The splendid and sweet girls editors of the "A6 Fanzine" magazine (comics, music and stories, available both in print and online) discovered my passion for David Bowie and my commitment as lead vocalist of Aladdin Insane David Bowie Tribute. They called me for an interview about David Bowie that I report below, because I think a nice thing came out and because I appreciated their attitude. I also put the link to the interview on their site. By the way, I recommend visiting the site, which is really nice, interesting and carried out with the right determination to be reading.
- David Bowie passed away at the beginning of the year. His songs, fortunately, remain with us. What is your memory linked to his music and his artistic figure?
- Aladdin Insane and I Ambra Mattioli celebrated his 69th birthday on the evening of January 8 with a live concert in Rome. Then, like a bolt in the blue, that damn January 10 morning I received dozens of SMS with the dramatic new of his death.
It was a blow for me, from which I still struggle to recover, since David Bowie if not a father, for me was a teacher of life.
His immense discography will certainly remain in our minds and in our hearts and I want to add that for me Bowie never will be relegated to a simple memory as far as he was decisive in my life: his songs, the man he has been, will remain imprinted in me for a very long time, if not forever.
- When Aladdin Insane born, and why?
- There is no one only "official" tribute to David Bowie in the world. The White Duke never conferred official status on anyone, however many bands and singers pay homage to him performing a cover or a tribute to his multifaceted art.
Speaking about "tribute bands" is always difficult, I think. The best thing would be to judge unpretentious a product that is born unpretentious, but to entertain the audience, honoring a great singer or a great band.
David Bowie is a particular, unique, changeable Artist and we Aladdin Insane have accepted the difficult challenge of reinterpreting his music exclusively live, without recorded music and in original keys.
The Aladdin Insane were born in 2010, with different members than the current ones. I joined the band at the end of 2011 coming from two other tributes to Bowie. One of these bands played with recorded music and with the sequencers and I did not like it at all.
So, from the beginning I accepted the proposal of the Aladdin Insane with the promise that we would always play live, which we do seriously, almost unique in the panorama of tribute bands in general.
- Which song do you like to play the most? Moreover, which one the audience particularly appreciates?
- As an interpreter, I prefer the sings in which Bowie's expressiveness and theatricality appear more preponderant. I refer to his great classics like "Space Oddity", "Life on mars?", "Starman", "The Man Who Sold the World", "Five Years", "Rock 'n' roll suicide", but also to his many rare gems, as "Lady grinning soul", "Wild is the Wind", "Aladdin Sane", up to the last "Lazarus" and "Blackstar". The most well-known "classics" of Bowie, or if you prefer "more popular", as well as "China Girl", "Under Pressure", "Heroes", always trigger the enthusiasm of the audience, who shows to love them particularly.
For my part, I always say with sincere conviction, that: "The applause is above all for Him, for His music and only to a small extent for us performers, who limit ourselves to reflect, as in the facets of a diamond, his art."
- What are the emotions that people who does not yet know you, can try attending your concerts?
- Those who follow us say that listening to the Aladdin Insane one remain fascinated and excited by the passion and love with which we make live the so many masks of David Bowie, undisputed genius of the pop culture. Moreover, they say that ours is not just a simple tribute, but also a real show, which offer a dream to the spectators. Even if the live show is something else, those who want can find our videos on the YouTube channel Ambra Mattioli and on the channel Aladdin Insane.
- What are your favorite comics?
- We Aladdin Insane are seven musicians, each with their own tastes and stories, so I can only speak for myself. I like "Tex Willer" (I have seen it at home since I was a child) and "Dylan Dog". Because of my children, I also met and read other comics. For example, I liked the "Death Note" stories and some of "World of Warcraft". I really like Luis Royo's drawings (I think his "Dead Moon" is beautiful).
- What are the next live appointments to listen to you?
- We always keep our website www.aladdininsane.com and our facebook page Aladdin Insane up to date regarding our events.
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