tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11031441255202023552024-03-19T03:29:59.181-07:00Tidal Mental HeadValerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-71133568736061056362019-05-19T05:28:00.000-07:002019-05-19T05:28:25.222-07:00The Story of a Colourful BackpackIt was the first day of my last year in primary school and for the first time I was allowed to buy a backpack.<br />
Before then I had used some old bags that my mother or my aunt used thirty years before, which I was a little ashamed of in front of all my classmates with their brand new shiny ones.<br />
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In the shop, I fell in love with this Invicta backpack at first glance. Multicoloured and bright, and I liked colours and still do. What's wrong with loving colourful things?</div>
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The price of the backpack was a little more than I was allowed, but my eyes were shining so much that my mother bought it for me anyway, and I recognise now, twenty years later, that this was indeed a great gesture, in a time when my family sometimes didn't even have money for petrol. </div>
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Full of joy, I showed up at school on the first day of the new year, an important moment! What better way to celebrate than with my new backpack? As soon as I arrived in class, however, I realised that this happiness was very fragile. My backpack was definitely the most colourfulo one and the bunch of children of my class did not welcome the news with the same amount of enthusiasm I had. The backpack was nothing but a new manifestation of my diversity, of that different sensitivity I had, that made me perhaps gentler, more respectful, that made me love dance, that gave me a proper behaviour in every situation and explore the world with creativity. </div>
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For years I had already been nicknamed, depending on the situation: "sissy", "female" (as if being a woman were to be an insult! But you go and explain that to an 8-year-old who's definitely biologically not a girl, and who wonders why people decide to describe him that way), "gay", "frocio", "finocchio", "checca", "ricchione", all of these being pejorative nicknames to define homosexuals. </div>
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Italians get very creative when it comes to insulting gays. </div>
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If you think about it, the Eskimos have so many words to describe the snow, we just as many for the gays. I wonder why.</div>
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And just another linguistic note. Did you know that in English the word "bad" derives etymologically from a word used in the past to define homosexuals? Homophobia has been so strong that over the years the word has gone on from just insulting gays to define all evil in general. Ask me why we need a gay pride again. </div>
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This is to say how much our language also represents the voice of a culture that really doesn't spare any efforts to discriminate against minorities. </div>
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But anyway, back to the bag. </div>
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My joy for the new colourful purchase, which I was so happy to wear when I was going to school in the morning, immediately turned into an internal grey, a desire to sink, to disappear, to hide my bang and myself with it, to be transparent. It began with a black marker with which I tried to cover all the colours on the backpack and ended up with slowly ceasing to use the bag to go to school or anything else. I went back to using the old ones that I hated so much, but not so much as myself and that feeling of being different and not welcomed by those who were not like me. The bag stayed at home, in a closet.<br />
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The following year, the first of the middle school, I bought a new backpack. Blue. All blue. A colour that I didn't like and still don't like. All that coldness. I have always been green, orange and purple. The blandness of blue was not for me. </div>
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Still, I bought that backpack. What could be more masculine than blue, no drawings or doodles, no chance of being identified among the crowd.
I've always hated that backpack, it wasn't me, it didn't represent me. What it represented instead was my attempt to swallow who I really was. </div>
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Many years of lies followed. Lies I was telling myself and others. I stopped watching some movies or listening to certain genres of music for fear of being judged, I decided that being a dancer wasn't the right thing for me and I created a barrier between me and any other form of art, including music. Until the end of high school, I did everything to conform to the norm, even though I don't think I ever really succeeded. </div>
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All this hidden chaos could not remain locked up forever, though. When I reached the bottom, I started a long journey backwards. </div>
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I am grateful for the fact that my family has always been open and allowed me to express these hidden identities without too many hiccups and that my life choices let me approach new people around me. More and more people who were able to accept the differences, who were open to dialogue and capable of exchanging ideas and welcoming new ones, rather than judging. </div>
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I began the rediscovery of what I really was, of all my colours. </div>
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A process which has of course implied a lot of pain. All the layers of hidden emotions and unspoken words, erected as a fortress to protect me. It took time and a lot of work to get rid of them, and I haven't finished yet.</div>
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Then, a couple of years ago I found my multicoloured backpack in the recesses of my home in Italy and I thought fuck it. I took it out, dusted it and put it back on my shoulders. </div>
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Obviously, people continue to make comments, and some keep pointing the finger when they see all those colours on me.<br />
Certainly it is not the typical backpack that a thirty year old would use to get around every day. Maybe it's not enough "adult" enough. </div>
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But I think that adulthood can't be proven with what you wear. You can tie a millions of ties around your neck and remain deeply immature a few inches above, in your brain. </div>
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I think that instead, adulthood can be proven by the fact that I can finally wear what I fucking want and not let myself be affected by the judgment of people who don't accept diversity, and that I can be who I really am and show it without fear of not being what people expect of me. </div>
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This is what I've learned through all these years, and this is what the world should have told little Valerio on that first day at school with the new bag: "Don't worry about what they say. They are just scared of being different. But they are all different, we are all different. Some, however, decide to be like the others for fear of being exposed and vulnerable. But you can be whatever you want, and if they don't accept it right away, you can choose to be strong and confident, with your ideas and feelings, walk forward, chin up. You'll see, slowly they will begin to understand that there is nothing to be afraid of. Show them. It's the only way you can live your life as you really want it, and it's the only way new ways of being and thinking can be spread, respected and accepted." </div>
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I have learnt that. It took about twenty years, and I still have a lot to learn, but now here I am, traveling around the world with my colours on my back.<br />
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Now, inside my colourful bag, I decide to put whatever I want. :-)<br />
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Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-80354496290281331432019-01-22T03:51:00.000-08:002019-01-22T03:51:02.135-08:00Resolutions?It's that time of the year again. Every January I sit with my diary, pen in hand, and write a list of goals for the year.<br />This time I still haven't compiled the list. I feel that in this particular moment of my life the main thing I want is to find my own happiness, regardless of what I'm doing professionally or sentimentally or physically. Material goals are always good to keep you moving, that goes without saying, but I probably need to pause those for a moment in order to avoid becoming one of those unhappy little people. <br />So I think the only item on the list for now will be to be more honest with myself and others, being more vocal about my needs and not scared of showing who I am. And this will probably help me figure out what other material goals I want to have. :-)<br />What are your resolutions for this year? Let's talk about it!<div>
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<br />In other news, I'm making made a little Spotify playlist with new music that flies to my ears every now and then. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/1170992946/playlist/5tmvt8OBWmTu4astSbuZEy?si=VRlM68Z4QqqKhbkF8Zduyw">Listen here</a> if you need some fresh music and let me know what new songs you have in your head lately. :)<br /> <br />Hope you have an amazing year, you deserve it, just like everyone else in the world. A whole year full of learning and winning and smiling :-)<br /> <br />Hugs,<br /> <br />Valerio x</div>
Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-79794991331308502092018-12-07T03:56:00.001-08:002018-12-07T03:56:24.164-08:00FoolsWhen you stop trying to deny that death exists, things feel much easier.<br />
Nothing we own will last forever, enjoy it while you can without worries.<br />
Nothing we achieve will stay forever, enjoy the journey.<br />
Whatever you do now shapes your future, don't think your actions have no consequences.<br />
We might come back on this earth or we may not. If in doubt, treat it well.<br />
Your happiness depends on the happiness of your surroundings. You can't be happy on your own.<br />
You are one with your environment. You are one with the people around you.<br />
Change your attitude and make this world a better one, this is what happiness is.<br />
Your own happiness will follow.<br />
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My new official video was released on 22nd November! Have you watched it already? What did you think?<br />
Drop me an email to let me know: valeriolys@valeriolysander.com<br />
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If you're late to the party, here's the video:<br />
