Athens Voice Interview : MIKA in Athens during quarantine days, 6 May 2020

[mellody]

1 hour ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

I wanted to do something that would keep me in touch with my fans.

 

[Paoletta]

@Anna Ko Kolkowska yes so sweet Mika he love us!!!

[Elena Mastro]

3 hours ago, Anna Ko Kolkowska said:

Oh, there is another question added!!!! Very important for us 😍

 

 

You take cooking classes online(I think it should be "you give cooking classes online). Can you tell me about your cooking?
I have learned to cook purely by copying. I saw my mother and other family members but, although I enjoy it, I have to say that I am better at "consuming" food than cooking it! Since I was in the middle of a world tour, I wanted to do something that would keep me in touch with my fans. I didn't want to be the only one singing on camera and I also don't have a piano here. So I thought about doing something I do every day at home. To cook ... to listen to music, to dance as if no one is watching me and to sing on songs which words I don't know!

 

OMG, they keep updating the text with new questions 🤪 this drives me crazy, after I stayed up until 4 am to translate it!! 🤣🤣🤣

Anyway, I updated my translation adding this new one, in the right order. I hope now it is complete.

Thank you for noticing and sharing! 😉

 

 

 

 

[Elena Mastro]

 

Per i membri italiani: ho editato la traduzione aggiungendo la nuova domanda/risposta che è apparsa oggi nel testo dell'intervista.

[BiaIchihara]

1 hour ago, Elena Mastro said:

 

OMG, they keep updating the text with new questions 🤪 this drives me crazy, after I stayed up until 4 am to translate it!! 🤣🤣🤣

Anyway, I updated my translation adding this new one, in the right order. I hope now it is complete.

Thank you for noticing and sharing! 😉

 

 

 

 

I know how you feel, I've translated to Portuguese and posted on Mika Fan Club Brasil FB page and posted on Dropbox too (where I keep a storage of translated interviews for the page), had to edit everything again x)

Edited May 9, 2020 by BiaIchihara

[Kumazzz]

INSTAGRAM

 

athensvoiceradio1025

Ο MIKA στην Αθήνα. Ένας pop star πέρασε τις μέρες του κορωνοϊού στην Αθήνα και είπε στον Γιάννη Νένε γιατί την αγάπησε!

👉🏽 Link in bio 🎶🔺@mikainstagram (Αυτό το σχέδιο, το ζωγράφισε ο ίδιος κατά την παραμονή του στην Αθήνα)

 

 

MIKA in Athens. A pop star spent the days of the crown in Athens and told Giannis Nene why he loved her!
  👉🏽 Link in bio 🎶🔺@mikainstagram (This drawing was painted by him during his stay in Athens)

 

 

[Kumazzz]

Here is the other article mentions Mika by Γιάννης Νένες.

 

 

athensvoice.gr

Ο Mika περνάει τις μέρες της καραντίνας σε αθηναϊκό διαμέρισμα

• Γιάννης Νένες
• 23.04.2020 | 12:52

Ο γνωστός Λιβανο-Βρετανός τραγουδιστής #Μένει_Σπίτι στην Αθήνα και μοιράζεται αγάπη, βιβλία και συνταγές μαγειρικής

O Mika ζει την καραντίνα σε ένα διαμέρισμα της Αθήνας και επικοινωνεί με τους φανς μέσα από τα media δείχνοντας συνταγές μαγειρικής και βιβλία.

 

Ο Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr., ή απλώς Mika, είναι ένας καλλιτέχνης που η δουλειά του χαρίζει χαρά με τη χρωματιστή, φωτεινή pop που κάνει και το θετικό vibe που εκπέμπει.

 

Τα τελευταία χρόνια, ζώντας κυρίως στη Γαλλία και την Ιταλία όπου συμμετείχε και σε τηλεοπτικά talent show ως κριτής (στο γαλλικό The Voice και στο ιταλικό X Factor), έδειξε να αγαπάει τις μεσογειακές του ρίζες και να απολαμβάνει τη διαμονή του στον Νότο. Στην Ιταλία, μάλιστα, είχε και δικό του τηλεοπτικό πρόγραμμα, το «Ἁπόψε στο Σπίτι με τον Mika» το οποίο κέρδισε και το διεθνές βραβείο Rose d’Or στον τομέα Ψυχαγωγίας, το 2017. Το «Stasera Casa Mika» είχε καλεσμένους Ιταλούς και ξένους διάσημους ηθοποιούς, μουσικούς και καλλιτέχνες όπως η Kylie Minogue, ο Sting, η LP και η Dita von Teese, μαζί με κωμικά σκετς αλλά και σοβαρά θέματα που αφορούσαν στη ζωή στην Ιταλία.

