Italian TV
It has to happen!..As a musician playing with an International artist, eventually you get the experience of a lifetime by travelling around the world and performing for different audiences in countries you only read about in books or see on TV or in the cinema.. And perhaps one of those travel times will include a trip to the exotic locale of Italy..! One of my fave destinations on the planet.
Why Italy?..Well it ain't too difficult to imagine. The geography is spectacular, the settings enchanting, the people compelling, the architecture spellbinding, the cuisine outstanding and the wine divine..and the women! Well!!!.... be prepared!
Anyway, more often than not if you aren't performing a concert or festival or being a tourista..the usual fare is "Italian televisione"...perhaps Rai uno, Canale Cinque or some network like that. I remember in the early 1980's, we were able to experience this peculiar event in person for the first time..and memorable it was!
Our last show of the tour was in a small little town in Sardinia..I can't remember the name of it..but it was incredible! Madonna was there too...promoting her single "Holiday".. Nonetheless, we had the good fortune of being able to perform another time again recently in Naples and the event was a large affair..with a good sampling of Italian, European and North American artists as well as the usual vibrant Italian TV hosts..
We had arrived overnite on a flight from N.Y. and we made sure we ate a decent lunch upon our arrival at the hotel of choice, "The Excelsior"..A short nap followed, and later enjoyed another wonderful dinner in a cantina across the street..wonderful pasta and wine..
The next day was a soundcheck day...hurry up and wait ...We had to use a few fill-in muscians ..since our usual guys were unavailable this time..But our friends from Roma were great, and were doing us a tremendous service by supporting the cause..We ran thru the tune a couple of times and reasoned that the sound would be ok for the time being..we trekked back to our hotel and found another place to snack by the Castel Dell'ovo...an ancient battlement made centuries ago. The castel is surrounded by numerous cafes and bars...
Again, great spaghetti and wine with a snack Naples is well known for..buffalo mozzarella..wow! You just haven't had it right till you've tasted it here in Naples..Fresh from the buffalo! It has the creamy consistency of hmmm ...ice cream? Regardless, a culinary treat for the ages...Afterwards we returned to our rooms, and siesta-ed til show time.
A few pals were on this broadcast too..Ronan Keating from Boyzone was here and he was as jolly as usual.. I also got to see our old friend Bryan Ferry whom I had recorded with in the past. He is ageless that man! Since I had just seen him perform on the Roxy Music tour in Vancouver last year it was great to finally meet up with him once again..He did a scorching rendition of "It's all over now baby blue",a Bob Dylan tune from way back..We then watched the Red Hot Chili Peppers do their thing and said Hi to Zucherro.. a very popular Italian singer.
After our bit, we made a mad dash for the last pizzeria that was still open, and found a slice of the local fare and some chilled vino to sip while settling in for the evening..
K-Man
