He was six years old. And as a kid, his fun was imitating the neighbors. The residents of San Giuliano thus became characters. Described with passion and care. Then, on August 10, 1982, exactly 40 years ago, the turning point with the first show at the Festa del Turista in Rivabella: Carlo Frisi, however, never thought that with his passion for imitations he would contribute to writing a piece of history of Italian television. Especially in the 90s he made the whole country laugh. Today Carlo, born in Rimini on July 9, 1966, looks back and is full of memories: meeting Maurizio Costanzo and debuting in the first edition of Buona Domenica on Canale 5, then collaborating with Raffaella Carrà, Pippo Baudo, the success with the Italian titular imitators in “Stasera mi throw”, the conquest of two Telegatti with Fantastico 7 and for the 20 years Bagaglinos TV.
“At a time when there were no social networks and no mobile phones – says Carlo Frisi – there are still people who stop me in the street and remember the imitations after seeing them just once. It’s a great satisfaction for me.” Rai, Mediaset, Telemontecarlo, hundreds upon hundreds of appearances on the small screen. Some have gone down in history, like the iconic opening theme of The Monday Trial, in which he managed to turn the unforgettable Aldo Biscardi into the character’s character. “At a certain point – says Frisi – it was he who imitated me, indelible memories”.
From Gianfranco Fini to Sergio Mattarella. A lot of politics, but also actors, athletes, men and women of show business. Unforgettable are the impersonations of national coach Enzo Bearzot, not to mention Beppe Grillo. “However, in my opinion, the best interpretations were those of the popes, especially Pope John Paul II, but also Pope Francis”.
From Matteo Salvini to Pier Ferdinando Casini. Everyone had a turn. “Some politicians have specifically asked me to imitate them – says Frisi today – but I’ve only ever used satire to make Italians laugh”. A subtle and intelligent satire “without ever insulting and certainly not for election campaigns”. Frisi recalls an episode in 2017 when he was on tour for the play. He had to play Silvio Berlusconi and eventually found himself in the front row. “Pretty harsh jokes were also studied, and I was afraid that he might be offended. Instead, he came backstage after the show to compliment us.
Carlo has been living in San Marino for 15 years and now his dream is to return to the theater. “After three years, the wish is to be able to catch up on a theater season without interruption and without masks.” But now the 40th anniversary is being celebrated: “After the neighbors, it was time for the teachers at school. It’s a life of imitations. The beauty is that I think I was able to convey emotions both by wearing makeup and just with my voice. And today I still have the same passion as before.”