The king of nightlife on Fanpage.it looks forward to an August full of dates and live music and remembers the show that made him immortal: “Colpo Grosso was a punch in the stomach of television”. Then he jokes: “The girls today? Probably in a nursing home. Time flies for everyone”.
“Are you from Naples? Naples is one of the best places to play”. word of Umberto Smaila ready for a new summer of live music, the first with any real semblance of normalcy following the Covid emergency. On Fanpage.it, the king of nightlife talks about his achievements, memories and the inevitable transition to the program that gave him television immortality, Colpo Grosso: “It was a punch in the stomach of television. We can talk about TV before Colpo Grosso and after Colpo Grosso. the girls? In a nursing home in Northern Europe (laughs). Well, some of them will be well into their 60s by now. Time flies for everyone”.
On the passage of time and the difficulty of updating the repertoire: “It’s very difficult to include today’s catchphrases in the line-up, between rappers and trappers, but nightlife doesn’t change. Everyone has as much fun as they did forty years ago. ” Then a passage on current events, Smaila concerned about what is happening in the United States: “A country that travels at two speeds. It is absurd to deny abortion. Then how do you sell that guy from Chicago a sniper rifle?”.
Umberto, how are you?
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In trust. We got back to work pretty well after all that, after that hallucinatory period. I started walking around again and that gave me confidence. I can’t wait to see the audience, play and do my job.
Is it a full billboard?
Full full, really not. But let’s say it’s tight, we usually do a lot in August. The main stages of summer: every Thursday in August in Twiga in Forte dei Marmi, then there is a Smaila’s in Porto Rotondo, the Magic, a dinner club by the sea, then we are in Monopoli, we will be in Calabria. It’s going to be a nice summer.
Do people always have the same fun or has something changed in nightlife?
For what my goal is, nothing has changed. Because that is the soul of the Italians. They are a fiery people who want to have fun, want to dance and can’t sit still. Then, of course, there are some distinctions to be made.
Means what?
And that is to say, the public of Naples, for example, is not the public of Gallarate, to say the least. Naples is my ideal stopover because we dance all the time. However, it is very difficult to move people from certain provinces, even if they are close to Milan. In general though, I haven’t noticed much of a difference compared to thirty or forty years ago. In fact, generational diversity has improved, with not only those in their 50s and 60s, but also those in their 30s and 40s. The great classics continue to be sung, even as the gap with new listeners widens.
Is it difficult to include a song like Shakerando in the repertoire?
Rappers and trappers do things that I find impossible to fit into a lineup. My son Rudi Smaila, who is now working with me, also has a younger repertoire than me, but some of today’s buzzwords are difficult to fit.
Even a program like Colpo Grosso might be difficult to schedule today. Do not you think?
Not only would it be difficult, but it would have no reason to exist at all. It would no longer have that effect. It was a punch in the gut of television. We can talk about TV before Colpo Grosso and after Colpo Grosso. The cards on the table changed, the idea of seeing the small screen changed. Many are nostalgic for this time, I’m happy because the show has dedicated me to television immortality.
Umberto Smaila and the Cin Cin girls
Colpo Grosso gave you some costume troubles though, didn’t it?
At that time there were sensible people who put us on the Index, there were those who secretly looked at him and then criticized him. There was a whole category of people with ideas that were always unclear, we were also exposed to political attacks. It was a confusing time, even a film like “Last Tango in Paris”, with all due respect to the comparison, was fought and even burned. It was a real inquisition, now it seems to be returning.
Also the Inquisition?
There’s a strange atmosphere, I think the problem is a political one and I don’t want to get into that too much. However, there are those who begin to penalize certain customs too much, there are those who are immediately ready to denounce putting on the shoes of moralists. For me this is not the time to waste time on frivolous things, I think there are more important things. There are also those who are worse off. I think, for example, of how badly Americans are doing.
Are you talking about abortion abortion?
The abortion of abortion was something unimaginable, but not only. I love the United States, the point is, it’s a two-speed nation. There’s the east coast, which is highly developed, but the central states still stayed in the Ku Klux Klan stuff. Let’s think about what happened in Chicago. How do you sell a high-precision rifle to a guy with a face like that? With that attitude, did he? How can anyone think of selling a gun to a guy like that?
Coming back to Colpo Grosso, have you kept in touch with any of these girls?
Of course! I’m in contact with all the nursing homes in Northern Europe, they’re all there with the blanket and look at life in the park (we both laugh, editor’s note). Well, some will be well into their 60s by now. Time flies for everyone. And anyway no, I’ve never had any great news except from a certain Monique who was the protagonist, I know she’s still working as a presenter in Holland.
How’s it going with Jerry Cala? Weird rumors about breakups and bad relationships pop up from time to time…
No, but there have never been bad relationships. Maybe you’ve read the newspaper headlines, there’s one that says “He Struck Me…”. All fake. Jerry and I get along great, we see each other often, we go out to dinner together. For example, a few days ago we had dinner with Nini Salerno. Recently we were invited to Ale and Franz’s program dedicated to the history of Milanese cabaret. Before that we had a great show at the Arena in Verona.
However, there was a moment of crisis.
Yes, but it’s been a long time. There were moments of crisis because he left the group and left us on the floor. But these are wounds that time has healed.
What do you think of today’s comedians taking to social media?
I don’t follow them, they bore me a bit.
What about today’s comedy TV shows?
Likewise. There’s no comedy show I like. Better the TV series.
What are you watching now?
I’m watching Bosch on Prime Video. I like series with 100-200 episodes, otherwise I don’t watch them. I would like to see more films about the great composers, the life of Beethoven, Bach that is missing and it would be interesting.
Now in the cinema there is Elvis by Baz Luhrmann. I understand it’s not Beethoven, but…
No, but I like my contemporaries less. I saw the Freddie Mercury movie and I didn’t like it. I really liked Elton John’s, it was really well done. But in general I’m someone who prefers listening to music rather than watching it. I think so, but I’m an old trombonist so you have to understand my words in the light of my age.
So maybe it’s time for a movie about your life?
Definitely in installments, because there is so much to tell. I would like to do a book because I’ve had a busy life, so many loved ones, so many children. It’s important that people get to know part of my story. But right now I’m thinking about working all summer.