Lucio Dalla, in bookstores 'L'Uomo di Piazza Grande'. A unique, passionate and exciting document: the universe of a genius of whom we think we know everything and who, instead, still reserves many surprises.
Lucio, his records and his friends. The funny, melancholic, surprising stories of those who worked on those albums, really knew him and traveled a stretch of the road with him.
“L'uomo di Piazza Grande” (published by Aereostella) is in bookstores, edited by journalist and record producer Paolo Maiorino, the result of years of research and study. Not a classic biography but the story of Lucio Dalla's endless musical production through the testimonies and memories of his many traveling companions. Maiorino retraces with them Dalla's artistic and human path through his albums, year after year, recounting an extraordinary career, Lucio's world and his poetry, still alive today, ever more among us.
The author carries out a work of connection, giving order to the impressive quantity of news, information, data that he gradually collected, accurately reconstructing the portrait of the artist and the man. Maiorino, who knew him and frequented his home, to better understand his world has also explored his Bologna, the fundamental setting of Dall's universe, and the places of Lucio.
In the book there is a chapter for each album, narrated by those who collaborated on those records in the studio, in the writing, production, realization and subsequent promotion, illustrated with vintage photos, some of which unpublished. Pages full of anecdotes, curiosities and reflections, which outline the figure of an artist sui generis in the musical panorama of our country and which give us a snapshot of forty-five years of music by one of the greatest artists of Italian pop culture.
There are many testimonies from artists, musicians, producers, record producers, managers, photographers, video makers.
Ron (who also signs the preface), Renzo Arbore, Pupi Avati, Gianni Morandi, Fiorella Mannoia, Samuele Bersani, Luca Carboni, the whole Stadio band (Gaetano Curreri, Ricky Portera, Giovanni Pezzoli, Fabio Liberatori and Marco Nanni), Paola Pallottino, Gli Idoli, Mario Lavezzi, Iskra Menarini, Angela Baraldi, Tony Esposito, Jimmy Villotti, Gianfranco Reverberi, Guido and Maurizio De Angelis; the producers Alessandro Colombini, Mauro Malavasi, Roberto Costa, Bruno Mariani; Ambrogio Lo Giudice, Maurizio Biancani, his first impresario and lifelong friend Tobia Righi, the journalist Fabrizio Zampa (with Dalla in the Flippers), Paolino Piermattei and the record producer Silvana Casato, precious traveling companions. But also Beppe D'Onghia, Tullio Ferro, Luciano Ciccaglioni, Roberto Gualdi, Daniele Caracchi, Andrea Faccani, Marcello Balestra, Bruno Cabassi, Antonio Bagnoli, Simone Baroncini, and many others.
“I had the pleasure, and the fortune, of knowing Lucio Dalla and working with him during my career. For years, before and after his death, I frequented his house in Bologna, in via Massimo D'Azeglio, I became passionate about his creativity, his brilliance, his love for art. But, as often happens, only after his death did I become interested and enthusiastic in seeking testimonies that could outline a more defined picture of the man as well as the artist” the author, Paolo Maiorino, tells us “As I knew him, Lucio was a visionary, constantly projected into the future and animated by an insatiable curiosity. An extroverted character, but also solitary and poetic, often over the top. His irreverence, that perpetual childlike look has forever been imprinted in my memories: over the course of these last years I have shared these memories and collected the testimonies of many of his friends and, above all, of his traveling companions. So I was moved, laughed, reflected, had fun with them, I felt melancholy and a sense of deep admiration for an immortal artist because Lucio lives today more than ever in his beautiful songs. I wanted to dedicate this work to the memory of Michele Mondella (Dalla's longtime press officer, ed.), of whom I was a friend and student in the recording industry. To him and his wife Silvana Casato, a historic record producer, all my affection and recognition”.
“The Man of Piazza Grande” is a passionate and exciting book that immerses us in the universe of a genius about whom we think we know everything but who, instead, still has many surprises in store.
Paolo Maiorino trained in the United States, where in the mid-80s he was a correspondent for some Italian music magazines. From 1992 to 2021 he worked for important record labels including Emi, Columbia, Ricordi, Bmg and Sony Music. From 2011 to 2021 he was responsible for the Catalog & Strategic Marketing of Sony Legacy. He also curated the editorial content of many celebratory record editions. Since 2018 he has collaborated with Mondadori, RCS and De Agostini. During his 30 years and more in music, he has been a radio and television author and has worked in communication and marketing for several Italian artists.
The Man from Piazza Grande, by Paolo Maiorino (Aereostella, 255 pages, 22 euros).
Article published on 14 October 2022 - 14:13
