| CURIOSITIES | |
L'INCONTRO FRA DI CIOCCIO E MUSSIDA
FRANZ - During the
60's everybody was playing an instrument and it was quite easy to bluit up a
band to perform during the parties. The first lasting band I have made up were
the "Black Devils". Our name was the typical one chosen by a beginner with an
excessive love for foreign culture. I was with Pino Favaloro (singer), Tony
Gesualdi (bass player), Augusto Lo Basso (the sax player who left us almost
straight away). Tony Gesualdi decided to quit too very soon and Giorgio Piazza
joined us. Before, Giorgio belonged to the "Bags Grow" and he used to play with
Demetrio Stratos and different English musicians who were engaged each time.
One day Demetrio was invited to join Adriano Celentano's Rebels and Giorgio
Piazza joined us. I liked him because he was very nice and lively. In 1964 we
were contacted by Gian Pieretti, a singer who had quite good success at that
time. He proposed us to become his band, "The Gryphons". We needed a guitar
player and Gian Pieretti told us:" I know a very talented boy, maybe he could
be the right one for you". I phoned this guitarist, Franco Mussida, and we arranged
to meet. I told him: "Listen, I am dressed unusually", because I used to dress
in the Beat way with second hand coloured clothes. Franco, giving me some information
about himself, spoke about a suit; at the beginning I was a little bit surprised,
but afterwards I forgot about that. When I entered the restaurant (owned by
Gian Pieretti's father) where we decided to meet, I looked around and I could
scarcely believe my eyes. It could not be him. He was the only one standing,
as if he was waiting for someone, and he looked as an absolutely ordinary person,
wearing a grey terital suit (terital was a synthetic material used to make suits
for well-to-do people). He had nothing to do with a musician, at least with
my idea of a musician. What's more, he looked older than he was. I was really
perplexed and he was too. Some years later he told me that I looked like a fool,
with my long hair and my brigand beard. We spent some minutes studying each
other. We were looking around because we were both hoping to see someone else
entering the door. Suddenly he came towards me and asked me: "Are you…?" "Is
it you…?" We introduced each other, saying "ok nice to meet you" but I thought
"Oh my God, we are finished if we have to make up a band with this kind of people",
but I cheered up and I told myself: "If we have to know each other maybe it
would be better if I ask him to play something." We could only find a four strings
guitar. He told me: "How can I play, two strings are missing". I told him: "It
doesn't matter, play anyway!". He played so well that we made friends straight
away.
FRANCO - We can say that my meeting with Franz was
decided by our karma. A friend organised my meeting with Gian Pieretti's "Gryphons"
(1967). The meeting was in Via Circo (Circus Street) a small street in the centre
of Milan. I saw two guys standing in the street, the former tall and lean (Pino
Favaloro) and the latter with a very light skin and blue observing eyes. I went
close to them, we introduced each other and after few minutes we entered Gian
Pieretti's Tuscan restaurant, a place where the smell of ribollita (typical
tuscan food) and tripe was mixed with the one of fizzy soft drinks and wine.
Franz was the one who looked forward to listening to me playing. He tried to
find a guitar as quicker as possible and when he found one he came back enthusiastically
and gave it to me saying: "Please, play some music for us". I looked at the
guitar and I said: "There are only four strings, what can I play with only four
strings?" "I don't know, play something", said Franz. After having tuned the
four strings, I improvised an extemporary accompaniment. That was enough to
throw them into ecstasies, especially Franz who started to slap me on the shoulder.
We started to play together and I think that happened because we had a mutual
perception of a common fate fulfilment. In my opinion, what happened did not
depend on the musical result itself. Today, I am sure that Franz with his clean
face and his intensely expressive eyes, was communicating me his need of non-conformism,
his wish to escape from the ghetto's ordinary life through adventure. That was
what I was looking for too, I wanted to escape my sub-urban ghetto exactly as
him. That is why I had no doubt to take up this new career, which kept us together
for dozen of years, even if I was scared and very shy.
I
QUELLI
Franz and Franco played already together in "The Gryphons".
