Allo stesso modo, alle tournée estenuanti preferisce date dosate, scelte accuratamente, che lo portano ad esibirsi in tutta Italia, in numerosi paesi europei e occasionalmente negli Stati Uniti. La sua generosità, oltre che sul palco si esprime anche nella scelta dei palchi stessi su cui decide di esibirsi. Non è infatti insolito che per supportare un festival, o un evento che promuove una causa di cui condivide il principio, accetti di cantare gratuitamente oppure per cachet fuori scala. Dalla sua idiosincrasia per i “riflettori” emerge poi il profilo di un artista che non si dimostra schivo per soli motivi caratteriali, ma in quanto depositario del senso di responsabilità che discende da una matura dignità artistica. Atteggiamento che si può leggere come il deciso rifiuto di quella “passerella mediatica” sempre pronta ad appiattire con violenza ogni prezioso particolare “asimmetrico” nella frenetica ricerca univoca del formato meglio vendibile. Un personaggio d’altri tempi, dunque, o forse sono questi tempi ad essere “altri” rispetto ai canoni di un’idea condivisibile di arte.
A solo career soon beckoned, however, and in 2005 De Leo left the band to dedicate himself to more experimental projects. Since then he has worked with some of the major names on the Italian music scene (Rita Marcotulli, Teresa De Sio and Metissage, Ambrogio Sparagna, Paolo Damiani, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Stefano Bollani, Paolo Fresu Quintet, Danilo Rea, Furio Di Castri, Roberto Gatto, Enrico Rava, Alter Ego, Gianluca Petrella and Gianluigi Trovesi) as well as established international artists like Louis Andriessen, Lê Nguyên and Trilok Gurtu. De Leo can use his voice more or less conventionally, to sing words or to use it as a musical instrument in its own right, using loop tapes of his own voice to assemble improvised tapestries of melody. He also uses vintage mini-amplifiers and other improvised instruments to obtain startling and unusual distortion effects. De Leo’s only solo album to date is Vago svanendo, released in 2007 and acclaimed by the critics as a stunning debut. But De Leo’s artistic talents are not limited to music. He also sets literary texts to musical and video accompaniment, combining elements of experimental theatre, the visual arts and literature. One example is Zolfo, based on texts by Leonardo Sciascia. De Leo has also performed alongside Paolo Damiani on cello and Stefano Benni on voice on Chiudete la cella, originally written (by Benni) for the Genoan singer and songwriter Fabrizio De André, with whose Amore che vieni, amore che vai De Leo frequently closes his live shows. Exploring the multiple possibilities of vocal expression, John De Leo has even recently been lending his voice talents to animated films such as La Fiera dei Morti by Stefano Vecchi and Barbara Dossi, based on a story by Aldo Palazzeschi. Projects with writers such as Alessandro Bergonzoni, Stefano Benni and Carlo Lucarelli could have been no more than joint ventures bringing together two talented professionals for purposes premeditated, but in fact the results attest more to a far more spontaneous and artistic meeting of minds. De Leo has resisted the temptation to move permanently to a major Italian or European city and the greater visibility such a move would give him, preferring instead the inspiration and fogbound “obscurity” of his native Bassa Romagna. Gruelling tour schedules are not for De Leo, either.
In fondo mi chiedo se il vero movimento del mondo non sia proprio il canto. Muriel Barbery
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He prefers a saner itinerary with carefully-selected dates, in an orbit which has taken him all over Italy, Europe and the United States. But in another way he’s extremely generous in the stages he chooses to grace: he’s often been known to perform for free at festivals or events in favour of causes he himself supports. This rather idiosyncratic approach to limelight perfectly defines the profile of an artist whose reserve is more than just a question of personality, but rather the reflection of a man whose sense of responsibility derives from an artistic dignity well beyond his years. De Leo refuses to court celebrity, and maintains his artistic integrity in the face of a media industry that reduces everything to the lowest common denominator in its endless search for the best-selling formula. Almost as if he was out of step with the times - or perhaps it’s the times that are out of step with his vision, and the vision of every true artist.
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