Synopsis

Davide Fagiolo is a shy and introverted high school student who spends his days listening to music, fantasizing about his favorite bands. He forms a band, I Vecchi, with his only friend and classmate, Tommaso Sciarra, Neapolitan neomelodic singer Mario Pannocchia, and Adriano Trota, a bumbling street criminal. After their first performances and a short tour in the provinces, I Vecchi attracts the attention of Dream Records and their manager Claudio Fabula. Incredibly, the band seems to be successful, but must contend with bad luck and the ferocious incompetence of the music industry. The novel, narrated in the first person by the protagonist, Davide Fagiolo, recounts the adventures of four socially marginalized kids who find meaning in their respective lives only as members of a band. The story unfolds parallel to the protagonist's dreams of success and his mischievous, slightly childish fantasies, whose personal, family, and romantic experiences intertwine with the band's journey. The story is inspired by true events that happened to the author's band, and also aims to portray the reality of the Italian music underground, riddled with charlatan pseudo-professionals and penniless club owners without even a stage.