MAINMAN PAOLO TALKS ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM, TOURING AND ORGANISED RELIGION!
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After touring their arses off for two years in support of their “Ketchup Suicide” album, Linea 77 could have been forgiven for taking a long break from their musical activities, but ever the troopers, the band have returned with their third Earache album, the diverse and intriguing “Numb”. Easily the greatest collection of songs so far, “Numb” looks destined to propel the band to new heights of popularity, not least as one of Europe's most consistently enthralling live bands. We caught up with co-frontman Paolo as the band bask in their current high profile status in their native country and prepare for a fresh onslaught on the rest of the continent.
What have you been doing since the end of the Ketchup Suicide tour?
Paolo: "It took almost two years to complete that tour, and by the end we were exhausted. We were very tired after being on the road for two years. So we stopped and got together at our rehearsal space in Turin and we started to write a new album, but we soon found out that it was difficult. After being on the road for so long, we were not able anymore to write the right album, because when you play live you always do the same thing, so for the first six months we were writing lots of songs but they all sounded too much like Linea 77. This time we wanted to say the definitive word about our influences and how we sound. We always thought that it can be helpful to be compared to other bands, but it can also be a risk. We felt like we were looking for a more personal approach to the composition of the songs and everything related to the music. So we basically trashed all the new songs and re-approached the whole writing process. After six months, when we started again we were very excited. The only rule we wanted to keep was to not write songs as we'd always done before. We had to let the influences of each one of us come through in the final composition. This is the only way to write new songs and it's worked out really well.
“Numb” is definitely your best and most varied album to date. Are you satisfied with the final product?
Paolo: We're very pleased with the result. We were aware that some of the older fans might not approve of the changes, but it was a matter of existence. We've never been about finding the right formula and sticking to it, record after record. We've always been honest. We get bored very easily so we're constantly looking for evolution. We're very satisfied because we tried something new and it worked out. We have to be honest, first of all, in front of ourselves.
There are quite a few surprises on the new album the brass section on 'Warhol' was a bolt from the blue!
Paolo: "That's what we wanted. We want people to have to listen more than once to understand all the songs. Some journalists have clearly only listened to the album once or twice. It's a complex album. It's not the usual thing, where you get a hit single and a bunch of other songs that are not as good!
According to "The Numb Experience" film on the bonus DVD, you recorded the album in a beautiful location
Paolo: "It was amazing, an amazing location. It was in a small town, very much designed for human beings! It's located by the Adriatic Sea. We were in the country, by the sea but surrounded by hills. The studio was on the top of a hill so we could see the whole skyline and it was very inspiring. Something that was very crucial for increasing the relationships between the band members was that we were sleeping in the same building as the studio and we had a TV room so we wouldn't get bored when we weren't recording. It was really human. The atmosphere was very good. It was a really positive vibe. It was March, but the weather conditions were great. It was the first warm, sunny days of the year. So the studio was very crucial. But it was very strange because it was so different from Ripley, where we recorded the last album! The next one will have to be recorded in a cold place, just to get an alternative atmosphere. Somewhere in England would be good!
Why did you choose the title Numb?
Paolo: "It was a word that was reflecting our condition. Plus, we were attracted by the duality of the word, between how we were for the first six months after coming off tour and, on the other hand, how we were in the studio during the Iraq war. We were
looking at what the world was becoming so it's not just about how we felt in Linea 77 but also about how the whole world is becoming numb. It's very simple, just four letters, and aesthetically it looks really good. We chose it after a lot of brainstorming. It took almost a month. We have a strange relationship with titles. Sometimes we find that the titles don't want to come out so we spend days and days saying stupid things until we reach a certain point when the right one comes out. I clearly remember how Earache were asking us for a title and we didn't have one! We had to have a title before we started recording, for promotional reasons or whatever, but it was very difficult finding the right one. But as soon as Emo said the word, we all agreed.
There are two songs on the album with lyrics in Italian ('Fantasma' and ‘66 (Diabolus In Musica)’). Can you explain what the songs are about?
Paolo: "'Fantasma' is about the freedom of each man or woman to be like a ghost. 'Fantasma' literally means "ghost". We use that word to affirm the freedom of anyone to be a ghost in society. When you don't agree with so much that is happening, it's like you're acting as a ghost. More than that, it's almost like a diary. It speaks about the two years we spent on the road, playing live and doing tours in Italy, England and Europe. It's about coming to the end of the tour and feeling almost melancholic. We made a video clip for that song and it's getting lots of recognition on MTV over here. ‘66’ is like a partnership we wanted to do with SubSonica, our friends from our home town. The song speaks about ourselves and it's also to encourage people to find their own reasons for being. People don't need the help of religion, politics or anything. Sometimes those things can be useful, but there is also a lot of risk involved. You should find your own spirituality. Don't look to organised religions, the priests or the church. That just helps to confuse people.
You've grown up in a strongly religious country. How has that affected your views?
Paolo: "We've always had problems with religion. When I was younger I was very, very against the Catholic church. I was their enemy! They have conditioned the whole system of human relations in society with their rules. I discovered that when I was a kid and I've never changed my opinion. You can also say they have done good things, but on balance the good things and bad things cancel each other out, so what is the point?”
How important is it for Linea 77 to be popular in Italy?
Paolo: “I guess, especially now, we're very popular in Italy. If we made a chart, Italy would be first and then in second position it would be England. That's our second country. We have not had much recognition in the other European countries. I guess that's because we've never done a proper tour all around Europe. We've done occasional shows at weekends in Portugal, Holland and Switzerland, but not a proper tour across all the European territories. Now, most of our goals are orientated towards how we can improve the international situation. We want to get back into the UK to reactivate the buzz around the band, but my first concern is to get our music into all the other European countries who are not as involved at the moment.”
Do you have any favourite places to play live?
Paolo: “A town that really impressed me was Lisbon in Portugal. We had two shows last February, one in Lisbon and one in Porto. I was stunned by how we were welcomed by the people there. We sold out two shows, one with one thousand people and the other with about eight hundred. It was amazing because we've never been there before and we've never had any indication that we had that kind of popularity. In general terms, in terms of my personal feelings, the show at the Reading Festival was also very special.”
In the UK, you seem to be celebrated more for your live shows than for your albums. Does that bother you at all?
Paolo: "We like to be thought of as a live band, because we definitely prefer playing live to being in the studio. Honestly we don't feel that comfortable in the studio. The latest studio was interesting, but we never appreciate spending too long on an album. This time it was good because we were discovering new things, and you can always learn new things about arrangements and writing songs, but our favourite dimension is the live one. It's the only time that you get feedback. You get an immediate reaction from the people.”
Linea 77 has been together for 10 years now. What's the secret to your longevity?
Paolo: "Yeah, it's our tenth anniversary this year! Basically, we have a strong relationship between the band members and it's all based on friendship. When we started in 1993 we never thought that all these things would happen to us. The ability of each of us to understand problems is very important. We always try to understand each other and to find solutions to problems.”
Finally, what plans do the band have for the next year?
Paolo: "We want to focus on the international dimension. We've grown and consolidated on the recognition here in Italy. The album has had some great reviews over here, we're on the cover of Rock Sound this month and our video is on MTV, so everything's cool here. Because of that, I'm already thinking about other countries. England will be first on the list, but we want to expand and get more tours
around all of Europe. Honestly, I'm not much interested in the United States. The albums have had good reviews over there, but since the tragedy of September 11th it seems to me that they are much more orientated towards promoting their own artists over there. We'd be glad to go there, but we need to improve the European situation first.” |
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news item added 27/06/03
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