Gianluca Grignani celebrates 30 years of “Destinazione Paradiso”

Press conference with acoustic guitar the one that Gianluca Grignani yesterday afternoon took place in the offices of the Universal record company at the presentation of the thirty-year anniversary edition of his debut album “Paradise Destination”published in February 1995 at the same time as his participation in the Sanremo festival in the section New Proposals where he obtained sixth position in the final ranking with the song “Paradise Destination”.

The meeting with the press and fans was conducted by the journalist Paola Gallo who as his first question asked the Milanese musician a simple, “How are you?”. Grignani’s response was ready: “I’m fine, but I’m very tired. I’m tired as I’ve never been in my life.” He has good reasons for it, since Gianluca’s ongoing projects are numerous. In addition to the re-release of his most successful album, the new album entitled will follow in April “Emerald green… Remnants of rock’n’roll” – first part of a trilogy that defines “Not commercial, but popular” – and two ‘special’ concerts scheduled for May 25th at Alcatraz in Milan and May 27th at Alleanza in Rome. Appetizer of a more substantial commitment that will happen later, at least that’s what Grignani suggests, without going into further detail because he can’t reveal anything about it.

Tickets for the concerts in Milan and Rome will be available in advance on Ticketone and on Ticketmaster starting from 2.00 pm today, Friday 5 December.

The reprint of “Paradise Destination” has a new cover that he says is closer to the reality of the facts that thirty years ago were completely betrayed by the record label, “Whoever didn’t experience me then can now really see me as I am”. The controversy with the record company of thirty years ago is recalled again when, commenting on the enormous success of the album, annoyed by how things went, he declares: “The album was much stronger than a totally wrong promotion that could and should have valorised it better.” He is very keen to remember that the album without the presence of the producer Massimo Luca would never see the light. And the thanks to Luca return several times.

In the new “Paradise Destination” the first version of is included “Half Hawk”which was then called “Free your wings”. After remembering this, he picked up the guitar and played it to those present. Speaking of “First Train to Mars” instead he recalled that the inspiration came to him after reading “Skeletons”a collection of short stories by Stephen King.

He has denied for the umpteenth time the popular belief that “Paradise Destination” would have been written with suicide in mind, an act that never crossed his mind. “At the time they branded me as cursed, I was 23 years old, they could ruin me if I believed in them.” He explains that the idea for the song came to him one day when, coming out of the garage where he lived under his parents’ house, he saw a rocking chair. Of course he sang it on the spot, a bare version for guitar and voice with tones close to the blues. A musical genre that says to listen and, ultimately, reflects, that is my musical matrix.

The third piece proposed to those present could only be “My story between your fingers”. His most played song on the platforms, with extraordinary success also in the Spanish version, “Mi story entre tus dedos”. Song that in recent months has been at the center of an annoying and unpleasant controversy between Gianluca and Laura Pausini, now completely resolved. “Laura is a friend but, at that moment, she wasn’t”, Grignani cut short. The ‘fault’ of the musician from Romagna was that of not having let him listen to the song, where she changed the text and meaning, moving from the first to the third person, and asked for the green light to use it in that way before recording it. However everything is part of the past and is now behind us, Laura, he says, remains a friend.

He was finally asked if he had sent any songs to participate in the next one Sanremo festivalthe answer is one that does not allow replies: “I don’t give away any songs to Sanremo”. To sum up, if he had to say what has changed in these thirty years of career: “Now I use intelligence and cunning, as I used instinct then.” And what advice would you give to your then self: “The same one I gave myself back then, ‘Stay away from women in entertainment.'”