JOEL: I’m Joel Madden, and this is Artist Friendly. On this episode, I’m talking with Italian singer songwriter, the lead singer of the band Måneskin, and now solo artist with his new solo record coming soon, Damiano David. Let’s go!
[PODCAST INTRODUCTION]
JOEL: Let’s talk about your music.
DAMIANO: Okay.
JOEL: You dropped two songs, uh, Born with a Broken Heart and Silverlines. And you have more coming?
DAMIANO: Yeah.
JOEL: And then an album’s coming?
DAMIANO: Yeah.
JOEL: Okay. When’s the album coming?
DAMIANO: ’25
JOEL: Right?
DAMIANO: So I’m waiting.
JOEL: Yeah. I feel that like, somewhere in ’25 when I feel like it’s done, it’ll be done, and when we’re ready to drop it, we’ll drop it. These things write themselves
DAMIANO: Yeah, but the record is done, okay? I want to give it time to to come to life.
JOEL: Right. I think dropping songs the way you’re doing it is the best way. That’s how I want to do it. We made a record, and I keep telling everyone we should just put one song at a time, yeah, get people reintroduced, or whatever like to us, and then we’ll know when the record should come out.
DAMIANO: Yeah… [INTERRUPTED]
JOEL: That’s good. That’s organic.
DAMIANO: Get people excited, like, show that you have something coming before you drop in.
JOEL: How do you feel?
DAMIANO: I feel good. That’s nice. It’s a good experience.
JOEL: Once you make something, and then you’re holding it, it’s like a relief to get it out.
DAMIANO: Definitely.
JOEL: Of the two songs you put out, is there one that you like the most or the most excited about?
DAMIANO: I like both for different reasons. I think Born with a Broken Heart, it’s closer to than what the rest of the record it’s going to be, so it’s more my sound, I would say. But that doesn’t mean that Silverlines is not my sound. It’s just I’m more driven in that direction, right now.
JOEL: Right? What do you feel like your sound is?
DAMIANO: It’s always been very hard for me to define music, even with the band. I think it’s pop, but pop means everything. I would say it’s like piano driven pop, little dramatic…
JOEL: Good songs. To me, that’s pop.
DAMIANO: That’s that’s what I try to do.
JOEL: I think in rock we can hide certain things. If we turn it up. We can hide up a bad chorus with guitar riffs or whatever. Like in rock, we can certainly get away with things that if you really stripped everything away and got a piano and sung a song, it might not translate always, but the good songs will translate. And that, to me, is pop.
DAMIANO: That’s a way to see it.
JOEL: Because we had a ton of pop songs. I would always say, like, if we can’t play this on a piano, it’s not a real song.
DAMIANO: I agree.
JOEL: If you can’t walk in and hear someone else playing it and know what song that is, then it then it’s not a great song.
DAMIANO: If it doesn’t sound good in acoustic… I agree definitely.
JOEL: And I was always chasing the songs more than the look, the sound I was chasing, like…
DAMIANO: It should always be like that. I think the sound, it’s a little an overrated concept because it’s like, yes, makes you recognizable, but it’s like, also a cage. On the long run, I think the sound means nothing if I like… Because I like in the same way, I don’t know, The Killers and Bruno Mars in the same way, I couldn’t say like one’s better than the other. My sound means that I can only do one of the two two things. No, I think that like, variety and adaptability are two of the most important skills in an artist bag. So it’s like, let’s do whatever the fuck we want and have fun with music. It’s a, I think it’s a big game, and yes, we have to take it seriously, but sometimes it’s also good to have fun. You know, not take yourself too seriously, not think of yourself as a messiah or the biggest singer ever and just have fun with it. I t’s just music. We’re not saving anyone, but maybe we’re saving somebody’s life, but not like directly. You know, we can fuck up. We can fuck up. It’s not bad.
JOEL: Yeah, I agree with you 100% but I think that your music gets big and then people maybe treat you that way sometimes, and it can make you uncomfortable sometimes, because you’re like, you don’t want to insult them by saying, like, You’re wrong. Well, you’re not wrong. I mean, it’s great that you love my music and that you think I’m great, but at the end of the day, you know, and I’m trying my best, I want to be great, but at the end of the day, I also don’t think I’m the answer to your problems. I think if my song helped you get through a hard time in your life…
DAMIANO: That’s the biggest achievement I can get. But if I don’t get it, it’s not it’s also…
JOEL: Something I should feel guilty about.
