Aging Bodies, Aging Minds, Aging Bands

The inspiration for this piece of writing comes from a brief twitter chat I had with a dear “under-web ally” of mine (i.e. an online yet still underground co-defender of the Rock) @RockCyprus. Chatting about the recent Download 2013 line-up announcements, our conversation went something like this:

@Tzellofouska Rammstein & Maiden in one go? Surely, you don't wanna miss that! 

@RockCyprus It's been Maiden and Metallica from the 1st row in the last 2 years. Hard to beat that I'll have to have a break ;) [plus the prized possession of Kirk Hammett's guitar pick! ;)]

@Tzellofouska Metallica...Second most disappointing live band after Megadeth. And am a keen thrasher; just 20 yrs too late [ 90s vs 00s.... The price to pay for my age!]

@RockCyprus It's a big discussion, but surely Hetfield or Araya can never be 20 and alcoholics ever again ;) :D

And it went on for a few more tweets. Now, just to clarify, my aim is not to get into a discussion about disappointing live shows from [previously great yet still legendary] bands. I will only pose a few of my contemplations in the hope of initiating a healthy exchange of opinions.  

It all started with me seeing Metallica live for the first time. Then it happened again when I saw what Axl calls Guns N’ Roses nowadays. And it all happened for the third time when I saw Megadeth at this year’s Download. What a disappointment it was, I cannot emphasize enough! Performance-, passion-, stage presence-wise, you name it. 

At the time, I used to say to myself and others equally disappointed as me, that you wouldn’t expect these bands to perform to the same level as 20 years ago for example. It is of course a valid point. Or perhaps a good rationalisation of why I spent £60 on a gig that hasn’t changed me in the least. Because, you see, I only appreciate gigs that change my life, even a tiny bit at a time. I shall elaborate... 

Every band or artist has what I call a pre-defined persona. Meaning, they are known for specific elements of their live shows. Take Rammstein, for example, known for their extreme pyro shows complemented by heavy German rumblings [which I love by the way!]; or Iron Maiden with Eddie and an over-enthusiastic Mr. Dickinson; or Motörhead with their deafening decibels and a Lemmy; or even Kiss with their outdated yet oh-so-entertaining outfits; or Black Sabbath with a playful Ozzy and a quiet Iommi that communicates through the riffs. ALL bands have their pre-defined persona; from the time of their conception to today.

Now, when I go to a live show, I expect to see, feel, and experience that persona. I am easily satisfied though. Just having the opportunity to see legendary bands is an excitement on its own, considering most are at the end of the “road”. I surely don’t expect to see the SAME level of energy and passion as I see in videos of their earlier shows. Or should I?

Having been to so many gigs in the past decade alone means that I saw many of these “dinosaur” bands as people call them but not in their prime years. From this experience alone I realised that while there might be an expiration date on creativity for making good albums, passion is meant to stay put. Aging is not an excuse for a bad live for me anymore. 

If you can’t support that pre-defined persona of the band with the same level of passion anymore, just don’t bother touring; because then it shows that you are doing it purely for the cash. I’m sure Alice Cooper will retire once he’s not able to hold that boa on stage anymore. There were a few gigs that made an impact and changed me the way I wanted; Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, Anthrax, Motörhead, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Kiss, Rammstein, and even the remaining of The Who! One can see that age is not the point here; some of these guys get a social security check at the end of each month! 

I would love, and I’m sure I’ll have more opportunities, to see Metallica or Megadeth again so that I prove myself wrong. But in the meantime, yawning at a gig, where one of your favourites is performing, is not a very good sign. Either love what you do or quit while you can. Performing is just another job you have to enjoy doing in order to survive in this business. I will repeat: there is no such thing as aging bodies; just aging minds.

You may follow @RockCyprus  on twitter for updates on upcoming shows in Cyprus. Otherwise, just follow him anyway because he's got some great tweets!