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<span data-offset-key="e40de-0-0">FOOLS is a song from my album " We Are Like Coloured Moths Towards The Sunlight"</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2eoo0-0-0">Stream Fools on Spotify: <a href="https://spoti.fi/2PfYWKY">https://spoti.fi/2PfYWKY</a></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9fuch-0-0">Stream Album on Spotify: <a href="https://spoti.fi/2yVnmzj">https://spoti.fi/2yVnmzj</a></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="e0rfv-0-0">Buy Digital or Physical album on Bandcamp: <a href="https://valeriolysander.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-like-coloured-moths-towards-the-sunlight">https://valeriolysander.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-like-coloured-moths-towards-the-sunlight</a></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="601mg-0-0">---</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="7ur55-0-0">Credits</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1oum2-0-0">Track:</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bgfv-0-0">Music, lyrics, vocals, synth, harmonium, keyboards, backing vocals, programming: </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="bgfv-1-0" spellcheck="false">Valerio Lysander</span><span data-offset-key="bgfv-2-0">; </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="e87vo-0-0">guitar: </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="e87vo-1-0" spellcheck="false">Nick Harris</span><span data-offset-key="e87vo-2-0">; </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="32str-0-0">mandolin: </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="32str-1-0" spellcheck="false">Leo Polchar</span><span data-offset-key="32str-2-0">;</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="3n075-0-0">mixing: Nick Harris at </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="3n075-1-0" spellcheck="false">Spare Room Recording - Music Production</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bu571-0-0">mastering: Jay Fee at Conduction Mastering</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="fjo1m-0-0">Video:</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="832sf-0-0">Featuring the beautiful faces of some my most precious friends: </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="832sf-1-0" spellcheck="false">Aaron Sibley Music</span><span data-offset-key="832sf-2-0">, </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="832sf-3-0" spellcheck="false">Sara Newton</span><span data-offset-key="832sf-4-0">, </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="832sf-5-0" spellcheck="false">Mónica Viñoly</span><span data-offset-key="832sf-6-0">, </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="832sf-7-0" spellcheck="false">Alessandro Prencipe</span><span data-offset-key="832sf-8-0">, </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="832sf-9-0" spellcheck="false">Yianna Sotiropoulou</span><span data-offset-key="832sf-10-0">, </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="832sf-11-0" spellcheck="false">Amani Z. Saeed</span><span data-offset-key="832sf-12-0">, </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="832sf-13-0" spellcheck="false">Jacopo Rossetto</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="em2or-0-0">Shot by: </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="em2or-1-0" spellcheck="false">Go out of Tune</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="djtkb-0-0">Editing and concept: </span><span class="_247o" data-offset-key="djtkb-1-0" spellcheck="false">Valerio Lysander</span></div>
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Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-55172639696287263602018-10-10T15:51:00.001-07:002018-10-10T15:51:47.182-07:00Let's Talk About It?The idea for my most successful song to date was born during a therapy session.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTI4kJhbSA36sF4-TL2t-h-fQWFZXVdLGI3rwedFXf1pEq2fy4ll7MtYSu3PI5WNRd79jCKbzngjbqbDLIbaDLuRxQ17oWdkEVckglXKas60kbc_HQUS1WXrMBo5KE_TAhjZeWpSAP708/s1600/45130756102_3f765751df_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTI4kJhbSA36sF4-TL2t-h-fQWFZXVdLGI3rwedFXf1pEq2fy4ll7MtYSu3PI5WNRd79jCKbzngjbqbDLIbaDLuRxQ17oWdkEVckglXKas60kbc_HQUS1WXrMBo5KE_TAhjZeWpSAP708/s320/45130756102_3f765751df_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pic by Karl Mowbray</td></tr>
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Some years ago I was having a very extenuating fight against my inner self, experiencing OCD, anxiety and paranoia every day. For three long years anxiety was the only emotion I could feel. Having to go back home when I was out with friends to check all my documents were in place, not being able to enjoy a movie because a constant thought would get fixed in my mind, washing my hands 100 times a day because I could get sick from using my own toilet (let's not talk about public toilets), thinking I could be framed for crimes I hadn't committed, being scared I could die for one reason or another. Just to name a few. That was my every day life. I felt like my life would have been a long path made of catastrophic thinking, floating among the worst possible future occurrences, never present in the here and now, always detached from my own self and the present moment, my head full of unnecessary negative, destructive thoughts. At the time I thought that it would never go away.<br />
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But luckily I was brave enough to seek help. I was lucky (after a couple of not-so-great experiences) to find a talented psychotherapist that understood what I needed and with whom I worked together to strengthen my structure and individuality and to make my anxious self a friend, rather than an enemy.<br />
My therapy lasted three years, before I moved to London and I had to stop it, although sometimes I still meet my therapist when I go back home, like a regular check-up to see how things are going. And this is just because mental health should be treated exactly like physical health. When you get a cold, you most likely get paracetamol, if your back aches you go see a physician, if your throat is inflamed you go see an otolaryngologist. If the pain is in your head, what do you do?<br />
Because of the stigma that still surrounds mental illness, some people might still feel ashamed to share the fact that they see a therapist, or might not get into therapy in the first place.<br />
But if we pretend it's not there, it's not going to go away. Accepting that we suffer from any mental illness is the first step to a happier life. And mental illness doesn't necessary mean being a psychopath killer. It could just mean that something just doesn't feel right. Just as when something doesn't feel right in your body and you go see a doctor, why not seeing a therapist or a counsellor when something doesn't feel right in your mind? It could be nothing, or it could be something, better work on it sooner rather than later in any case.<br />
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In my own experience, getting into therapy really helped me re-structuring myself and it gave me the support I needed to get out of that dim world I had created in my mind and not only that. In the long run, I also realise that what I learned about myself and the world around me during my sessions with my therapist not only made me healthier, but also allowed me to become more structured and aware. It made me a braver, lighter, brighter, happier, clever person.<br />
It was exactly during one of these sessions that the idea of my song Cotton came out.<br />
One of my mental issues was that I was very rigid with myself and I didn't allow me mental flexibility. My fear of not being enough, the shame of not being beautiful, clever, talented, strong enough had resulted in a very strong control issue, over other people and situations but also, and especially, over my own identity. Working with my therapist I learned that I could be more flexible, just like a cotton thread that, flexibly, changes its shape without changing its own essence. You probably know how the rest of the song goes.<br />
But anyways, in addition to being a very useful inspiration for songwriting, my therapy (in my specific case it was a cognitive-behavioural approach) was definitely one of the best life choices I've taken. It was probably thanks to the human skills I acquired during my therapeutic journey that I grabbed my life back in my hands and decided to follow my career as a musician, then move to London, build a new life from scratch, create a whole new circle of friendships, restore relationships with old friends or relatives, re-define what I want and what I want to be, achieve career and life goals and ultimately live my life without being afraid of being joyful.<br />
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So actually, whether something is not ok in your mind or not, therapy is a very useful tool to gain skills that will help you have a better life in which you can be more centred, solid, structured, strong and happy.<br />
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And if you don't feel like going to therapy yet, maybe opening up to a friend could be the first step on this healing path. Keeping your griefs inside is not going to make them go away. There is always someone out there willing to listen to you, and sometimes giving words to feelings helps making them smaller and lighter to carry.<br />
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Non-mental hugs. :-)<br />
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6BYZNHbKEa0" width="560"></iframe>Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-30932830210325980352018-09-06T10:41:00.001-07:002020-12-08T03:36:47.407-08:00Indian SummersCongrats to India for deciding that loving someone is not a crime! <br /> <br /> <br /> And people still ask why we need a Gay Pride... <br /> <br /> <br /> Knowing that in some other places of the planet people are jailed, beaten up or killed because of the people they love doesn't really make me feel accepted and at ease. <br /> Being unable to tell my grandmother about someone I like or a boyfriend I have is not the greatest feeling in the world. <br /> Spending your childhood asking yourself why everyone is so different from you is not the most gratifying. <br /> <br /> <br /> So yes, we still need a Gay Pride to remind ourselves that we are not worse and no, you don't need a Straight Pride because nowhere in the world it's illegal to love a man if you're a woman or a woman in you're a man. <br /> If you’re straight, nowhere in the world you will be judged for holding hands. <br /> If you’re straight, nowhere in the world you will be told that it’s against nature to follow your nature. <br /> <br /> <br /> We are very lucky to live in a place where people who don’t correspond to the stereotypes given by the norm can express themselves freely and although people may still judge sometimes, at least it’s not unlawful to kiss a lover, to show someone you love. <br /> I have never been beaten up or not allowed to do something or go somewhere because of my sexual preferences, but that is still not enough, because the world around me made me feel I wasn’t quite the right thing anyway. I’ve fought the bloodiest inner battles and I have learnt to understand that being honest with myself and the world outside is the right thing to do, being myself is the right thing. <br /> <br /> <br /> It’s been hard and it’s still hard but steps are being made forward luckily. Many countries are celebrating lgbt weddings, some others have allowed same sex partnership, some others are finally realising that the person you sleep with is none of their business and (at least) they don’t punish you for your kind of love (finally). <br /> Not everywhere, not yet. But it’s getting better, and today is definitely a day to celebrate. <br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhVFjIekDmb3fgczmkePNOzMqDsWEERDDWAnXjzPyMw5-Dr1oSSa2vX9bCnZ9k9wFWwk1VadGaQ4U5AHuL-FhHItRNh9m3qbZMB1LtOSXxXGpyQg4oqMai9e7EmNpBqg3Nz7Ng0ie4eo/s320/IMG_20180906_183856_728.jpg" /></a><br /> <br /> So cheers to India and to all the people who actively make this world better, and to all the people who are enlightened enough to change their own mind and let the light come in!
Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-61343801537120617382018-04-30T07:20:00.000-07:002018-04-30T07:28:07.540-07:00If You Were Me You Would Be<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">My new single "If You Were Me You Would Be" is OUT NOW!!!</span><br />
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<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you've ever done something with your heart, passion, talent and efforts and nobody gave a SHIT about your value, this song is for you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">Download for FREE on Bandcamp: </span><a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2Hy08Bq&h=ATM-kAGe9sc5_65uJ0PpJ_lflM7ifVT_b33i-6HVqGHzDt3cmQQ_EkfV4k7LlOHmxCsgJyU0Eyba8Go2eZC4Wq7gjWg_TgmnoUZHJd26RZl5TRxCWxFm57QeFAU" rel="noopener nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/2Hy08Bq</a><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">Stream for FREE on Spotify: </span><a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fspoti.fi%2F2r3ax1K&h=ATOMGajiG_4ZB5PE8QXJ3r_GFWD8qoCKoMh732AFQUB4h1rTO-TCKIP26jxfv3zmzUdwA1bW4QZDpICtkkWkckihd4VH3i42lMR-nUf92nLFrDvtu-oPab38K_g" rel="noopener nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;" target="_blank">https://spoti.fi/2r3ax1K</a><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">Watch for FREE on YouTube: </span><a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FQJkMqVdC0hE&h=ATMbM3_seGlMSfzcdBDb1rS1MoiVQeWZOLgybudBwxxqpsj5YvDOkSpkswZO-o-8QbxuAo6NuGxi4Z9JLwDe-j4DSGCc5F4bRgKRTjs8scohd-k0z8AH-4FVpGU" rel="noopener nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/QJkMqVdC0hE</a><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">If you like this or have liked my music so far, you can help me finish my album supporting me through my Kickstarter Campaign: </span><a data-ft="{"tn":"-U"}" data-lynx-mode="asynclazy" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fkck.st%2F2KfYDcV&h=ATOklBJhSxKpTK90PMlv7RmkDAUVm0ig3NIM2PzvzuidhpfOPO69LR3b2OkQhpYH1s5n9qLZAkfmq8q48A4czFTNW9vgvsqNEG0ZURbC2LuVzyARVR5HXU5z_fQ" rel="noopener nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;" target="_blank">https://kck.st/2KfYDcV</a><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">Send me a message for more info </span><span class="_47e3 _5mfr" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;" title="smile emoticon"><img alt="" class="img" height="16" role="presentation" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/feb/2/16/1f642.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span aria-hidden="true" class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px;">:)</span></span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">—</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">Credits:</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">TRACK</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">piano, vocals, harmonium, keyboards, backing vocals: </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=456162684495107" href="https://www.facebook.com/ValerioLysander/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Valerio Lysander</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;"> cello: </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=558480514" href="https://www.facebook.com/sam.w.rowe" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Sam Rowe</a><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">violin: </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=798495348" href="https://www.facebook.com/vignolita" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Mónica Viñoly</a><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">drums: </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1260484854" href="https://www.facebook.com/gregorio.lucchese" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Gregorio Lucchese</a><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">music, lyrics, arrangements, production by </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1357580945" href="https://www.facebook.com/feisheng" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Valerio Lysander</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">(Valerio Alessandri)</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">piano and drums recorded by Jonathan McMillan @ Smokehouse Studios, London</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">vocals and violin, recorded by </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1268280866" href="https://www.facebook.com/nick.harris.963" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Nick Harris</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;"> @ </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=115866065104280" href="https://www.facebook.com/spareroomrecording/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Spare Room Recording - Music Production</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">, London</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">cello, recorded by Sam Rowe</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">mixing: Nick Harris @ Spareroom Recordings�</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">mastering: Jay Fee @ Conduction Mastering</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">artwork by </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1523563530" href="https://www.facebook.com/alek88" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Alessandro Prencipe</a><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">VIDEO: Shot with the help of </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=1429926810459099" href="https://www.facebook.com/chiaraperlinophoto/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Chiara Perlino Photographer</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;"> and edited by Valerio Lysander</span><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">Special thanks to:</span></span>my brothers Giuliano and Matteo cooking, my dad Mario and my uncle Massimo farming, my cousin Simone shopping, Risia getting a massage, Matteo e Irene getting drunk, Martina being annoying, Arianna and Elisa eating, my aunt Gloria mourning, my uncle Atos tidying up coffins, Solly e Giada playing with bras.<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline; font-family: , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">The bar is </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=1861400090854788" href="https://www.facebook.com/Spirit-24-1861400090854788/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Spirit 24</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">, Monterotondo (RM), Italy.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">The restaurant is A San Rocco Giuliano e Matteo, Monterotondo (RM), Italy.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">The massage bed is </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=452281441488939" href="https://www.facebook.com/Risia/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Risia Shiatsu</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">’s.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">The clothes shop is </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=284862101553172" href="https://www.facebook.com/Emporio-Uomo-284862101553172/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">Emporio Uomo</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">, Monterotondo (RM), Italy.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">The is A P B Agenzia Funebre, Monterotondo (RM), Italy.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">The Underwear Shop is </span><a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=1851223428522496" href="https://www.facebook.com/La-Giarrettiera-1851223428522496/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; display: inline;">La Giarrettiera</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; display: inline;">, Monterotondo (RM), Italy.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiy0glGoGfKSQIRwO6r1X2JHgMm3GjziSgCkJ4DnGc6QGYB9t13O7J5akmeiKVMPgxtmafC1a-KR9crVmOOiJMJrV0ElpHDaqTFoVej9HK_DibfbP28wmRrZpFrTw_WkXKRtcYaCUe_v8/s1600/Version+3+Valerio+Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiy0glGoGfKSQIRwO6r1X2JHgMm3GjziSgCkJ4DnGc6QGYB9t13O7J5akmeiKVMPgxtmafC1a-KR9crVmOOiJMJrV0ElpHDaqTFoVej9HK_DibfbP28wmRrZpFrTw_WkXKRtcYaCUe_v8/s320/Version+3+Valerio+Edit.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<br />Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-72619091379517993352017-11-23T04:48:00.002-08:002017-11-23T04:48:46.620-08:00I'm Screwed<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My new single is finallllly out! :D</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px;">I'm Screwed, a cheeky song about liking someone to escape real life problems (and realising that's not right). Cause you know that's not right.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There's also a pretty video we shot with<a href="http://gooutoftune.com/" target="_blank"> Go out of Tune</a> in one shot! <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px;">Watch me chase and be chased by hot guys and be slapped by a pretty scouse girl:</span></span><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f78FYW2oeB4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/f78FYW2oeB4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px;">And share away! </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px;">--</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; letter-spacing: -0.12px;"><br />You can <a href="https://valeriolysander.bandcamp.com/album/im-screwed-single" target="_blank">buy it on Bandcamp</a> (also includes instrumental version) and it's also available on iTunes and Spotify (you know <a href="http://valeriolysander.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/my-inner-circle.html" target="_blank">what I think about Spotify though</a>...) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; letter-spacing: -0.12px;">Let me know what you think! :D</span></span>Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-38222081376964177532017-06-10T03:26:00.002-07:002018-04-07T03:32:30.146-07:00BirthdaysOn my birthdays I always wake up feeling somewhat nostalgic and dim. It might be the social pressure of having to make it a special day, having to celebrate, or that I don't particularly cherish the fact of organising parties for myself. It might be the realisation of time passing. Or it might be that my birthday is, for me, a time to sum up wishes and achievements and see where I'm at, and this always turns into a very depressing and dramatic inner dialogue, which is not the lightest way to approach a day of celebrations.<br />
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Despite all this, I also usually take the occasion to look at who I am (not only what I have or have done) and I usually realise that I am quite happy and satisfied with the person I am. I might not be where I'd like to in terms of geography, career, sentimental relationships, wealth, or whatever, but I am quite proud of the person I've become so far (there's obviously still a lot of space for growth, and I'm happily learning progressively each day!).<br />
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Most of all, I am most grateful to all the people and situations that have led me here, being them "positive" or "negative".<br />
Every year on 9th June I thank my mother for bearing me in her body and delivering me to this world of light, for fighting against gravity and feeding me and teaching me things and scolding me and being absent and being present and loving me no matter what and making me doubt she does and confirming she does and being strong for me and being strong for herself and being weak for herself, for helping me and needing help, for being near and being far.<br />