DAMIANO: It’s just a song. Yeah, it’s didn’t do it for you, then maybe for somebody else made it. Maybe my favorite song ever is going to be the last stream of my own, my whole career. Is that really a problem? I don’t think so. As long as you do shit that you like and you’re proud of then the answer is like, of course it matters, because we always want people to love our music and love our stuff and relate with it, but at the same time, it’s like, if I’m proud of it, this album didn’t make it, I’ll make another one, hopefully, yeah.
JOEL: And you will!
DAMIANO: Yeah, as long as the label supports me.
JOEL: And even then, even so, even you can make it.
DAMIANO: You can make it for free, basically.
JOEL: You can always make it. But that’s why you’ll always work if you’re detached from the need of some result, and you just make something you like, and you appreciate the big wins when a song is like, wow, you’re like, that’s cool. But then you likely have that one song that you love, and you love to play live, and you love what that song means to you in a different way, and you can enjoy that even more sometimes than the big hit songs, but it all works together. If you don’t have one, it’s hard to have the other and really enjoy both. Those of us that are fortunate enough to do this for a long time and to have different hits and things like that, we know what that means, and it’s great, but there’s nothing like standing on stage at 25 and feeling 25, and playing your music and being honest.
DAMIANO: That’s why I think also we got to be honest with ourself and know that this is our passion, and so we got to treat it as a passion, but it’s also our job, so we gotta treat it as a job. So you gotta always make music that you love, but you also have to be aware of, you have to be your own INR, yeah, you know. And be aware of like, okay, these three songs are the most likely to work. So this will make the set list. If I have this, the other eight songs, I can do whatever the fuck I want. If I don’t get that thing, I’ve always gonna have the pressure of “but when is the hit? But when is the hit?”. So sometimes it’s also about like, being a little smart and and knowing how to play the game, you know.
JOEL: It’s awareness, yeah. And I find sometimes with artists, where I want to kind of shake them and go, no, no. You have to be aware that this is actually your job as well. And just what you said, you have to be aware. You got to make good decisions.
DAMIANO: You got to show up.
JOEL: You got to show up, and you got to take it serious, and be professional enough to do the job, so that when you want to go do the rock star thing, which is fine, I’m not kidding. I don’t judge it. I did it too, but you have to find the balance. It’s not all about that. If you find the balance, you’ll keep making the art, but you can do it for a long time if you are professional.
DAMIANO: [INAUDIBLE] Smart. You’re gonna be free by doing it, yeah? Because, because it’s not fun when you have to fight for the smallest things. So sometimes it’s also about to be okay, like, I’ll pick the hill to die on. Like, this thing is as important? Or I can give up, like, a little piece of it, so everybody’s satisfied, and then they’re not gonna push me on this other thing, you know?
JOEL: That, to me, says that’s someone who’s been working for a long time.
DAMIANO: I’ve been doing this for 10 years.
JOEL: And someone who had enough time working at it without the big results and the big success to appreciate what they have and know what it took to get there, and also kind of has that gratitude to like, continue to want to maintain what they work so hard to have.
DAMIANO: I think, with with the band, we went through every stage of fame. We went through like playing in the streets and playing [at] restaurants without seeing, you know, the light at the end of the tunnel and getting, like, super frustrated and having no money to do it and everything. Then we did the talent show, the over exposure, the, you know, all the distraction, everything but music. There’s time for everything, but not to write music.
JOEL: Two extremes.
DAMIANO: The extremes. And then we got the extreme success and Eurovision and America, [Jimmy] Fallon, talk shows, everything. And then, of course, organically, you can’t be at that level forever. And so, like, a little of a downfall and trying to stabilize things. Instead of, like, keep pushing and trying to be smart and then too much work, we gotta, you know, push back a little and chill out. And every time things were happening, I never wanted to let myself to just let things happen. Of course, you gotta accept what’s happening and what you can’t control. But I always wanted to understand, like, okay, this happened because this, this, this and that. This happened because, like, I want to know the reason. So when it’s going to happen again, I’m not going to panic, I’m not going to freak out, I’m not going to be stressed. I know that it’s just what happens, and in that it happens because of this and this and that. And if I want to avoid it, this is what I can control. Yeah, I might do these things, and then I still don’t know the outcome, but it’s, it’s important to learn from the different phases of your career, because it’s also, I think it’s insane to think that once you had a number one hit, you’re gonna stay there for the rest of your days. I think it’s crazy also to want it, it can drive you mad.
JOEL: You’re saying something really, really I agree with, and I feel the same way, and it’s really important for people and artists to hear. But anyone building a real living, breathing business, you go up, you go down, you go up, hopefully a little higher, you go down, and as long as your trajectory keeps doing that, not just the success of your business, but your life, the development of your whole life. Am I happier? Do I feel better? That comes through effort, put forth effort. There’s a result. Measure the result, try to make sense of it, adjust the effort.
