The second episode of has been released on YouTube SPOT – THE PODCASTthe format hosted by Michele Monina And Massimiliano Longodirector and founder of All Music Italy. Guests of the episode Georgie And Paola Iezzicurrently engaged in X Factor as presenter and judge respectively, who tell their stories without filters about their thirty-year career, the profession seen by women and the relationship between talent and apprenticeship.
The podcast was born within the Spot Music Festthe Bareggio festival of which All Music Italy is media partner. A dialogue recorded in front of the audience of young artists of the festival, with the auditions of X Factor just concluded to serve as the backdrop to many of the reflections of the two guests.
Giorgia Paola Iezzi SPOT podcast
Georgie And Paola Iezziwhat is not forgiven a woman in music
The most direct passage of the episode concerns the gaze that the public and the industry still reserve for female artists. A clear reflection on what, according to the two, is not tolerated.
“A woman is not forgiven for three things: youth, beauty and self-confidence. That is, if you still like yourself even if you are a few extra pounds, if you are not ashamed. No, you must die badly.”
From here the discussion broadens to the criticisms that affect female artists on social media, from wrinkles to extra pounds, and to the idea that the real terrain on which to work is cultural: “It's a matter of mentality, it's the cultural sublayer that unconsciously suggests what to think. And that's where we have to work with boys and girls, give other examples.”
X Factor and the “programmed” kids: “The apprenticeship no longer exists”
With the auditions just concluded, the discussion shifts to the young people who are now approaching music through talent. Georgie he notices a change in the attitude of those who come to the auditions.
“They arrive perhaps more prepared than themselves, they have clearer ideas. We were more searching, very open to what was happening in music.”
Paola Iezzi adds his concern: “Sometimes they arrive not so much unductile as a little programmed, as if someone had put a script in their head.” Hence the reflection on the value of a path that today seems to have been lost: “The apprenticeship no longer exists. But where do you do it? You shouldn't reach the age of 17 without having ideas.”
Being women in the studio thirty years ago: “We had to earn credibility”
The story goes back to the 90s and what it was like to enter a recording studio when the environment was almost entirely male.
“Thirty years ago you arrived in a studio where almost all of them were men. If you said 'I don't like this snare drum' they looked at you as if to say 'what do you want'. And instead it was my record, my name, my face. We had to earn credibility.”
A theme that the two link to the present and to the new generations, seen as the key to change: “It's in their hands to stop saying certain phrases. But it's also up to us.”
Giorgia Paola Iezzi A SPOT podcast: The talent that burns, from George Best to Kurt Cobain
Part of the conversation revolves around the idea of raw talent and self-destruction, with a parallel between music and sport running through George Best, Kurt Cobain And Maradona.
“There are those who succumb to themselves by nature, by inclination. Probably that life path is part of that genius, and none of us can know what they went through.”
Central, in this, is the role of those around the artist: “The people you have close to you are fundamental, because all of us could have lost ourselves without a little help from outside. I had Paola, she had me.”
The anecdote Kamasutra: the CD withdrawn and sent to waste
Among the most vivid moments of the episode, the memory of Paola Iezzi linked to one of the most discussed episodes of the career of Paola and Chiarawhen a collection that contained the video of Kamasutra was withdrawn from the market.
“The CD containing A modo mio, where there was the Kama Sutra video inside, was withdrawn and like a hundred thousand copies were sent to the pulp mill. Greatness is staying that way even after they kick you out of Sanremo.”
The discussion widens to the double standard which, according to the two, still affects female artists, from Elodie to Annalisa to Emmaand to a comparison that makes us reflect on the different weight given to men and women: “Laura Pausini has achieved exceptional results outside Italy. If she had been a man, in my opinion she would have had much more resonance.”
Criticism, freedom and the journalist's profession
In the finale the discussion shifts to the role of criticism and the freedom of those who write about music, in an era in which distinguishing judgment from offense is increasingly difficult.
“A journalist today has the duty to recover some healthy objectivity, because otherwise it seems that they are all geniuses. Criticism, especially of young people, must be constructive, but delicately.”
There is also space for jokes and self-irony, with a final tribute to Eros Ramazzotti affectionately defined as a “diva” for her humanity, and the ritual greetings that close the second episode.
You can catch up on the first episode of SPOT THE PODCAST with Michael Well done here.