 

Ο πολυτάλαντος Mika, το 2013, μαζί με την αδερφή του Yasmine σχεδίασαν δύο ρολόγια για τη Swatch, προς τιμή των 30 χρόνων της εταιρείας. Επίσης, το 2017, ο Mika ξεκίνησε συνεργασία με την εταιρεία Pilot για την οποία, μαζί με τη Yasmine, σχεδίασαν μία συλλογή 24 διαφορετικών στιλό με την ευκαιρία των 100 χρόνων από την ίδρυση της εταιρείας.

 

Ένα πραγματικά pop icon που συνδυάζει την pop art με τη μουσική, τη φιλανθρωπική δράση και τον υπερβατικό διαλογισμό.

 

Τον Οκτώβριο του ’19 κυκλοφόρησε το πέμπτο του στούντιο άλμπουμ «My Name is Michael Holbrook» το οποίο πήρε θερμές κριτικές για την ψυχαγωγική, «καλόκαρδη» ποιότητά του και το καλοκαιρινό groove που το χαρακτηρίζει.

Πρώτο single του άλμπουμ, το «Ice Cream», είναι αυτό που έπαιξε πολύ το καλοκαίρι στα ραδιόφωνα και στα κλαμπ, με ένα βίντεο α-λα Kylie που γυρίστηκε στη Βαρκελώνη.

 

Το επόμενο single, «Tiny Love» που κυκλοφόρησε τον Αύγουστο, έδειξε για άλλη μία φορά πόσο σπουδαίος καλλιτέχνης είναι ο Mika: ένα υπέροχο κομμάτι που ξεκινάει ήρεμα και κορυφώνεται θαυμάσια δείχνοντας μάλιστα και τις επιρροές του Mika από τους Queen.

 

To τρίτο single «San Remo» που κυκλοφόρησε τον περασμένο Σεπτέμβριο, έχει μία α λα George Michael ποιότητα, όχι μόνο γιατί είναι ένα γλυκό, σέξι ερωτικό γράμμα προς την Ιταλία αλλά και γιατί σημειώνει και την «έξοδο στο φως» που έκανε άλλωστε και ο ίδιος ο Mika, για τη σεξουαλικότητά του. Τον Οκτώβριο του ’19 δέχτηκε το Βραβείο Virgin Atlantic Attitude του δημοφιλούς gay περιοδικού «Attitude», λέγοντας ότι «μετά τον πρώτο καιρό της καριέρας του που αντιμετώπισε την ομοφοβία, αποφάσισε να κάνει ανοιχτά και χωρίς καμία διάθεση να απολογηθεί για αυτό, queer μουσική η οποία τον βοηθάει να θεραπεύσει και πληγές του παρελθόντος».

 

Ο Mika, περήφανος και με ανανεωμένη διάθεση, ξεκίνησε την προώθηση του άλμπουμ με μία παγκόσμια περιοδεία η οποία όμως σταμάτησε πρόωρα λόγω του ξεσπάσματος της πανδημίας του κορωνοϊού.

 

Όταν ο κορωνοϊός χτύπησε την Ιταλία, ο Mika έγραφε:

 

«Είμαι υπερήφανος να είμαι ένας από τους πρώτους που συμμετέχουν στις νέες καμπάνιες @vanityfairitalia και @marchettisimone #Iloveitalia. Η σοβαρότητα και το επείγον της κατάστασης εξαπλώνονται σε όλο τον κόσμο, οι καρδιές και το βλέμμα μας εξακολουθούν να είναι στην Ιταλία και στον τεράστιο αγώνα που αντιμετωπίζει το έθνος. Εγώ και τόσοι πολλοί άλλοι, είμαστε εδώ για να σας ενθαρρύνουμε να διατηρείτε μεγάλες ελπίδες και αλληλεγγύη. Ιταλία Σ’ αγαπώ!»

