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#MINIMALISMUS: “REALLY QUITE ADDICTIVE” – IN CONVERSATION WITH MÅNESKIN
A brief chat with the Italian pop sensation Måneskin two hours before they hit the stage in their hometown, Rome.
He was wearing a navy blue, double-breasted suit with gold buttons, his lengthy hair slicked back, and two attention-grabbing, pear earrings that matched his chiseled cheekbones. And dark makeup that made him look both: exhausted and expensive. As an exception to all the other fancy and famous guests, Damiano David, lead singer of the Italian band Måneskin, did not have to walk up the hill on which the world famous Castel del Monte from 1250 is situated. Due to a hip injury – or at least that was the official version – he was the only one on this chilly and gorgeous summer evening in 2022 who was driven uphill in a golf cart. A royal entrance for brand new pop royalty.
The original purpose of the castle is a mystery (watchtower? hunting cabin?) and it inspired philosopher Umberto Eco when he wrote “The Name of the Rose,” a multilayered, crime thriller set in a monastery. The dark center of the novel, its death star, if you wish, is a labyrinthine library whose design was based on the fictional drawings of Piranesi – and on Castel del Monte. It is here that Alessandro Michele decided to show his 2023 cruise collection called Cosmogonie – and to host a party in a nearby outdoor club.
In the years before, Gucci had had Annie Lennox, Stevie Nicks or Elton John perform at their parties, so Måneskin seemed to have slightly less pop historical gravitas. Until they hit the stage. There is something profoundly contagious about the band. Onstage, they seamlessly blend raw punk energy, glam rock glitz, and a super contemporary, gender-and-genre-bending carefreeness. They became famous when they won the European Song Contest in 2021 (yes, they were drug tested that same night). Such a victory is only rarely the first step towards serious, international fame. But Måneskin managed.
We meet them on a Zoom call between Berlin and Rome. Some hours later, they will go on stage. They look and sound relaxed and energized. Which seems to be their modus operandi in general. Most of the talking is done by Victoria De Angelis, the bass player, and by Damiano David. Because they talk simultaneously and interrupt each other – just like four friends do – their voices are here ruthlessly blended into one. Here we go.
Adriano Sack: How is performing in Rome for you?
Måneskin: It is our hometown, so all our families and friends will be there. That makes it special.
AS: How crazy did 2023 start for you?
M: Crazy busy. All the time.
AS: What are your big goals and projects for this year?
M: We have our new record “Rush” out, so we are touring with it and bringing it to life. In summer, we have some festivals coming up.
AS: What is the festival you look forward to the most?
M: Glastonbury. It’s our first time there.
AS: Have you ever been there as a guest?
M: Nope. Only on YouTube.
AS: What is the best performance you remember?
M: There were so many. I watched the Idles a couple of years ago, which was really sick.
AS: I guess it’s fair to say you are superstars now. How does that feel? Is it much better than you imagined, or much worse?
M: We never really thought about it. It just happened.
AS: You met in school and started the band then. What was your big dream? Or how far did your dreams go?
M: Very far. All the other kids did not take it as seriously as we did. We had many different members in the band. And some would say: Sorry, I can’t come to rehearsal because I have an exam tomorrow or I want to do sports. All sorts of excuses. And we were like: Why don’t you take it as seriously as we do? Because we had a big dream. We wanted to play music every day. As our job. As our lives. And in Rome, it is not easy for an upcoming band. There aren’t that many places where you can build an audience. So we started to play on the streets. But these obstacles, as hard as they were, made us appreciate it even more when ten people on the street would listen to us.
AS: Where in Rome would you play?
M: On the Corso, the big shopping mall in the center.
AS: Is that legal?
M: You need a permit. Which we never had. We would play for 30 minutes until the cops would show up. We told them we did not know that we needed a permit, walked around the block until they disappeared, and started again.
AS: The former creative director of Gucci, Alessandro Michele, always praised Rome just because it is not the center of attention and there is a laid-backness that helps your creativity. Did you feel like that or did you feel: My god, we have to get out of here?
M: It’s very true. In Rome, one can still enjoy social life and personal relationships. Or even just hang around in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We have the chance to visit different countries and cities, but Rome remains a safe place for us and our creativity.
Although, if you do anything artistic, be it painting or music, it is not a good city. There is creativity, but not opportunity. When we said we want to be musicians, we were asked: Okay, but what do you really want to do? Now we appreciate it more when we get here. Business people and music industry people are not in Rome, so we can relax.