I thank my mother's mother and all the people with some bits of my blood in their blood and I thank everyone I've exchanged words with, everyone I've exchanged warmth with (being it literal or abstract).<br />
I am grateful for the people who've said happy birthday, the ones that frowned at me, the ones that congratulated me, the ones that envied me, that ones I envied, the ones that loved me and hated me, the ones I've loved and hated, the ones that smiled at me crossing my path and then left without knowing my name.<br />
Each little bit made me what I am, and I have joyfully received them and collected them, trying to make the best of them, trying to become a better person each day.<br />
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I love my life, I love this sun (sometimes visible, sometimes not, it's always there!), I love this earth, I love this time, I love myself and all of you and them.<br />
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A very merry unbirthday to you! :)Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-44057639888619115612017-04-29T08:52:00.000-07:002017-04-29T08:52:06.055-07:00Sing With Pride<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
People are still being beaten up, people are still being shouted at, people are still being discriminated, people are still being taken to concentration camps, people are still being killed.</div>
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We still need a Pride, we still need to shout our pride, we still need to show the world we are just like everyone else, we still need to fight to feel equal, we still need to fight to get an equal treatment.</div>
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That's why we still march, that's why still sing, that's why we still fight.</div>
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And that's why I was part of <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-obj-id="1490250121276217" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=1490250121276217" href="https://business.facebook.com/DigiPride/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">Digital Pride</a> this week, to tell the world that my sexuality doesn't make me a lesser human being. I'm just like everyone else, I love like everyone else, I should be loved like everyone else.</div>
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Thank you <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-obj-id="166622430080749" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=166622430080749" href="https://business.facebook.com/GayStarNews/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">Gay Star News</a> for making this possible. <span class="_47e3 _5mfr" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 0; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle;" title="heart emoticon"><img alt="" aria-hidden="1" class="img" height="16" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v8/fed/2/16/2764.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: -3px;" width="16" /><span aria-hidden="1" class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;"><3</span></span></div>
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<br />Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-21030209678429083292017-02-23T07:32:00.002-08:002017-02-23T07:32:33.678-08:00New Single Out Tomorrow!!!<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; margin-bottom: 6px; text-align: center;">
TOMORROOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!!!</div>
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DOMAAANIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!</div>
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DEMAAAAAAIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNN!!!!</div>
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AMANHÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃÃ!!!!!!!</div>
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MAÑANAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!</div>
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HOLNAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!</div>
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明天!!!!!!!!</div>
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Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-22959537433832150752017-02-03T09:28:00.002-08:002018-04-07T03:31:07.873-07:00Ryan Is Gay And I Am Too<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's not a secret that the life of a homosexual (or bisexual or any not-completely-heterosexual) starts slightly more complicated than "normal" people's.<br />
We grow up surrounded by examples of life that don't match what we are, we feel shame of what we are and feel and want, we hide, we are scared.<br />
It's a long process, the one that resolves in the complete acceptance of ourselves, and it goes through lies, secrets, fear.<br />
Luckily, I've lived in a very open minded family, in a time and in places where sexual orientations that differ from the dominant one are not a crime, and crimes against LGBTQ people are not the norm, but rather exceptions to it.<br />
Despite that, it did take a long time for me to accept who I was, lying to myself first, then to the people around me, till I finally realised that if someone wasn't OK with it, it wasn't my problem, but theirs. I was probably around 22 then.<br />
All the time before that, when talking to someone, I always asked myself if it was appropriate to say that I had a boyfriend, or that I fancied that one boy, or that the reason why my eyes looked so sad was that I had just broken up after a 3 year long relationship with my first boyfriend. Very simple things that any heterosexual person doesn't really need to ponder on. While everybody was getting into relationships in high school, I couldn't allow myself to fancy anyone. When my grandmother asked when I would bring a pretty girl home, I just had to smile without answering. Think about how many things are given for granted by you, but that for me were a deep stab in my stomach.<br />
In particular, in my personal experience, I've always feared females' judgement less than straight males'. In my teen age years, it was very hard for me to befriend boys, scared that they would mock my more sensitive attitude or different tastes. After I came out, I was still scared that they could judge me for my sexual orientation, and I withdrew in a shell whenever around them. It was probably all in my head.<br />
At some point though, I was strong enough to stop filtering myself (I don't deny that my environment probably helped me doing that) and here I am, writing about it where anybody can read it.<br />
It took huge efforts, but what helped me was the realisation that I didn't want to live a life that wasn't mine.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/c_bO_65GShI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/c_bO_65GShI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
Fast forward to a couple of years ago, when I wrote my first explicitly gay song, challenging my shame once more.<br />
The first times I performed it I was very self-conscious. What would have people thought of that? Of me? When one of the first things strangers knew of me on a stage was that I was gay. Luckily, lately I've seen a few gay songwriters explicitly singing about their feelings, but that's definitely still the exception.<br />
<br />
So last year, when deciding which song was going to be my first single, I chose exactly that one, Ryan, to exorcise this heavy and painful burden I've carried on my shoulders for so long.<br />
It's not that homosexuality is my main trait (nor anyone elses! We are not gay men, we are not lesbian women, we are men who are also gay, women who are also lesbian), but after hiding it for so long, I wanted to shout it out and shamelessly.<br />
I was prepared for rejection and hatred, but all I got was a warm response, people humming along and requesting the song at gigs, people sharing the video online, messages from friends and fans telling me how much they liked it.<br />
These people included the ones I had avoided for fear of rejection in my younger years. The amount of straight males who loved the song and supported it in many different ways was definitely what surprised me the most. The shame of my sexuality was finally killed by the extreme support all these people gave me without even noticing how much it has positively affected me.<br />
How stupid was I, hiding my authentic self to avoid a rejection that probably would have never happened!<br />
<br />
It is because of strong, brave people that this is now possible. People who were not afraid of what they were, and fought for their (and my and our and your) rights. People who suffered the consequences of their brave and just actions and had to face the ignorance of a society that feared the different.<br />
Although the stigma is still real in many ways, I am lucky to live in a time and a society where I am able to be who I really am and completely.<br />
<br />
Not everybody could say the same in the past, not everybody can say the same now and my gratitude for all the human beings that have made their part in achieving this and still are fighting for complete equality for ALL human beings is endless.<br />
<br />
<br />
(February is <a href="http://lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/">LGBT History Month</a>, let's celebrate love, let's celebrate our selves)<br />
<br />Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-39670846967933714612017-01-02T08:17:00.000-08:002018-04-07T03:33:27.469-07:00Joy Love Authenticity<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Hey,</div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -0.24px;">It was an amazing year here.</span></div>
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It was the one in which I realised my life is one (for now?) and that I should and can and want to live it the way I feel.</div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -0.24px;">To start, I had to stop thinking that I had to live abiding to the thought of keeping up with my past self, build my decisions on who I had been, on financial security, on what people expect you to do. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: -0.24px;">If you're doing a job you don't like only because you've always done it and because you need to earn/save more money, or because people or yourself think you should do it, that's not a good start on the path to happiness.</span></div>
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If you're sitting at your thousands-of-pounds-making office chair but you're unhappy, who knows if you're happiness could instead be found washing mugs in a coffee shop? </div>
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We are pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. If we sit in the wrong place, the whole puzzle will be affected. The right piece won't be able to get in the right place. We will be unhappy and the other pieces will be. So if you don't fit where you are, change your place. Do it for yourself and for the right piece and for the rest of the world.</div>
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Sometimes we think we do what we like but we don't really. Sometimes we know we do what we don't like but we do it nonetheless, lying to ourselves saying that that's the only way. But there are sooooo many ways! You will have to compromise, you will have to skip that trip to Paris you were thinking of doing, you might have to drink less beer to put your money in the pocket and buy tomorrow's lunch, you might have to eat out three times less per month. But if in the rest of your time you are actually walking towards your dream and actively working to achieve it, you will be happy just because of that.</div>
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I swear it's true. Because this is what I did in my 2016. Quitting my full time job, without the security of finding something else but with the passion driving my mind. </div>