They went on playing with Gian Pieretti for some time, but they were already
looking forward to learn new songs. They often played some American songs as,
for example, from the "Yardbirds". Their sound become so similar with Birds'
one that Ricordi, the record company, proposed them to record the Italian cover
of "Mr. Tambourine Man", the song later made famous by Bob Dylan. They refused
because they wanted to compose their own music as, for example, "Via con il
vento" (Gone with the wind) a song composed by Franco which had a slightly good
success with the public and the critics. They were evolving, that was the moment
of the turning point in their career; they decided to change their heraldic
name "Gryphons" into something more personal. They decided to call themselves
"I Quelli", above all because at the time "Them" and "Who" were very popular
and the excessive love for foreign culture was typical in the music business.
Names were divided into different current: in Italy animals' name were very
popular (ex: I Camaleonti/The Chameleons, I Corvi/The Crows), while abroad pronouns
were in vogue. As "Them" and "Who" existed already our friends decided, very
originally, to call themselves "I Quelli" (Those).
|
FRANZ - Since those days the band was characterised by the lack of a leading singer, the same characteristic as PFM. We asked Teo Teocoli (who, of course, was not famous yet) to join us and solve the problem. |
Our first success with him was "La bambolina che fa no no no…" (The little doll who says no, no, no…", the cover of Michel Polnareff's song). It was a single: on the other side we recorded the cover of "I can't let go" by the Hollies.
| FRANCO - "I Quelli" were my apprenticeship. We had to play eight hours per day, to built up a new repertory, without the usual tangos and waltzs. This constant exercise contributed to my choice of becoming a musician. During a day I worked as messenger for the Italian General Post Office, where I had the classic good job and I was employed indefinitely. That job was the dream of a great part of people. Anyway I refused to be paid 2000 liras per day (in 1968!!), because that was the some money "I Quelli" earned individually playing in Genova! Those were the days of the first record and of my first song (Gone with the wind). Our name was earning a solid reputation ; we started to perform at the "Pipes" in Milano, where Teo Teocoli joined us for a while. Our manager, Ricky Gianco, proposed us to record the cover of a French song, "The little doll who says no, no, no". It was a big unexpected success. Suddenly I had to leave for the national service in the Navy and I spent two years away. I thought my experience with the band was closed; when I left I told them to go on without me, because two years were a long time. During that period "I Quelli" recorded other covers and other successful songs. When the two years had passed I was really surprised to discover that they were still waiting for me and Franz was the first of them. The fate line that would have pushed us to "The Krell" and to PFM did not break. |  |
THE
MEETING AMONG "I QUELLI" AND FLAVIO PREMOLI
Teo Teocoli left "I Quelli" very soon because
he decided to continue his career within Adriano Celentano's clan. After a moment
of meditation the band decided to had a new musician instead of a singer, as
the members were all more interested in music than in words. They chose a talented
keyboard player, Flavio Premoli, who was well known in the Milanais music business.
He came from Varese and won the World Accordion Contest. People used to say
he had the fastest fingers of North Italy. He was really a young genius; the
only problem was that he was only 17 and he looked even younger; he looked like
a child and, irony of the fate, he performed with a band called : "The Puppies"!
FLAVIO - In those days I realised Varese was becoming too small for
me and I decided to move to Milan. I wanted to enter in professional music business
and I succeeded since my arrival because I met Ricky Maiocchi. I started to
perform in the different club of Milano, such as: S. Tecla, The Pipes etc. At
Pipes club I met Franz. I Quelli were looking for a keyboard player and Franz
asked me to perform for them. I remember that the first time I performed a song
from "The Giants" and I made a mistake.
FRANZ - He arrived with his father who, by chance, was not shocked
by the way I looked, maybe because Franco's look was more ordinary. Flavio's
father had a good impression of the band because we were performing almost everywhere
and we had already organised at tour, so he decided to trust us and Flavio joined
us. Few time later Mussida had to live the band to join the Navy. He lost two
years and he was replaced by Alberto Radius. During summer 1967, "I Quelli"
took part to "Disco per l'estate" (a touring summer festival) but they were
not very successful.
 |
The Italian music outline was getting less and less interesting. "I Quelli" looked more towards what was happening in England and in the U.S.A. Those were the days of Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane and Pink Floyd and in Italy musicians used still to perform in the dance halls! |
FLAVIO - I discovered the Hammond
keyboard in 1968, while I was living with Alberto Radius who was a little bit
older than me. He initiated me in the study of this wonderful instrument. I
used to spend many hours listening to Jimmy Smith's music; he was the most important
organist of the whole history. He taught to all the organists of my generation.
The Hammond organ had only one handicap: its price. It cost about two millions
liras, that is to say the same price for a bedsit.