DAMIANO: Until you get about, evaluate like the result. Like was the effort worth it?
JOEL: And then measure the whole way, and find your true process in relationship to not just the results and the results you want, but also the feeling, the quality of your life. It all works together. And what I think people get sold on in in music and in art as a business is it’s there’s only one or two ways you can win. This is what how we measure it. And that’s not actually true, like your music, you could argue is over the last five years, let’s say today more relevant than ever, even if the song that was the first hit you ever had, wherever it landed on the chart, doesn’t matter. It’s about it, living and breathing in the world over time, and people building relationships with it, with their life, with their moments of their life. So a song that you had, that maybe your first big hit could be more relevant today because more people have related to it in certain moments of their life, whether it was a happy moment, a sad moment, and collectively, it permeates out through the culture, and that’s the whole point of putting the art out and letting it live, and whether in the first rendition of its the first phase of its living in the world, that was a big hit song, it’s going to continue to change. And over time, I’m seeing it with our band. We’re doing shows the biggest shows we’ve ever done, because it the music has had two decades, three decades, to live and breathe.
DAMIANO: And also because, like, the people who listen to it, if it’s very important music, it’s heritage, like, I don’t know a fan of mine that now is 17. If they really like the song, when they’re gonna have kids, they’re gonna pass the music to the kids. It’s like, it’s really, it’s culture, it’s heritage, which we’re gonna pass it if it’s really important. That’s why I think chasing the number one spot, it’s very dangerous and toxic. I think the best result that you can have it’s more weeks in, like the top 50.
JOEL: Yeah, I agree.
DAMIANO: It’s like, consistency is like having a song out every three months, having an album out every two and a half years, having shows sold out your shows, instead of doing arenas and doing three arenas, because you have to do the event, do 20 clubs and sold it out, make a special reel, go in front of people, do it, do the job, show up. That’s, that’s, that’s what really matters, because that stakes.
JOEL: I agree, and sitting with you, I get it even more now, as long as you express yourself, I’m good, and you show up, like you did today, just being yourself. I walked up on that scene, and I was like this, motherfucker, look at him. That, to me, is it? Show up if you can’t do that, if you overdo it and you can’t sustain it, you can no longer show up as you, so you have to find that balance of like giving as much as you can, showing up and knowing when to pull back and then know when to make your solo record, because I got to express myself. And then know when to go back and do a record with the band, because people want to see us. And as long as everybody is expressing themselves and understanding the greater long term legacy of our music is this, if you go out in the world and you. Be and you being yourself, there are going to be new fans that come and go into your world and start to discover your world. And then whatever you do, it just grows. That’s like a tree. It spreads it and so as long as you, the artist are, are making decisions, that’s where the growth comes from. If we become a horse that people are beating because there’s money to be made, there’s things to be done, there’s quotas to be filled, there’s, you know, we will the brand will suffer, and we will suffer, and we will get beaten down. And I had that experience at a young age. I didn’t know any better. I was poor. I came in and we got on the train, and we just felt like we were just shoveling coal and just keeping…
DAMIANO: Also, you are 20. Like, you know, you start, you’re 20, and you don’t give a shit about, like, your friends, your girlfriend. I just want to go out and do it all day, because I’m 20. I’m having my shot. It’s my first train. I want to use it. Then you become 25 and you’re like, Ah, I wish I had more time to spend with my girlfriend. I wish I had more time to spend with my family, with my friends. And it’s like, hey, I wanna still do it nine months a year, not 12. And then you’re 36 months. Like life changes, and you change. And the way you approach to this job, because we are lucky enough to not have a nine to five, where you got to show up and you got to go away and you have tasks. We have a thing that can be 24/7 because you can think about your heart 24/7 and you cannot think about your heart for six months, and you’re not guilty of anything. You’re your own CEO. You want to close the shop, close the shop. It’s your own shop. Because also making music, I’m I’m kind of taking little pieces of myself and putting into something. At one point I’m skin and bones, like I gotta have time, like I gotta have experiences, because otherwise I have nothing to put on the plate, or I have the same stuff I put in the last album, it’s just gonna sound slightly different. Like, do do we want that? Like, let’s make AI music at that point so we copy shit. Like, we gotta have the time to be humans, you know.
JOEL: gotta have experience and to remember why we started in the first place. I remember at one point when the band, when we were just touring 12 months a year, non stop, we were literally coming off the road to make our record in three or four weeks and go right back on the road. And I remember, like three albums straight of that, and we started to really resent each other, and we didn’t know why, because we love each other. We started in high school. We were friends, and after our fifth record, we all sat down and we had one, a couple of us had had babies, and we were like, in our 28, 29 [years] and we said it, we’re like, we don’t actually… We love each other. We’ve never taken a break ever. So maybe we just stop. And then that was the plan. We just stopped. And we were like, Let’s just see what happens. And immediately everyone felt better. And then we started navigating our lives individually, and then our life as a band, differently…
DAMIANO: Of course.