 

Η έκπληξή μας ωστόσο ήταν μεγάλη όταν είδαμε τον Mika να φωτογραφίζεται για το Instagram, περνώντας τις μέρες της καραντίνας σε ένα αθηναϊκό διαμέρισμα, γράφοντας:

 

«Στο μπαλκόνι στην Αθήνα. Επιτέλους μπορώ να διαβάσω με την ησυχία μου αφού είχα αρκετά στο κεφάλι μου μέχρι πρόσφατα. Η πόλη είναι έντονα ήσυχη σήμερα. Ο μόνος ήχος που ακούγεται είναι από κάποιο περαστικό φορτηγό ή τη βέσπα του ντελιβερά. Ένας άντρας περνάει με το σκύλο του, ενώ μιλάει στο τηλέφωνο. Είναι πάνω από 50 μέτρα μακριά μου αλλά μέσα σε αυτή τη σιωπή της πόλης τον ακούω πεντακάθαρα. Είναι Γάλλος και ρωτάει πώς είναι η οικογένειά του. Αυτές τις μέρες διαβάζω δύο διαφορετικά βιβλία –ένα μυθιστόρημα, το “Chronicle in Stone” του Ismail Kadare για το πώς ήταν η Αλβανία κατά τη διάρκεια του Β΄ Παγκόσμιου Πόλεμου και το εξαιρετικό “Δαμασκός” του Χρήστου Τσόλκα που περνάει από το 35 μ.Χ. και τον Β΄Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο μέχρι σήμερα. Εσείς, φίλοι, τι διαβάζετε;»

 

Ανάμεσα στο cocοοning και το διάβασμα, ο Mika άρχισε να κάνει και live επίδειξη μαγειρικών ικανοτήτων:

 

«Το να μένω στο σπίτι ανέκαθεν είχε να κάνει με το μαγείρεμα και την ακρόαση μουσικής. Όμως και τα δύο αυτά πράγματα είναι πάντα καλύτερα να τα μοιράζεσαι με άλλους. ΟΠΟΤΕ! Συνδεθείτε αύριο live με την κουζίνα μου, όπου θα ακούω μουσική ετοιμάζοντας το βραδινό φαγητό, μιλώντας για τα πάντα και για τίποτα. Μπορεί να μην μπορούμε να αράξουμε μαζί προσωπικά αλλά μπορούμε να το κάνουμε με άλλους τρόπους. Θα σας δω αύριο όλους σας! Τι θα μαγειρέψω στο πρώτο επεισόδιο;; Προφανώς το μόνο πιάτο που δεν μπορώ να ζήσω χωρίς αυτό και το φτιάχνω από τότε που ήμουν 7 χρονών… Συντονιστείτε για να δείτε ποιό είναι αυτό!»

«Σας το είχα πει ότι θα έβγαινε καλό! Παράτολμο να φτιάξω κάτι για πρώτη φορά ζωντανά μπροστά σε τόσους ανθρώπους ΑΛΛΑ δούλεψε! Το σπανάκι σάς κάνει δυνατούς, παιδιά. Θα τα πούμε την Πέμπτη για άλλο ένα #cookingwithmika».

 

«Θα σας δω αύριο το βράδυ στις 7 για άλλο ένα μάθημα μαγειρικής #cookingwithmika. Αυτή τη φορά όμως θα σας δώσω τα υλικά για το πιάτο που θα φτιάξουμε, για να μπορείτε να κάνετε κι εσείς το ίδιο ταυτόχρονα από το σπίτι σας. Είναι ένα πιάτο homage στη λιβανέζικη καταγωγή μου. Είναι σούπερ εύκολο και δεν έχει τοοόσο πολλά υλικά. Ελπίζω μόνο να έχετε αυτά τα υλικά στο σπίτι ή να μπορείτε να βγείτε και να τα αγοράσετε, αν και επιμένω ότι πρέπει να μένετε μέσα στο σπίτι όσο το δυνατόν περισσότερο. Αν δεν μπορείτε να βρείτε ταχίνι αυτές τις δύσκολες μέρες, μην ανησυχείτε. Μπορείτε απλώς να παρακολουθείτε και να κρατάτε σημειώσεις για να μπορέσετε να κάνετε τη συνταγή όταν θα είναι δυνατό να βγείτε έξω για ψώνια. Άλλωστε θα έχουμε πολλή μουσική και κουβέντα την ώρα του μαγειρέματος! Μαζί μου θα είναι και μερικοί φίλοι μεταξύ των οποίων και η βραβευμένη με αστέρι Μισελέν σεφ Viviana Varese στο Μιλάνο. Εκείνη με παρότρυνε να το κάνω αυτό εξάλλου! @viviana_varese #iocucinoacasa #vivavivianavarese “