FRANCO - The Hammond organ was really innovating at
that time. Many times it happened me to listen to someone playing it, but nobody
played it passionately and strongly enough to make it not sound sugary. When
I listened to Flavio playing it I understood at once that he controlled completely
that instrument, not only by his remarkable technique but especially by his
natural way to dominate Hammond's different sonorities. It was incredible to
see a callow boy playing the Hammond so pluckily.
"I Quelli"
were always very busy, but it was very difficult to have success. In Italy,
during the Sixties, the success of an artist was closely related with easy songs.
At the end of that period those who kept their wish to be "contaminated" by
new trends, were going to live the most beautiful and interesting musical period
since the Beatles revolution. The new wave of progressive music or progressive
rock ( later improperly called pop Music) was coming. In this new current come
together different kind of music, such as: classic, jazz, pop, rock (in its
various aspects), and folk (with its romantic aspects coming directly from American
and Irish ballads). It was the moment to begin a new adventure. "I Quelli" were
always without a leading singer because the rule was: "Who can sing better will
sing the song". They all also had a bent for solos and the cared very much for
musical parts and arrangements. "I Quelli" were a peculiar band because all
the members performed very skilfully but they refused easy songs. In spite of
this peculiarity or maybe because of it, they soon became the most appreciated
quartet of that period.
Franz - We started to go often to the record studios and to work with
the most important artists of the time, such as: Lucio Battisti, Mina and Fabrizio
De André. We did not realise that we started the typical American career, that
is to say we begun as session-men. During "Cantagiro 1968" (Italian touring
festival) we saw of our peculiar musical direction; we took part to the contest
with an awful song and we were the last! This happened even if we were the musicians
who recorded the instrumental parts of the first eight winning songs! Anyway
"I Quelli" went on supporting their ideas because they were also thinking about
adding a new musician.
| FRANZ - In 1969 one evening I met Marco Damiani at the "Paradise" (a club near Brescia). Marco (later he become PFM's first sound engineer) was a bass player very fond of drums and of the new English and American rock music. Marco told me about a musician, who came from Brescia area. In his opinion this musician was very interesting because he could play the violin and the flute in a very personal way, closer to rock music. Mauro Pagani was not difficult to find. When we decided to meet, Mauro told me: "I have very long hair, I will wear a white shirt and blue jeans". I answered: "I have the beard, long hair and I look a little bit like Jesus Christ". When we met at Spotorno beach it happened a little like the meeting with Franco. It was summer 1969 and even if the beach was very crowded, it took us only five seconds to find each other. |  |
FRANZ - The "Citrona"
was creation of Franco, because he was very fond of cars. A friend of Franco
was a mechanic who used to repair old second hand Citroens and then sell them.
His activity was very favourable because one could change the whole coachwork.
In this way our Citroen change all the time… becoming the famous Harlequin Citrona,
which could be recognised by everybody: it had the nose red, one door black
and one door orange, the back blue… and it changed all the times remaining the
same but different! The Citrona was our visit card: everybody knew when we were
somewhere.
FRANCO - At that time Citroens were
the most comfortable cars especially for someone who had to drive a long time.
I proposed my colleagues to buy a second hand DS 19. We used it for a long time
and every time we had to change one part of the coachwork it was a problem.
Little by little, with my friend (the mechanic) we built up a car whose coachworks
pieces had all different colours: back wings dark blue, back bonnet grey blue,
silver hood, front bonnet light green, front wings light blue and all the doors
half light green and half orange. So our DS 19 become the Citrona.
 |
The police used to stop us every time, because they thought we were criminals, even if I think that criminals do not use such striking cars! Our Citroen was very comfortable especially for long journeys, but it had often problems with the hydraulic system. I insisted to drive above all because I did not trust my colleagues. With drove for at list ten times the distance from Earth to the Moon and we had only to accidents. Once I was driving on the highway 160 miles/hour and one wheel exploded. I was able not go out of the road and when I got out of the car my legs were trembling, while my friends were lying on the grass and could not help laughing. |
The other accident happened while I was driving my personal Citroen. We were on Varese-Milan highway when I saw a fool who entered the lane on the wrong side; this person realised his mistake, but decided to cross the lane to manoeuvre and exit. I drove on the side-lane, towards the guard-rail, bumping only the front of the fool's car (he was carrying his wife and children). Result: nobody got hurt, but my car was completely destroyed.