The Wild Rag

Here's some questions I would like to ask to NEGAZIONE. The answers are from ROBERTO.
By: Luca Cristino

WR: For me, NEGAZIONE has always been a band apart. I think that besides the music, there's a NEGAZIONE's philosophy. Can you explain it?

ROBERTO More than a philosophy I would speak of an attitude, a way of being as individuals and as a band. We write music when we're together, but above all, we spend our time with other people, before as well as after the concerts. I think people who know us from a long time, from our first EP, now understand what we want to say with our songs and also with our albums' covers. The fact of putting on the cover children or our smiling faces is a way of being a bit optimistic. I say a bit because there's been a change both in lyrics and in the band itself, in respect of past time. LO SPIRITO had quite a negative view of life, while the lyrics on LITTLE DREAMER are more optimistic or anyway try to find something better around us.

WR: Maybe this is due to the improvements of your life as a band.

ROBERTO Hope is last to die! Modesty apart, these improvements are for the most part our merit! Every album sells more than its predecessor, but we've worked very hard for it, we made many sacrifices and this has repaid us.

WR: Back to lyrics, what does "IL GIORNO DEL SOLE" (THE DAY OF THE SUN) exactly mean for you?

ROBERTO It's not a mere chance that "IL GIORNO DEL SOLE" appears on both of our LPs. It was only a lyric on the first one, it's a whole song on LITTLE DREAMER. "IL GIORNO DEL SOLE" is the optimistic view of life I talked about before. It's a dream that all of us have, it represents what a person would like to be, but can't because of many reasons. We must strain ourselves and get rid of those things that don't let us live like we'd like to.

WR: Musically, a change occurred between your LPs!

ROBERTO Don't start saying we've become metal! (laugh)

WR: I won't, but a change is evident!

ROBERTO Sure. I was happy with LO SPIRITO CONTINUA, but I prefer LITTLE DREAMER. We're changing, maybe there's more elements of metal, however we listen to it! Anyway, it's something temporary, the new songs are different from those on LITTLE DREAMER. It's a continuous improvement and I hope it will go on. It's natural, we don't try to conform to a trend. We want to be as original as we can without living originality like a problem.

WR: Is the melody important for you?

ROBERTO I love the contrast between some heavy riffs and Zazzo's melodic voice. He has improved in his singing, now he sings a lot more, he doesn't shout anymore. Obviously, there are songs where we break loose too!

WR: I love IL GIORNO DEL SOLE where acoustic and electric guitars play along!

ROBERTO That's really what I meant.

WR: What kind of music do you listen to? Many bands say they don't listen to much metal because it would affect their songwriting.

ROBERTO I can speak for myself only. I started listening to BEATLES then I passed straight off to punk music (STRANGLERS SEX PISTOLS CLASH and shortly afterwards to hardcore (CIRCLE JERKS DEAD KENNEDYS BLACK FLAG). I appreciate POLICE and the first new wave (CURE, JOY DIVISION) Actually, I love HUSKER DU FIREHOSE GUNS N ROSES and among metal bands: SLAYER METALLICA ANTHRAX Rap is good too!

WR: All the bands you named can be considered forerunners in their respective fields.

ROBERTO Yes, that's important! DRI's DEALING WITH IT is a masterpiece, copies are only copies.

WR: You played in the band JESTER BEAST didn't you?

ROBERTO Yes, I did. I stayed in the band one year, but we played only three concerts. I already knew their bassist and we came along very well. Obviously, my main project was NEGAZIONE. so I quit JESTER BEAST

WR: How did you reach the deal with WE BITE?

ROBERTO After LO SPIRITO CONTINUA, we were to release a new LP. DE KONKURRENT, which released the first album, wanted us to pay the recording expenses and we couldn't. Then, we needed a better promotion. DE KONKURRENT didn't push their bands, it's their policy. WE BITE RECORDS distributed our EPs, and afterwards LO SPIRITO CONTINUA. They made mail order service. Then, they began to deal with production. They work really hard, have a good policy, make promotion through fanzines and magazines. It's important that people know the band and buy records.

WR: You're very active on live-side!

ROBERTO I hope we'll play in the future as much as we did in the past. We'll play Berna (Switzerland) at Christmas with GORE, then we'll do a tour in January, from the 6th to the 15th. We will touch Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, and Germany. It will be eight or nine dates, half of which with GORE. They're in tour through Europe and their drummer is Rowdy's brother.

WR: I heard they play some weird music!

ROBERTO First of all, they haven't vocals. They began with one guitar, then added another. They've just released a double album including four songs. Each song is twenty minutes long! They're very heavy, there's melody too, but it's an insane melody! But this should be an interview with NEGAZIONE, so enough of GORE! (laugh)

WR: OK! How many copies of LITTLE DREANER did you sell?

ROBERTO We sold about 8,500 copies from March till now. We're satisfied with it!

WR: How many in Italy?

ROBERTO We play very much abroad, so we sell more there. In Italy we sold about 2,000. We sell well in Holland, but Germany is our biggest market. As a matter of fact, we've played every possible place there!

WR: I think you're a bit neglected by Italian press.

ROBERTO It's a matter of promoting the band. If you want exposure, you have to push for it. If you don't send around LPs, bios, and photos you obtain nothing at all. There are so many bands around nowadays, that if you don't make anything, the press doesn't care for you. Then, you must prove you're worth some exposure. We worked hard for LITTLE DREAMER, on the promotional side too, so we got many features and interviews.

WR: Did LITTLE DREAMER reach the United States?

ROBERTO Don't touch this chord!

WR: Why?

ROBERTO It's a sad one! LITTLE DREAMER should have been printed in the States. A branch office of German SPV should have risen there and it would have released, among others, LITTLE DREAMER, and the TOXIC reasons' LP. Then, we should have toured together. But after some delays, the label went bankrupt and everything fucked up. Obviously, having not a U.S. release, we can't tour there. It would be a great risk.

WR: Anyway, is the name NEGAZIONE known in the U.S.A.?

ROBERTO We've got some features. A couple of years Marco went to the U.S.A. and he did some interviews, (e.g. for MAXIMUM ROCK N' ROLL and FLIPSIDE) I think we're a bit known, but in America "a bit" means nothing. We sold one thousand copies of LITTLE DREAMER, it's not enough.

WR: OOPS!! I've lost inspiration! If you were me, what would you ask to NEGAZIONE

ROBERTO This a good question! I would ask: Why are you so nice?

WR: Answer?

ROBERTO If you were NEGAZIONE what would you answer

WR: OK, you beat me! Any cultural message?

ROBERTO Do yourselves a Christmas present, buy NEGAZIONE's LP!!


What more could I say? I love NEGAZIONE to death and if I was you, I would follow ROBERTO's advice: BUY!
Write to: NEGAZIONE, C.P. 395, 10100 Torino C., Italy