Interview with Stiglitz

Chat with Stiglitz, Genoese punk oi! band

On November 14th the Stiglitz released their new album titled “Quando Tutto Tace”, available on LP, CD, and digital. You can listen to it for free on Bandcamp and YouTube. The record was co-produced by us at Radio Punk, Flamingo Records, and Rumagna Sgroza, and features collaborations with Fabrizio Barile and Stefania Carbonara on the visual side, as well as Toni Cocks and Fabrizio Sferrazza on two tracks. Without further delay, let’s get to know the Genoese band better and dive into this new release.

Radio Punk: Hi guys and thanks a lot for being here! We know that before being a band you’re a group of friends, people who’ve shared a lot together beyond music. Tell us how this musical project came about and how it’s evolved over the years.

Stiglitz: Oi Kids! First of all, thanks to you for the space you’re giving us and for the great questions!
So: the Stiglitz were born inside the rehearsal room of the occupied space L.S.O.A. BURIDDA in Genoa, toward the end of 2018 — a place that unfortunately no longer exists physically, but that thankfully still lives on in the everyday lives of all of us who passed through it. Right — the Stiglitz came out of a context that was definitely parallel to (and inside) what was going on in the whole network of squats and occupations in the Ligurian capital. But at some point you still need to find a common point, some kind of glue that holds everyone together. And that, clearly, was our scene: putting on shows, and wanting to put our backs into it, for the scene and within it.
That’s it. That’s the recipe for how the Stiglitz came together: five guys who run into each other at gigs, who already come from that world, and who feel the right spark between them to do something good together — for themselves, but above all for their community, the one that lives in “the city underneath,” far away from all the supposed spotlight glare. Add a whole lot of proletarian anger coming from all our personal stories, the desire to be able to say one day, “fuck it, at least we actually did something instead of just complaining on social media,” and there you have it: literally five Kids playing Oi!

You can listen to the new album below. To order a copy of the vinyl or CD, please email us at info@radiopunk.it

Radio Punk: On November 14th your latest LP “Quando Tutto Tace” came out, presented live with a show at Zapata in Genoa. Tell us some juicy curiosities about this insane record!

Stiglitz: Heheheh, alright, let’s get into the juicy stuff then! First off, this record really marks a turning point for us as a band. It includes songs we’ve been playing in the practice room for at least two years now, so in a way this album feels like a sort of summary of the time that’s passed since our previous release (Deja Vu came out in 2022) up to today.
Looking back, it’s clear we’ve come a long way — from tracks like “Non Affonda” and “Garassino,” all the way to all the people, stories, and places that we’ve passed through, and that have passed through us. What matters most to us, though, is that all these “traces” of our passage are still there, even if with a few bruises and aches along the way (because hardcore punk is also that). You can see them in the way we do things, in the thoughts of the people who shared this path with us, and in the grooves of this latest record. So yeah, this record saw us grow, and it saw grow the people who’ve been listening to us since day one. Our hope is that it leaves something behind even for those who’ve just discovered us. It wasn’t an easy record to make — this time there were a lot of emotions and stories that needed to come out.
Gian (the singer) lived in Bologna for almost the entire writing phase and came down when he could; the rest of us were in Genoa, all with other projects and a thousand hassles (without getting into our personal lives, which like everyone else’s are there and wonderfully complicated). And let’s not forget we’re human beings: we mess up, we lose our house keys, and sometimes we don’t find them again. So yes, making music like this, in this way, isn’t easy — but refusing to compromise definitely helped keep us together.
All our love goes to the people who’ve always been there behind the scenes. From Fabrizio “Fritz” Barile, whose photos managed to shape the imagery we’ve always had in mind when writing our songs (curiosity no. 1: every Stiglitz release has a Fritz photo on the cover!), to the Flaminghi crew — Emi, Albe, and Maso (curiosity no. 2: without them, Genoa, the underground, and more simply our music wouldn’t be what they are). Stefania Carbonara, who is basically the entire scaffolding holding up the layout of this record, and who’s a truly special person to us. And then there’s Sferrazza (curiosity no. 3: Fabri played sax on “SENZA CHIODI”; he was the saxophonist for Meganoidi, and for those of us born in Genoa and raised in certain circles, he’s a solid point of reference). To wrap it up: the Radio Punk crew and Rumagna Sgroza (curiosities no. 4 and 5 — you guys are our heart Ginis, and Rumagna Sgroza are without a doubt a driving force behind self-production and the Romagna underground), the whole turbo Oi! family (curiosity no. 6: the track S.T.O. was written by Lobo of TIGRE, who gets our devoted wishes for a truly respectable turbo Oi!), and Anto from COCKS (curiosity no. 7: he’s the photonic voice you hear in the second verse of “MA SE CI PENSO”), a real piece of our hearts and an irreplaceable “fifth” Stiglitz.