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In times of need, your mind works cleverly. And if passion propels your thinking, your dream will be closer each day.</div>
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2016 was the first year of my life in which I have fully followed what I love and the rewards have been coming week by week. I have achieved goals I had tried to achieve for years, I have surrounded myself with likeminded people who have made me grow a great deal, I do every day what I mostly love.</div>
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It's not about luck. It's about how much you want it, how much you are ready to work your ass of for it. But it happens. Happiness happens. Success happens. Love happens. It happens together with struggle, but that's part of the game. A beautiful, exciting game.</div>
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I've tried to live each moment fully, to remember the past with wisdom and look at the future with hope.</div>
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But the present was (is) my main attention. </div>
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I've looked every day at the best things of the past 24 hours. I kept a list in a notebook. And every day I have found something to smile at.</div>
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Try in your 2017. And if you don't find anything in one particular day, look closer. Because there is. Opening your eyes and seeing colours is such a beautiful thing to start with and that happens every day. Imagine how many joyful things we overlook and give for granted. A great way to feel happier, is to accept that we actually have all we need. Happiness happens in every moment but we don't even notice. </div>
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<br /></div>
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It was a year full of struggles and choices and daunting moments, but I've fought to achieve my goals and ultimately happiness and I can say that I might not be where I'd like to be yet, but I'm happy nonetheless.</div>
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It all boils down to living your present with joy, love and authenticity. </div>
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Do the things that give you joy, be around people you love, be yourself completely.</div>
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It is that simple :)</div>
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-</div>
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Thank you for having been part of me this year, I hope you'll be here in 2017 too, and I wish you happiness in any condition you will find yourself in.<br />
<br />
Love,</div>
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Valerio</div>
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Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-13272573204149957412016-11-09T04:55:00.000-08:002018-04-07T03:33:02.044-07:00Illuminate<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="1o11r" data-offset-key="ar733-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #4b4f56; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<br />
<br />
Some people are sad,<br />
Some people are angry,<br />
Some others are joyful,<br />
Some others are positively hopeful.<br />
<br />
All we can do, in a world that's divided,<br />
Is being kind to everybody.<br />
Being kind to our neighbour,<br />
Being kind to our enemy.</div>
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And if you really think love is the answer<br />
Start practicing it now.<br />
Stop dividing yourself from your environment,<br />
Stop dividing your feelings for the humans around you.<br />
<br />
Today, and every day from today on,<br />
Be kind to everybody,<br />
Be kind to anybody.<br />
Behave,<br />
Practice unconditional love,<br />
For any of the candidates,<br />
For any of your parents,<br />
For any of your brothers,<br />
For any of your friends and lovers,<br />
For any of the passers-by that give you a smile,<br />
For any of the passers-by that don't give you a smile,<br />
For any of the cashiers at the supermarket,<br />
For any driver that gives you the middle finger,<br />
For anyone in a rush that jumps the queue,<br />
For anyone.<br />
<br />
Because if you don't like hate,<br />
Then why do you hate?<br />
Hate puts you in a stall,<br />
It creates walls,<br />
And it grows bigger and bigger around you and bigger and wider and bigger and wider and bigger and wider inside you and bigger and wider around you.<br />
<br />
But if you're angry, anger makes you react.<br />
And if love propels your anger,<br />
Love will become bigger and bigger around you and bigger and wider and bigger and wider and bigger and wider inside you and bigger and brighter around you.<br />
<br />
So today, don't hate, and never again from today.<br />
Just love,<br />
And believe that anybody can make the right choice.<br />
Anybody has a light inside.<br />
Your job is to look for that light and make it brighter with your own light.<br />
<br />
Illuminate.<br />
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Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-82914390911959239642016-09-16T04:16:00.003-07:002016-09-16T04:17:17.305-07:00Ryan, A Song I Wrote About Justin, Whose Name Didn't Rhyme<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; margin-bottom: 1em;">
My new single is finally out!</div>
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Watch the video here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_bO_65GShI" rel="nofollow" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_bO_65GShI</a></div>
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You can buy it on iTunes following this link:<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/ryan-single/id1154418499" rel="nofollow" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://itunes.app<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">le.com/gb/album/ryan-single/id1154418499</span></a></div>
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<div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em;">
Or get a free download supporting me on Tradiio with as little as $1:<a href="https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftradiio.com%2Fvalerio-lysander&h=_AQGsyrGnAQEHAxw1klU-A74TCQzDSbZWcsdoZlfO9M4OeA&enc=AZOY3MOJAeP99X-5rYIxywH9cBvRxCvYFUVHup78VVO-BBMVCu10_1JU-bgWH5LxgzmTCaYraGfetv37bk79K-BS3fQDFsgeam3zvy1qDS46-7lCWEPK3sH39OUl1ENznXKqBxqT9NhK0MMozNgVdP1qVCsFir8oeWOBhSR2_Gnboitcp04s2ABjbcNn3LodLH4&s=1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://tradiio.com/valerio-lysander</a></div>
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I am so grateful to everybody who has made this possible and the people who are supporting me in this path <span class="_47e3" style="font-family: inherit;" title="émoticône heart"><i aria-hidden="1" class="img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b_2x sx_bf4186" style="background-image: url("/rsrc.php/v3/yA/r/UGJMusFXJAV.png"); background-position: 0px -204px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 18px 476px; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"></i><span aria-hidden="1" class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;"><3</span></span> This is the first single of my new album and it's taken a lot of efforts and love from myself and the people around me.</div>
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For the track:<br />
Huge thanks and shining gratitude go to: <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1260484854" href="https://www.facebook.com/gregorio.lucchese" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Gregorio Lucchese</a> on drums,<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100009873918035" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009873918035" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Ronald Maas</a> on bass, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=787045243" href="https://www.facebook.com/JoannaRroberts" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Joanna Roberts</a> on trumpet, and <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=652165105" href="https://www.facebook.com/leo.polchar" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Leo Polchar</a> on cello. This wouldn't have been possible without you guys <span class="_47e3" style="font-family: inherit;" title="émoticône heart"><i aria-hidden="1" class="img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b_2x sx_bf4186" style="background-image: url("/rsrc.php/v3/yA/r/UGJMusFXJAV.png"); background-position: 0px -204px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 18px 476px; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"></i><span aria-hidden="1" class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;"><3</span></span><br />
Mr <a aria-controls="js_3v" aria-describedby="js_3w" aria-haspopup="true" class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=588540696" href="https://www.facebook.com/jonoville" id="js_3x" role="null" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Jonathan McMillan</a> at <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=321410011181" href="https://www.facebook.com/smokehousestudios/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Smokehouse Studios</a>, an amazing sound engineer and human being who's given me precious advice that I treasure fondly.</div>
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For the video:<br />
Massive doses of love and gratitude to: <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=807397739339834" href="https://www.facebook.com/gooutoftune/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Go out of Tune</a> for shooting, editing, creating, brainstorming, for devoting a lot of time to this project and putting up with my paranoid self, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=160875930640182" href="https://www.facebook.com/maxbandicoot.music/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Max Bandicoot</a> for making crêpes,<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=454013921340802" href="https://www.facebook.com/felicezhukov/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Felice Zhukov</a> for the beautiful colours of her studio and blowing bubbles at my face, Joanna Roberts again on trumpet, Fabiano blowing balloons, Clara, patiently waiting for a bus, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=248865725276149" href="https://www.facebook.com/fahrenheitbaby/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Eddie Fahrenheit</a> impatiently waiting for a bus, Brunella and Veronica juggling in the park, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=697936751" href="https://www.facebook.com/carlos.pascualmartin.7" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Carlos Pascual Martin</a>, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=836981193089408" href="https://www.facebook.com/Airali-836981193089408/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Airali</a>, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=1434976943476015" href="https://www.facebook.com/bleedthesecolours/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Bleed These Colours</a>, <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=127814777237071" href="https://www.facebook.com/esthertmusic/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">ESTHER TURNER</a> and<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=179488878787265" href="https://www.facebook.com/jasminebeth/" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;">Jasmine Beth</a> invading a guitarless song with their guitars. I am SO HONOURED to have your beautiful faces in my first video <span class="_47e3" style="font-family: inherit;" title="émoticône heart"><i aria-hidden="1" class="img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b_2x sx_bf4186" style="background-image: url("/rsrc.php/v3/yA/r/UGJMusFXJAV.png"); background-position: 0px -204px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 18px 476px; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"></i><span aria-hidden="1" class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;"><3</span></span></div>
