Interviewed by Brian Rademacher
Date: October 2008

Brian Rademacher: Hey Manuel and welcome to RockEyez.com. First off congratulations on the new CD “Get Up, Get Loose, Get Off” that got 5 stars on our site how’s that make you feel?

Manuel: I feel happy. Having good reviews is always a pleasure but I haven’t ever thought that it could be so good abroad.

Brian Rademacher: Your vocals are some of the best vocals I heard from a new band in some time, for you to reach those high notes does some chick squeeze your nuts or did you have training?

Manuel: I have an exceptional machine applied on my nuts, it squeezes when I need particular high notes.

Brian Rademacher: Tell me a little about the background of the band?

Manuel: Opening on stage and playing covers of famous band and arranging blues songs we built up our own album, made of unedited sounds, composed and arranged by us.

Brian Rademacher: Were you in any other bands that recorded music, so fans can track them down?

Manuel: I played with another band from IMOLA, a funky and fusion mix, Whishin' Cap. You can find us on the web using MySpace.

Brian Rademacher: Tell me a little about the childhood of Manuel?

Manuel: My childhood was the same as other millions of other guys. I lived in a small town characterized for their political battles, living with usual people that criticized without knowing. I started listening to old daddy’s tapes and my sister’ CDs, from Elvis to the HELLOWEEN, beginning as a singer, like it was a friends joke.

Brian Rademacher: I really love this band. There sure is a lot of great music coming out of Europe. Do you feel there is a resurgence in Sleaze, glam coming again?

Manuel: I feel that a return to this kind of music in it’s past is improbable however I have no doubts about the growing popularity of rock that is really followed nowadays in Italy; but I believe also in artist’ creative ability, out of that kind of music. In a not so individualistic society a valid and significant idea can have its own space.

Brian Rademacher: How did you come up with the name JOHNNY BURNING ?

Manuel: There’re lots of story about our name. The perfect sum is the story of a guy who ended to have a kicked ass, swelled by insolent whore son careful to reach the fashion canon and got up splitting of and trying to break their tanning and smiling snouts, perfect in their masquerade. JOHNNY BURNING is the punch in the face to hypocrite rules.

Brian Rademacher: Is “Get Up, Get Loose, Get Off” your debut release?

Manuel: Yes, it is.

Brian Rademacher: Did you put out anything before this in demo form?

Manuel: Yes, we had a demo composed of 4 covers that we used to promote the band with.

Brian Rademacher: How did you get signed to Street Symphonies Records http://www.streetsymphoniesrecords.com/?

Manuel: They heard some talking about us and decided to sign the project after listening to the first master.

Brian Rademacher: JOHNNY BURNING has the style of AEROSMITH; with hints of MOTLEY CRUE and the power of early SKID ROW are you happy with that comparison?

Manuel: Yes, I am, surely! You named bands I have always listened to.

Brian Rademacher: I really can’t pick a bad song out of the complete release, but I sure can pick a lot of favorites. Let’s get to some of the tracks and tell me a little about them. “Wrong Shape” has the speed and elements of ripping CRUE style. Was that your intentions?

Manuel: It wasn’t my precise intention. I didn’t think about it at all. You know, I had this idea, chords and lyrics, and I would express a sort of frenzy and agitation. In studio the arrangement came up mixing everyone’ ideas.

Brian Rademacher: “Sassy Lassie Goose” starts off with some harmonies that swing into a bluesy song. It has a taste of AEROSMITH with some heavy bass lines. Tell us a little about this song?

Manuel: In Italy there’re some TV programmes about magic and zodiac where old ladies foretell audience’ future. This kind of ladies hides his fifties years old under damned tinted hair, lips and cheeks like a boat, swelled pears and a ceiling-hanged skin to avoid his fall, and they’re dressed in a way that is able to embarrass Paris Hilton. The song is inspired by this and goes on making of her as an easy lass.

Brian Rademacher: “Idiota” is another AEROSMITH style song with some southern style guitar and harmonica? You guys rock. Tell me about this song?

Manuel: “Idiota” is simply the story of my first meeting with my girlfriend, described step by step since the end of a concert until now. At first I had the blues idea and than we had the song working together. DB and Niko worked on my first idea of the guitars’ line and in a second session I add the harmonica. The fucking harmonica broke during a show: I have to find some extra money to buy a new one!!

Brian Rademacher: “Burning Miracle” has the musical style of AC/DC or ACCEPT until your vocals coming in. Tell us a little about this track?

Manuel: “Burning Miracle” was written by Rob, the robber…ops! The drummer, and I like it more day by day. It’s an accuse song to the clamorous hypocrisies of living well, in a spirituality that speaks about love and brotherhood, built in million persons’ blood. Then it’s the different that must change, adjusting his-self aware or not… and freedom goes quietly to fuck off!

