Writers and Artists.

                                          Very welcome to this space in which I can introduce to all of you a group of selected spirits, who lived in a continual and permanent search of values… an array of people ready to flow, to fuse with that invisible world that caresses and embraces us in order to encourage and cheer to arrive at lands of complete self-realisation.

     I feel proud to be able, to write about them, with both humility and passion, because they in conjunction with others from different artistic disciplines are consistent and disinterested in the transcendental mission of showing us the path through which we’ll walk with the satisfaction of cultivating our soul and growing up as spirits.

                                              JACK KEROUAC.

       I’ve just finished reading “On the road”, for many critics the best book by this author. Beyond data, numbers, concrete details, I’d like to focus not only on this singular person, his life, his way of thinking, his style in the course of this journey called existence, but also in his generation mates.

Jack Kerouac is the main individual who represents the essence of “The beat generation”, a group of intellectuals, artists, writers, in the middle of the 50’s in The States, who were loyal to themselves in that way in which one can only be loyal: by being honest to their doctrines, ideas, philosophies, dreams, utopias, chimeras… and by putting them in practice.

Oscar Wilde said once: “Progress is the realisation of Utopias”. For the members of this group, there was not other responsibility except trying to get the highest summits in relation to that other world, so clear, essential… a world unknown by the most, a world to which they dedicated their lives according to a very simple postulation: “The road is life”. The world of principles. And one very important to them was “Freedom”. Freedom, they thought, had nothing to do with the way of majority of people lived their experiences.

For this reason, Jack related “road” to “Freedom”, and by being consistent to himself started a standard of living accurate to his inner ideas.

And the writer decided that the best way to get his objectives was by carrying out them. Jack Kerouac was travelling along the States for seven years, leading a life as a vagabond, wanderer, vagrant…where spontaneity was a nuclear element. Nouns all of them considered by himself as compliments because he believed in a world without material things. On the contrary he observed other existences where most people lived chained by responsibilities like condemnations, liabilities in order not to be free and happy: useless items to decorate empty souls.

Three basic elements jut out in his philosophy of life: the road, a travelling existence; the music, fundamentally jazz and the oriental culture.

But as I said before, it’s compulsory to talk not only about this main character but also about his partners who made of them an entire generation: “The beat generation”. These others were: Neal Cassady, William Burroughs and Ginsberg. Around this principal core, there where other writers like Ken Kesey author of his master piece “Someone flew over the cuckoo’s nest” or Norman Mailer.

It exists an anecdote very exemplary about how these people tried to put in practice their ideals: some years after “On the road”, Kesey and the rest, bought a bus and made the journey from cost to cost, from the East to the West, in homage to this way of behaving. The bus driver was precisely Ken Kesey.

They wanted once more to feel themselves free, flowing… looking for the horizon, the Rainbow, getting committed with their principles.

They were people who tried simply to pursue their dreams, because they noticed that the only thing they belonged to was the whole wide World. The latter made them, and they understood this. They had not time to be lost, they lived a pure life, chasing endless projects in order to be deserving spirits. They comprehended that this great opportunity of being on earth was a gift and the thing that mattered the most was to render thanks by trying to do something big, something unforgettable, something that would be remembered by the next generations.

The main thing was that: they wanted to create something special, something to improve the whole humanity, something to feel proud of, just for the mankind sake.

And by travelling they felt free, in tight contact to those people who possessed almost nothing, not even a simple roof where to get a shelter from the weather conditions. Most of them forgotten, humiliated. Those who were not famous, rich, popular, but quite the reverse: inhabitants of the world, who were living, breathing, and leading another sort of living. They were put in a corner, as useless objects from one society that didn’t want to have anything in relation to them.

This was their baggage, their legacy: their fight against a majority blind by rotten things that will never give happiness. A struggle in favour of the poor people, of the weakest side of a system full of unfairness.

To sum up they were able to understand that there was a tyranny: the tyranny of the masses. They just wanted to discover the world as a way of being able to know what was going on every single day around among people, the consequences because of a lack of bravery and boldness. Masses just existed, not lived. One of their purposes was to lead a life according to which they were able to live, not just to exist.

For that, they wanted to experience everything, in order to get knowledge, to develop themselves as spirits. To them life meant action, search, not conformism, not routine, not a bored life identical to the most of people. Life became a frantic race where they had to a aspire to everything: “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are the mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say commonplace things, but burn, burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue-centre light pop and everything goes Awwwww!”.

Being loyal to it, most of them dead quite young. Alcoholism and drugs were habitual aspects of their lives, in a perpetual will of getting the maximum on an experience than could finish out of the blue.

A generation of intellectuals who felt committed to the real life, for tried to make a better world by denouncing unfairness, ignorance, egotism, and trying to discover themselves through action and all kind of experiences.

I’d like to state my gratitude to them, and to all those like them who thought how decipher so many unknown matters of our existences to have the inner sensation of the work well done.

Apropos, don’t lose the chance of reading any of the books by this Beat Generation. A genuine, unique and wonderful paradise is awaiting to be discovered.