 

Η ATHENS VOICE προσπαθησε να επικοινωνήσει με τον Mika. Μετά από μερικές μέρες σιωπής όμως, ήρθε ένα νέο μήνυμα στο Instagram:

 

«Θέλω να απολογηθώ για τη σιωπή μου τελευταία. Την περασμένη εβδομάδα είχαμε πολλές φασαρίες στην οικογένειά μου όπως και τόσες πολλές άλλες οικογένειες σε όλο τον κόσμο. Πολλά κοντινά συγγενικά μου πρόσωπα, όλοι τους στο Παρίσι, παρουσίασαν συμπτώματα του COVID-19. Την Κυριακή το απόγευμα, όμως, την ώρα που ήμουν έτοιμος να βγω στον αέρα στο ραδιόφωνο της RAI UNO, η μητέρα μου μεταφέρθηκε με ασθενοφόρο στα επείγοντα περιστατικά. Αναγκάστηκα να διακόψω τη ζωντανή ραδιοφωνική σύνδεση και να βοηθήσω την αδερφή μου και τον αδερφό μου από μακριά. Φέτος, μεταξύ άλλων, η μητέρα μου παλεύει με έναν επιθετικό καρκίνο του εγκεφάλου και καθώς οι μέρες περνούσαν και η κατάσταση χειροτέρευε, είχαμε ειδοποιηθεί να προετοιμαζόμαστε για το χειρότερο. Μείναμε σπίτι, ο καθένας μόνος του, χωριστά, ανήμποροι να επικοινωνήσουμε μαζί της, να της μιλήσουμε, όπως και σε τόσες άλλες περιπτώσεις τώρα. Χθες, ως εκ θαύματος, πληροφορηθήκαμε ότι η κατάστασή της σταθεροποιείται. Νιώθω απίστευτα ευγνώμων που μπορώ να γράφω αυτό το μήνυμα και τόσο μεγάλη ευγνωμοσύνη στους ανθρώπους του νοσηλευτικού προσωπικού που μάχονται τον κορωνοϊό στην πρώτη γραμμή. Προχωράμε σιγά, κάθε μέρα και από λίγο, και έχουμε ακόμα πολύ δρόμο για να βγούμε στο φως. Η καρδιά μου είναι κοντά σε όλους όσοι έχουν προσβληθεί από αυτόν τον τρομερό ιό. Το να μην μπορείς να δεις και να μιλήσεις με αυτούς που αγαπάς ενόσω υποφέρεις και αγωνίζεσαι, σου ραγίζει την καρδιά γι’ αυτό και θέλω να εκφράσω την πιο βαθιά μου συμπαράσταση σε εκείνους που βρίσκονται τώρα στην ίδια κατάσταση και, ακόμα χειρότερο, έχουν χάσει κάποιο αγαπημένο τους πρόσωπο. Η οικογένειά μου κι εγώ σας στέλνουμε την αγάπη και τη συμπόνοια μας. Αυτά τα δύο είναι που θα χρειαστούμε για να κρατηθούμε με όλη μας τη δύναμη, για να αντέξουμε τις επόμενες εβδομάδες».

 

Mετά από αρκετές ημέρες

 

Τα ευχάριστα νέα είναι ότι η μαμά του Mika είναι καλά.
Όσο για εμάς, περιμένουμε ακόμα να απαντήσει στις ερωτήσεις μας 🙂
Mika, σε αγαπάμε έτσι κι αλλιώς.

 

Mika spends his quarantine days in an Athenian apartment

 

The famous Lebanese-British singer #Meni_Spiti in Athens and shares love, books and cooking recipes

Mika lives the quarantine in an apartment in Athens and communicates with the fans through the media, showing cooking recipes and books.

Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr., or simply Mika, is an artist whose work brings joy with the colorful, bright pop he makes and the positive vibe he emits.

