Checco - Escaping in the DeLorean

We caught up with Francesco “Checco” Draicchio of the Bologna band Lo Stato Sociale, on the occasion of the release of his first solo Ep, the second installment of a project involving each member of the band, with every one of them tackling a solo release while still bringing in all the others. A bold idea right on the eve of the 71st Sanremo Festival, for a band as cheeky as it is musically united in everything it does. A very long chat, covering DeLoreans to fire up, 90s American indie-rock, genuine longing in the age of Covid, and a sincere detachment from the social media universe.

An album for each member of the band. At first I thought: is Lo Stato Sociale about to put out a new “Zaireeka“, only with each of you stepping to the front in place of the instruments?

Flaming Lips' “Zaireeka” is a musical masterpiece and an unmatched feat of madness — we'd never dream of comparing ourselves to such masters of “mattisia” (“the urge to run” in Bolognese dialect, ed.). Still, we felt a strong need for all five of us to fully express our own personal poetics, free from the compromise that, by its very nature, has to exist within a band: if you want a collective to work well, you need to find a shared direction. That shared direction, and the conversation it opens up with the audience, can sometimes become a limitation, and that's exactly the limitation we wanted to play with: broadening the themes, introducing new points of dialogue, new possible directions, the same grammar, the same language, but different colors and shapes.

“The fear of failing, the anxiety of getting older, of becoming a father. […] And working, working, working, all I can think about is the sound of the sea”. Listening to these lines, the Marzulli-style question comes naturally: is it better to age on the outside while staying young inside, or to grow younger on the outside while staying old inside

As far as I'm concerned, always the first option. Movement and change are foundational parts of the life of the universe, and they shouldn't scare us. Sometimes, though, when a change comes along we feel inadequate or unprepared, and that's where our fluid, liquid side should come into play - the more elastic, young and curious part of us: to face what's coming with a spirit of discovery, to find the story of your life that works in that precise moment, adding it to and harmonizing it with who you are and your history.

You mention the DeLorean to “go further”. But if you really had a DeLorean, what era would you go to and why?

Definitely a future of happy degrowth and awareness of the place we occupy in the cosmos. Producing less, consuming less, working better.

Listening to your EP, I'm reminded of those stars-and-stripes lo-fi tricks strictly meant to be consumed in your bedroom back in the 90s: something halfway between a skate-less Wavves, Pavement on vacation in Bologna, and an incredibly cheerful Eels at the funfair. These comparisons are useful for newcomers, sure, but are these actually the record's reference points, or am I completely off base?

No, not at all, it fits perfectly. American 90s culture, but also the early 2000s, was my first cultural reference point, and that's where I start from. In general, I really like mixing things up, taking the splinters and fragments that got stuck in my head over the years and finding my own balance, my own pattern that connects the dots. For this particular work I'd also add Odd Nosdam, Microphones, Beck and Weezer.

Imagine running into a childhood friend you haven't seen in a long time, who doesn't know you're a musician. Which of your songs would you play them to introduce them to your music?

Probably “Barca”. I feel it's the song whose color comes closest to what I wanted to say.

“No desire to win, no tomorrow, nothing like now”. What have you learned over the years, going from your first shows in social centers and clubs to the Ariston stage? What do you miss about the early days, and what would you toss out without a second thought?

That numbers don't excite me and don't tell me anything, except that you're good at racking up numbers. I'm more interested in stories, in what we live through and how we live it; I'm interested in having a good time building something with my friends, in contributing meaningfully to the dignified existence of the people around me. I'm interested in having a purpose that isn't just getting by or working for work's sake, in giving meaning to what I do. Finding the story that works for me without feeling the need to throw away anything from the past.

Who are your musical guiding lights? Could you give me your own top five, the 5 desert-island albums, briefly explaining why for each choice?

An extremely difficult task. All right: “Relationship Of Command” by At The Drive-In: simply the album and the live show that changed my perception of making music; “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain” by Pavement: lightness, a certain streak of “debauchery”. This album represents the first time I realized you could make rock music with an attitude that embraces a certain everyday normality and honesty; “Elephant Eyelash” by Why?: when it came out it was an incredible new rainbow of colors I'd never heard before, but I loved all of them; “It Was Hot We Stayed In The Water”, The Microphones: doing beautiful things with very little. In general, the whole Krecs crowd, for the irony and honesty they poured into their work; “Ill Communication” by the Beastie Boys: still one of the most-blasted records on my stereo to this day. And I'll add “It's a Wonderful Life” by Sparklehorse: I'm bringing it along regardless, even if there's no room left in the bag.

The infamous, much-discussed Italian indie scene practically cleaned up over the past decade. This early glimpse of the new one instead seems to be heading full sail toward melting pots like trap or soul-flavored electro-pop, perhaps partly thanks to TikTok. Setting aside the distinctions between various genres and subgenres, do you believe there's a time for every genre and revival, or is that just an illusion held by those who listen to and write about music?

Yes, generally speaking I think there's a period, a moment when certain sounds push harder than others, or at least come across as fresher and more fashionable. Honestly, though, I believe time is the only clear unit of measurement to determine how much a record has truly entered people's lives and the collective imagination. What matters is what you have to say in your songs and the attitude that comes through - you can change your clothes every season.

“You're not your mother, you're not your father, you're not the things you own”. So, apparently, we're photons. Stuff that burns, that vibrates. How was “Luce” born? Do you remember when you wrote it? And finally, which song are you most attached to, and why?

In mid-April 2020, Mirko Bertuccioli passed away from Covid-19 complications; that same night I wrote a letter. In my way of looking at things, he had always been an incredibly bright beacon for what he'd been trying to do for years: bringing everything and everyone together. Somehow, I realized that this element - the driving force behind that common denominator shared by so many artists on the Italian scene - would no longer be there. I found it comforting to reflect on the fact that the energy he'd poured into years and years of relationships, gigs played and organized, festivals of every kind, still lingers somewhere and keeps spreading through what we do, as if it were an energy left to us as an inheritance. I've thought a lot about the concept of distance, and about what separates who I am from who I'd like to become, and I believe the only thing left to do is keep going, carrying forward the fire of what I believe matters to me.

What's pissed you off more: social media, memes, political correctness, or government crises?

Social media. I've always struggled, and I suspect I'll always struggle, to coexist with it as an active participant, and yet the world and life itself also unfold through these artifacts. On the other hand, triggering a government crisis was certainly avoidable at such a crucial moment, marked by a health, employment, economic and educational emergency. I would have expected more responsibility from those who have the privilege of governing a country; either way, I hope not every misfortune turns out badly, and that the situation gets promptly taken in hand to deal with the emergencies mentioned above.

Sanremo is approaching. It will, alas, be a different Festival. How are you feeling just days before the Festival, and what do you expect, given that it's your second time - the hardest one, to paraphrase Caparezza - and not just for that reason?

Sanremo is approaching. A few days ago the Cts confirmed its decision to hold the show without an audience. Far be it from me to play armchair virologist, but, well, I would have liked the issue to be tackled more thoroughly and proactively, in an attempt to actually solve the problems rather than just contain them ad libitum, as is happening now - if only to send a signal of recovery to the cultural sector, perhaps by offering guidelines for getting the real country back on its feet as soon as possible, the day after tomorrow, and maybe, more generally, a bit of hope of returning to social and cultural life, with due limitations and health precautions, but at least a life. Fingers crossed.

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