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Now people, it's your turn to be part of this and SHARE LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW!</div>
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Lots of love and hugs and peace <span class="_47e3" style="font-family: inherit;" title="émoticône heart"><i aria-hidden="1" class="img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b_2x sx_bf4186" style="background-image: url("/rsrc.php/v3/yA/r/UGJMusFXJAV.png"); background-position: 0px -204px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: 18px 476px; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"></i><span aria-hidden="1" class="_7oe" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0px; width: 0px;"><3</span></span></div>
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Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-22927798933179692332016-09-09T08:38:00.000-07:002016-09-09T08:38:04.027-07:00Ryan!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrCG40UmSKUwlYCMSXtGmC3YE1Eh_M5zOoE2QEFTRpUgahvw9I_s0dNtnXsNBqJOZ2P2VRthT8tOqdY4WQTJ2m4r9he1_8AOw3UU_cx7AMIKqGMIZY-ZPRUNaiuo8GpxSfWm_MmCB8j4/s1600/ryancoverIMG_1068.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrCG40UmSKUwlYCMSXtGmC3YE1Eh_M5zOoE2QEFTRpUgahvw9I_s0dNtnXsNBqJOZ2P2VRthT8tOqdY4WQTJ2m4r9he1_8AOw3UU_cx7AMIKqGMIZY-ZPRUNaiuo8GpxSfWm_MmCB8j4/s320/ryancoverIMG_1068.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 18px;">My new single "Ryan" will be released on 16th September 2016 on all major online music stores!!!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 18px;">You can download it before the release date, subscribing to my </span><a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=605674142853865&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/tradiio/" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;">Tradiio</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 18px;"> Circle for as little as $2: </span><a href="https://tradiio.com/valerio-lysander/posts/ryan" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">https://tradiio.com/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break" style="display: inline-block; font-family: inherit;"></span>valerio-lysander/posts/ryan</a>Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-40579112195395762072016-08-25T09:15:00.001-07:002018-04-07T03:34:05.896-07:00Is There Such A Thing As A Safe Place?<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="64m65" data-offset-key="6tvcr-0-0" style="line-height: 18px;">
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My mother has sent me a video showing my fathers house. Huge cracks on the walls, pieces of plaster cover tables, beds, floors, walls are cut open. I can't imagine how scary that has been for them who were sleeping peacefully, woken up by the noise of their home falling on their heads. My brother with his newborn son, I can't imagine the fear.<br />
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She's telling me of all the places I used to go when I was a child, that are no longer. Buildings without roofs and walls, towns without buildings and people. I hurt inside, thinking of all my memories, I have been there, and I will never be able to see the same landscape. I hurt, thinking about the fear all those people have, the earth still shaking under their feet, aftershocks still striking. My father can't sleep at night, with my mum and other 40 odd people, lying at night in the hall of a restaurant that has offered the space for the people without a home.<br />
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My mum's house is completely intact, but it's still not safe to use it. We are grateful for that. The home of many a summer holiday for the younger me.<br />
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My family has been lucky, they were far enough from the epicentre, their home was solid enough not to collapse over their heads. Many people haven't been as lucky, I grieve for them and I pray that when they'll have another chance they won't be angry for the way they had to quit this game. I hope they will come back, or go somewhere else, with the understanding that life is nothing but a warm flame that a simple gust of wind can extinguish and that we have, as humans, we have to cherish the warmth until we have it. <br />
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In the big city I live in, sometime fear takes over. Money, politics, violence, dreams and goals. There is many a thing about which we can worry.<br />
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Sometimes I fancy of a time in which I will go back to my grandfather's house in the mountains, the one my mum lives now, away from all the problems I see in the world around me. I would live a peaceful life among the trees and the foxes.<br />
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But then one day an earthquake comes and the trees fall.<br />
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Is there such a thing as a safe place?<br />
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No matter where you are the choice is yours. <br />
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You can worry about the end.<br />
You can long to the safe immutable past.<br />
Or you can live the present fully, finding the happiness that latently lies inside you in every single moment. <br />
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Is there such a thing as a safe place?<br />
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Yes, look inside.</div>
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Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-25012930247836071112016-04-01T11:22:00.000-07:002016-04-07T04:34:00.267-07:00My Inner Circle<div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 10px;">
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<br /><br />In the last few months, I've been asking myself how I could make music my job. I've studied for years, I have stayed at home on Saturday nights practicing and writing songs, while my friends would go out and enjoy themselves, I've put music in front of everything else. I've played in my room for years, slowly coming out of it and performing in front of more and more people. <br /><br />Then, three years ago, I decided the time had come to do something big. To finally walk towards my dream and put it into effect. I took my guitar (easier to carry than a piano!), got on a plane and moved to London, where I found a job that allowed me to buy a piano, record my first EP and promote myself. But with a full time job, there is little time left for music, and it's hard to work, practice, write, perform, record, and have a life at the same time. <br /><br />And then Tradiio one day sends me an email and tells me that maybe there is some hope, called the Circle.<br /><br />Tradiio is helping artists to receive what they deserve. <br /><br />Only because you can download your music for free or listen to it on Spotify (which gives me and all the other artists breadcrumbs!), it doesn't mean that making music is free. <br /><br />People study to make fridges, then they start making fridges, then they sell them. Because a fridge is a material, touchable item, and people understand it takes time and money to make it. <br /><br />People study to make music, then they start making music. Then... they need to find another job to survive. Because music is not touchable, maybe people don't understand the whole long process that lies behind it. <br /><br />And they probably will stop making music at some point, because everybody has a limited stamina!<br /><br />Would you download a fridge for free if you could? If you did, and everybody else did too, nobody would make fridges any longer, and you couldn't keep your beer cold. No more cool beers for anybody, folks!<br /><br />Same applies to music. If you don't support an artist you like, they might stop making music at some point, and all you're going to listen to will be the umpteenth Nicky-Minaj-feat-somebody-else's song (which we might all like, but is that really the only thing you want to listen to?). <br /><br />So why do you only listen to music for free?<br /><br />Now it's the time to help and support the artists you like, now it's the time to give music a chance. <br /><br />Because it makes you happy. Because music gives you a lot. And you should give music what it deserves. Give it the value it has.<br /><br />So this Tradiio Inner Circle I was talking about allows you to become a part of my team and support my music. With a monthly subscription of the amount that you choose you will be part of my Circle (you can select how much you want to support me with each month. This could be £1, €2, $5 or more. £5 is £1.25 per week. That’s one coffee per week!) and in return you get access to my music, videos and other contents before they are released to everyone else or other rewards.<br /><br />If you have liked my music and you still do, why don't you give up one coffee per month and support me with $1 per month? That wouldn't make a big difference for you, but it would make it for me, and I will be able to produce more of the music you like.<br /><br />And the cool thing about this Tradiio Circle is that once you start supporting me, you will be able to be part of this circle and directly interact with me, giving me advice, suggestions, requests. It will be a big family, and my music will be more beautiful also thanks to you. You will be part of it.<br /><br />I hope to see you lovely people in the Circle!<br /><br /><a data-lynx-uri="https://l.facebook.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftradiio.com%2Fvalerio-lysander%2Fcircle&e=ATMU8QzCqF1-pNRPHjqHyutDT-ovi8LyE2G-dheXAmcaBr67B_WmxxRZ9djXzw" href="https://tradiio.com/valerio-lysander/circle" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.32px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://tradiio.com/valerio-lysander/circle</a></div>
Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-8374360289581669672016-03-21T16:15:00.002-07:002016-03-21T16:16:00.780-07:00Rethink Music<div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I have paid my <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/spotify?source=feed_text&story_id=869659896478715" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">#</span><span class="_58cm">Spotify</span></a> subscription for years but I canceled it today. </div>
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Because:</div>
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1) The money artists receive from Spotify is shit.</div>
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2) Experiencing music on Spotify or on your iPod/CD player is much different.<br />
This is what has been happening to me:<br />
-in an ocean of music to choose from, rather than enjoying the moment and the song I am listening to, I've started thinking about what I am missing out and it's really easy to get bored and quickly go from one song to another before the first one is finished.<br />
-if I don't particularly like a song in an album the first time I listen to it I tend to very easily skip it. Before, the songs I wouldn't like the first time I listened to them often became my favourite ones in the album, after a proper listen. Acquired taste, they call it. And now we just eat fast food.<br />
-when I only had my CD library to choose from, I never went blank when I had to choose what to listen. Now it takes me a couple of minutes to choose.</div>