__________________________________________________________________________________

Image Credit:

http://www.last.fm/

http://www.collapseboard.com/

http://tzellofouska.blogspot.co.uk/

Read More

Review of Sabaton (Live at Kingston Rock City)

Review of Sabaton Live at Kingston Rock City 2012 (Limassol, Cyprus)

Venue & Organisation: Small and intimate rock bar, quite a famous hangout amongst Cypriot rock fans. It kind of reminded me of O2 Academy Islington in London. The sound was a bit off at times but it was a perfect choice for such an event. Ticket price was very reasonable. Same problem with too many oversized t-shirts and not enough in human sizes but that was the band's "fault" I was informed. 8/10   

Quality: I haven't got anything bad to say about Sabaton. No, really! This was the first time I saw them live, so it was quite an experience. I'm sure Wacken will give me a more well-rounded opinion. 8/10

Passion: You crazy Scandinavians! Although clearly underestimating Cypriot climate and the 30C temperature by appearing with knight armours etc, they pulled through the whole show without getting naked on stage. Passion is what defines this band. I think it's pretty safe to say that by the end of the gig everybody was ready to follow Brodén to battle much like Leonidas with his 300. Oh, and did I mention that we were at arm's length when he came to the bar to get a beer while still singing? My friend nearly followed him to the stage! 10/10

Gig Running Time: About 1 1/2 hours. I remember leaving with that feeling of an unfulfilled promise. But I think that whatever the running time was, I would still be depressed while parting ways even if they played a personal 3-hour gig especially for me! 7/10

Opening Acts: Oblivion and Stormcast. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on them because at that time we were buying ice cream and beer from a nearby shop! Judging from the couple of songs I heard from outside, I am sure I missed a lot.

Set List: It seems that what everybody expected to hear was "Coat of Arms" and "Primo Victoria". And they did. They played/sung "The Carolean's Prayer (Karolinens Bön)" in Swedish, live for the first time ever! My Swedish friend was particularly excited. 9/10

Crowd: Need I comment on our crowd? Again, from small children to older adults all banging their heads. Cypriot metal fans may only add up to a few thousand in total but as Sabaton themselves put it (and I am only slightly paraphrasing here), the warmth and energy of a few hundred Cypriots is stronger than that of thousands in large arenas. They also commented on how quick and easy it is to excite our crowd (i.e. halfway through the first song everybody was already half-naked and sweaty). I guess we are not into foreplay that much! 10/10

Overall Experience: If Sabaton was not in my "bands to see live before I go to hell" list, they surely are now. Even if this time ticks the box, I still want to see them.... well, a few more times. And to summarise my whole experience I will just quote what my "irrelevant" (= not listening to or not familiar with even the "basic" metal) friend said to me after the gig.

"You know what? I've decided to move to Sweden. [me baffled] I loved them! Especially the singer. I'm going to tell my man that I'm just going there to buy some furniture from IKEA for our house.... And then never come back!" 8.5/10

Read More

Review of Iced Earth (Live in Ancient Kourion 2012 DVD Recording)

Review of Iced Earth Live in Ancient Kourion 2012 (Live DVD Recording, Limassol, Cyprus)

Venue & Organisation: Where do I even begin? Acoustically it was the perfect choice. Practically not so much. Cypriots are known to be heavy smokers (all sorts), heavy drinkers, and frankly quite lazy. The 15 mins climb to the top was rather unpleasant to say the least. Having mastered your urge to climb the rocks like Spiderman ignoring the possibility of instant death, you reach the top thirsty and parched. You can't wait to grab a seat and gulp down the first few pints for which you happily paid £3 for. While you manage to juggle four pints in two hands, you reach the entrance where... surprise! NO DRINKS ALLOWED! The patient men inform you about the rules while understanding that a few extra words could lead to a raid. NO FOOD ALLOWED either and I am sure FARTING is prohibited too. You, having arrived late as a proper Cypriot would do, try to drink as much of your precious beer as you can so that you go inside just in time to get a couple of good seats. You throw away the rest and walk down the amphitheatre swearing at the organisers, the promoters, the doormen, the band, the venue, the few remaining ancient monuments, Cyprus, and the government. Dear organisers, this is a metal concert. Therefore, my dearest organisers please keep in mind that if the rules remain the same, the next one will be less busy. Also, a few more t-shirts in human sizes would be much appreciated! 3/10

Iced Earth Quality & Versatility: Having seen them live twice with Barlow and twice with Block, I have to admit I prefer my IE the old way. Yet, things change and bands progress. In my opinion, Stu is a worthy successor in all aspects. The Iced Earth we grew up with and love have still got some aces up their sleeves, I reckon. 8/10

