Forgive me for weighing in with a rather lengthy item, but I hope there might be some interest among Europeans in what I have to say.
I recently revived my interest in Mikis’s music, which began in the 1960s, when I was a folk musician and would often please the audience with items from the “Zorba” soundtrack on my mandolin. Someday, when I have the extra money, perhaps in my next life, I will purchase that wonderful instrument, the bouzouki.
Anyway, I happened to buy the “Troubadour” album and got a closer look at Mikis’s wonderful career, which it will not surprise you to learn has not been paid much attention to in the U.S. One song jumped out at me—“Sto Perigiali”, and I don’t mind telling you it simply brought tears to my eyes before I even understood its profound history.
So I’ve spent the past two weeks reviving my knowledge of Greek (I had a semester of classical Greek in college), translating and learning songs from that album (my wife is humming the tune for “Sto Perigiali” every morning in the shower--I’m also drawn, perhaps darkly, to that dark song “Vradiazi” about “it’s getting dark”—I would appreciate a note about its history, if anyone can tell me), checking Internet items, learning about Maria Farantouri’s also remarkable career (I guess it isn’t a coincidence that I’ve been a longtime fan of Joan Baez, “our” Maria Farantouri, especially Joan’s extraordinarily lyrical songwriting of the 1970s) …
… and finally getting around to Mikis’s web page—and a very big “uh-oh”.
Fires in Greece. I’m afraid I know what’s going on.
Since 2004, I’ve been involved in America’s 9/11 truth movement. I suspect many of the Europeans who read this will know of this very dark but increasingly open secret, although I know it’s officially denied in most of Europe, as it is here. We’re beginning to understand who the people are who are in power, and how they operate in their miserably sneaky ways, and the elaborate hoaxes they promulgate to the public. Your fires seem very much a version of the “October surprise” of American electioneering. Don’t be surprised if the investigations stall out and no one is brought to justice. Italy went through the same with the Red Brigade terrors of the 1970s. Behind everything is the power at the top—an international and currently unchallengeable power. But we’re getting an education about it, no? To me, that’s the beginning.
Mikis hits the nail on the head. Once you get a look at these people, their motivations, their amorality, and the basic dimness of their understanding—they are “totally ludicrous”. I hope some day we can be laughing at them. But they’ve been in power a long time, and their knuckles are white, gripping the levers. Their fires are set out of fear of a more essential fire—which you can find in things like Mikis’s music.
Tony Bird
Northridge, California
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