story immediately highlights the historical friendship between Renato and Aurelio "Cochi" Ponzoni, with whom he shared much of his life, including his professional life. The families of the two friends, relocated to Gemonio during the war, lived in close contact with a total bond of complicity, providing the narrative with hilarious anecdotes. With their return to the Lombard capital, the duo plunged into the Milan of off-venues, taverns, and workers' clubs: the Bar Gattullo, with "Dogui" and improvisations among the people via "l'Ufficio Facce", passing by the Oca D'Oro and nights with slices of salami and songs about the underworld. And then the performances at "Cab 64" in "Il Gruppo Motore" with Enzo Jannacci (a historic friend of Renato), Lino Toffolo, Felice Andreasi, and Bruno Lauzi, which led to the historic "Derby", which would officially introduce the duo "Cochi & Renato" to the general public.

With Jannacci's collaboration, unforgettable pieces were born like "Canzone intelligente", "La gallina", "E la vita, la vita".

Then came television. The contract with Rai put Cochi and Renato in front of the cameras as hosts and protagonists, bringing to the screen the poetic and original comedy unique to their cabaret. They would host "Quelli della domenica", "Il buono e il cattivo", "Il poeta e il contadino", "Canzonissima e vino", and "Whisky e chewing gum".

A friendship, that between the two inseparable partners, that would not be shaken even by the historic relationship between Pozzetto and the seventh art, which would later also embrace Ponzoni.

"Per amare Ofelia" is Renato's debut film, which would kick off a frenetic film career, with an average of four films released in Italian cinemas each year. The peak would arrive in the eighties, with, among others, films such as "Il ragazzo di campagna" (the most famous and appreciated film, even by Pozzetto himself), "Mia moglie è una strega", "Un povero ricco", "È arrivato mio fratello", and "7 chili in 7 giorni" with Carlo Verdone.

In the short but intense chapters of the autobiography, the author recounts his passion for boats, helicopters, sports cars, and good food. He talks about his friendship with Clay Regazzoni, Nelson Piquet, and Riccardo Patrese. With the latter, he won the Giro Automobilistico d'Italia in 1978, alternating in driving a Fiat Ritmo, and earned a fifth place in the Paris-Dakar of 1987, after participating three times, amidst passion, fatigue, and misadventures.

Renato never missed out on anything, not even helicopter flights and long crossings of the Po aboard his beloved boat, celebrated with enthusiasm at every stop in the various taverns overlooking the river.

He adored his beloved wife Brunella, whom he thinks about every day since that December of 2009 when she passed away. With her and their two children, Giacomo and Francesca, Pozzetto shared every success, seeing his greatest fault of fame as his inability to make room for his affections.

Renato confides in the reader, with a touch of melancholy, how much he misses the entertainment world of yesteryear while still acknowledging his devotion to the audience that showered him with affection and applause, in all corners.

"Ne uccide più la gola che la sciarpa" is a candid, funny, and engaging book. Despite in the end giving the impression of being much more concise than it could have been, considering how full the author's life was. But perhaps this is also a merit, as the chapters flow swiftly without ever boring and do not dwell too much on excessively melancholic reflections. Every page turned carries with it a delighted and amused smile, and it's not just the bookmark that reminds us we are nearing the end of the story.

Renato, always with a smile, says he is proud of everything he has done and ready for the curtain call of life, despite managing to feel physically well for now thanks to medication. And he wants to leave us a special legacy, deciding to do it properly. He gives a gift to his readers through an exclusive bequest and through a task. That we will only discover by reading.

Because life l’è bela. But it's also strange. And in the end...you just need to have an umbrella.