The Power of Words
Words are important. This is according to Nanni Moretti, who in a cult scene scolded a “rookie” journalist. And even more so for those who work in radio, for those – more generally – who have chosen to speak with the microphone on. Like Linus, 65 years old, 39 of which spent in Radio Deejay. “At this point, I realized that I will not escape from here anymore,” smiles the host and artistic director on the eve of the mega party organized by the Milanese broadcaster over the weekend of June 10/11 between Parco Sempione and Arco della Pace. “I always cultivated the illusion of being a bit transitory. Not because I didn’t like what I was doing, but in this job you always have to have the idea that you will do something else. And yet you will have to put up with me”.
The Changing Nature of Radio
Perhaps because it is the radio that changes: his is a profession in continuous transformation, isn’t it? “That’s right, it’s like I’ve lived different geological eras. Radio has a greater immersion in everyday life, in real life, than all other media: it takes the form of the world around it, which is constantly changing. Music changes, current topics change, attitudes change. If I think of the new generations, for example, they have a different sensitivity”. So the way of saying things also changes. “Language is a living matter: of course, the Italian of the 1980s, when I started, was not Manzoni’s, but it had a whole series of expressions, interjections, references that have been lost. And others have arrived: it is part of the vitality that makes this profession always fun”.
The Radio Deejay Anniversary
Changes that he has experienced with Radio Deejay, which this year turns 41 candles. Everything ready for the birthday party? “That has also changed a lot. For about thirty years it was something like a disco. Then in 2012 we made the leap in quality and moved to the arenas: at the Forum di Assago and in all the largest arenas in Italy. Then in 2019 we had the feeling that the arenas were no longer enough and above all that one night was not enough: we realized that people wanted to spend a day with us, so we moved to Expo, outdoors, postponing the date from February to June. 35,000 people came, there was the switch”. Linus at Parco Sempione Then came the pandemic, two years stopped. In 2022 you started again with the event for the fortieth anniversary. “Exactly, we asked ourselves what we could do to improve ourselves. So we opted for a weekend of celebration, between Parco Sempione and adjoining locations. This year we are roughly replicating the format of last year, we have moved the musical part in front of the Arco della Pace, which becomes a kind of natural backdrop. So the show will be free, this is the great news”.
