A Xeno's View of Greece and Greeks Pt. 5: "Play That Funky (Greek) Music…"

Greek Music, when you first hear it, can sound a bit like a cat in heat on a steamy summer night in Athens. And take it from someone who has been awakened by said cat more than once, it's not pleasant. Especially if you're unlucky enough to hear some older nisiotika, or "island music". Consisting of very screechy violins and equally unbearable clarinets droning on in a mind-numbing audio attack, this music is enough to drive you to leap from the beautiful cliffs of the aforementioned islands into the sweet silence of death. Okay, perhaps it's not that bad – but it's close, especially if you are not at all used to the oriental sounds of Greek music.

Most people only know one or two Greek songs, if that. Everybody's probably heard "Zorba's Dance", which is the prototypical and stereotypical piece of Greek music. Repetitive tune, bouzoukis, clarinets, upbeat tempo - you can almost feel the shards of china cutting your legs as they break plates with glee (crazy Greeks…). But once you have the opportunity to learn a bit of the language, and about the harsh reality of the recent history of the Greek people, the music really begins to make sense, and, for me at least, conveys the true meaning of what it is to be Greek. When Greeks stir themselves up into a frenzy at a concert or dance ("bouzoukia"), there is a feeling and a sense of euphoria known as "kefi". Kefi is a difficult word to translate, but can best be described as the spirit of joy, passion, enthusiasm, high spirits, or frenzy when the soul and body are overwhelmed with an exuberance that must find an outlet through singing, dancing, drinking, throwing money or carnations, or smashing plates. I have seen kefi in action, and it is contagious. You will do and say and sing and drink things you would otherwise never think of taking on. And the best part is, even if you're a xeno like me, and you don't know all the words, or all the steps to the dance, no one is going to make fun of you (at least not to your face). On the contrary, Greeks will take time to be there next to you, encouraging you in your attempt to feel their spirit, in your endeavor to experience what it's like to be Greek, at least for a little while.

My first exposure to Greek music was while I was dating my wife, and it was, to my ears, second-rate disco music in a strange tongue. Because she likes dance music, I was only hearing more modern songs, which don't have the same appeal to me as more traditional Greek music. But the longer we were together, the more chances I got to hear more traditional Greek music, and to hear it in its proper settings: weddings, dances, bars, restaurants, and best of all - in Greece. The more I heard, the more I liked it, and that includes the "dancey" stuff, too. Now, it certainly doesn't hurt that nearly every popular female Greek singer I have seen is a goddess. It is a scientific fact that hotness enables men to do things that they may not otherwise enjoy. I cannot say that this was not the case with me, but I can say that I also enjoy listening to male Greek singers, although I think most of them are pretty hot, too!

While in Greece we've been able to buy a bunch of bootleg CDs, and I have since downloaded dozens of CDs online so that our Greek music library is quite sizeable. In fact, you are probably more likely to catch me listening to Greek music than to anything you'd hear on American radio. Maybe it's because it reminds me of Greece, maybe it's because I'm bored with (or too old for) most popular music today. But whatever the reason, I genuinely enjoy listening to Greek music, and I probably listen to it more often than does my wife.

I have been to see four large Greek concerts in Atlantic City and have enjoyed them all immensely. My first show was Elena Paparizou, fresh off her EuroVision success with "My Number One". Her opening act was Nikos Kourkoulis (hot). It was only my wife and me, and, while we enjoyed the show, it wasn't as good as it would have been had we shared the evening with others. Our next show was the legendary Peggy Zina, and we sat second row with a large group of friends and family. Here is where the Kefi kicks in. A few drinks, an opening act, and by the time Peggy hit the stage we were throwing carnations at her and dancing on the chairs and tables. This continued for 2 straight hours of pure joy, and none of us were ready for the show to end at 11pm. Good thing it was at the Taj Mahal so we could carry the kefi on to the gaming floor for a few hours.

We then saw Despina Vandi with Stelios Maximos, and again it was second row with two tables full of family and friends and was another fantastic experience. Most recently it was my favorite Greek singer,  Natasa Theodoridou, with Marinella and what a performance.  I didn't really know Marinella at all but by the end of the night I loved her and she really stole the show!
Before I knew my wife, I had no idea concerts like this even happened. Now I consider myself lucky to be able to experience nights like those, and I look forward to the announcement of Greek concerts the way most people look forward to the "normal" summer concert schedule being announced every spring. The ultimate in concerts for me will be the day we can go to a bouzoukia in Greece to see one of the big acts at one of Athens' best clubs. Top of my list?  Kelly Kelekidou.  I missed her when she was here recently, and hopefully she'll come back before we visit Greece again, but if not, it will be a highlight of our next trip to see such a show.

Σας ευχαριστώ για την επίσκεψη (Thank you for visiting)
Todd

Next Month – Part 6: Birth, Marriage, Death