La Spezia, July 23, 2023 – Smiling face, happy to be interviewed by some students. Gianni Morandi agreed to meet some guys from classical high school ‘Costa’ of Spezia and, with his customary kindness and availability, he answered their questions. As reporters, Eva Cocchi, Sofia Guglielmo and Giorgia Vellutino the singer from Monghidoro was asked several questions, and for his part the ‘national Gianni’ satisfied all his curiosities. Here you are the full interview. “An artist who, after years of his career, continues to be passionately dedicated to his work and advises young people not to lose the opportunities of his life. What we discovered in this talk that we discovered at the gates of the concert that was held on Friday, July 14 in Piazza Europa in La Spezia is an unprecedented Gianni Morandi”. First of all, thanks for being here tonight. Ours is a well-known area, we were wondering if you had any memories related to it. “I have come here many times. As a child, a little older, forty, fifty and over. They are beautiful places, I like the sea. I remember in 65 a great warship, Rai did a live television program where I sang, I was 20 years old ». I would have expected to return several times for concerts.? «If they had told me in 65 that I would come here to give a concert in 2023 I would never have believed it. It was unthinkable to imagine such a long career, both for personal reasons and because I didn’t expect such success.” It’s good that there are fans who belong to all generations. You were born and reborn in the music scene, what is the secret of this professional longevity? «Such a long career, made of ups and downs, is linked to the encounters you have, quoting the words of Vinícius De Moraes: life is the art of meeting. I have always been very curious, I remember many programs from the 80s that were nothing more than restatements of the 60s, I escaped… I think that we must always look ahead, experiment, we must not stay with what we have ». How important is luck in this job? “The luck of being in the right place at the right time is essential. I spent years in absolute silence, then there were occasions. For example, one day Mogol called me on the phone and said: “Do you know how to play soccer? Do you know any singer who can play it? I would like to form a soccer team!” So it was. Then one day he said to me “but don’t you sing anymore?” From there I started again. Sometimes it’s just chance that leads to success.” What do you think of our generation? How does it relate to the young audience? What advice would you give to young people who want to pursue this career? “Today’s children are much more educated than we are. In my day many things were not. Today with the internet you can compare yourself with everyone. However, to have lasting success, it takes passion and dedication, “you have to learn the trade”. Emotions, however, are transmitted now as then. I would like to teach children the correct way to communicate the things they do, “my way”. Teaching you never stop learning. What are the 3 songs that are never missing in your concerts? «Let yourself be commanded by my mother, she will always accompany me. It is part of the collective memory, it is sung by 5-year-old children. You know her even if you’ve never heard of her. There was a boy, because he represents a significant moment in my career; Joan Baez made her world famous. One in a thousand, emblem of my rebirth after the fall. The lyrics contain heavy words that have a powerful impact, in fact it is one of the most acclaimed songs during concerts. Is there friendship between colleagues? Is there an artist you can always count on? “That’s if it exists. I had an extraordinary friend, Lucio Dalla, with whom I used to go to the stadium as a child to see Bologna. I miss him a lot today, I always find a way to remember him during my shows. I’ve become good friends with Jovanotti, he’s always on the move and drags you along; I also feel like someone who wants to go. Then Eros Ramazzotti, with whom we started the national singers with more than 300 matches, and many others. Among the young people I worked with Sangiovanni and Blanco, for whom I cleaned the Sanremo stage with a broom (laughs). Among the women, Virginia Raffaele is close to my heart, we were both very close to Bibi Ballandi.” Was there an encounter that changed your life? “A lot. I met extraordinary people who turned me upside down like Luchino Visconti, Pasolini, Moravia, Morricone and others. Everything I learned I learned by living. Life without encounters is in vain.” When did you realize that music could become your job? «I helped my father fix his shoes and I dreamed of moving from Monghidoro, my town; I thought about taking the bike and being a representative. He sang like my father, my mother, my aunt Ernestina in the woods while she grazed the cows. Then came the singing classes in Bologna, the first audition in Rome at RCA in front of Modugno, Migliacci, Morricone… I was 15/16 years old. The first years were dazzling, sudden. Millions of copies sold almost without realizing it. I only found out over time. There have been times when I was silent, when I started again everything changed. I started to study more, going beyond the vocals, singing the words. My approach to music and my way of communicating with it has undergone a mutation». Do you still have dreams in the drawer? «I wanted to win the New York marathon (laughs). Seriously, my life has been a dream. Many unimaginable things have happened. I still want to do this job, tonight I’ll go on stage and have fun. My dream is to continue like this, to see people applaud me, without becoming “pathetic grandpa.” I hope you can make your dreams come true. Always fight for your ambitions, sometimes you succeed, sometimes life takes you elsewhere”. With this last question we said goodbye to Morandi, but not before the souvenir photos and the delivery, by our rector Franco Elisei, of the Ad Mirabilia catalogue, which celebrates the centenary of the Palazzo degli Studi, home to our secondary school. We remain with us the memory of an extraordinary artist, meticulous in verifying all aspects of the show but, above all, a man with a big heart who, with With the greatest kindness, he opened the doors of the dressing room for us and gave us the same importance given to professional journalists, perhaps even more, giving us half an hour of his precious time! The credit for this important growth opportunity goes to the Municipality of La Spezia, which has always supported the activities of our school. And it is precisely with the Mayor Pierluigi Peracchini that we have the opportunity to exchange some considerations about the Estate of La Spezia and about the concert. Mayor, Emis Killa has opened the summer of La Spezia, tonight it is Gianni Morandi’s turn, are you satisfied? How many people will there be tonight?
«Absolutely yes, almost every night the city will experience great events in the name of a summer that I hope will be remembered by all. It is the result of a lot of effort, it certainly has not been easy to balance fun, security and money, but it was worth it. There will be 3,500 people tonight but La Spezia is already used to big events: we had Baby K with 10,000 attendees and Gabry Ponte with 8,000.” Your favorite Morandi song? “Hard to say, I grew up with his songs. There are some more casual, others more significant that can teach us all a lot, one of all is “One in a thousand” ». Eva Cocchi, Sofia Guglielmo, Giorgia Vellutino