JOEL: And I think exactly what you’re saying. We started living life, going to people’s birthdays, and having relationships, and all the things you have to do.
DAMIANO: Also, because, again, like, when you start, you’re 20, and that’s your whole personality. I am part of this band. I am this, like, rocker, motherfucker. I do this. I’m cool everything. And then at one point it’s like, Yes, I am that. But also I, you know, I love my girl, I have kids. I love seeing my friends and having just the beer. I don’t have to go to the other side of the world and play for 50,000 people every day.
JOEL: Yeah, I can just be another guy in the room with just this group of people.
DAMIANO: Yeah, I’m just a dude. Like, that’s, that’s really a thing. Yeah, it’s a balance. It’s like everything else in life, it’s a balance. And also it’s, again, it’s a privileged job. You got to keep it privileged. Yeah, you got to keep it like a sweet treat. I do shit because I want to do it, and I like to do it, and I’m enjoying doing it because also the audience feel it. They feel it. They see you, it’s it’s all about it. It’s like an emotional connection with people you don’t know. People feel like they know you through your songs. If you don’t enjoy singing those songs anymore, they can’t know you. They can’t meet you there, because, of course, they’re excited. If you’re not, there’s a wall. Yeah, you got to connect.
JOEL: How long ago did you start feeling like this? Was this just a natural progression? Or did you feel like you were starting to get burned out?
DAMIANO: I can point out, like a moment, it was a build up when we I think we did like five. Of tours back to back. You know, two albums.
JOEL: Non stop?
DAMIANO: Non stop. And what really fuck does is that we got big in Italy; Italian tour got big in Europe; Italian and European tour one month later, big in America; American tour, and then world tour, and then Japan and like, everything was adding up, because it didn’t came all together. It was like, Italy, Europe, USA, Asia, South America. It was a lot happening.
JOEL: And you can’t miss playing catch up.
DAMIANO: Yeah. And I’m 23, the other guys are 20. They’re like, let’s do it. Let’s go there. Let’s play. Let’s do Rock in Rio. Let’s do this the end, of course, is like the most beautiful things I did in my life, but at the same time, I was really letting back so many things. Like I realized, at one point, like, I miss my friends, you know. And like, I miss my mom, like I as soon as I had money, I escaped from my house and went living alone as soon as I could, because I was 18 and all [INAUDIBLE] my shit, and then I was 23 and I was like, I miss my mom, I miss my brother, I miss my dad. What is this like? And it took, like, a year to realize it, and then a year to take the decision of, like, Okay, I’m confident enough. We did what we have to do at the band. If we stop, we’re not gonna collapse. You know, you have to have that confidence. You have to be sure enough. And at one point, I really was like, we did Rock in Rio, we opened for The [Rolling] Stones. We’re a Grammy nominated artist. We made it to America. What else? What else do I have to do to feel quiet inside, you know? And then I understood that I wasn’t quiet inside, because I got all these things, but still, I didn’t communicate what’s more important, most important for me now.
JOEL: You know what? I think the the hard part of the development of a band is, I think when we get success, and we all come from different places…
DAMIANO: We react differently.
JOEL: We react differently, and we have to re we have to continue to evolve how we communicate with one another as we grow, because we’re all gonna be different, right? But there’s something extremely special about what we do together, and it captivates people’s imagination and their attention and what we had to learn because we weren’t good at it in the middle part. And I would say, like, we probably, like, almost broke up and we almost went through everything every band goes through, right? We get all the success we wanted, and then we’re all there together, and we start fighting amongst ourselves, having like, being passive aggressive or being like and not communicating and instead… [INTERRUPTED]
DAMIANO: For stupid shit.
JOEL: Yeah, over dumb shit.
DAMIANO: Specially.
JOEL: And then we hold everything in, instead of what I learned when I got older through therapy and other things, figuring out a way for all of us to come to the table and be no one’s right, no one’s wrong. Everyone only has a point of view and a perspective. And if we can listen to each other and hear each other and accept each other and not be locked into wanting the result we want. So if I just want the band to make another record, but he doesn’t, we’re not ever going to come to a middle ground where he’s going to be happy because he doesn’t want to make a record. And so we have to detach ourselves from the success or the fear or the whatever it is that we’re all carrying with us, and get back to loving one another and giving each other the freedom and the autonomy to be who we need to be. And that took us a couple years of practice, but I would say, like today, we’re in like, 28 years as a band, or 29 years. And like, I would say, like, through years of practice, we are in such a good spot where we talk about what we all want to do, and we come to a conclusion that everyone’s happy with. And like, right now that’s like, last year we played two shows. We just made a record. We’re gonna play a couple more shows coming this year, we’ll probably play 20 shows.