In recent years, living mainly in France and Italy where he also participated in a television talent show as a judge (in the French The Voice and the Italian X Factor), he showed that he loves his Mediterranean roots and enjoys his stay in the South. In Italy, in fact, he had his own TV show, "Stop at Home with Mika" which also won the Rose d'Or International Entertainment Award in 2017. "Stasera Casa Mika" had invited Italians and foreigners famous actors, musicians and artists such as Kylie Minogue, Sting, LP and Dita von Teese, along with comic sketches and serious issues related to life in Italy.

The multi-talented Mika, in 2013, together with his sister Yasmine designed two watches for Swatch, in honor of the company's 30 years. Also in 2017, Mika started working with Pilot, for which, together with Yasmine, they designed a collection of 24 different pens on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the company's founding.

A truly pop icon that combines pop art with music, charity and transcendental meditation.

In October of '19, he released his fifth studio album, "My Name is Michael Holbrook," which received rave reviews for its entertaining, "good-hearted" quality and summer groove.

The album's first single, "Ice Cream", was the one that played the most on radio and club in the summer, with a Kylie a-la video shot in Barcelona.

The next single, "Tiny Love", released in August, once again showed how great an artist Mika is: a wonderful piece that starts calmly and culminates wonderfully, even showing Mika's influences from the Queen.

The third single "San Remo" released last September, has a la George George quality, not only because it is a sweet, sexy love letter to Italy but also because it marks the "exit to the light" that he made Mika himself, for his sexuality. In October '19, he received the Virgin Atlantic Attitude Award from the popular gay magazine Attitude, saying that "after the first time in his career dealing with homophobia, he decided to do so openly and without any apology, queer music or which helps him heal the wounds of the past. "

Mika, proud and in a renewed mood, started promoting the album with a world tour which, however, stopped prematurely due to the outbreak of the coronation pandemic.

 

.

When the Crown Prince struck Italy, Mika wrote:

 

"I am proud to be one of the first to participate in the new @vanityfairitalia and @marchettisimone #Iloveitalia campaigns. The severity and urgency of the situation is spreading around the world, our hearts and eyes are still on Italy and the huge struggle facing the nation. I and so many others are here to encourage you to maintain high hopes and solidarity. Italy I love you! "

 

However, our surprise was great when we saw Mika being photographed for Instagram, spending the days of quarantine in an Athenian apartment, writing:

 

"On the balcony in Athens. I can finally read in peace as I have had enough in my head until recently. The city is very quiet today. The only sound heard is from a passing truck or the delivery of the delivery. A man walks by with his dog while talking on the phone. It is more than 50 meters away from me but in this silence of the city I hear it very clearly. He is French and asks what his family is like. These days I am reading two different books - a novel, Ismail Kadare's "Chronicle in Stone" about what Albania was like during World War II and Christos Tsolkas' excellent "Damascus" that goes through 35 m. X. and World War II to this day. What do you guys read? "

 

Between reading and reading, Mika began to show live cooking skills:

 

"Staying at home has always been about cooking and listening to music. But both of these things are always better to share with others. NEVER! Connect tomorrow live with my kitchen, where I will listen to music preparing dinner, talking about everything and nothing. We may not be able to work together personally, but we can do it in other ways. I'll see you all tomorrow! What will I cook in the first episode? Obviously the only dish I can't live without and I've been making since I was 7 years old… Tune in to see what it is! ”

"I told you it would be good! Dare to do something live for the first time in front of so many people BUT it worked! Spinach makes you strong, guys. We'll tell you on Thursday about another #cookingwithmika ".

 

"I'll see you tomorrow night at 7 for another cooking class #cookingwithmika. This time, however, I will give you the ingredients for the dish that we will make, so that you can do the same at the same time from your home. It is a homage dish of Lebanese origin. It's super easy and doesn't have as many ingredients. I just hope you have these materials at home or you can go out and buy them, although I insist you should stay in the house as long as possible. If you can't find tahini on these difficult days, don't worry. You can just keep track and keep notes so you can make the recipe when it comes to shopping. Besides, we will have a lot of music and conversation during cooking! With me will be some friends, including the Michelin-starred chef Viviana Varese in Milan. She encouraged me to do this anyway! @viviana_varese #iocucinoacasa #vivavivianavarese “

 

ATHENS VOICE tried to contact Mika. But after a few days of silence, a new message came on Instagram:

