This interview begins with Ornella Vanoni who snorts a bit and laughs a bit, and ends with her singing on the other side of the receiver Toy boy. He will do it again this weekend – together with Colapesce Dimartino and many other guests – on stage at two great concerts at the Arcimboldi in Milan. Two concerts – entitled Endless – which on April 27 and 28 celebrate a career and an artist who never ceases to surprise. Ninety years old next September, today Ornella Vanoni keeps inside The desire for madness, Revolutionary calm, Endless and many other masterpieces that have made the history of Italian music. She keeps them together with the anecdotes, the memories, the pain and the small joys – as she says – of an intense life. And when talking about men, Milan, fear, old age, independence, loneliness and grandchildren, she smiles and specifies: “I don’t get as pissed off as I used to.”
Did he once get angrier?
«Because I was more anxious. I was scared in general in life too, not just on stage. Now I’m happy to get on stage.”
And in life?
«There is always some concern, it’s impossible not to have some. She would mean not having a family, not having anyone. Have no memories. And if you don’t have memories, you’re in trouble.”
Do you take care of your own?
«Some yes, others no. I always try to think about the best things that have happened to me instead of the worst. I also experienced many unpleasant things, but I let them go away. There’s only room for nice things. Because nice things are all nice, while ugly things are all ugly.”
Do you always have your notebook where you write everything down?
“Always. Because I don’t know how to use the computer, I don’t like it. I write by hand, my notes, the dates. I write so much that I often don’t even remember what I wrote.”
He called the two concerts at the Arcimboldi Endless. How do these two words affect you today?
«They are very important to me. They remind me of the beginning of my music. Gino Paoli wrote this song which is my portrait, he wrote it just for me. My latest album, however, is Revolutionary calm of 2023. It is called this because today there is a feeling that it is better to stay calm and not do things in a hurry. Haste is harmful, even anger is harmful. And Milan is a very agitated city, not to call it hysterical. It is a city that offers a lot but at the same time takes a lot. Today it is very expensive, difficult.”
Do you remember your first house?
«The first house where I paid rent was in Via Appiani. It was quite large, with a nice terrace. Today, however, I see great discomfort around me. The Covid period has left many marks. I got sick, I was locked up in the house, but I got out. The young people, however, were injured. I see my 13 year old grandson. He lost years of living with his friends, with his first girlfriends, Covid took away a piece of his life. Because at that age you don’t yet have a strong inner world that you can draw on. I watch young people a lot, they often stop me on the street.”
