The musician of Elio e le Storie Tese, Rocco Tanica, was in Racconigi for “Libri a Castello” as a writer with his book “Scritti scelte male”. What better occasion for an interview with IDEA? «There was the 2008 publication – Tanica tells us -, to which I was affectionately attached as my first creation. I was offered a re-edition. I started by taking back the commas and ended by rewriting the text. Now it is a distant cousin of that book: the style has changed, my thoughts, the vocabulary. I learned to use the euphonic “d”s and I understood which stories lost rhythm. And I am a fanatic of rhythm».
Does it change that much?
“Some pages seemed to have been written by my high school student and needed some rewriting. I’m satisfied with the result.”
Are words important?
“Yes, especially for me, who doesn’t have the breath of a novelist, but I have passion and fuel for short stories where sound, meaning, rhythm and choice of words count. I am sometimes accused of having an obsolete vocabulary. I say that I learned to write by reading the stories of the great Mickey Mouse scriptwriters: at seven years old, finding yourself faced with a “depauperare” as Scrooge says, is a great way to start a passion for words.”
There were comics and now social media?
“Let’s say that social media like Tiktok have the merit of having created a solid alternative in the use of television. I don’t often hear kids under 20 say “I saw it on TV”, but “I saw it on Tiktok”. And it doesn’t matter if it’s clips from TV series broadcast on Netflix, it’s a ring in which old and new media join hands and spin wildly. The flaw of social media is the speed of use that doesn’t allow any real in-depth analysis”.
Short stories, in fact, are not easy to write…
«I am inspired by the poetic collective “Cosmic Bufala”, by writing with vaguely enigmatic limits, like Raymond Queneau, poems and compositions that only use the consonants of the title. Brevity is one of these “limits”, boundaries to be imposed to stay on topic. I don’t know, do you have to describe a crime in 5,000 characters? First you rebel, then you discover you can file it down and do it. A Jewish verse from the Talmud says “the rule makes you free”, a classic version of “learn the art and put it aside”. If you master a discipline, it leaves you free to go beyond it. But if you don’t know it, you can only flounder. The more music you know, the more you can play, the less you know, the more you repeat yourself, you end up in a whirlpool of reiterations».
With Elio you experimented on the same ground.
«And that’s why we seem more cultured than we are. We’ve tried more genres, but the desire to experiment doesn’t mean a huge passion for these “challenges”. If we do a Cuban salsa song, it doesn’t mean we’d give our life for Cuban salsa, but that we’ve listened to a song by Ruben Blades and we were passionate about it, we studied the rhythm and created our own version. The next day we change genre, because we say: are we imitating Donizetti? And so we write a classical piece. It’s about looking at the genres and nibbling, like at a standing buffet, with parmesan and breadsticks».
Battiato also moved from sacred to light music.
“He did it because he was a curious musician. Curiosity for me has more value than virtuosity, it is the ability to be amazed and therefore to listen with the same pleasure to a folk song or the Berliner Barockorchester and then propose your own version. Battiato taught curiosity to many.”
You put irony in it and, ultimately, so did Battiato.
«Yes, but they are ironies of a different nature. Ours was often pure mocking, we have always been clever jesters but between a musical virtuosity and a laugh we have always preferred the laugh, which is the road test: if you play and people laugh, you are right. Battiato’s irony was more nuanced and in my opinion mostly aimed at the people who sanctified him. He was a more readable artist than he led people to believe. When he heard sentimental things like “maestro you are the zenith…”, he laughed. Only this mockery of his was never read with lucidity».
How much irony is there in the book?
«I hope that at least 50% of the pages can raise a smile, the book is written with two purposes: one is to arouse amazement and laughter, I like that both sensations can be unexpected. I love writing a light piece and immediately after one of such darkness that – as someone told me – “it digs into you”. I was almost scared, he was referring to a piece about a funeral. I like to change emotional registers like on a rollercoaster, if I have moved you with a love story I enjoy horrifying you with an incorrect joke and evoking “Les Madeleines” with another expedient. If I succeed, I am happy with the result».
And the other purpose?
«Putting myself to the test. If I write with pleasure, I forget to sleep and some practical things: it means I’m producing good pages. Both for music and for the creative arts, technique can do more than inspiration. That is, if you have technique, you bring home the work even if you don’t feel like it. If you’re just inspired and vaguely talented but don’t have the technical tools, it just goes badly. I like to write in an equipped way and if I have a deadline tomorrow, I respect it without problems. But while I do it, I’m distracted by the TV in the background, by the noise of the windows in the street… When I write and I get lost, I wake up after a while and say “damn, hours have passed”. I see that I’ve written a lot and I choose what to keep and what to throw away».
Where does the title of the book come from?
«From an attempt to emulate my reference humorist, Maurizio Milani. He is my literary beacon. I am not saying that the title is an expression of his, but he uses terms like “I am a very obese alcoholic and my defect is a complete and beautiful one”. It is a typical assortment of subjects and attributes of Milani. “Scritti scelte male” was meant to give the idea of a botched collection (it is not). I asked myself: would Milani have said heterogeneous writings? No, badly written. And he approved the title».
