by Luca Castelli
The bassist: «In 2018 we split up because we were tired. We started over by beating the routine with three rules: always re-adapt even the cult songs, do everything really live and don’t give a damn about political correctness»
Elio e le Storie Tese have been trying to screw a tooth back in for months. They are doing it on a tour entitled just that — «Mi resta un dente e cerco di riavvitarlo» — which after 44 sold out shows at the theater is hunting for summer glory under the stars, with a stop tomorrow at the Flowers in Collegno. In a location, the Parco della Certosa, that the band knows very well.
“We played there so many times, the first ones with Feiez (the multi-instrumentalist who passed away in 1998),” says Faso, the group’s long-time bass and mustache. “It’s a place that not only allows you to give great concerts, but also to spend time well around. Once after the soundcheck we played baseball in a little garden. Another time we flew radio-controlled helicopters.”
You’re coming back without drummer Christian Meyer, why?
«Because when the Trio Medusa dragged us into the first “Concertozzo”, after the pandemic, we were disbanded and Christian had made some commitments. That evening we felt such joy that we decided to start playing again and schedule the autumn tour. Christian then moved his commitments to the summer. Only we didn’t expect 44 sold outs. We decided to do a summer tour too and he — who is Swiss and precise — told us he couldn’t postpone his other commitments any longer».
How did you solve it?
“We asked him to suggest some young replacements for the tour. We held some auditions and since there were two guys we really liked, Riccardo Marchese and Paolo Rubboli, we took them both, entrusting them with drums and percussion.”
Why did you split up in 2018?
“Ours was a neverending tour, started in 1989 and never stopped. We felt out of time, stuck in routine, surrounded by a depressing musical world dominated by people who press the play button on stage. At the “Concertozzo” we found our enthusiasm again. And not only us: in the audience I saw fans crying, as if we were Baglioni! When it came to starting again, Elio had a brilliant idea: to talk to the director Giorgio Gallione. It was Giorgio who chose the songs in the setlist, building what he believes is an observatory on Italy through our songs. One thing is certain: everything you hear is true. No play button, no autotune, everything played live.”
After all these years, how do you overcome the routine effect?
«We call it the office effect and luckily it hasn’t infected us yet. This is demonstrated by the fact that even in consolidated pieces like “Servi della gleba” we always insert something new. We like to be continually stimulated by our music. I myself keep the most identifying riffs fixed, like the one in “Mio cuggino”, but whenever I can, like in “La terra dei cachi” and “Uomini col borsello”, I improvise a bit. Every now and then I meet some bass-fans who say to me: Faso, I learned your parts on record and now you do them all differently live?».
And how do you resist the trend of political correctness, of which you are certainly not a part?
«Personally, I shy away from social media, which seems like a territory for crazy people. And I think like Mel Brooks, when he says that if he released his films today, they would probably lynch him. We don’t justify verbal violence, but humor is also based on contrast and always has context. I played baseball with some Dominican and Cuban kids who spent their time teasing each other with phrases like “nigger, you really don’t know how to play”, clearly ironic. We’ve reached a point where, as a fan pointed out at a concert, when I mention photosynthesis in the introduction to “Servi alla gleba” I could be accused of plant-shaming».
Speaking of plants, given your recent advertising campaign, are you going to go on stage dressed as tomatoes?
“No no, advertising is one thing, concerts are another. On stage we are very elegant, dressed in white, like little angels.”
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July 5, 2024
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2024-07-05 03:35:12
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