The ShadowMusic Web Community

Twenty-fourth May 2006...

It's fifteen years to the day since I got the news, directly from Vanni Lisanti, of the death of my friend Roberto Pistolesi. Roberto was being treated in a Pisa hospital and wasn't thought to be in any particular danger, but his condition worsened and he passed away. I managed to get down to Tuscany the next day, stayed overnight with Giuseppi Tonini and visited the chapel of rest that evening.

So much has been written and said about Roberto over the years. He has been fondly remembered by many people.

I'll always remember him as the best and most generous friend you could ever wish for.



Near here you see a photograph of Roberto with one of his own-build "Skycaster" guitars. He also made the more conventionally shaped "Spacecaster", the term he also used as his screen name in this community.

Time flies - although I never met him he was very helpful to me many times whilst exchanging emails.

I cannot claim to have known Roberto very well. I was introduced to him at a Shadowmania event by Jim Nugent. Thereafter I met him several times and we had some extremely interesting conversations. I did find him to be very opinionated on some topics - but he was always very affable and 'debating' with him was always fun and in no way negative. I also know that he was a fine guitarist and he knew a tremendous amount about the instrument, not to mention amplifiers, echo boxes etc., etc. A vastly knowledgeable man and a lovely person - taken from us all too soon.

We think of Roberto all the time and often talk of our trip to his home in Tuscany as well as when he came to stay with us in 2005 and we took him to meet Hank with Warren after the Birmingham concert. We had many animated but happy discussions and he will never be forgotten. Roberto helped me understand and find what I have today in terms of tone. How I wish he was still here to discuss further . . .

Only a few weeks before he left us, he was in Rambouillet (France) to present his theory on "That Sound". I was there and did the translation...

Didier