DAMIANO: That’s good, that’s sustainable.
JOEL: Like we’re all happy.
DAMIANO: Planning shows is good.
JOEL: And we go, we get together, and we have fun.
DAMIANO: And you’re happy.
JOEL: We’re happy, and you can’t wait to play, that’s it. And we love seeing each other. And so I encourage other bands all the time. I’m like, take time off, let like, give each other space to do things and and be happy for one another. Like, if you’re starting your clothing brand, or if, like, like, whatever you’re doing, every band has different characters, and we all but like, you’re all real people with real lives. Be that again, and find your identity outside of this.
DAMIANO: Because that’s exactly like…
JOEL: Which I see you kind of doing.
DAMIANO: The band is four different individualities. Like ingredients to do a common thing. It’s like different ingredients of a dish. They come all together to make a dish. Do you want to do the same fucking dish for 20 years? Like at one point, it doesn’t matter how good it is, you’re gonna be sick of it at one point. Do your thing become a different ingredient, and the mixture of those ingredients is going to make another dish. It’s going to be different from the other but… It’s you, it’s always you like that. That’s also what’s important. And I think it’s a big problem with with with the people that follow us, and I think it’s why a lot of artists don’t go through changes. Sometimes people don’t accept that who you were when you were 20 is different. Who you are when you’re 30. I pray to God to be as different as possible in 10 years from now, because I have to change.
JOEL: It means you grew.
DAMIANO: Yeah, of course. And as a band, we all have to change, and then the band has to change, and it’s going to be better. It’s going to be more mature, it’s going to be more aware. Maybe it’s not going to get number one spot, or…
JOEL: Maybe it will, but fuck it, yeah, we like it. We like playing it. We play 20 shows. We kill 20 shows. Better than playing 50 and giving seven out of 10. Just do. Just also design your tour so that you can go full throttle every show. Don’t manage yourself. That’s not fun. That’s becoming a job. That’s touring for job. If you’re touring for fun, you’re gonna sing the shit out of every song every night, because you have the time to rest, you have the time to be a human, and then you’re on stage and you’re like, I want to kill it. I have one hour and a half to kill these people. And that’s what you want to do. It’s not too much. Is a it’s all about designing things.
JOEL: And it’s like the great bands, they do that, they I think you guys are a big rock force, like a big rock brand, a big rock…
DAMIANO: [INAUDIBLE]
JOEL: Music band, right? It’s alive, the characters on stage, the way you guys interact, the way it’s a big rock show, right? And I think every era of your life as an artist, you have to find that again. And what does that mean now? I think it’s still going to be a version of a big rock, the court is now, you know? And so I think you see bands, they go and then they come back, and it’s, it’s this refreshing version of the thing you love, and it’s exciting again each time. And so I think that comes as exactly what you’re saying is like continuing to search for the ways you could express yourself in the times you want to do it, so that when you’re doing it, it feels honest. So I think you’re on like the right artist journey that I really hope other artists see, and they go “I could do that. I could just do what I want”.
DAMIANO: That’s fun. I swear to God. You know, that’s extremely fun to rebrand yourself.
JOEL: Yeah, and do what you want.
DAMIANO: It’s fun. It’s fun to try and shit. It’s fun.
JOEL: And live a life that you actually like living in, and you don’t feel like depressed because you’re not and frustrated because you’re not doing what you want. And that’s what art is about. You can organize around it in a way that you can still share it with people. You’re doing it, put out a record, you’re gonna go play some shows, you’re gonna promote it as much as you can stand to promote it, and because you love the music, when you love the music, it’s easy to promote.
DAMIANO: [LAUGHS]
JOEL: It’s easier, easier. Yeah, the song and dance of promotion is tough. It’s a circus. You’re on the morning show and you’re on the fucking. Hey, hi, it’s nine in the morning. Do you want to sing the shit out of the song morning Zoo? Yes, of course. You know, yeah. And we do as much of that as we can stand. We always say that. I would say I’ll do as much as I can possibly stand to do.
DAMIANO: And you gotta see the goal. If my goal for this song is to go number one. I’m ready to promote everything out. I’m ready to go to every radio station in the country. If my goal is to put out the song, give it the cure it deserves and the respect it deserves. I’m gonna do the promo. I’m gonna treat it well. But am I gonna die for it? No, because I want to be apologize for the next one as well. Like, I want to do this for the next 10, 15 years. So I don’t want to, I don’t want to. I don’t know, yeah, you know, run out of fuel at 25.