Brian Rademacher: My favorite track, or one of my favorites is “Shine”; I must have listened to this ballad 100 times, totally killer? Would you guys ever think about doing an acoustic release?

Manuel: We did it! We took off the sprained guitars and the drum lines from the master, but it would be arranged and recorded again to have a good product, in particular the voice had to be changed.

Brian Rademacher: For such a young band you got it all down, musically, vocally, lyrics, hooks everything. Does everyone in the band contribute?

Manuel: Of course, everyone on his own is indispensable. Every guy in the band has different capacities and intuitions that give strong ness to the project. Without a good collaboration we wouldn’t be like this.

Brian Rademacher: Even the last track “Turn Down Just To Leave It”, has some essences of LYNYRD SKYNYRD. Let us know a little about this track?

Manuel: Knowing your capacity makes you able to reach your aim. Too often I let myself being influenced by advice from people who can’t give them: from the boss that teaches you the good way of life but has an inherited luck, to the person who claims important friendship but has to sell his-self to keep it, from the musicians that knows the composition secret and rots between melody and fashion hook, to the girl that speaks about love but has already lost half of her life with half of the country. Shit! I know what I can do and I want to fight my battle all by myself.

Brian Rademacher: Were there any funny stories in the studio recording the CD?

Manuel: It was just a small studio and in that period we practical lived there. Niko went numb everywhere, under hellish job turn, Rob says to the technician “you have smoke nuts, guy!” wherever he had a good take; and drinking wine Elvis, the bass man, in a couple of hours had done his job and Dani got off a new solo.

Brian Rademacher: If you could tour in the US, whom would you like to support?

Manuel: I really can’t give you a name. Someone who can give us the opportunity to grow and become popular.

Brian Rademacher: Being from Italy and I know food is big there; tell me what is your favorite food to cook?

Manuel: Eh!Eh! Italian food is really great!! I can cook quite well, especially on embers. If you come to Italy you’ll taste Tuscany cooking.

Brian Rademacher: The girl on the cover of the CD, was she completely naked?

Manuel: I have no idea!! I think it could be possible…it’s an old and tested way of being famous for some girls.

Brian Rademacher: do you have songs really for the next CD yet?

Manuel: Yes… and we’re working to have more and more…

Brian Rademacher: Who are your favorite vocalists?

Manuel: Great soul and Blues interpreters like Ray Charles or Aretha Franklin… generally I love artists who can really express his/her-self using their voice.

Brian Rademacher: Who is another band we should check out from Italy that you would recommend?

Manuel: The musical background and his system in Italy seems like a big pork with a broken ass: It’s stinky, eats everything and it doesn’t want to get up from the dick that it has in his ass, just trying to avoid a huger one.

Brian Rademacher: Tell me what a normal day for you is like, from waking up until bedtime?

Manuel: I usually get up at 4.35 a.m. than I go to work, where I’m doing a fucking robot job than I come home and I must work again ‘cos the cat gifted us has pissed everywhere. I’ll think about a new track, maybe I rest and surely I run in studio, than home bed and the day is over.

Brian Rademacher: Tell us the wildest story you know of at a JOHNNY BURNING show?

Manuel: We had played at a party and I had to come down from a tree, trying not to be arrested… In the end we were playing basket near the stage with a local rap band!

Brian Rademacher: What would you say your parents are most proud of you for?

Manuel: Determination.

Brian Rademacher: What is the worst thing your parents punished you for?

Manuel: I don’t know… I had enough freedom, but I tried to flee two or three times!

Brian Rademacher: With the world economy so screwed up, with a new band how hard is it to make an impact in music?

Manuel: It’s really hard but the world situation can be useful for a band that draws the line giving a new message.

Brian Rademacher: Tell us what’s your feelings are about the world we live in at this time?

Manuel: It’s nasty to say but…the world we live in is really shitty. We got used to live in a rich way and now we don’t change in the name of nothing. The lessons we learn are given by businesses that have an only aim: sell their product manipulating us at their own will.

Brian Rademacher: What is the biggest crowd JOHNNY BURNING ever played for?

Manuel: I think the biggest crowd J.B. had ever played for was 1000-2000 persons, two years ago during the F1 weekend.

Brian Rademacher: What are you plans for the future?

Manuel: Working hard to have new songs as soon as possible. This is my personal way to say all things I have in my mind.

Brian Rademacher: Hey Manuel, it’s been great. Once again thanks for the great CD and the interview. I wish you guys’ success and one day the people of American can see you live. Would you like to say anything in ending?

Manuel: Good night! It’s 1.36 a.m. and I’m quite tired, in the end of my normal day.