Roberto “Freak” Antoni
Freak Antoni, the pseudonym of Roberto Antoni, also known as Beppe Starnazza and Astro Vitelli (Bologna, April 16, 1954 – Bentivoglio, February 12, 2014), was an Italian singer-songwriter, writer, actor, performance artist, poet, and DJ.
As the founder and leader of Skiantos, he is regarded as the father of Italian “rock demenziale” (comedy rock). One of his main contributions was transforming the youth language of his time into the mocking and aggressive poetry that became his signature style. Known as a cultural agitator, he stood out for his nonconformity and revolutionary, irreverent approach to music and art, often challenging institutional rhetoric. His sharp, irreverent humor targeted not only the stagnant intellectualism of the 1970s and 1980s but also the contradictory behaviors of many so-called revolutionaries of the time.