JOEL: I agree, because you have another 25 years at least.
DAMIANO: (WHISPERS) Oh my God. [LAUGHS]
JOEL: So when I was your age, I thought, okay, I’m 45 so I’m 20 years older than you, and I thought when I was when I was 25 I was like, there’s no way I’m gonna be on stage at 45 singing… [INTERRUPTED]
DAMIANO: I have, I have…
JOEL: …Good Charlotte songs. I just thought that.
DAMIANO: I have that… I have that…
JOEL: And then I got 45 and it turns out I am, and it’s more fun, and the show is better.
DAMIANO: But you got a break.
JOEL: I got a break. I got a long break.
DAMIANO: [INAULDIBLE]
JOEL: 10, 6 years or whatever, and we really don’t do much, but also your music is mature. So I do think that the songs age well. So I don’t think that there’s a, there’s a time stamp on the songs.
DAMIANO: No, I can see myself like being, I wouldn’t say old, but like a little gray on stage singing with a suit and be very like, demure on stage. I can’t see myself do what? Like, I don’t know, what Mick Jagger’s doing. [INTERRUPTED] Hold the record. [LAUGHS] I’m not gonna try to take it away from you, you know, it’s like, not everybody’s built for that.
JOEL: Where do you live usually? You in Italy?
DAMIANO: In Rome.
JOEL: I love Rome.
DAMIANO: Yeah. It’s pretty.
JOEL: To me, it’s like, the New York of Europe and Italy. And, like, I don’t know something about Rome, for me, feels like a city that’s like buzzing.
DAMIANO: There’s not a lot happening. Like, if you want to do shit, you go to Milan. But I think, like, for like an artist, it’s way more stimulating than any other city.
JOEL: Are you from Rome?
DAMIANO: Yeah, born and raised.
JOEL: Oh okay, that’s cool.
DAMIANO: Yeah, that’s cool.
JOEL: Where did you learn to speak such good English?
DAMIANO: Being here working like, [INAUDIBLE] music and pop culture, yeah.
JOEL: Do you feel like most, like, of the younger generation in Italy all speak English?
DAMIANO: No, no…
JOEL: Okay, wow.
DAMIANO: Absolutely not.
JOEL: I always wonder that, because when I go to Italy, I can find, usually find people who speak English, but it can be hard, too.
DAMIANO: Yeah, I think that there’s, it’s weird because, like, there’s no average level, there’s people that speak it very well because they went, like, to English school, or they work outside of Italy, or they did, like, study and college outside. And then there’s people that really can’t talk anything.
JOEL: So you as an artist, and then obviously your band, you guys, are big in Italy.
DAMIANO: Yeah.
JOEL: But to make a global impact, it feels like you have to be able to navigate the world and speak more than one language.
DAMIANO: For sure.
JOEL: Whether it’s Spanish, English…
DAMIANO: think even like, no matter the language of your music, you have to be able to speak English. Like, even if you do, even if you got, like, if we stick to Italian music, if you make it outside of Italy, you have to be able to speak English.
JOEL: Is that something you always wanted to do? Take your music outside of Italy?
DAMIANO: Yeah, that was always the goal.
JOEL: Right, I imagine you grew up listening to bands from all over the world? And your dream was always probably outside of Italy as well. Yeah? Me too. You know, when I when I started, was in a small place, but I wanted to go to Italy, I wanted to go to the UK, I wanted to go all over the world. So I learned to speak through touring. I learned to speak a little bit of each language, but I always wish I spoke better Italian and Spanish, but I don’t speak it. I speak it okay, but not, not fast enough to, like, get around the way you probably can. Your English is, like, perfect, but you probably been speaking it a long time.
DAMIANO: Yeah, at this moment, I speak more English than Italian, for sure.
JOEL: Right, because you’re all somewhere in the world.
DAMIANO: And also partner speaks English.
JOEL: Is she American?
DAMIANO: Yeah.
JOEL: Okay. Cool.
DAMIANO: Seattle.
JOEL: Seattle? That’s cool. Maybe this is a dumb question. Do you ever model?
DAMIANO: Oh, my God, I take pictures. [LAUGHS]
JOEL: You’re very good looking.
DAMIANO: Thank you.
JOEL: I thought you were good looking for pictures, and then I saw you in real life, and I was like, you’re like, smoking. I’m like, god damn good lord. It’s not very often that you meet a rock and roll guy who’s writing songs and singing and that’s like, got his shit all dialed also. Like, I mean, you’re edgy, you got tattoos and stuff, but you’re like, your shits put together, which I respect as a man. I like, see other men, and I go, man, he’s got his shit together.