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3) The stream quality of the music can't be always good (when you're not on wifi or if you have a bad connection). That takes A LOT from the songs, even if you don't realise. Why do artists pay shitloads of money to get good studios and instruments, and mixing and all that shit, if at the end of the game you're going to listen to 96 kbps mp3 because you don't want to go over the data allowance of your phone?</div>
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4) The fact that we give for granted that that music is just there and we can have it whenever we want and as much as we want is harmful for both the listeners and the makers.<br />
For the listeners because music becomes obvious and is given for granted. As a result, we don't feel as much as we did before, when it was a choice: we chose to listen, we chose what to listen, and it wasn't an easy choice, because we didn't have all the money in the world to buy all the albums in the world. That way, when we could buy one, we would treasure it, the whole experience of going to the shop, opening the case, reading the booklet, listening to the songs for the first time, just us. Me and the music. It was a magic moment, that rarely happens now.<br />
It is harmful for the makers too, because they are not given the proper rewards and recognitions. But I'm going to leave this here, because I'm a maker and I don't want to make a biased speech.</div>
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Call me nostalgic, but I miss all that, and with that £10 I was giving to Spotify I'd rather buy even only one record per month. That will give me less choice, but a better quality. I won't rely on a system that doesn't recognise the massive emotional, intellectual and magical power music has.<br />
I think we need to rethink all this and rediscover what music truly means, to give it the importance it deserves in our lives and in society.</div>
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Now, what do YOU think?</div>
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Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-74270472116247776922015-09-10T12:29:00.005-07:002018-04-07T03:34:12.690-07:00A Little Fast<br />
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Raindrops
tick on the window</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Making
this day wander off.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Clear
rivers on the sidewalks</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Have
dragged little precious cobblestones</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">And
we beat on</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">We're
just like little boats against the current,</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Hither
and yon</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">We're
getting soaked to the skin.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">And
all we feel is this ardent openness</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">And
all we need is the consent</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">To
do everything we can before it is too late</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">To
do everything we want,</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Just
not so fast.</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Because
it feels a little fast</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Reflections
of this skyline </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">bravely spur inhibitions</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">These clouds</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">seem to be waiting </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">for us to dive into the breeze</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">So
we fly off,</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">We
are like coloured moths towards the sunlight</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Can
we move on </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">without the fire burning our scales?</span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" lang="en-GB" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-80554466586301735412015-05-17T10:17:00.003-07:002015-05-17T10:17:32.139-07:00Born This Way<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
I love my life because I'm free to be what I am, and one aspect of my whole as a human and my persona is being homosexual.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I'm lucky, because I can be this, say this, live this.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
It's not always been like that. I've suffered, hidden, been ashamed. Because people made me think I was a freak, an unnatural being, a mistake, wrong.<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><br />It's been a frustrating and hurtful path but I'm able now to be proud of what I am.</span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">
And I'm lucky, because I can be this, say this, live this.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
But nobody is as lucky.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
So please, stop being assholes.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/idahobit?source=feed_text&story_id=729691793808860" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #6d84b4;">#</span><span class="_58cm">IDAHOBiT</span></a> (17th May is the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia)</div>
</div>
Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-59001540460660402042015-04-19T15:04:00.002-07:002015-04-19T15:09:57.902-07:002 Years<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDU8X-zFbO_sWyC_kXv1j4GqfmIxdSBg-QaDf6O4fW3FljCHbDKy2XYiqgkdMlulmRwW1wIVQcS1NGSB0wI2Awz8qJ6eARHL1x4F6-bFy2yu4AFZH97ekJN62u0m5qo2a1DDiYq0i7TIg/s1600/33885_10201579311908789_76643638_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDU8X-zFbO_sWyC_kXv1j4GqfmIxdSBg-QaDf6O4fW3FljCHbDKy2XYiqgkdMlulmRwW1wIVQcS1NGSB0wI2Awz8qJ6eARHL1x4F6-bFy2yu4AFZH97ekJN62u0m5qo2a1DDiYq0i7TIg/s1600/33885_10201579311908789_76643638_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">Exactly two years ago I took a plane and moved to London, full of hope and love for my future. I imagined everything would change and I would get everything I wanted just because my residence would change. I would find myself, and a lover, and a deal with a label and millions of fan, and I would produce the best music, and be inspired in every moment, and solve all my issues, and be an adult, and reach some kind of Nirvana I would abide with for ever.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">It doesn't work like that.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">I'm still looking for completeness, I still haven't found love, I still don't have a deal or a one billion dollar record coming out, my music is evolving, inspiration comes and goes, I solve issues and more arise, and I haven't seen any door leading to Nirvana.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">But many things have changed, and I've learnt so much. I'm discovering myself and I'm so proud of having made that choice, and my life is beautiful even though imperfect.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">There's a lot to do, the path is long and arduous, but the hope and love for my future are still there. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, 'lucida grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;">Just, I also love my present now. </span><br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/196641697&color=00cc11&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe>Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-21905655391708653982015-01-01T13:22:00.001-08:002018-04-07T03:36:09.356-07:00Celebrate, Cherish, Bless, Try, Deserve, Be Yourself, Be Happy I've been through change and development and sadness and joy and excitement and tiredness and despair and hope and saudade and depletion and inadequacy and abundance this year.<br />
<div>
Just like everyone else.<br />
<div>
Walked on cobblestones and soil and grass and concrete and bridges and towers. </div>
<div>
Set my feet on mattresses and pedals and altars and staircases and rainwater and planes and trains.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've been confident and I've doubted in myself.</div>
<div>
Just like everyone else.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've learnt new words, of which my favourite ones are aghast, bereft, dalliance, shoal, forsake, repentance, cease, dregs, poised, sleet, fickle.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've followed new styles and discovered new parts of the world and of me with them. </div>
<div>
I've completed and made resolutions.</div>
<div>
<br />
A year in which I've (re)built my foundations.</div>
<div>
It's all set now.</div>
<div>
A proper list of resolutions is not ready yet, but it's going to be soon.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
2014 has left me listening to this, throwing myself into the new year with a continuous line. I don't feel the ridges between the borders of December and January. I'm just the same person I was yesterday. (Or am I not? Are we really the same person we were yesterday? The person who we were yesterday hadn't lived today. We have. So are we still the same person?)</div>
<div>
There is no cliff dividing 23.59 from 00.00, so I keep following my wake, impelled by the beautiful things I knew in this segment of time that we divided in 365 days of 24 hours.</div>
<div>
And by beautiful I mean each and every thing I have lived.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Including these songs, soundtracking my life in the last months, that I invite you to listen to if you haven't already:</div>
<div>
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:1170992946:playlist:0BrJwI8J6to2DhxgmGa8pS" width="300"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
These two books I've read:<br />
<i>Through the Language Glass, Guy Deutscher</i>, about the alleged different way people think depending on their language (or do they not?);<br />
and <i>Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer</i>, captivating novel about a special kid investigating about his father's secret after his death, just beautiful.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://greatesthitsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/THROUGH-THE-LANGUAGE-GLASS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://greatesthitsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/THROUGH-THE-LANGUAGE-GLASS.jpg" height="320" width="214"></a><a href="https://readerwriternerd.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/115533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://readerwriternerd.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/115533.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
These two movies I've loved:<br />
<br />
<i>Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho,</i><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lpHKXyko358" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Kill Your Darlings</i><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AxGgkEHmHHg" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
And these two poems I've loved, the latter I've just met and it's going to be my motto for this wonderful year that is here and shiny and malleable:<br />
<br />
<i><b>A Fragm<span style="font-family: inherit;">ent, George Gordon </span>Byron</b></i><br />
<br />
When, to their airy hall, my father’s voice<br />
Shall call my spirit, joyful in their choice;<br />
When, poised upon the gale, my form shall ride,<br />
Or, dark in mist, descend the mountains side;<br />
Oh! may my shade behold no sculptured urns,<br />
