giardini di miroI talked to Giardini Di Mirò and I have some news. Ok girls. Go check out Giardini Di Mirò's shoes. They're a good size shoe and the giardino would love to be the monster in your garden. Shoegaze got its name from the style of staring at your shoes when playing music. Now some people are talking about nugaze. (We reached a point where nobody ever comes up with nu names, they just add nu, post, meta, etc). Well what nugaze really means is that the musicians don't stare at their own shoes. Girls stare at musicians' shoes in this post meta glaze gaze.
Gardens: places where time is unpredictable, the boundaries between natural and artificial are confused - and everyone gets laid. That's my take on gardens, and I thought, maybe it's a little like Giardini Di Mirò's music, and there's a reason they named themselves after gardens. Layers of distortion and throbbing noises underly sweet song structures tinkered and torn apart. Yeah. They're playing with time and boundaries. But more than that they're all about love.
Where are your favorite gardens?
The park of monsters of Bomarzo. Have you ever seen it? It's full of incredible creatures.
No. I wish. It's my favorite. I'm coming to Italy just for your monsters….
Can you imagine an ideal listener to your music, what are they doing?
Yes. Our ideal listener is Winona Ryder. She listens music touching herself.
You have a song called "A New Start For Shoegazing Kids." I'm curious...
It's a remix done by a guy who had a fanzine focused on shoegaze music. Slowdive, Ride, My Bloody Valentine. The original song is "a new start for swinging shoes" So the mind step is easy to understand now. Shoegaze ended cause every musical wave must finish. And after the end there is always a "revival." I dunno exactly if this is time for a new shoegaze wave. Giardini Di Mirò are a big fan of music. So we follow the step of everything. Sonic Youth, Blonde Redhead, My Bloody Valentine have recorded important records for our music attitude. Thanks guys!
Do you look at your shoes when performing?
Usually I look if there is any nice girl on the audience. Do you usually pay attention to musician shoes?
If they are big. Or awful. Or have stilettos…. yeah. Shoegaze was sometimes derided as middle class and indulgent, not "political working class music." Do you think blending avantgarde ---in song structure/form, distortion, texture, mood, & dreamy bubble pop rock-- also has a political side?
We are not a shoegaze band. We play love songs. We don't play for working class. We are working class. Cause we go to work everyday. And we play just during the weekend or holiday. So this background is easy to transform into music. Political side is not into melodies. Music is not political. The act of playing music is political. So I think it's not a question of music style of influences. It's attitude.
gdmI am curious about what it was like to grow up in Italy
We love football, women, and demagogues.
Do you have Italian musical inspirations?
I love Italian songwriters (de andrè, gino paoli, luigi tenco). But I think that in the "myspace" age makes no sense speaking about an Italian or international scene. There is music. Only music.
How do you feel about writing your lyrics in English?
It's hard. But it's the only way to speak to a large audience.
You've collaborated with a lot of international bands, independent labels and producers. Were any of these especially important?
Sure. Glen Johnson from Piano Magic. He is my hero. So I'm so proud to have him on a gdm record.
Do you have theories about gardens? Do they have anything to do with your music?
A garden is a perfect place to make love. This is the only thing I can relate to Giardini Di Mirò music.
What's the most important plant to have in a garden? The most important instrument, or effect, in your music?
Heart.
Giardini Di Mirò - Dividing Opinions (homesleep/cargo)