AS: What did you say when people asked what you really want to do? Did you have a Plan B? Like: If this does not work out, then maybe become a biology teacher?
M: We started when we were 14, so we did not have time for Plan Bs.
AS: From the outside, your international breakthrough was in 2021, when you won the European Song Contest. At which point did you know for yourself that this might work out?
M: We spent the first year playing on the street. And our friends from school started to pay attention and the crowds got slightly bigger. 200 instead of 20 people listening… Then we realized that it was not only in our head.
AS: Is there anything specifically Italian about Måneskin?
M: The passion. And we are extremely good looking. [laughter] Our music is not very related to Italian culture. But our relationship among the band and with our fans, how we perform, reflects our culture.
“We don’t believe in only hanging out with important or famous people. We still go to the same bars as we did in high school. We really appreciate it when it’s real.”
The only concert I saw was at Castel del Monte after the Gucci show. After the concert, you just mingled and danced with the audience. Other bands might have taken the money and disappeared.
M: Of course, we party! We don’t have this concept of stardom. We don’t believe in only hanging out with important or famous people. We still go to the same bars as we did in high school. We really appreciate it when it’s real. Being famous means having fun, for us.
AS: Your list of musical references is long and eclectic. Nobody likes labels, but do you have a name for the music you are making?
M: Good. We never thought about that and just went ahead with what we liked. We processed the small changes we underwent. We are still very young and we analyze what is good for us. With each song, we consider that it has to feel right at the moment, but also that we will have to sing it for the next five or ten years.
AS: How do you write songs?
Victoria: It always changes. The is no strict method. Somebody comes to the studio with an idea and we follow his lead and see where it goes. Thomas comes up with a cool riff, or sometimes we just play around.
AS: Damiano, is it always you writing the lyrics?
Damiano: Yes. Sometimes the others help, though. And of course we make sure that everybody is okay with what we are saying.
AS: Who writes the best lyrics?
M: Bob Dylan and Patti Smith. To name a male and a female.
AS: There are great songs. And there are eternal songs. Like, let’s say, “When Doves Cry.” Have you written such a song already, or are you still looking?
M: Not yet. Working on it. It’s gonna come.
“Clothes can express feelings and ideas as much as words.”
AS: Your outfits get a lot of attention. Was that part of the project from the beginning, or did that evolve with time?
M: We always felt that the aesthetic should match the music. And we had the ideal that if you do it properly, you have a more well-rounded product. In the beginning, we did not have the financial means to buy good clothes, so we looked pretty ridiculous. At least we were trying. Clothes can express feelings and ideas as much as words.
AS: What did you learn from Alessandro?
M: To embrace individuality. Which is rare today, because everybody seems to be following trends. He really taught us to value that. He was very inspiring for us because he was working for one of the biggest brands and yet stayed authentic and true to himself. He did not sell out and do things he did not like. Which is exactly what we want to do. We want a big audience. But we want to do it by being real.
AS: There seems to be a lot of fear and anxiety troubling your generation – about global warming, injustice and a very uncertain future. Is that reflected in your work? And how are you changing the world?
M: That’s a hard question. We try to be mentally free. But it influences our lives. We try to be aware and we know there is a lot to work on. When the context is right and we know enough about certain issues, we always try to speak up. Are we changing the world? We should all be part of a community that treats the world, the people, the creatures respectfully.
AS: When you are travelling, do you actually see the cities where you perform?
M: Mostly not. But sometimes, we can add a day or two, like we did when we were in Japan or Brazil. Especially when the culture is so different from ours.
AS: Which one has really blown your mind?
M: Brazil! And Japan!
AS: Is a Japanese audience different from others?
M: In Latin America, they are completely nuts and wild. In Japan, they were mostly quiet during the songs and would clap and stomp their feet after each song.
AS: Do you still go to concerts?
M: A lot. It’s what inspires us the most. We always try to experience music live.
AS: You have been working and I guess living together closely for quite some years now. Do you sometimes need some days off?
M: Oh, yeah. But we are still friends. We are even married – the four us!
AS: Do you have a pre-concert ritual? Like Madonna praying with her dancers?
M: We sit together on the couch and do Zoom-interviews. [laughter]
AS: And is the energy rush of being on stage really so intense?
M: You can’t compare it to anything else. Thousands of people reacting to what the music is doing is really quite addictive.
AS: Do you have your stage outfits ready?
M: Sure. We still wear Gucci.
AS: What is the secret of a good stage makeup?
Victoria: It has to be waterproof.
Damiano: I want it to be light, so I don’t feel it.
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