There are different types of comedy. There is the more vulgar and physical one (slapstick), made up of exaggeration and pure visual comedy. There is the immediate, heartfelt laugh through caricature, or the humor of the absurd, capable of making us laugh at non-sense. And then there is a more cerebral comedy, a territory dominated by the word and by a sort of impassivity. It’s the British witwhere the joke is dry, sharp, but above all intelligent. The Woody Allen one, so to speak. And without fear of being contradicted in the “Allenian affinity”, it has also been moving in this perimeter for many years Federico Bassothanks to its brilliant, minimalist and elegant comedy.
Interviewing Federico Basso is already like taking part in one of his shows. It has that natural subtle and sophisticated comedy that can make you smile for hours!
Federico, has this ironic streak of yours always accompanied you?
“An ironic streak which, however, has never put me at the center of attention. One of the stories I miss is having imitated teachers, janitors or classmates at school. I never wanted to do any of this, but I enjoy writing, it satisfies me to make people smile and have fun. I started almost twenty years ago as a comedian Zelig Off and as an author a Beautiful insidea television sitcom from the early 2000s that was very successful, so much so that it was often rerun. It still makes me happy when someone notices my name among the four authors.”
Many years ago, in a comedians’ festival – precisely in Sesto Sangiovanni, you came first, narrowly beating a comedian with whom you would later create a perfect working relationship: Teresa Mannino
“Yes, it always makes us laugh to think about it. With Teresa I wrote her first show and with her we spent five fantastic years hosting Zelig Off, when the second evening still existed. We had the opportunity to grow together, even as hosts, a profession that unfortunately is a little undervalued today. Once upon a time on television there was the real institutional figure of the host. In my ideal Pantheon there is undoubtedly Raimondo Vianello, who in my opinion, is always the unsurpassable.”
Come to think of it, you and Raimondo Vianello would have been a formidable couple
“I have always loved his British approach, and above all his versatility. Vianello had multiple facets. He was a television and radio host, actor (I think of the success of Casa Vianello), comedian and screenwriter. I have infinite admiration for him.”
You remember him in many aspects, especially in this British style of yoursin this simple but witty, never vulgar comedy. On your social profiles, with a black t-shirt you play the cat that reigns supreme in the homes of millions of people, with a white t-shirt you transform into the wisdom tooth depressed because it is undervalued, with a blue t-shirt you become a soap bubble that bursts before finishing the sentence.
You manage to grasp aspects and subtleties of everyday life transforming them into pure genius
“I always enjoy having different types of humor. I alternate very cerebral, heady, very subtle jokes that I like to play with – such as the one about the time it takes to read a book in a lighthouse. I like those that spread slowly, the slow grip they have on the public; but I also like to joke with word games, I consider them a form of elementary humor but which brings me closer to puzzles, one of my great passions. I don’t exclude anything, I like to put different types of tastes and flavors for everyone.
I think I’ve always had humor more from my head than from my gut: as a good electronics expert, I like to sit there, look for and apply formulas in a very rational way, and consequently it’s less shouty comedy.”
Your cultural background is remarkable, you go from Homer (your criticism of Nolan’s film is very acute) to the perfect functioning (as a good electronic expert obviously) of a household appliance
“I like to mix pop culture with classic culture: from Giacomo Leopardi to social trends. One of the great advantages that social media offers is immediacy: when an idea comes to mind you no longer have the filters of television times, but the possibility of immediately seeing the public’s reaction.”
Let’s talk about your new show, “Non fa il bis”, which debuts on October 16th at the Teatro Manzoni in Milan
“October 16th will be the first, a date that should have been single in Milan, but which thanks to the excellent result of the pre-sales, the Manzoni has decided to double it, no less than May 5th. May 5th at the Manzoni, just to avoid giving me responsibility!
It’s a show where I won’t give an encore because in my opinion, at the end of every show, especially comedy ones, there’s always that underlying embarrassment on the part of the audience of not understanding if they have to continue clapping to let the comedian out; the curtain closes, the lights dim, but there is still music. People don’t know if they should get up and wait for someone else to get up first. I want to make things clear: when I’m done, they can go! Indeed, I prefer to dedicate the time I would have dedicated to the encore to getting to know the audience: I like to go down and say hello and thank them, to have direct contact with them. I am always flattered and moved by the fact that they have decided to spend an evening listening to what I have to say.”
In recent years, your potential and notoriety have grown exponentially. Is there anyone you would like to thank?
“The people who surround me, because obviously I am the one who is in the spotlight, but behind it there is the work of many people who act in the shadows, but who have all my gratitude. If all this happened it is also thanks to them. A huge thank you goes to the members of my Realize agency. Four years ago I changed and passed into their hands. And they were the ones who saw my unexpressed potential from a social point of view. I was lucky enough to find people who encouraged me from this point of view because coming from television I was part of a previous generation with a somewhat skeptical approach towards these means of communication. I perhaps felt a little out of age, but no, thanks to them I have integrated very well into this world and I really want to thank them. Because you discover that the public searches for you, finds you and appreciates you.”
We can only add our thanks to the Realize agency for having revealed, to those who didn’t yet know him, Federico Basso’s aplomb and his ability to make people laugh out loud even quietly, with elegance and that touch of healthy, British impassivity.