Had he already been to Cuneo?
«For the musical past with Elio and the Storie Tese. Bra has remained in my heart: it was and is the mecca of musicians for the excellent instruments at competitive prices in the famous Merula shop (in Roreto to be precise, ed.). At least a couple of our songs were composed in the car, waiting for Merula to open… I remember that time with Elio, in his car, we wrote “First me, second me” and while we were composing it we said, “damn, it seems like it was made by James Taylor…”. Well, ten years later James Taylor actually sang it on one of our albums! So, the Granda brings good luck to Elio. And then I feel like I am a partner in a song sung by Bisio and Cortellesi called “Cuneo”, the Italian version of Alicia Key’s “New York”, in my small way the lyricist is me. So if you want to talk about Via Sigismondo Leutrum, know that you are preaching to the choir…».
WHO IS
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Rocco Tanica is the stage name of Sergio Conforti. Born in Milan on February 13, 1964, he is a keyboard player, composer, comedian and also a writer. He officially joined Elio’s group in 1982, taking care of the rhythm section over the years and officially remaining in the group until 2018
WHAT HE DID
In recent days he participated in “Libri a Castello”, a literary event in Racconigi, for
talk about his latest book “Scritti scelte male” (La nave di Teseo, 2023)
WHAT DOES IT DO?
With Elio he was on stage for the last time during a concert in Barolo on June 29, 2018. He then participated as a guest in the recent “concertozzi”. And in the meantime he is dedicating himself with great enthusiasm to his activity as an author and writer
How has Rocco Tanica’s writing evolved since the original release of “Scritti scelte male”?
Rocco Tanica: The Art of Storytelling in Music and Words
Rocco Tanica, the renowned musician of Elio e le Storie Tese, recently sat down with IDEA to discuss his latest literary endeavor, “Scritti scelte male” (Selected Writings Done Wrong). In this candid interview, Tanica shares his thoughts on the power of words, the art of storytelling, and his passion for experimentation in music and writing.
Rewriting the Past
Tanica’s “Scritti scelte male” is a re-edition of his 2008 publication, which has undergone significant transformations since its initial release. “I started by taking back the commas and ended by rewriting the text,” he explains. “Now it’s a distant cousin of that book: the style has changed, my thoughts, the vocabulary. I learned to use the euphonic ‘d’s and I understood which stories lost rhythm. And I am a fanatic of rhythm.”
The result is a work that showcases Tanica’s growth as a writer and his dedication to crafting engaging narratives. “Some pages seemed to have been written by my high school student and needed some rewriting,” he admits. “I’m satisfied with the result.”
The Importance of Words
For Tanica, words are essential in conveying meaning and creating a connection with the reader or listener. “Yes, especially for me, who doesn’t have the breath of a novelist, but I have passion and fuel for short stories where sound, meaning, rhythm and choice of words count,” he emphasizes.
Tanica’s love affair with words began at a young age, influenced by the stories of Mickey Mouse scriptwriters. “I learned to write by reading the stories of the great Mickey Mouse scriptwriters: at seven years old, finding yourself faced with a ’depauperare’ as Scrooge says, is a great way to start a passion for words,” he reminisces.
The Evolution of Storytelling
The advent of social media has revolutionized the way we consume stories, with platforms like TikTok offering a new avenue for creators to share their work. “Let’s say that social media like Tiktok have the merit of having created a solid alternative in the use of television,” Tanica observes. “I don’t often hear kids under 20 say ‘I saw it on TV’, but ‘I saw it on Tiktok’.”
However, Tanica also notes the limitations of social media, which can hinder in-depth analysis and promote superficiality. “The flaw of social media is the speed of use that doesn’t allow any real in-depth analysis,” he cautions.
The Art of Brevity
Short stories, in particular, require a unique skillset, as Tanica has discovered. “I am inspired by the poetic collective ‘Cosmic Bufala’, by writing with vaguely enigmatic limits, like Raymond Queneau, poems and compositions that only use the consonants of the title,” he reveals.
Tanica believes that imposing constraints can actually foster creativity and promote focus. “Brevity is one of these ‘limits’, boundaries to be imposed to stay on topic. I don’t know, do you have to describe a crime in 5,000 characters? First, you rebel, then you discover you can file it down and do it.”
Experimentation in Music
Tanica’s approach to music is equally innovative, as evidenced by his work with Elio e le Storie Tese. “We’ve tried more genres, but the desire to experiment doesn’t mean a huge passion for these ‘challenges’,” he explains. “If we do a Cuban salsa song, it doesn’t mean we’d give our life for Cuban salsa, but that we’ve listened to a song by Ruben Blades and we were passionate about it, we studied the rhythm and created our own version.”
This willingness to explore different genres and styles has resulted in a diverse discography
The Creative Mindset of Rocco Tanica: Music, Writing, and the Power of Irony
Rocco Tanica, the talented musician of Elio e le Storie Tese, recently sat down with IDEA to discuss his latest literary endeavor, “Scritti scelte male.” The book, a re-edited version of his 2008 publication, offers
