Paranoia Fanzine

Following are excerpts from an interview with Marco, Negazione's bass player, interviewed by Bess in Nov. 86 when Marco was visiting in the States.

Negazione's been called a "positive" band in Europe, yet many of your lyrics are about pain and desperation. Why are you called "positive"?

Marco: I think the reason people are doing that is 'cos when we go on tour in Europe we're not just playing and don't give a shit about people. We are tryin to take care of all those important things at the shows, like talking with people and real communication, not just when we're on the stage...
If we got those kind of lyrics it's 'cos all of us write lyrics and we just write about what we feel... I can't see any point to view everything as nice and good, when not everything is like that. There is a lot of pain, as there is a lot of happiness. I don't trust the "positive" label in general about a band or about people. I don't think it makes any sense to call it in that way, without any meaning. I think "positive" is a way of being, part of an attitudeand I don't even need to call it that way. When I look at things in a positive way, that just means being constructive, rather than destructive. To me, it's something connected with the whole attitude, not just a change I have to make, or a label I have to put on people, 'cos I think that's kind of silly. It's becoming just a simple label, and like all of them, it sucks so bad.

Your songs communicate feelings, rather than preach ideas. What gives, what's the scoop?

Marco: Since the beginning, there has been a common idea not to have sloganistic lyrics or make a big statement that doesn't even represent very well what we are about. We wanted to have a band that was the best expression of four friends that were sharing common ideas and feelings... trying to deal with our whole life, not just a particular subject within it. We are trying to play music that is more close to our hearts and our brains, and the same is for the lyrics... we are trying to communicate feelings and ideas, and I think that it's even easier and more important to communicate feelings, 'cos ideas can't come without them.

What kind of music are you listening to these days?

Marco: By myself, I have to say metal is a kind of music I like, and I'm listening to a lot of old metal bands, I'm listening to a lot of new speedmetal bands. I don't make such a big point about the crossover between metal and punk as long as it's not becoming the rule. It seems to me now it's too much a kind of fashion in wich a lot of bands try to fit in even if they are really not feeling like playing that kind of music. As far as I can tell the metal tradition is less connected with the independant spirit of punk rock and hard core, it's more connected with shit like rascism and sexism. In general I think it's good when people used to going to metal shows or playing in metal bands learn somthing from our kind of attitude. It's good when they can change in a way - understand what we mean, not just our music. I'm not tryin to play just for punks or people with incredible open minds. I think it's important when people come to shows and try to understand not just what the music means, and I hope that people can reach this point. From what I can see, there are too many people who used to be into punk and hardcore with a good kind of attitude, and now they are just giving up and turning into a kind of shitty mentality like makin money.
This is kind of a sad thing. Where we live in Torino and in a lot of other parts of Italy this kind of connection was something good; it was bringin metal bands to punk shows and bringin moire people to meet together and more ideas and more feelings. That's just a small situation (in Italy). From what I saw around Europe and here in the States, it seems that is not goin this way.
I hope that we (Negazione) are able to create our own sound. Of course in some way we are influenced by the music we listen to. We are listening to a lot of different kind of music. Zazzo is listening to a lot of psychadlic music, 60's music. We all listen to a lot of hardcore music, a lot of metal bands, or old bands like the Stooges, or funky bands, or rap. We listen to really a lot of music. We like a lot of hardcore bands 'cos they share more feelings and ideas with us - they are more similar with us so it's kind of great when you can meet people you feel a little bit to have something in common with them... most part of these bands are playing hardcore music.

If you try to look on the 'bright sides' of life, what do you find so appealing about CCM, who tend to concentrate on the darker side of things?

Marco: First CCM is the best band coming from Europe I think. Second, CCM is formed by people who are really active in their country in their scene, and are really working hard for all that concerns music, and not just music. I think they are living in a totally sincere way the way they live and just living in a totally sincere way according to what they believe. I don't think it's really necessary to smile or to cry on stage, it's just that I like when people is living what they sing about and are completely honest with themselves and with the people that listen to them. They are one of the bands that communicate to me more, even if is sometimes in a kind of negative way. This world is filled with hate and pain and so I think it's kind of up to us to transform and commentate "negative" feeling, if you can call them in this way, and use them to be stronger and to be conscious of what's goin on around you and inside you into positive, if you can call this in such a way, attitude.

Were there any bands that really inspired you on your trip to the US?

Marco: I saw a lot of bands and I met a lot of people in the bands. I was really glad to see bands I already liked from their records, and to meet them not just on stage but as people. I really hope that it will be possible to do something with them when we will be here. I don't know, to name a few bands that I really like were bands like Die Kreuzen, COC, Attitude Adjustment, from San Francisco and Verbal Assault from Rhode Island. These last two bands were perhaps the bands I liked more, just because I didn't know about them until I came here and they were a surprise.