Activism rules, Greek-stylee

This is the website of atenistas, a citizen's group for Athens:

http://www.atenistas.gr/

For as long as I remember myself, there is one thing I hated in Greeks: their constant moaning and evading of their responsibilities. Greeks are unhappy, and they think it is not their fault. Most often it is the government (that they vote for), the 'others', the neighbors, the people who tax-evade, the Americans (everyone's favourite vilain).

But crucially it is never their fault.

But if it is not your fault then you cannot do anything about it.

Atenistas think differently. Perhaps bad things are our fault, not because we did them, but because we are not doing anything to change them. Let's do that then!

In a country with non-existent state presence, citizen's groups are long overdue.
The only ones who can do something are sensitive, educated, concerned citizens.

Good luck guys, I wish I were there!

The comeback

I wouldn't necessarily post two videos in a row but this song is phenomenal.
And in the process it shows a couple of things about the world:

1. Mark Ronson is great. Version was not a one-hit wonder and Ronson is not a one-trick pony. This song is different, deep, pop and in short perfect.

2. Boy George has an amazing voice. We knew that already of course, not least because of another comeback attempt 2-4 years ago in the Antony & the Johnsons album, in their song 'for today I am a boy'.

3. Comebacks are amazing. Boy George has been exiled and neglected from the mainstream UK scene in the recent years. Perhaps because of his drug problems, perhaps because he seems to people to be a fat, odd-looking relic of the '80's. But this song, that has made him relevant, beloved and Radio 1-playable again, may haver put him on the map.

Like Travolta and Tarantino, comeback stories are even more glorious than success stories, perhaps because they are the ultimate success stories. Like a rise-and-fall-and-rise-again Scorcese movie, comeback stories show people that success is worth nothing when you lose it. Unless you manage to win it again.

This might be a useful message to X factor people.

K BHTA the Great, Papaioannou the Great

Greek art lives!
In anticipation of MHDEIA2

Go left!

Pet shop boys ironically urged audiences to do west in their 1993 cover of the village people. I remember arguing with my boyfriend then on whether the song was ironic or not. I didn't agree too much with that boyfriend anyway. But I digress.

Lat night I went into a little shop to buy some beers. Next to me was a poor woman wanting to buy a sprite. She gave the man in the till a pound. He said it cost 2.50. She thought there was an offer. He went and brought her what was on offer instead: a 7up. As she was waiting there in shame, holding up the queue, I thought of going to give her 2 pounds. Then I thought that would be insulting and I didn't do it.

I was sad thinking about this woman. These days, we are all so used to social inequality that it seems trivial to us, it seems almost normal. I am not sure on how this van be changed. I go through phases of caring and not caring. I go through phases where seeing people sleeping in the cold roads, in the rain seems fine to me. And then something happens and I stop and think.

It is really not normal, this inequality. No matter how self-absorbed we are, no matter how engrossed we all are in our own problems, it is important to remember every once and a while, that it is not fucking normal. It is shit. I don't know what we can do, I don't know if charity or ethical living or eco shit work in any way. I just think it's important to remember that it is not normal.

Reinvention

Madonna is the queen of reinvention, or so people say. That's why she is so successful.

Sometimes she is a dirty 'virgin' with a 'boy toy' belt.
Then she becomes a live pin up in Dick Tracy.
Then she is an unstoppable nymphomaniac, circa 'satisfy my love' and the Steve Meisel book.
Then a siren/japanese geisha.
Then a cowgirl.
Then a disco queen.
Then a rapper.
And so on and so forth.

Lady Gaga follows big 'M' footsteps, having reinvented her style (copying Madonna relentlessly in the process) more times than one can count with one and only album (The Fame and the Fame monster are one album. Really.)

Every year around my birthday, I think about reinvention. Is reinvention the mother of rejuvenation, in other words do people keep themselves young when they reinvent their style?

I don't know.

I guess I should reinvent myself but I am too bored.
My self works fine for me, for the time being, I guess.

Until one year I wake up and feel this deep need to renew myself and become some sort of aerobic queen or something else equally preposterous.
Till then, let's have cocktails and celebrate our old and boring selves!!