Poor bloke. Those who loved him—and apparently there are quite a few—adore him.
But personally, he was a singer whose style of performing didn’t suit me, with awful songs: lovesick dog-pop. I’d describe him as the Kosta Kafasis of his time; he even reminded me of him visually. After all, he was fully part of the star system, appearing on breakfast shows, reality competitions, game shows and so on.
That’s just my opinion; I don’t think he’s particularly close to the kind of music we love and discuss on this forum.
If the other members are fans of his too, well, okay, what can I say—what a gulf…
Of course, I want to stress that it is sad when you hear something like this; I’m speaking only in artistic terms… and how unfair it would be if he got involved in illegal medical procedures…
Personally, I was unaware that this person existed until a few days ago—something those who know me already knew. So, in a sense, I missed out on an entire culture. Well, my personal take is that I absolutely missed nothing by being unaware of this culture’s existence…
Perhaps I didn’t explain myself properly, but the post was not intended to judge the man or to introduce him to those who didn’t know him. Besides, I think it would be inappropriate to pass judgement on people or their work when I don’t know them—especially when they have passed away.
The purpose was quite clearly to let those who love the instrument known as the bouzouki know that a man of this stature never stopped promoting it and putting it centre stage.
For me personally, even if just a few children learned to play the bouzouki because of him (or his songs), that would be a gain for all of us.
I don’t share the view that if someone isn’t interested in rebetiko but is interested in Kazantzidis, they belong to another world that has nothing to do with me… after all, we have plenty of four-string bouzouki players here…
And because I know from experience that here we have to spell everything out plainly so that we don’t go on writing forever… Kazantzidis was mentioned because he was the first singer Mazonakis performed at a young age, and it was through Kazantzidis’s songs that he was given opportunities to develop.
How much more simply could the man have put it? I thought it was unnecessary to write anything more, but in the end perhaps it needs to be said.
I don’t judge someone by whether they listen to Mazonakis now and then. “I even have friends who listen to Mazo.” He could perhaps have been placed in the “Other Music” category, or not included at all. It would have been more interesting if we’d written about Dolly Parton instead (I mean that very seriously, with no irony whatsoever).
I disagree with the logic of “as long as it has a bouzouki, anything goes”. Here we were discussing whether we like Lemonopoulos, and suddenly we’ve ended up with dog-pop. Yesterday we were talking about Panigiris Panagis, and today about Stamatis Kavouras. Do you remember Theofaltso (sorry, the “prodigal bouzouki player”) and his forum clone, “penies.gr” (or something like that)?
Although I’ve been away from the forum for quite some time, I can see that not much has changed… It’s still the fiefdom of 2–3 people… (and of course, I’m not referring to Babis…)…
It’s a shame, because at this point all hope that this forum can have a diversity of voices is fading — at least for me…
You might say that great musicians, teachers and builders have left the forum, and yet here the same old refrain continues…
If everyone shared the same opinion as the first person to start each thread (in this case, you), then we’d be asking, “Whatever happened to diversity of opinion?”
To some extent, I understand what you’re saying. Of the 10 million people who will listen to Mazonakis, 1 million will also listen to older laïkó music, 100,000 will also listen to rebetiko, and 10,000 will learn to play instruments. It’s important for there to be a first step that leads to the rest.
On the other hand, I knew the late man from “Gucci Dress”. I listened to it again to make sure there wasn’t any bouzouki in it — and there isn’t. That may also be my own issue, because I had listened to Vasilis Karras and Sfakianakis whether I wanted to or not.
May his soul rest in peace, and may some limits be placed on journalism. Every time someone dies, they suddenly become interested in every macabre detail.
That applies to many, and you’re right… The difference is that the person in question ran an entire campaign for the instrument, bought quite a few bouzoukia to equip municipal conservatoires, and at every live performance called the bouzouki the king of instruments… not to mention that he’s the only one who has managed to achieve success with zeibekiko in recent years… and many other things which, to me, justify this thread being here… and if he’s too commercial for many people… well, what can we do… he’s passed away… just let them skip a thread for once without leaving their comment…
First of all, my heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. An unexpected death that leaves a bitter taste of injustice.
