Fulminacci: “I want the simplicity of the truth to arrive”

Who said that songwriting has to be committed and cerebral? Certainly not Fulminacci, who is very proud of his lightness – or heaviness dressed up as lightness. In this spirit (and with a sports hall tour on the horizon), the new single “Nothing special” is part of a path of progressive, simple growth, without explosions or revolutions, where a little oil on a piece of bread “is the best thing there is”.

Two years have passed since “Infinity +1”. So you said you still hadn’t understood who you are and what your value is. How’s it going now?

It’s much worse, thanks. I understood even less, but the further I go the less I understand because in my opinion the more you go on with life the more you insert ingredients into the recipe and therefore you understand less and less. But I’m happy about this: it’s more fun if you don’t understand exactly who you are, because if you feel like you’ve arrived then in my opinion you no longer want to work.

No reference point?

My compass is simply my taste, that is, what I listen to, what I like, the desire to do things inspired by things I like. Yes, that is certainly the basis of all creative professions. But I always try to surprise myself. I have more fun.

And what do you like?

I trained with the Italian songwriting school of the 70s, both the Roman one and the Bolognese one. Then I like a lot of things, even foreign ones, a lot of bands from different periods. For me the Beatles are everything, I always say that. But there are various realities, even of the moment, that I like. There’s a band I recently discovered, called Royel Otis and I really like it. To mention new stuff, I say, because the Italian songwriting school has clearly always been my main source of inspiration. Even contemporary colleagues – and not just from Rome. I know some of them, it’s nice to exchange ideas and influence each other.

Daniele Silvestri, to name one.

Certain. Daniele Silvestri is part of the intermediate generation between De Gregori and the contemporary one. For me he is a master, he has taught me everything since I was little, without knowing it, when I was just a fan. Then I met him since I’ve been doing this job. It’s wonderful to deal with him and also discover, among other things, that he is a wonderful person with whom I get along well, because even that isn’t a given.

What kind of collaboration would you like to do?

There are many, but they are utopian collaborations, which rarely happen in life. And then you never know if they’re good. There are some idols of mine that I would never want to meet in person because I’m afraid of being disappointed. And so sometimes it is better to keep some people on a pedestal, to keep them in a glass case in your heart, so at least you love them and hang on their lips, instead of discovering that they are human beings like you and therefore full of complex facets.

Sanremo. How has it changed your artistic path?

After Sanremo my audience grew a lot. The great thing is that it has grown while remaining an aware, prepared audience, who knows all the pieces and who comes to the concerts. He also knows the songs that aren’t singles and this is something I’m really proud of, it’s one of the greatest satisfactions I’ve gained from this job: having an audience that really loves me, that isn’t distracted and that if they appreciate my things it’s because they like what I do, not just some songs. And unfortunately I know that today this is not a given. So having such an attentive audience is nice. It’s nice that it has grown and is growing more and more, always with this quality.

What aspect of yourself do you most care about communicating to the public?

I hope the simplicity of truth comes. I think that’s the most interesting thing, telling my thoughts. I never disguise myself, although I also like to pretend to be something else, but in some cases exaggeratedly; on tour, for example, we are dressed absurdly. Often, however, regarding what I say, I always want the real person to come and not a character, because I wouldn’t even be able to create a fake character or one more interesting than who I really am. And I think that’s the main stylistic feature of what I do.

Is the Ariston stage the experience that changed you the most, as an artist and as a person?

Sanremo is a place that has a lot of resonance, in Italy it is the event with the most following, the most influential, so yes, I think so. Career-wise, it changed things for me. Then I have always had a gradual growth that is continuing: I have never experienced any kind of peak or boom or explosion and in my opinion this has also protected my mental health a lot, I’m happy about it. Holding hands with my audience, there was never any trauma.

“What will become of us / Of me of her / Of those who never dream”. Are you a dreamer?

Yes, I think I’m a dreamer, because anyone who does this job necessarily has to dream. So yes, I am.

Is life “nothing special”? Just oil on a piece of bread?

Life is oil on a piece of bread, yes. Because very often what happens in life is very distant from what happens in films and the dialogues in life do not have a screenwriter, sometimes they are uninteresting, the events that happen to you are disconnected from each other. Life is a set of ordinary things that come together and create something special. And oil on a piece of bread is one of my favorite things ever.

Where does the desire to move from more cerebral lyrics to a spirit of lightness come from?

What has always come from my lyrics is a sort of lightness, or at least heaviness dressed up as lightness. I am very happy and proud of this, of this feedback, because I like to make things arrive in a simple way. I think it’s a communicative point of arrival. There are songs where I want to be lighter and others where I try to say something deeper. Also depending on how I feel on the day I write it. Because in this profession there is no working day, you don’t clock in, you never know what you’ll do. And so every time you surprise yourself.

There are those who say that it is a duty for artists to take sides, especially in this historical period. What do you think?

I think that if you inform yourself and have clear ideas, it is right to expose yourself and express yourself to convey messages that you believe are right.

First tour of the sports halls coming soon. Excited? What do you expect?

I expect a lot, I’m very happy, it’s a giant thing. I had only done one hall as a unicum within a club tour and this is the first time I’ve done various halls together and I can’t wait. I will see a lot of people in front of me and I will prepare very well. I’ll do a lot of rehearsals with the band, I want to have a lot of fun, I want to enjoy it because these are things that, I tell you selfishly, I want to remember very well.