 

"I want to apologize for my silence. Last week we had a lot of noise in my family as well as so many other families around the world. Many of my close relatives, all in Paris, had symptoms of COVID-19. On Sunday afternoon, however, while I was about to go on the air on RAI UNO radio, my mother was transported by ambulance to the emergency room. I was forced to disconnect the live radio connection and help my sister and brother from afar. This year, among other things, my mother is battling a brain cancer attack, and as the days went by and the situation got worse, we were warned to prepare for the worst. We stayed home, each on his own, separately, unable to communicate with her, to talk to her, as in so many other cases now. Yesterday, miraculously, we were informed that her condition is stabilizing. I feel incredibly grateful to be able to write this message and so much gratitude to the people in the nursing staff who are fighting the corona in the front line. We are moving slowly, every day and for a while, and we still have a long way to go to come to light. My heart is close to all those who have been infected with this terrible virus. Not being able to see and talk to those you love while you're suffering and struggling breaks your heart about it and I want to express my deepest support to those who are now in the same situation and, even worse, have lost someone. their favorite person. My family and I send you our love and compassion. These two are what we will need to keep on with all our might, to withstand the coming weeks. "

 

After several days

 

The good news is that Mika's mom is fine.
As for us, we are still waiting for him to answer our questions
Mika, we love you anyway.
.

 

[Anna Ko Kolkowska]

10 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

Here is the other article mentions Mika by Γιάννης Νένες.

It looks like this is the first article which appeaded on Athens Voice before the one with Mika's answers.

 

10 hours ago, Kumazzz said:

"As for us, we are still waiting for him to answer our questions"

Mika referes to this note in the interview we have read earlier.

[crazyaboutmika]

On 5/8/2020 at 9:28 PM, mellody said:

 

He got me interested in that book now. Although I don't like what I read about it on Wikipedia, it seems like a rather dark story. But I might give it a try, just out of curiosity for the similarities to the current pandemic that Mika mentions. I'll probably regret it, like watching the movie "The Storm" or part 3 of "The Matrix" - where you are left without any hope and the main characters just die, all of them.

Have any of you read this book? I read that it's part of the lectures at French schools, so maybe some of the French fans know it?

I had to read it at school. It's a classic. I didn't like it,  but I'm not into dark plots....I found it really depressing like most of those classics they make you read at school.

Edited May 10, 2020 by crazyaboutmika

[Kumazzz]

Here is "The Plaque" by Albert Camus : translated by Stuart Gilbert.

 

Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from Duke University Libraries

 

🔻PDF file ( 8.5 MB ) plague02camu.pdf

ONLINE book

https://archive.org/details/plague02camu

 

 

[mellody]

On 5/7/2020 at 9:32 AM, Kumazzz said:

But my favorite book right now is Albert Camus's "Plague." It's an amazing book. I'm impressed by the striking similarities between what Camus describes in a fantastic 1940s epidemic and what the world is going through now. Everything from emotions to politics, food, drink, and sex. What makes it even more remarkable is that the epidemic, as Camus describes it, never really happened. I find that reading a book that is so closely related to what we live in is extremely comforting. I started reading it and then I started listening to it as I ran down the street, doing my daily exercise. This book, combined with the ancient monuments around me, has made me very interested in philosophy.

 

I've finished reading this book yesterday night (in the German version), and while it's certainly interesting and he's right that there's some similarities to the current situation, I really don't understand what he finds comforting about it.  What I like about the book is that it's mostly written in a rather descriptive and general way, that way I was able to read about all the bad things that are happening to people in this city, without it getting too much for me to take. There were 2 or 3 scenes like that, but for the most part it's more like a scientific news article than like a novel. It's still thrilling though, not like the books I had to read at school, where I always had to force myself to continue reading.

 

Mika's right that there's many similarities to the current situation in the emotions people are going through, also in the hesitant or even denying way many politicians act. About the drinking, food and sex there's not so much in the book, apart from people enjoying leisures more than before, because they know every day could be their last. There's some parts about people going to cinemas, restaurants, bars and cafés, and a few lines about people drinking more (alcohol) than usual. Nothing in particular about sex, except maybe a few allusions I didn't understand (wouldn't be the first time I have a more innocent look on things than Mika ). I think the focus is on emotions, the feeling of being locked in, unfree, separated from loved ones, and what it does with people. Tho it's different in a way, because in the book it's a city which gets separated from the outside world, but inside of the city for the most part people can still do what they want, cinemas and restaurants don't get closed there.