Passion: Well, we all know these guys don't make enough money for what they put out there for us, yet their performances are always great. 9/10

Gig Running Time: Good three hours. 10/10

Set List: Everything one should expect but I have a thing with Dark Saga which was not played this time. Still, Dante's Inferno was in there and that made me very very happy. 9/10

Crowd: There is a reason why they chose Cyprus for their live DVD recording. Cypriots love them. A passionate crowd of less than 2,000 people was enough to show them just how much. Ages ranged from children to middle-aged couples (very unassuming ones who even brought their bum pillows for added comfort!). I reckon some more advertising from the promoters would have brought more people but as the experience showed, they weren't much needed. 8/10 

Band Chemistry & Performance: The chemistry between the band members makes you feel that Stu has always been part of the band. I guess they clicked! As I said before, I like Stu, I think he's a great vocalist. Yet, as much as I hate to admit, the song Dracula, is better left untouched. He did perform very well on that one but I guess it is one of those songs written for Barlow. The new bassist from Fury UK replacing Vidales also seems to be enjoying his new job post as his performance showed! I'd like not to comment on Mr. Schaffer as I think words are not enough. 9/10

Overall Experience: Events like this one rarely happen in our small island of less than a 1,000,000 inhabitants and less than a few thousand metal fans so shame on those who did not come! Iced Earth thank you for opening the door to the Heavy Metal reign over Cyprus! 9/10

Videos can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyzuwe_kJsZ5SDdXBklhJPyy-ci7qQoeb

Read More

Just a Step from Nowhere

Here it is! My attempt to self-therapy! This is another poem-like creation of mine. I would call it one of my earlier experimentations with writing song lyrics. The title pretty much says it all. Dio would have probably burst out laughing if he ever read this but hey, if I had Ronnie's talent, I wouldn't be posting questionable "lyrics" here. But then again, If I had Ronnie's talent, I wouldn't be writing this kind of "masterpieces" in the first place!

For those wondering, no I wasn't suffering from depression back then, I was merely trying to be deep. I failed miserably...

Lying here feeling nothing at all
Looking around, seeing it all wrong.
Faces are coming, then leave and forget
Most of them don’t know but still they regret.

Hey, listen! That’s just what I want.
You offer a life but I’m not very fond of.

Still lying here without a thought
Poor little face with nothing to hope.
Can someone tell me what I’m looking for?
Am going crazy, can’t stand this no more.

Hey, listen! That’s just what I want.
You offer a life but I’m not very fond of.

Weird thoughts filling my head
Loosing my mind, I might have been dead.
For a moment I think help‘s coming near
But all I can feel is me dying here!

Hey, listen! That’s me and I’m crying.
Just hope you could save me from my painful dying!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Read More

Not Another Music Review!

I hate music reviews. There I said it! I hate the fact that they all read the same. I hate that the reviewer thinks their opinion matters. I hate that they actually think they can do it properly. I even hate that they think they are in a position to do it in the first place!

As I said before, any person, with a functional set of ears (or one), and a good taste in music (anything except pop; I have an issue with that) can actually "review" an album, a band, a song, or a gig. But basing your whole preferences and taste on certain people's judgements and opinions (which can be situational by the way) is, plainly put, ridiculous. Fair enough, there are impressive reviews out there by important people in the music business, who use a combination of fancy and intellectual words to describe the lyricist's subconscious struggle with their inner fears or the guitarist's solo virtuosity or even the bass player's skilful versatility in balancing harmony with rhythm, which can be somewhat "use"-full(?). [We all know that a music review that uses the word "bass" -let alone the bass player's skills- does not really exist!]

So you can imagine the position I was in when I was asked by a friend to review an alternative band. At first I hesitated, because as I mentioned above "Who the hell am I to tell you what is good and bad", right? Plus, I am not into alternative rock that much and I have no reviewing skills as you may have noticed from previous attempts! But then it occurred to me that I have actually been doing it (reviewing that is)...a lot, but in an alternative way! So I thought, why not do an "alternative" review for these guys? Also, the band is actually good. 

Here it is then. It's small, different (or alternative if you prefer), with links so you can see for yourself. I don't currently have a personal relationship of any sort with the band members and I made sure I listened to their album before I even talked to them. So basically, I am not that biased! Also, just to make it perfectly clear, I have no musical education of any kind. Therefore, I base my opinion solemnly on what my two perfect ears feed back to my brain neurons!

