Biagio Antonacci

"Gaber belonged to a generation for whom the concepts of revolution and protest were not mere slogans. They were something that had been experienced. And it was clear that when Gaber called for change, or tackled sensitive political issues, he did so because it was an inner need that he felt he had to convey to people."

"[‘After Turin, you were sent to serve in Garlasco. How did that go?’] I would say well, although I must confess that my mind was focused on music. I carried out my duties as a “CC” with the necessary attention and respect for the uniform with the stars, but I felt that my destiny was to play and sing. So much so that, having learned that Ron lived in Garlasco, one day I plucked up all my courage and went to ring his doorbell to leave him some of my songs recorded on a cassette tape'."

"[Giorgio Gaber] He was always “different” from his fellow songwriters. He made courageous choices that he pursued with consistency, singing about his surroundings through completely new physical and musical languages and becoming, I might say, a cultural model. Because, even though he stayed out of the spotlight, he said important things to a great many people."

"I carry the Carabinieri in my heart, as well as in my memory. If I hadn't made it big with music, I would have continued to carry out what has always been an essential social mission for me. This does not mean that serving in the Arma is less important than rock music, quite the contrary, but only that I was lucky enough to succeed in what is my passion. Otherwise, you could easily call me Marshal Antonacci now."

"[Unlike the previous generation] We songwriters who started out in the 1980s, on the other hand, explored reality in a socio-emotional sense. Anyone familiar with my songs can see how I am closer, if anything, to the legacy of Mogol, an artist who always avoided talking about politics in order to put normality in the spotlight instead."

"I hope no one ever tells me that eternal love does not exist: I do not want to know. It would be like taking a toy away from a child when there is still light and time before bedtime."

"Everything that life brings is unexpected. Planned things fail, but when we don't aim and just shoot from the hip, we always hit the target. Magically. Following our instinct leads us to the sun."

"Love is a cage without which I could not live. The time when being called “the singer-songwriter of love” felt restrictive is over. We are no longer in the 1960s and 1970s, the era of red and black. Today, talking about love is like talking about politics."

"I cannot say that I am a peaceful man; peace does not go hand in hand with the word love. Without torment, passion cannot take off. There is no such thing as polite love; the horse of love cannot be tamed."

"Biagio Antonacci, Se ami devi amare forte, Mondadori, 2008. ISBN 9788804577737"

"Biagio Antonacci, Generazioni a confronto (pp. 29 – 30); in Andrea Pedrinelli (editor), Gaber, Giorgio, il Signor G. Raccontato da intellettuali, amici, artisti, Kowalski, Milano, 2008. ISBN 978-88-7496-754-4"