That said, I wholeheartedly agree with much of what Panos said.
George Mazonakis was an artist with an unpretentious folk background (from the neighbourhoods of Nikaia), who immersed himself in the depths of Greek folk music from a very young age. During a transitional era (from the early ’90s to the present day), he championed the bouzouki and supported the folk music tradition in his own authentic way, from his own particular platform. He was never ashamed of his roots; on the contrary, he shouldered the bouzouki and supported the folk sound in his own distinctive way. But of course, that was not the only thing he was involved in.
His contribution was not merely rhetorical but substantial; it also left a tangible mark. At the Municipal Conservatory of Piraeus, there is a folk music department with a room bearing his name, which he supported by donating new instruments to young students. And on stage too, no matter how many pop or modern productions he performed in, he always devoted a large part of his programme to the heavier folk songs he loved.
The fact that he was not actively involved in rebetiko does little to diminish his contribution. After all, we all know exceptional three-string bouzouki virtuosos and/or singers who move with equal ease and respect from small folk tavernas to major nightclubs and music venues, without anyone questioning their quality or wagging a finger at them.
Folk music is one and indivisible, and it is judged by the passion and truth of those who serve it. It does not need boundaries; it needs soul.
In any case, anyone who is interested can also see what he himself said a few years ago:
Let me say a few more words, without wanting to become tiresome or come across as particularly ill-intentioned.
-Was this initiative by Mazonakis accompanied by any simultaneous aesthetic/artistic shift, even if only a temporary one? Did he, for instance, release a purely bouzouki-focused album, something featuring covers of classic laïkó songs? (I’m asking because I don’t know),
-I think Mazonakis was a strong personality… that he was what people call an “individual”, a “f***ing great guy”. And apparently he was a good person too. All well and good; we’ve heard all that everywhere. But why should he be remembered on the forum for his artistic contribution?
Friends on the forum who like him, that’s your right, but can I ask you, in a friendly spirit, “what do you see in him?” without causing offence? Do you genuinely like him, or do you simply have certain memories/experiences connected with his music (like going to a bar, falling in love with a girl, and Mazonakis happened to be playing at the time) — I can accept that. How can you be moved by Markos, Tsitsanis, Paioumtzis, Bithikotsis, etc., etc., and by Mazonakis? I simply can’t “weigh it up”…
Yes, we’re not the music police (thankfully), and of course rebetiko doesn’t “belong” to us, but not everything in this life is equal…
That’s from a local page that only covers news about Piraeus, right? Yet now that they’ve suddenly died, everyone’s become an expert on plasmapheresis.
Panos made a post about an artist who, in his own way, contributed to Greek music—laïko, pop, skyladika, whatever you want to call it. If some people don’t like him, that’s fine, but at least they should respect the man’s death. It’s not all just rebetiko, and don’t tell me you don’t listen to other kinds of music too. As for certain so-called pseudo-intellectuals, like the woman who made a similar post on social media, they’d do well to let the public love them first before opening their mouths. The public’s love is what raises an artist up, and in Mazonakis’s case, there are a lot of people who love him.
We all go through phases in our lives, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I’m saying this about major artists such as Dalaras, who once sang „Thessaloniki, Ioannina“ in a pair of canvas shoes, but in recent years has sung only rebetiko.
Mazonakis isn’t a singer I would have gone to see or whose record I would have bought. Sometimes I might even have changed the station. But in recent years, through The Voice, he showed himself to be a genuinely straightforward and honest person who didn’t talk bullshit.
To those who say they didn’t even know him… let’s not kid ourselves. We all sang his songs at the bouzoukia, whether we were sober or not.
I agree too; especially when it comes to an artist, we should judge them by their work, because if we go through everyone one by one, in the end there’ll be no one left.