DAMIANO: I try my best, dude.
JOEL: It’s very good. Is that just like experience?
DAMIANO: Yeah, I think I care about how I project myself into the world. And now I know I’m 25 I’m young, but now I feel like way more adult.
JOEL: Yeah, young but old enough.
DAMIANO: Like, a young adult, like, I’m starting to care about more adult stuff and to even appreciate and evaluate more…
JOEL: Details.
DAMIANO: Yeah, so I think it’s, it just reflects in the way I dress and I move, but I can be extremely goofy.
JOEL: No, I know, but, but I don’t think we acknowledge like when we see someone who has it together or put it together. We curate ourselves as people, right? Not just men, women. We have to learn, especially if you grew up and maybe you didn’t have money, or you didn’t have experience, you didn’t get to travel, I had to learn like, what did I like? Just because something was expensive or it was a brand like that I heard of, doesn’t mean it looks good on me, but it might look good on them.
DAMIANO: Or it might not look good at all (LAUGHS).
JOEL: Right? And so fashion is one part fashion, and then one part taste and personal expression. And so when you see someone who’s put together and they and they got it right, and you’re like, God damn. Like, that’s the perfect look for that guy. I have to acknowledge it, because I think it’s important for people to do that for themselves, to take themselves seriously enough to say I should think about what I’m wearing and try to find a way to be everything I can be when I go out into the world and feel good about myself and present myself the way I want to be presented, and some people dismiss it.
DAMIANO: I think it’s like a part of taking care of yourself. I don’t know. I because, because I don’t want to say that. Like, if you’re not well dressed, you don’t take care of yourself. Of course, it’s not that. But like, I don’t know our image is, is part of our communication, whether we want it or not. We don’t have to be obsessed by it. You have to be you have to be comfortable enough that if you got to go out to take out the trash, you can look like shit. But at the same time, it’s like being aware of the context you’re going, the other people around you, and I don’t know how you smell, how you look, yeah, yeah, how you feel in the situation. I think it’s, I think it’s actually a thing, yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s being aware. It’s part of being smart in my point of view, because it’s like part of being able to read the room, read the situation, you know?
JOEL: And I think sometimes in fashion, they make it feel unattainable. What I say is like, if you work with what you have, if you go into and you just put thought into what you’re wearing, and some people pull off that look like way better, like some people can put off the put on sweats and make it look a certain way. But everyone’s gonna find their own authentic style. But I do think you gotta think about it and put time into yourself. And some guys could put on a white t shirt and a pair of Dickies and look like a fucking model, and some guys can… everybody’s different. So all I’m saying is is like, when I see people that take the time to think about those things I am inspired because I do and I just have my own taste, but I always want to try to present well, right? So whenever I see it, I’m like, God Damn man, good job. You’re having a lot of success with these songs, though.
DAMIANO: Thank God.
JOEL: It’s great. That to me, says number one. Well, obviously people like it, but that’s good for everything. Whenever you decide, okay, the band’s like, hey, let’s make a record. You don’t think you guys are going to be playing these fucking songs too.
DAMIANO: [INAUDIBLE]
JOEL: You’d better sure they’re fucking good, you know what I mean, and then it’ll be fun to hear the version of…
DAMIANO: That would be the most fun thing possible for me. [INTERRUPTED]
JOEL: That’s what the part of music is.
DAMIANO: Of my own solo songs, yeah, they’ll be fun.
JOEL: That’s gonna happen, I’m telling you down the road. Whenever that happens, it’s gonna it’s gonna be another fun little ride, and that brings more interesting life to all of it. And that’s why I think the number one rule has to be, express yourself. Make music that you want to make the way you want to make it, put it out how you want to put it out. And then it breathes life into everything you did and everything you’re going to do, as long as we get to express ourselves, and that’s what I see you doing. So I don’t even think you have a problem sticking to your guns. I can tell you you do what you want.
DAMIANO: I’m very, very good at it (LAUGHS)
JOEL: But it’s inspiring, because I think a lot of people do, and a lot of people have trouble pulling the trigger on something that they you know. And I think you you if you have a feeling when it comes to art, shoot first and apologize later, you know. And I think you do that really well. I’d be really disappointed if I found out you don’t drive a Ferrari.
DAMIANO: I don’t have an expensive car. I have a shitty car.
JOEL: Please get a Ferrari one day, whenever you get the time, energy and the space.
