The former 883 member seeks to debunk the most famous of the many urban legends circulating about him.
In June 1993 it was published North Southwest East, 883’s second album and last, written and produced by Max Pezzali and Mauro Repetto together. In Italy, the album sold one million 300 thousand copies and made 883 a pop phenomenon of the time, but the following year, at the peak of success, Repetto decided to leave the group. Over time, many began to wonder what happened to the “883 blonde”, the one who danced and squirmed on stage while Pezzali sang. Various urban legends circulated about him, such as that he was sick or participated in dark races, but most notably the one according to which he ended up in a Goofy costume at Disneyland Paris amusement park.
Today Repetto is 54 years old, he wrote a book on the history of 883 and really works at Disneyland, but as a manager. He has said several times in the past that there is nothing true about Pippo’s story: in a recent interview given to journalist Fabio De Luca on Republic however, he said that of the many urban legends circulating about him, this is “the one I really want to deny!”.
Repetto was born in Genoa in 1968 but grew up in Pavia where he met classmate Pezzali. They started writing songs and performing together. In 1989, they participated in the program “1, 2, 3 Giovanotti” under the pseudonym I Pop (a play on words between “hip-hop” and pop music), and in 1991 at the Castrocaro Festival with “Non me la menare”. which became the first song They killed Spider-Man, the band’s first album, released in 1992 and immediately became a huge success. Less than a year after the release North Southwest East however, Repetto turned down 883. “I’m going to Miami on Monday and don’t know if I’ll be back,” he said, welcoming Pezzali.
In the spring of 1994, Repetto traveled to Florida to meet Brandi Quinones, a model he had once caught a glimpse of. He then traveled to Los Angeles, where he wrote the story for the film, but was swindled by a supposed lawyer who convinced him to open a production company for $100,000. After trying again to make music in New York, he returned to Italy. In 1995, while Pezzali continued his 883 career with new collaborators, Repetto released an album. Cotton candy blackwhich impressed neither the public nor the critics. To talk to Republicdescribed it as “a wedding cake that fell to the floor and I tried to get back on my feet without much success”.
It was at this point that Repetto went to Paris, where he began working at Disneyland (which was called Euro Disney until the end of 1994). According to him, the only costume he wore during his early days at the park was cowboy, but he was an observer, not an entertainer. In later years, he made a career and devoted himself to organizing special events at the park, eventually becoming a manager.
Among other things, he says in an interview that when he started working and living in France, he realized that “anonymity was what he wanted more than anything,” both at that moment and while performing with 883. ” The excitement was more in creating the song, working on it and watching it take shape. More than playing in front of 100,000 people.”
There has been some more definite news about Repetto over the last ten years, both because he was featured in the video for the single “Sempre noi” by Max Pezzali and J-Ax, and because he collaborated on two new songs for the group. album Max 20. In the summer of 2022, he also sang a few songs on stage along with his former 883 partner, also at the San Siro. “The impact of the crowd was wonderful, certainly exciting,” he said. “But the biggest thrill was to find myself next to Max, to rediscover the same dynamics and the same instant understanding as when we were classmates.”
On September 19, his book will be published, which is called I didn’t kill Spider-Man. 883 and the Pursuit of Happiness and will be released by Mondadori. However, in 2024, the TV series They Killed Spider-Man – True Story 883, directed by Sydney Sibilia, is in production. To talk to RepublicRepetto said that he searched the internet for images of the actor who would play his part (Matteo Oscar Giugioli) and that he was “very relieved”. It seems to be a cross between Fantozzi and Johnny Depp. As soon as I saw him, I said to myself: “OK, this is me.”
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