To mark the spot where earth to earth returns!<br />
No lengthen’d scroll, no praise-encumber’d stone;<br />
My epitaph shall be my name alone:<br />
If that with honour fail to crown my clay,<br />
Oh! may no other fame my deeds repay!<br />
That, only that, shall single out the spot;<br />
By that remember’d, or with that forgot.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><b>Footnote to Howl, Allen Ginsberg</b></i><br />
<br />
Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!<br />
The world is holy! The soul is holy! The skin is holy! The nose is holy! The tongue and cock and hand and asshole holy!<br />
Everything is holy! everybody’s holy! everywhere is holy! everyday is in eternity! Everyman’s an angel!<br />
The bum’s as holy as the seraphim! the madman is holy as you my soul are holy!<br />
The typewriter is holy the poem is holy the voice is holy the hearers are holy the ecstasy is holy!<br />
Holy Peter holy Allen holy Solomon holy Lucien holy Kerouac holy Huncke holy Burroughs holy Cassady holy the unknown buggered and suffering beggars holy the hideous human angels!<br />
Holy my mother in the insane asylum! Holy the cocks of the grandfathers of Kansas!<br />
Holy the groaning saxophone! Holy the bop apocalypse! Holy the jazzbands marijuana hipsters peace peyote pipes & drums!<br />
Holy the solitudes of skyscrapers and pavements! Holy the cafeterias filled with the millions! Holy the mysterious rivers of tears under the streets!<br />
Holy the lone juggernaut! Holy the vast lamb of the middleclass! Holy the crazy shepherds of rebellion! Who digs Los Angeles IS Los Angeles!<br />
Holy New York Holy San Francisco Holy Peoria & Seattle Holy Paris Holy Tangiers Holy Moscow Holy Istanbul!<br />
Holy time in eternity holy eternity in time holy the clocks in space holy the fourth dimension holy the fifth International holy the Angel in Moloch!<br />
Holy the sea holy the desert holy the railroad holy the locomotive holy the visions holy the hallucinations holy the miracles holy the eyeball holy the abyss!<br />
Holy forgiveness! mercy! charity! faith! Holy! Ours! bodies! suffering! magnanimity!<br />
Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent kindness of the soul!<br />
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<br />
This is to remember and celebrate the ashes of this 2014, a year that gave me a lot but I want more, and to cherish this bliss that time has given me, I bless the holiness that surrounds me, I'm ready to knead this year, and with it I'll be the form I really am. I'll get the best I can from it, trying to deserve it, and you try to do it too.</div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em;">
Happy holy new year my fellows of the world!</div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em;">
<br /></div>
<div style="padding-left: 1em;">
:)</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-74581755829930546982014-11-03T09:55:00.002-08:002018-04-07T03:36:46.197-07:00Rain, in London<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jgdKYl-9Y1U" width="480"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px;">Rain is a very important song for me, i</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px;">t exemplify why I love making music so much.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px;" /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; line-height: 20px;">I started writing it on a bench in my hometown, it was raining, of course, and it wasn't a good day. It continued at my piano and there I eventually h</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; line-height: 20px;">ad what I thought it was a final version.<br />Then my friend Sofia Albanese played it with me once and tried to do a few different things on it with her guitar, a new chord in the chorus and a change in the way the final part was arranged. And oh, that was exactly what I was looking for, it made the song more complete. She read my mind and put into music what I didn't even know I wanted.<br />Then, I was reharsing new songs here in London with the beautiful cellist <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=665732253491343" href="https://www.facebook.com/andrearochamusic" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Andrea Rocha Music</a>. She had heard a recording of a very rough version of it and practiced on her own. So when we met to practice I didn't know what to expect but she started playing her cello as if she perfectly knew about all the landscapes and colours and scents this song meant for me.<br />It's not easy to find people that can understand and develop another person own world, but when this happen it's just magic, and I'm so lucky to have experienced this many times.<br /><br />So this is a live version of Rain, recorded (on my phone :/) last Thursday at the Dublin Castle in Camden, with my little lovely band (Rui Silva, Joanna Roberts, Andrea Rocha). I was listening to it this afternoon and it just gave me the chills, realising I love it so much because of and thanks to all the people that have been part of it. I am so grateful for all this.<br /><br />Now if you like it, please give me a like and share it with your friends :)<br /><a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FjgdKYl-9Y1U&h=2AQE6dyWQ&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://youtu.be/jgdKYl-9Y1U</a><br /><br />And maybe buy my EP on iTunes or Bandcamp?<br /><a href="https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Ftidal-mental-head%2Fid886371666&h=xAQHhS_aG&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/tidal-mental-head/id886371666</a><br /><a href="http://valeriolysander.bandcamp.com/album/tidal-mental-head" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://valeriolysander.bandcamp.com/album/tidal-mental-head</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Hugs for everyone :)</span>Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-21248082066509021932014-08-10T04:43:00.002-07:002018-04-07T03:38:40.081-07:00Home and Passion Fruit Tea<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>On Air: "</i>Us<i>", Regina Spektor</i></span><br />
<br />
What do you think it's home to you?<br />
<br />
I've been thinking about this for a while. It's more than a year that I am away from my family, living on my own miles away from what I called home for so many years, without even thinking about the meaning of the word.<br />
Yesterday I felt like home in this room of mine. Rain ticking on the window, lying on my bed, under the sheets and a cover, or sitting at this tiny little desk, with new music in the speakers.<br />
Home is where there is nothing scary.<br />
Home is where you feel at ease.<br />
Home is where you can feel sick and do it without worry.<br />
Home is where you know everything.<br />
Home is when you want to know more than that.<br />
Home is when you want to go away.<br />
Home is when you need something else.<br />
Home is when you could go somewhere else but leave pieces of you behind.<br />
Home is where there is someone to water your plants for a week.<br />
Home is when you can go away and go back.<br />
Home is where you can hurt and don't feel bad.<br />
<br />
And I have this weird tendency that makes me want to leave when I've found it.<br />
Could it be I'm a gipsy as they said.<br />
I wish I didn't choose a piano to play. It would be so much easier to go around the world with a little bag and a Ukulele.<br />
And have the sky as my roof and the grass as my bed. And strangers as my friends.<br />
I'd like to have a home around me, the biggest, most beautiful, shared home. Where everybody is welcome.<br />
Let's have a cup of passion fruit tea in the woods.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1103144125520202355.post-31146557515420638052014-08-07T16:20:00.000-07:002018-04-07T03:36:35.045-07:00Amsterdam and the Reason WhyThere was a (relatively near) time in the past in which I thought I wanted to be a singer/songwriter because I wanted money and fame, being in TV, having millions of fans and living out of my music. It's what I like doing, and the opportunity of getting money for that would be so bright.<br />
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Then one day I was talking with a random stranger and I realised I didn't need any money, just fame. Because I wanted people to know me and appreciate me, making me fill that lack of confidence that every human has and that I cope with in this way.</div>
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But well. I came back from the Netherlands yesterday. I went without knowing much about it or having any particular expectation. I took the plane from London with a trolley, a notebook and 10 of my CDs in my bag, because you never know.</div>
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Got in Rotterdam and enjoyed its mesmerizing skylines, it's such a surprising city. My eyes weren't used to these wide spaces any more, and the clouds reflecting on the skyscrapers glass. Wow. </div>
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Then in Amsterdam I got lost (literally) in the streets, among the canals and the slanting façades of the houses leaning towards the water. The people, smiling. Colours, sunlight and flowers. It took me a while to get centred in my body, but eventually I did. And (among other unrelated things) started learning something more about myself, about me making music.</div>
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It may sound cheesy, and probably it is, but other than that, it is very true, and it's what keeps me going.</div>
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I've always asked myself why I'm here (in this room, in this city, in this continent, on this heart, in this moment), and rarely I have found a convincing answer. Well, I think I have a good one now.</div>
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I'm here for those smiles. I'm here to give them to these people I meet on my path. I'm here to be useful, to learn and teach, to make them happy. And one of the better ways I do it is with music. </div>
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That's why I make it. </div>
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For the guy sitting in the Starbucks at the station, for the one with the watery eyes in the audience and the other nodding his head with the beat, for the not-brave-enough-to-get-a-guitar-and-sing girl sitting next to me, for the clerk whose eyes brightened when I asked a different question, for the guy sitting by the canal and his little book.</div>
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Music can make people feel better, and I don't think I'm being conceited if I say that my music does so sometimes (or at least that's what they say). </div>
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To me, this is more important than money and fame. Of course, these two elements are useful and part of the process. My music won't be heard if I don't have (even a small amount of) fame, and I won't have fame if I don't have the means to produce something to be heard (which require money). I will need a bit more money and a bit more fame, which will give me more time to write and improve and distribute and reach more ears and souls. But the ultimate goal is the smiles of the people I meet, physically and acoustically.</div>
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Writing my emotions on the music staff (I am grateful for this possibility that music gives me of sublimating my sorrows and amplifying my joys) and putting my life, my body, my time, my words, to use of these smiles or tears that people give me in return.</div>
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I think this is why I live.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cOJJJ2M7Fsc" width="560"></iframe>Valerio Lysanderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14157831771969177413noreply@blogger.com0