DAMIANO: No, it’s in the list. But the fact is, now I live in Rome. If you drive a Ferrari in Rome, you deserve to be robbed. You deserve it because you’re being, you’re being mean to people. It’s too big. It’s small streets.
JOEL: It’s obnoxious.
DAMIANO: Exactly, obnoxious. When I move here… Little bit more acceptable, you know? You would go around with cyber truck. So I’m not gonna be the biggest dick in the town, you know? (LAUGHS)
JOEL: Exactly. That’s what I say. My kids are like, get a cyber truck. I’m like, Guys, the only reason… [INTERRUPTED]
DAMIANO: It’s a red flag.
JOEL: It’s a red flag. It is a problem. I tell my kids, the only reason I would ever get a cyber truck is it drives itself, but soon enough, every car will drive itself. So I’m waiting for a more normal looking car to drive itself.
DAMIANO: So do we need car that drive theirself?
JOEL: I do.
DAMIANO: Yeah? [INAUDIBLE]
JOEL: I also want to get a robot as soon as they’re available.
DAMIANO: Okay, no, I’m scared. That shit scares me.
JOEL: Oh, I really love the idea of having a robot.
DAMIANO: Okay, let me know.
JOEL: Yeah, I will. Supposedly, they’re going to be available next year.
DAMIANO: (WHISPERS) I’m scared.
JOEL: And I’m definitely going to get one. My wife and me are arguing about it, because I am waiting for the, like, pre orders or whatever, where you can, like, put your hand up and get in line for a robot. She hates it. She’s like, it’s gonna kill us all.
DAMIANO: Yeah, probably. I watched through my shows… [INTERRUPTED]
JOEL: But I like your take. I like your take on the Ferrari. It’s a real, honest, true take, and I agree with it again.
DAMIANO: It’s like, clothes, yeah, you have to read the room, read the room.
JOEL: It’s really smart, but also, like, you don’t want to be that guy.
DAMIANO: I don’t want to be that.
JOEL: Yeah, I agree with that. I don’t have a Ferrari either, but if you saw me in one here, you’d be like: Oh, okay, that makes sense.
DAMIANO: Yeah, yeah, that’s fine.
JOEL: I haven’t been able to bring myself to get one of those kinds of cars because of one where I’m from, I could never drive that one.
DAMIANO: It’s also my background, like my dad, I grew up with a dad that every time he saw this type of cars, like “asshole”. He spends all his money on that. So for I have… [INTERRUPTED]
JOEL: It’s like, deeply ingrained.
DAMIANO: Yeah, it’s cultural. We hate rich people.
JOEL: I’d be embarrassed if I pulled up next to another guy [INTERRUPTED]
DAMIANO: I hang out with the same friends from high school. So I’d be, I literally be like, the moron that comes with the Ferrari and everybody has a regular car, and it’s like, you really want us to know that you’re rich.
JOEL: In a full, like, Gucci jumpsuit.
DAMIANO: (LAUGHS) Tracksuit and loafers. My name is Tony, you know.
JOEL: In a full Gucci tracksuit with your Ferrari. Like, what’s up, guys?
DAMIANO: Like a tool. [BOTH LAUGH]
JOEL: Maybe one day.
DAMIANO: Maybe one day [INAUDIBLE]
JOEL: You know what? Maybe one day, it’s a classic Ferrari.
DAMIANO: No. Okay, be serious. If I get a Ferrari, it’s a vintage one.
JOEL: Vintage of course, because I have a couple vintage cars, I never feel bad about driving in them.
DAMIANO: No, you’re the coolest.
JOEL: And you break down, even in the nice ones, you end up in a parking lot, and you have to fix it or figure it out, get it towed, and it’s like something really, like, there’s something about that that’s reminds me of my childhood, because we always had shitty cars, and they’d break down. And now the only car I have that breaks down is my old cars, which I care about the most. If you drive them, one in five times, they’re going to end up in a parking lot.
DAMIANO: Of course.
JOEL: And that makes me feel like, okay.
DAMIANO: I did shoot with like, a super old alpha male or something. I swear to God, I drove it for 12 seconds and all the smoke was coming from the car. The owner was like, I was like, I didn’t do anything.
JOEL: I just burn the clutch out. Just drove. So thanks for coming.
DAMIANO: Of course.
JOEL: So you’re obviously promoting the music, and you’re going to be doing this for sounds like the next year?
DAMIANO: The next year.
JOEL: it’s exciting.
DAMIANO: It’s nice. It’s a good feeling.
JOEL: I’m happy for you, man.
DAMIANO: Thank you.
JOEL: Thanks for coming.
DAMIANO: of course.
JOEL: Hope I see you down the road somewhere, at a festival, or…
DAMIANO: I’m moving here, so…