Issue 32 / April 2013

Bido Lito! April 2013 15
BR-J: Never mind, carry on.
LE: So I bought a guitar and I played as it was part of my
life; and I felt between 10 and 20 the guitar was my main
instrument. I still have the guitar now and I also play a few
notes on my albums.
BR-J:
And what about reading? I know your father published Italo
Calvino, someone who I’m a big fan of, are you that way inclined?
To read I mean? [Editor - Bill’s debut solo LP, If..., , is a musical
adaptation of Calvino’s novel, If On A Winter’s Night a Traveler.]
LE: Well, our house was full of books but as a child I was reading
very little. Maybe, I don’t know, but if your father makes cakes…
you don’t eat so many.
(We laugh like only best friends can.)
LE: ...and also it’s always difficult, my father was very… err…
maybe there was always conflict with the father and I think
maybe I felt more freedom and more comfortable in the world of
music as it gave me the sense that it was less strict, especially in
the time I grew up with, the time of rock and roll.
BR-J: You paint quite an interesting picture of the stoic literary
father and the affectionate musical mother; it makes a lot of
sense that you moved into music…
LE: And for example Calvino, I love his work, he was an incredible
person and I was able to know him quite well.
BR-J: Shit, really?
LE: Yes he was living in the same building where we were, so
even when my father was not there he was coming for lunch; my
mother was like a sister to him...
(At this point I think Ludovico has picked up on my interest in Calvino
and like most Italians is more than happy to talk the man up.)
….and he was a very shy person but you could see from his eyes
that he was very careful about everything around him.
BR-J: Very meticulous?
LE: Like the detail in his writing.
BR-J: And music? Was he a listener? (People familiar with my
music will appreciate me trying to steer the conversation in a
certain direction.)
LE: Err no, not so much.
(Even though I was shot down I tell Ludovico about my record
and how it’s based on a Calvino novel; he tells me that Calvino’s
father was the first person to import avocados to Europe.)
BR-J: So enough about him, I’d like to know about Turin. I’ve
been there a few times and wondered if you feel the city itself
has had a lasting and direct affect on your music?
LE: Yeah, I have to say I never felt completely comfortable in
Turin; there was a pressure maybe from people. I felt observed;
maybe there was a strictness of the mind.
BR-J: Is that quite typical of northern Italy?
LE: Well, Milan is completely different, it’s more open…
BR-J: And that’s where you live now?
LE: Yes since 18… also, my family comes from a region even closer
to France, between Turin and the mountains. My grandfather had
a kind of country house there.
BR-J: And your grandfather was quite an important man,
wasn’t he?
LE: Yes, he was a politician.
BR-J: President of Italy?
LE: Yes, the first president after the war. He was an economist,
always studying, and nothing like the politicians of today.
(Ludovico is clearly proud of his lineage. He speaks
enthusiastically of his grandfather, telling how he “was obsessed
with the economy of his own life” and how all light bulbs
had to be of a certain wattage so he could balance
the books of his house. I asked about him
being given the Order of Merit - a kind of
Italian knighthood - to which he said
it meant nothing. He was really
surprised to learn that not every
Britain was in love with the
monarchy. At this point I’m
given the universal ‘you’ve got
5 minutes left…gobshite’ hand
gesture from his publicist, so I
get back into questionville.)
BR-J: Would it be possible to
sum up what it is you try and
achieve in music? Maybe give a
very simple example of what is
the main point you’re trying to
make?
LE: Well… err… it’s a mix of
emotions in different ways; when
you write music, it’s difficult to have all
emotions in one place…
BR-J:
And is that not what’s at the heart of
In A Time Lapse?
LE: Yes… err… what I feel is that the more I
grow up it’s like I have a stronger connection
with my emotions. At one point I had fear of my
emotions but there’s a moment when you really
want to share those things more and more.
BR-J: And would this be a celebration
of that step in life?
LE:
Yes, but always I felt that
without the emotion, I don’t get the
point of doing the music.
BR-J: And is there maybe one life event or
one memory that drives your creativity most?
LE: Yes, well there are of course some people you
have met, and I have three children and the moment they
are born is of pure joy to me. You play with your child; those
moments are really unique and full of mystery, and also a mixture
of very complex emotions for me. At the same time, yeah, I think
everything is connected with the human situations where you’re
sharing something with someone else.
BR-J: And is that connection something you think about when
writing? Are you ever thinking of the people who will eventually
enjoy your music?
LE: Not so much. When I’m composing I search inside myself, if
I think of the expectations then it’s not so good; it’s best to think
of where you are and be born every time.
BR-J: Well the listener benefits from getting more of your own
soul if you’re not concerned with what they’re thinking I guess.
(He doesn’t say it but he looks like he agrees.)
BR-J: My last question is probably one you won’t want to
answer… are you aware of your influence in other musicians’
work? I can hear you very much in Clint Mansell’s music for
example.
LE: Well I know of Clint Mansell and I quite
like his work…
BR-J:
Oh
me too! Though I
think he sounds a lot like you,
have you heard the Moon soundtrack?
LE: I don’t know that but I think maybe there is a certain
mood in the world that people become aware of together.
(I ended our interview there; it seemed fitting.)
Ludovico Einaudi plays Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on 15th
April. His album In A Time Lapse is out now on Decca. Bill Ryder-
Jones’ new album A Bad Wind Blows In My Heart
is released
8th April on Domino.
Gig Guide and Ticket Shop live at www.bidolito.co.uk