The Band
The band is called Waterblack. It originates from Cyprus and the city of Limassol but with strong UK connections as most of the band members were born and/or currently reside in the UK.

From left: Eco, Marcos, Xenios, Chris, & Byron

They formed in 1996 by Andreas Economides a.k.a. Eco and Chris Charalambides who are the only two original founding members in the band today. Eco, much like Dave Grohl (but a bit more "blessed" in the vocal department in my opinion), developed skills in an array of musical instruments starting as the band's drummer and ending up as the lead vocalist and guitar player. Also, he's the main player in regards to writing the lyrics and the songs' structure along with Chris.

Chris is the tech-guy being the band's keyboardist, producer, and sound engineer all together. Kind of like a mixed grill! He is also responsible for the song arrangements and I hear that his live performances are... well, noticeable!

Xenios is the newest addition to the family. Having traveled around the world and acquired a buttload of skills, he soon realised his place as the band's lead guitarist. He does mixing, sound engineering, recording, producing.... to perfection. I am pretty sure he does some other "little" things too! He even built his own Fender Stratocaster (!) and is one of those people who claim to listen to all kinds of music!

Byron is the bass player as well as the "marketing director" of the band. He is well-educated in music composition, so much that he is planning a career out of it by starting a PhD. Although he started off with classic guitar he ended up taking up the bass and refusing to let go!

Last but not least, Marcos, is unlike your typical drummer. He is characterised as a mature, well-behaved, professional, and composed drummer! A breed we need to help sustain! He is also an aspiring genius (considering he's currently doing a PhD in Neurophysics).

The Music
The album which was produced at Soundscape studios is called Orem and consists of 11 songs. The songs are infused with grunge sounds reminding me of the '90s era I grew up to, with the sounds of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden blasting out from the radios. The drumming is sometimes funky, especially in the first song, and gave away the drummer's "jazzy" influences. This compliments the bass guitar which is skilfully prominent at times and pretty impressive. You've got to love their song arrangements! The keyboards remain somewhat ingeniously in the background, yet powerful, filling in the right places and creating a nice ambience while the guitars are simple and clear almost speaking to me explaining the songs in a way the lyrics cannot. The lyrics are very creative and poetic yet remain a mystery to me, but I think they represent their personal experiences and I got a hint of social angst as well! The voice is quite powerful, and "oozes" grunge but without the annoying post-grunge growling/yarling "singing" style (i.e. Nickelback).

Conclusion
I could characterise their sound as "alternatively grunge" served in a bed of funk, in a sauce consisting of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, with a hint of Nirvana, a sprinkle of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, some U2 flavourings, and complimented with a good old Greek Rock!

Songs I really enjoyed listening to multiple times are "M", "Burdened Youth", and the darker "Living in the Ruins". But all the above don't really matter. What matters is your own opinion which will only be formed by listening. Here are some links to get you started:

Website where you may find more information about the band and their music, including the list of awards they received.
Facebook page where you may listen to their album for free and try to decode their lyrics.
YouTube channel where you may see some of their previous live performances and some unreleased songs.

I must point out and say I don't listen to grunge that much and I don't know much about it either. Hence, the lack in usage of fancy words and technical critique. All I know is that I liked their music and can't wait to see them live so that I form a well-rounded opinion. I'm just glad to know that original music from talented people is still being produced back home!

Hmmm.... I think I'm getting good at this alternative reviewing thing! So, what are your thoughts on the featured band then?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Image credits:
http://www.innovatrs.com/

Read More

Ode to the Souls

This is a piece of writing I created when I was in a considerably worse psychological and surely less mature state. It's funny how post-teenagehood angst along with a combination of words can transform into a weird "poem". Enjoy but don't take it too seriously, it's not meant to be a piece of art! Quite the opposite.

Endless tyranny that refuses to seize.

Fear (...), in the strange figures that pose in front of Life.

(...) of the End?

The desire for Life...

Is deadly.

Souls chased by Sadness.

Shady, empty.

Curious souls dressed up with vague masks.

Delusions between...

they are scared

they withstand

they kill

and they get killed.

Sedulous straggle for existence.

Is it worth it?

they ignore but they endure.

Without purpose, without reason.