Radio Punk: Genoa is a city with a strong personality, and it’s easy to see why for Genoese people it’s a fundamental part of their identity — almost an obsession, something that comes through strongly on your latest record.

Stiglitz: We’ll answer this one with a piece of advice. Come to Genoa in December. At Caricamento, take the number One bus, around 3:00 pm — that way you can chase the sunset heading west. Sit on the side by the window facing the sea, look straight out toward the horizon over the port, and really take it all in. Get lost between the concrete and the lives painted in people’s eyes in Sampierdarena, and in the reflections off the piers in Prá. Then, once you reach the Voltri terminus around 4:00 pm, walk down to Villa Azzurra beach. When you’re there, watching the sun die behind Savona, tell us if you don’t feel like writing a record about this city.

Radio Punk: Your lyrics are introspective but also very direct — they get inside the listener and hit deep. What or who inspires you? (books, writers, bands, films…) What do you want people to feel when they listen to you?

Stiglitz: Honestly, we’re inspired by the days as they go by. We look for something in the stories of the people around us, in the everyday reality of our lives, that we can use collectively as an antibody against the nothingness that keeps advancing around us. For us, writing songs is a big responsibility. Being able to give space to lived stories, experiences, traumas, joys, and pain is a huge privilege. And probably one of the main gears driving the Stiglitz machine is knowing that what we write, people actually live — they see themselves in it, and they feel it as their own. We believe there’s only one real rule when writing a song: don’t lie to the Kids. A song might come to you while you’re hopping on a scooter, or in twenty minutes on a train ride home after years. That’s the magical part of this world. As long as you respect that rule, everything else works.

PS: and obviously, smiling and having fun — belin — life’s already a mess. If after eight hours of work you still have to get pissed off, it just makes no sense.

Radio Punk: Besides Stiglitz, have you been or are you part of other bands or collectives? In some cities we’ve seen a strong generational shift and a lot of energy from younger people. Is something happening in Genoa? (bands, music collectives, political collectives)

Stiglitz: So, yeah — all of us have passed through pretty much every social center in Genoa, some more deeply than others, sometimes as part of the collective itself. As for other bands, the Stiglitz come from a lot of different experiences. Only Gian is on his first band; technically, though, Stiglitz includes members of COCKS, PIOVONO PIETRE, L.E.I.S.F.A., GOONIES, RISACCA, GAZED, SATANIC YOUTH, MEGADRIVE, and so on. Tying back to earlier questions, the way we write probably comes straight from all those genres we’ve played — and that we still play.

THANK GOD YES, IN GENOA THINGS ARE MOVING — BIG TIME.

The city and the nights are slowly filling back up with Kids, capable people taking their first steps toward DIY and self-management, organizing themselves and self-determining their paths. Even outside the music world, in political activity too, there’s a solid movement growing. We’ve seen it across Italy as well. We hope the long-awaited generational shift is really happening — who knows, maybe we’ll be back to fly-posting with bucket and glue at 11 at night. Better to say it quietly, though, for luck.

Radio Punk: With this record out, do you already have live shows planned or maybe a mini tour abroad? Spam the upcoming dates!

Stiglitz: Alright!! heheheh
Here are the dates confirmed so far — come find us:

24 gennaio – Bertinoro (IT)
21 febbraio – Imperia (IT)
7 marzo – Torino (IT)
13 marzo – Marsiglia (FR)
28 marzo – Treviso (IT)
2 maggio – Locarno (CH)
6 giugno – Modena (IT)

We’re also working on a bunch of shows outside Italy. One step at a time — posters in hand, we’ll keep you posted, definitely also through the Radio Punk website (curiosity no. who knows: GO CHECK THEIR SITE, THEY’RE INCREDIBLE, TALENTED, AND BEAUTIFUL).

Radio Punk: Alright, we’ve known each other for a while now — tell the readers who the Stiglitz are in everyday life.

Stiglitz: Honestly, we’re really simple people. We like dark beer and doing Turbo Oi!