 

Anyway it was interesting to read in these times, certainly agree with Mika on that point.

[Kumazzz]

Here is the latest INTERVIEW with Greek Press 🇬🇷

 

 

Twitter

MFC: Thanks a lot for finding and posting! It's very good interesting interview. @dcdeb

This is an extract of a part of the interview about his rockdown days in Athens. ( by Google translator )

NEWS 247 https://www.news247.gr/sunday-edition/o-mika-xerei-to-mystiko-gia-na-meineis-neos.10097070.html

 

 

Just before throwing gold dust at this year's Rockwave, he talked to us via zoom about Athens that he loved during lockdown, Zagorochoria and his own perception of youth.

 

ON A BALCONY IN ATHENS

 

MIKA is an impetuous guy, constantly smiling and appeared on our zoom against the backdrop of the dense branches of a tree. Clearly focused on joy and the positive side of life, MIKA began to tell us why his appearance in Rockwave means so much to him. After a light joke about the heat in Athens, which he knows very well, our short conversation began.

 

"This performance at Rockwave is very interesting for me, because while I have had personal contact with Greece for many years, I have never performed in a concert to the Greek audience. For some reason it hadn't come up and it's the first time that while I know a country so well, I haven't presented my work to its audience. I set it a goal for this year and told my colleagues that it must finally be done. I'm very curious and excited about how I'm going to feel. I have no idea what the Greek public is like and I am very curious to discover it."

 

We ask him what his relationship with Greece is, and we discover that he really knows it better than we imagined.

 

"I have traveled to Greece and even went through lockdown in Athens, where we had an apartment with my partner, for seven years. I'm not so much the island type. I prefer Northern Greece, I like mountains and I have traveled a lot in the mountains because of the origin of my partner who is half Greek. We have toured Zagorochoria and I generally love Epirus, not only for its natural beauties. I love incredible music, clarinets and local traditions. They have a special melancholy that fits perfectly with the landscape.

 

At the same time, I love Athens. I have had the privilege of staying there for some time, and this city has and will always have a place in my heart. In a difficult phase of my life he offered me accommodation and now that I return for the show I remember it fondly. I was in the middle of a world tour and had been filming in the island group of Vanuatu (Vanuatu is an archipelago located in the South Pacific, 1,000 km west of Fiji) and specifically spent five days on a small island called Tanna. There we were shooting with an indigenous tribe and I was cut off from the world. Then I traveled for shows in Japan and China and then the coronavirus hit and everything started to shut down.

 

During lockdown I was in Athens, I built a bubble and put myself in. I would wake up, sit on the balcony and listen to the neighborhood playing music. In the most difficult phase of my life, I felt like one of the luckiest people on the planet.

I panicked. I had just sold my house in London, so I couldn't go to Britain because I had nowhere to live. I couldn't go back to Italy because the borders had already been closed. My hotel in France had "closed" due to the pandemic and I couldn't go there either. My mother was sick in Paris and I couldn't see her. I couldn't go to America because my partner who is Greek-British couldn't get a green card. I didn't know what to do. For the first time in my life I got stuck. I didn't have a job, because everything was canceled, and I didn't even know when and if everything would open. And then I found myself in Athens. And that's where I found a bubble and put myself in.

 

I stayed in an apartment, which my partner and I had for some years. It was the first time in my life that I couldn't work. I would wake up in the morning and sit on the balcony. At first I was sad and nervous. I was worried about my mother being sick, but luckily I wasn't on the other side of the world. But little by little, this balcony in Athens was transformed when the neighbors started playing music. The tenant upstairs was playing the piano and I was enjoying Bach pieces. One woman, in the same neighborhood, was playing Schubert in her living room. A little further on, a trumpet player was rehearsing and somewhere in the background a classical tenor was singing opera. I was sitting on the balcony listening to all this and I couldn't believe it.

 

Then I would go for a run in the center and around the Acropolis, because we were allowed to exercise, and the city was completely empty. It was incredible! Witness God, I felt like one of the luckiest people on the planet. One of the ugliest periods of my life eventually became one of the most beautiful and special, because of Athens.