“BEING ONESELF”, by Marcelo Roascio (Clara Better Ediciones, 2024)
Guitarist and teacher for more than four decades, the name of Marcelo Roascio He is familiar to all those who are in rock, both for his role as a musician and also for his memorable guitar clinics and his work as a columnist in prestigious music magazines.
In “Being Oneself”, His first autobiographical book Roascio is faithful to the title, since instead of telling his story chronologically – something that may perhaps work better for renowned figures – he decided to present it as an informal anecdote, where his stories stand out along with renowned musicians from both the local scene (from Pappo and Javier Martinez until Luis Alberto Spinetta and Ricardo Iorio) as international – Joe Satriani, Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Morse, John Petrucci and the creme de la creme from the realm of the six (and some of the four) strings.
And that is precisely where the strength of “Being Yourself”: the stories that Marcelo has to tell thanks to his experience as a participant and organizer of the most important guitarist clinics in the country, which allowed him to rub shoulders as equals with several of his idols. “In the book I rescue the human part of the artists” Marcelo tells us via WhatsApp – “The musician sells a fantasy from the stage, the magic that music gives you. And people idolize the one on stage. I, being a musician like them, treat them as a pair. And they realize it, whether it’s Pappo or Steve Lukather”
Told simply and directly, (“journalistic practice greatly influenced the idea of the book, because you have to do it in a clear and concise way, so I used that same technique” says Marcelo, who, along with his career in music with Dr Rock or your current project Roascio RCM He went through the editorial staff of magazines such as “Rocker”, “The Musician” and “Music Shop”among many others), the book leaves aside the usual format of autobiographies, which sometimes causes some concepts to be repeated, but at the same time gives it a dynamism that encourages quick reading.
As the protagonist tells us: “in the masterclasses in which I participate, I always tell anecdotes as examples and from there the idea of writing a book with that arose (…) that is why I found the format of independent chapters, with anecdotes; something that is very dynamic.” And he continues: “From the release of the book, I was able to see my career in perspective. And success cannot be measured, but rather it means enjoying the journey; go out and play your songs, let people listen to them. My personal success is that wherever I go I receive feedback from both common people and renowned musicians. That they recognize your work in China, for example, is incredible. In short, I am a musician who teaches and I am lucky to be recognized for that”
“Being Yourself” It is an entertaining and light way to get to know another facet of a musician with extensive experience in Argentine rock, who with dedication and perseverance, managed to compile stories that are well worth reading.