Dellias, drug addict
Bempis, alcoholic
Panou, murderer
Kaldaras, Indian copyist
Kazantzidis, conspiracy maniac
…you get the hint.
We all have our good points and our flaws, and things don’t always go smoothly.
Indo-copyist and plot-maniac. Categories on a par with murder and abuse. Yes, Kazantzidis, guys — don’t get me started, leave it. More plotting, hahaha.
We’ve analysed it to death, you know.
Babis said it’s not among the forum’s topics. That’s not a bad thing. Nor is the opposite! Here’s to us!
I was thinking of not writing anything, since we’ve already reached 20 posts on the subject of Mazonakis. I agree with Babis that his death has nothing to do with the forum, regardless of whether he bought bouzoukia venues for a conservatoire. So, are we going to write about Remos, Sfakianakis, Oikonomopoulos or Vissi tomorrow because she did a collaboration with Mariό? However you look at it, these people have nothing to do with laïko music. They belong to a star system that wiped out whatever popular character there was in the product they offer. The fact that some served it with more dignity than others (such as the late Mazonakis) does not mean that they have anything to do with rebetiko or laïko music.
On the other hand, whether someone has made “a small contribution” to Greek music in general, I don’t think that is a criterion for discussing them on a forum called rebetiko.
And don’t get me wrong, this isn’t about keeping the forum pure; it’s about the fact that we’re now mixing everything up (words, concepts) into a mishmash that makes no sense whatsoever.
The man in question was murdered by con artists who exploit people’s vulnerabilities. As distressing and condemnable as that is, it doesn’t explain why, “artistically”, as Babis put it, he belongs on a rebetiko forum.
(I’d like to see whether, at a future forum gathering, someone would start singing a Mazonakis song. And let’s ask ourselves why nothing like that has happened at any of the gatherings or get-togethers we’ve held so far.)
Good evening, Loukas. I “hear” everything you say.
The issue here isn’t Mazonakis.
It’s the inability to allow freedom of speech, the inability of each person to hold themselves back a little.
There can be no constructive discussion with this sort of behaviour… The old guard handed things over to the younger generation, and the younger generation has now grown old too, but they have no younger people to whom they can pass on the cannibalism they were taught.
I stopped trying a long time ago to explain that there’s a repulsive atmosphere in here which has completely emptied the forum.
The problem isn’t just the written crap… that was stopped a long time ago… the problem is the repulsive, fascistic behaviour…
For example, when someone asks in a new thread, “Hello, I’m new here and I’d like to know who made the bouzouki Vasilas is holding?” and receives replies like “What difference will it make to your life?” or long-winded answers devoid of any meaning… that’s insulting…
When something doesn’t interest you, you can simply move on; you don’t need to write in a thread about someone who has died that they don’t deserve to be here when you have no idea who they were…
It isn’t an appropriate response to someone’s death thread to write that you didn’t know them or that you didn’t like them, because my response is, “I couldn’t give a fuck whether you knew them or not… nobody asked you”…
And because I value you and feel that perhaps there’s hope that you might understand me, I’ll also reply to you specifically.
No, we won’t write anything about them, because they’ve treated both the younger generation and the bouzouki with complete contempt…
Whether you like it or not, the laïkó music of the last 20 years is Mazonakis and the others you mentioned…
Many people say the same about Hiotis, who brought the bouzouki into the drawing rooms and made it somewhat more mainstream and a little lighter…
If that’s what you believe, and the others agree, you might want to consider how many thousands of threads we ought to delete. All those concerning demotic music, all those relating to blues, experimentation and anything that isn’t exclusively about rebetiko and ONLY that.
If we start this discussion in another thread, we’ll need hours only to end up deleting half the forum again.
Search for “died” or “passed away” and tell me whether 90% of the references concern people whose work has been played at gatherings.
I’m saying this in a completely friendly spirit, as you know.
Finally, I consider everything being written in this thread that has nothing to do with the repose of a person’s soul to be deeply disrespectful…
It’s basic human decency to write a short condolence—or simply to write NOTHING.
