Vasco Rossi becomes “Doctor” in Salerno: “Politics isn't just institutions, elections and manifestos”

Vasco Rossi becomes a “doctor”. The University of Salerno has awarded him an honorary doctorate honoris causa in Politics and Communication, with a ceremony in the university's main hall and a lectio magistralis focused on the power of words, the role of music, and the relationship between communication and society. “An honorary doctorate in Politics and Communication… for me? I really wasn't expecting this”, the rocker from Zocca began, welcomed by rector Virgilio D’Antonio. And he immediately defused the solemnity of the occasion with a joke: “A doctorate means I could even teach, but let me reassure my devoted detractors right away: I'll keep doing concerts”.
At the heart of his speech, Vasco focused on the responsibility tied to his public role. “Being Vasco Rossi? The short answer is: a huge responsibility”, he explained. A responsibility that means above all “staying myself, without betraying who I am just to please someone”.

The theme of the lectio was the relationship between music, politics and communication, three fields that Vasco claimed to have navigated through experience rather than academic study. “I didn't study them in books, I lived them, I endured them and sometimes, I admit, provoked them. I wrote songs. Full stop”.
It's precisely to songs that the rocker attributed a communicative power that goes well beyond entertainment. “A song isn't just a song. It's a message that travels without a press office”. And again: “Music does what official communication often forgets to do: it doesn't just inform. It stirs emotions, memories and questions”. According to the Emilian singer-songwriter, politics too cannot be reduced to its institutional dimension. “Politics isn't just the politics of institutions, elections and manifestos. It's also the way a society decides who to listen to, who to protect and who to leave on the margins”. Music can't replace political or civic commitment, but it can “prepare the ground”, picking up on unease before it manages to turn into a collective demand, and questioning what is considered normal or inevitable.

Plenty of space was devoted to the weight of words, which Vasco described as “a powerful weapon”. They can manipulate, build enemies and fuel fears, but they can also represent those who can't make themselves heard and defend values like tolerance and inclusion. “Every word creates a climate”, he stressed: it can generate “cynicism or trust, hatred or dialogue, resignation or the will to react”.
An even more crucial issue in the age of social media and algorithms, where “we're all holding a live microphone”. Hence his call to first recover the ability to listen: “Before speaking, we should learn to listen”, because “having more microphones doesn't mean having more clarity”.

There was no shortage of irony when Vasco recalled that the awarding of the doctorate was approved unanimously. “Unanimously? Me? Someone who's always been considered divisive…”, he joked, also revisiting the old controversy over alleged insults aimed at the South. “You chose to look beyond labels and prejudice”, he told the faculty, before adding: “You can't argue against ignorance, but lies invented to defame are a matter for the courts”.
The ceremony ended with a long ovation. Students and attendees greeted Vasco with applause and chants, while outside the main hall the notes of “Vita spericolata” rang out. “Seeing you all here, all in gowns, and receiving this honor in this hall truly moves me”, he admitted.
Then, inevitably, the newly-minted doctor's last quip: “Thank you, dear fellow professors… as of today I'm a professor too. Don't worry: I won't be handing out grades. At most I'll ask for an encore”.

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