As Jack Kerouac left said: “It’s an anywhere road for anybody anyhow”.

                                                      Gabriel Puyo. Osca 10-12-2005.

         RUFO´S INTERVIEW.

”Live is a free gift. Everything is important. Time and space are relative”. 

                                                             Dublín,  30-10-05.

 It’s a great honour to be able to present to everybody this unique document where we introduce the great bohemian Matteo Ruffato, “Rufo” to the whole wide world. The scenery of it was in one of the most important streets in Dublin, emblematic city where the singer, artist, and musician lived in the past. The name of the place, Mayes, a historic pub in town very close to his residence, the mythical “Blessington House”, witness of many extraordinary events of this artist.

  This interview took place due to a Matteo´s visit to the capital of Ireland.

GABRIEL PUYO.

Please, tell us something in relation to your lifestyle. How is an average day in your life?

RUFO.

I live in a very small village called San Martino di Lupari, not so fare from Venice. At the present time I’m still living with my family, one of the most important things I have.

I’m working as a physiotherapist in an elderly house.

G.P. I’m interested in your job. Say something about it.

R. I like being among people and staying with them because they keep safe the culture. It’s like a bridge to our past. There is also a lot of suffering. But I try with my personality to make them laugh in order to let them live their days in harmony.

G.P. Its sounds great. We’d like to know if your job inspires you at the time to create your music.

R. At the moment, no songs of mine talk about my current job. Life is my Muse. By my experiences I’m able to collect emotions, feelings that still in my inner until through the songs, come out. 

I’m working with some patients to right down new lines.

G.P. That concerned to your relation job and music. What about you?

How often are you involved in your artistic creativity?

How much time do you spend in order to express your self through the music?

R. All my melodies and lyrics come to me naturally, out of the blue. It can be anywhere, anytime. I don’t make any effort. Everything is already done. Just, I have to recognize the right moment and take a piece of paper, guitar, and the recording equipment. Otherwise I can lose these gifts coming from the absoluteness.

In the past, I did not catch some good melodies.

G.P. Tell us, please, all of your influences with which you make music.

R. It could seem ludicrous. But I’m influenced by anybody and anything.

G.P. Give us some names, some explicit data.

R. I like reading, and watching movies. But I’m not trying to imitate anyone.

At the moment, I’m listening to Bunbury, Frusciante, Eduardo Palacio, Tonino Carotone.

I like a lot Roberto Benigni. One of my dreams is to act with him.

G.P. Introduce to everybody your last work, your brand new cd, and what song is going to be the first single?

R. I’m making music since 2003. My last album is a live performance which collects the most representative hits of mine. It’s titled “Trentennio” because I recorded it on my 30^th birthday.

The first single is “La vita e un abitudine” and talks about life style from my region, north east of Italy, a very rich area plenty of factories and shopping centres. There, people are crazy making money, living in a hurry. Appearances are very important and the real God is materialism. Going to mass is just a normal activity on an ordinary day. Nothing mystical. What really matters is to be in church and how to show that you are physically present. These people believe in another life but at the same time they don’t want to lose this earthly paradise.

G.P. What’s your main purpose when you make music?

R. For me my songs are an union between notes and words. My target is to leave a musical message. In other words, a melody that can stay easily on your head and lyrics that make you think.

G.P. What are your expectations for the future in relation to your music?

R. Now, I enjoy a lot playing and singing even when I’m alone in my room.

I started making music in order to know myself much better.

I’m not looking for fame or success. I will keep making music all my existence, because music is a very important part in my life.

If something has to happen, it will come to me.

G.P. Special series of short questions.

G.P. One musician. R. The river.

G.P. One writer. .R The host user of public toilets.

G.P. One colour. R. Blue.

G.P. One dream. R. Keep going with my bohemian life.

G.P. One place. R. One ambulant house.

G.P. One defect. R. Sleeping too much.

G.P. One virtue. R. Not being able to wear masks.

G.P. Something that you can not bear. R. A lack of personality.

G.P. One wish. R. Finding my one.

G.P. How would you like to be remembered? R. Like a flag whitted.

 G.P. Please one message to your fans.

R. Life is a free gift. Everything is important. Time and space are relative.

G.P. Would you like to say something else? This is the moment.

R. Thanks to the Magazine for these pages. I leave my email address especially for girls with femininity and for those who want to arrange gigs: ruffatomatteo@yahoo.it.

Don’t hesitate to contact me. You can be the protagonist of my coming soon hit.

I’m here at Blessington, at the moment of writing this interview down. Many memories come to me, memories that never vanish because one lived, make part of us and help us to continue this beautiful trip called Life.

 I’d just like to thank once more Matteo for the great time he gave to me and thank as well all those people who were a very important part of my life in this genuine town.

To conclude, don’t forget check this site. You’ll be able to download Rufo´s songs from his last album in MP3 format. Just, be attentive. Pretty soon.

                                                        Gabriel Puyó. 

Krishnamurti.

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