A tour de force

Published on Monday 18 August 2008 09:16

Fringe favourite Antonio Forcione is back again this year with a new show. We asked famous friends and fans to explain his appeal

BILL BAILEY, comedian

WHEN I first heard Antonio play, I was amazed at his musicianship. He brought the guitar to life in a way I'd never heard before. He was playing solo, yet the music seemed to be emanating from about five other instruments – drums, percussion, several guitars and a tiny, muscular imp playing the bongos. It's extraordinary. I've seen him play since on many occasions, in various countries, and everywhere audiences are entranced. He is technically brilliant, but also has a unique ability to wring every sound and nuance from the instrument. One minute he is delicately plucking the strings, the next he's virtually yanking them off the fretboard, sliding and hammering, to create a whole spectrum of sound that you never thought possible from an acoustic guitar. If you've not seen him play before, then get along. He is unique. You'll probably see me there.

ARTHUR SMITH, comedian

Antonio is like an Italian Zelig, always at every interesting event but in his case he is not doing nothing – he is saving someone's bacon and then frying it up into a delicious osso bucco. His guitar playing, singing and unflappability make him the sine qua non for comics who wish to be tuneful. I wish he were here now to rescue me from my tortuous metaphors.

OMID DJALILI, comedian

He combines the skill, flair and stunning technique of Paco de Lucia and John McGlaughlin, with the looks of a low-rent middle- aged gigolo.

MARTIN TAYLOR, jazz guitarist

In the 1980s Antonio and I toured together in a guitar extravaganza that brought together guitarists from different musical traditions. It was one of the most enjoyable tours I have ever been on – with Barney Kessel, Birli Lagrne, Juan Martin, Jorge Morel, Vic Juris and Antonio. I only had to play three tunes each night, so I spent much of the time standing in the wings listening and soaking up the wonderful music. Antonio's set was always a high spot, both with the audience and his fellow guitarists.

Antonio possesses all the qualities of a great artist – a complete command of his instrument, a vast knowledge and respect for all musical traditions, the charisma to communicate his music to an audience and the ability to never allow the above fine qualities to get in the way of his creative processes.

MICHAEL MANSFIELD, QC

I HAVE been utterly hooked on Antonio's jazz since the first time I heard him over 20 years ago at the Battersea Arts Centre. Since those early days I have attended nearly every London venue he has played – from the Royal Festival Hall with Phil Collins to his regular appearances at the Dean Street Pizza Express. He is a musician of extraordinary talent. He plays guitar with passion and humour combined, which results in innovative and evocative sounds. What is truly compelling is the wide range of rhythms and textures he evinces – on the one hand, African Dawn and on the other unusual renditions of classics like I Heard It Through the Grapevine. What's more, he's a really lovely guy. Don't ever pass up a chance to see him in full flood."

BOOTHBY GRAFFOE, comedian

THERE'S nothing I can say about Antonio's skill as a guitarist that couldn't be said better by people more qualified than me. I always find he's as exciting to watch as he is to listen to. The fingers are a blur but you can hear every note. Of course, he has advantages over the rest of us – 11 fingers, for a start, on each hand. And being Italian he's been brought up surrounded by spaghetti, so he had to develop accomplished digital dexterity from an early age just to eat.

When I first met him, about 20 years ago, he'd only just started learning the guitar. He was in Edinburgh making a living pretending to be a grape. A lot of young Italian men do it, apparently. They can't get jobs at home as matadors so they come over here and pretend to be fruit. I'm not kidding. He was working with another Italian, Alessandro, who was pretending to be a banana. Together they worked with an American who thought he was an orange. This information can be found in elderly listing magazines.

I was doing a solo show and one night, after the gig, Antonio came over and asked me if I could teach him some chords. I had nothing better to do so I showed him a few tricks. To be honest he was so drunk I didn't think he'd remember any of it but, bugger me, he did. We did an hour together once, years later. I told jokes and he twiddled his fingers about a bit.

He's a joy to be around. It's hard to describe the effect he has on other people. I've had beautiful women physically push me out of the way so they could get to him.

The combination of blinding technical skill and pure passion in his performance is overwhelming. Sometimes, as he takes you from the bridge to the 12th fret in half a nano-second without missing a note, there's nothing else to do but laugh. And cry, too. I've seen a lot of people in tears during his shows, beautiful women, mostly, and guitarists too, who, up until seeing Antonio play, had thought they were pretty good.

OWEN O'NEILL, comedian

WHEN Antonio Forcione plays guitar he becomes three people, Antonio the spiritual, Antonio the mental and Antonio the physical. He inhabits his instrument like no-one else on Earth. Watching this man play guitar is like seeing a Dante poem come alive before your eyes, all the laughter, madness, pain, love and ecstasy of the human condition is laid bare, flowing, from the tips of his fingers to the soles of his feet. Literally translated Forcione means "The Force is on you". That's a lie, but that is what it should mean, because that is what this man is, a force to behold, hands like a tarantula and the heart of a lion.

KATE ROBBINS, impressionist and singer

THIS dashingly handsome geezer approaches me in a very loud Italian restaurant. "I believe you are Kate?" he yells over the singer warbling way too loud for people eating risotto. I'm in luck, I thought, then looked at him again. Doh! It's the guitar virtuoso Antonio Forcione not chatting me up at all but asking me if I would mind contacting my cousin Mike McCartney who took a great photo of Antonio jamming with Sir Paul a couple of years ago. He wanted his father to see the photo before he died.

That was the start of my collaboration with the Maestro Forcione. I invited Sir Paul to come and see him perform in London, and he was as mesmerised as all of us. Also Antonio's comedy timing is as good as his arpeggios; he makes me laugh more than any stand-up.

Antonio Forcione's new show, with Adriano Adewale, is at the Assembly @ George Street, 10:15pm, until 25 August. See review, right.