Naked hopes, reckless acts.

Blind path towards infinity.

They survive.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Image Credits:

Painting by Alex Gardega at http://gardega.com

Read More

London Film & Comic Con Experience

I have never thought I would be writing such a post. I never considered myself to be geeky, nerdy, or whatever you want to call it. But as it turns out I might have been all my life as I realised at this year's London Comic Con. I'll start with a hilarious definition I found in the online thesaurus:

"a geek is any smart person with an obsessive interest, a nerd is the same but also lacks social grace, and a dweeb is a mega-nerd"

I don't think I particularly fall under any of the above definitions but I guess I could be considered geekish!

Back to the London Comic Con. It was an unbelievable experience for many reasons. The cosplayers for example. Here are a few of my favourites.

Mr. Vader [He had the breathing thing sorted as well!] 

Alien(s) [Is it too expensive to buy one of these?]

Zombie from The Walking Dead [Notice the foot detail!]

The Fantastic 4

Wolverine [with glasses? :)]

These people put a lot of effort [and probably money] on these wonderful costumes but it paid off. They were stopped for photos all the time [mostly by me!]. Another thing awesome about Comic Con were the celebrities. I managed to snap a couple of photos only as they all wanted £15 for an autograph and a picture!

 Darth Vader himself

Todd from Scrubs [Celebrity high-5!]

Hercules

And lets not forget the 1989 Batmobile!

Not so cool that they wanted money for autographs but I guess that's the way it goes. Finally, look at all the cool stuff the dealers were selling.

Star Wars Lightsabers [approved by Silent Bob apparently!]

Signed memorabilia [I'd buy the Hulk Fist!]

Hand-crafted heroes & villains

Comics

Film favourites

Cool t-shirts

Custom-made All Stars

And so many more awesome things! I could honestly buy every single thing in there but I went home with a Batman t-shirt and this Hulk figurine for my brother.

As I said before, I never thought I'd say this but I'm officially a "comics world" convert! I highly recommend a visit to one such event even if you are not into comics and things like that. The next one in London is in October 2012 and it's the MCM Expo [Website]. I can't wait for that one and I can only hope that I'll some day visit the San Diego Comic Con in California!

Live long and prosper my friends!

Read More

100 Riffs (A Brief History of Rock N' Roll)

This is a video I came across recently. Alex Chadwick, of the Chicago Music Exchange, plays 100 riffs that defined Rock history, using a 1958 Fender Stratocaster. In just 12 minutes he covers the riffs in chronological order giving a pretty good (yet not perfect) summation of what it is Rock n' Roll. Here is the list with the songs he covered:

1 Mr. Sandman – Chet Atkins
2 Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
3 Words of Love – Buddy Holly
4 Johnny B Goode – Chuck Berry
5 Rumble – Link Wray
6 Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran
7 Pipeline – The Chantays
8 Misirlou – Dick Dale
9 Wipeout – Surfaris
10 Daytripper – The Beatles
11 Can’t Explain – The Who
12 Satisfaction – The Rolling Stones
13 Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
14 Black Magic Woman – Santana
15 Helter Skelter – The Beatles
16 Oh Well – Fleetwood Mac
17 Crossroads – Cream
18 Communication Breakdown – Led Zeppelin
19 Paranoid – Black Sabbath
20 Fortunate Sun – Creedence Clearwater Revival
21 Funk 49 – James Gang
22 Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
23 Bitch – Rolling Stones
24 Layla – Derek and the Dominos
25 School’s Out – Alice Cooper
26 Smoke on the Water – Deep Purple
27 Money – Pink Floyd
28 Jessica – Allman Brothers
29 La Grange – ZZ Top
30 20th Century Boy – T. Rex
31 Scarlet Begonias – Grateful Dead
32 Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
33 Walk This Way – Aerosmith
34 Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
35 Stranglehold – Ted Nugent
36 Boys Are Back in Town – Thin Lizzy
37 Don’t Fear the Reaper – Blue Oyster Cult
38 Carry on My Wayward Son – Kansas
39 Blitzkreig Bop – The Ramones
40 Barracuda – Heart
41 Runnin’ with the Devil – Van Halen
42 Sultans of Swing – Dire Straits
43 Message in a Bottle – The Police
44 Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) – Neil Young
45 Back in Black – AC/DC
46 Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne
47 Spirit of Radio – Rush
48 Pride and Joy – Stevie Ray Vaughan
49 Owner of a Lonely Heart – Yes
50 Holy Diver – Dio
51 Beat It – Michael Jackson
52 Hot For Teacher – Van Halen
53 What Difference Does It Make – The Smiths
54 Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen
55 Money For Nothing – Dire Straits
56 You Give Love a Bad Name – Bon Jovi
57 The One I Love – REM
58 Where the Streets Have No Name – U2
59 Welcome to the Jungle – Guns N’ Roses
60 Sweet Child ‘O Mine – Guns N’ Roses
61 Girls, Girls, Girls – Motley Crue
62 Cult of Personality -Living Colour
63 Kickstart My Heart – Motley Crue
64 Running Down a Dream – Tom Petty
65 Pictures of Matchstick Men – Camper Van Beethoven
66 Thunderstruck – AC/DC
67 Twice as Hard – Black Crowes
68 Cliffs of Dover – Eric Johnson
69 Enter Sandman – Metallica
70 Man in the Box – Alice in Chains
71 Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
72 Give it Away – Red Hot Chili Peppers
73 Even Flow – Pearl Jam
74 Outshined – Soundgarden
75 Killing in the Name – Rage Against the Machine
76 Sex Type Thing – Stone Temple Pilots
77 Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz
78 Welcome to Paradise – Green Day
79 Possum Kingdom – Toadies
80 Say it Ain’t So – Weezer
81 Zero – Smashing Pumpkins
82 Monkey Wrench – Foo Fighters
83 Sex and Candy – Marcy Playground
84 Smooth – Santana
85 Scar Tissue – Red Hot Chili Peppers
86 Short Skirt, Long Jacket – Cake
87 Turn a Square – The Shins
88 Seven Nation Army – White Stripes
89 Hysteria – Muse
90 I Believe in a Thing Called Love – The Darkness
91 Blood and Thunder – Mastodon
92 Are You Gonna Be My Girl – Jet
93 Reptilia – The Strokes
94 Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand
95 Float On – Modest Mouse
96 Blue Orchid – White Stripes
97 Boulevard of Broken Dreams – Green Day
98 Steady As She Goes – The Raconteurs
99 I Got Mine – Black Keys
100 Cruel – St. Vincent

So, do you think that he covered all the defining ones, or did he leave some diamonds behind?

_________________________________________________________________________________

Image credit:

http://vimeo.com

  

Read More

I Bet My Life!

by guest author Savallas

[Scroll down the page for the English version and author bio]

Υπάρχουν πολλοί τρόποι με τους οποίους ένα άτομο μπορεί να χάσει λεφτά, αλλά υπάρχει ένας μόνο τρόπος να μην το ξανακάνει. 

Εδώ και χρόνια στον τόπο μας, στην Κύπρο, λέμε, ξαναλέμε, αποφασίζουμε μετανιώνουμε το ξανασκεφτόμαστε αλλά τίποτα...
Να κάνουμε καζίνα τελικά ή όχι; 

Ένας τζογαδόρος σίγουρα δεν θα καταστραφεί από ένα καζίνο αφού είναι στο αίμα του να ποντάρει, να προκαλεί τον άλλο και γενικά του αρέσει να περπατά πάνω σε αυτή την πολύ λεπτή κλωστή που χωρίζει την νίκη απο την ήττα, την επιτυχία από την αποτυχία. Να κάνει σκέψεις ότι θα διπλασιάσει σε λίγο τα λεφτά του ή θα έρθει η απόλυτη καταστροφή του μέσα σε λίγα μόλις δευτερόλεπτα. Βλέπεις, ο τζόγος δεν είναι κάτι που μπορείς να το σταματήσεις απο την μία μέρα στην άλλη. Είναι αρρώστια.

Ένας τζογαδόρος θα σε πάει στοίχημα με λεφτά για το αν καταφέρεις να τρέξεις τα 10 μέτρα σε 2 δευτερόλεπτα, θα σε πάει στοίχημα στο τάβλι, θα σε πάει στοίχημα στα ζάρια, στο φαγητό, στο ποτό, στη διασκέδαση. Δεν έχει σημασία το ποσό, αλλά η όλη διαδικασία. Με λίγα λόγια, ο τζόγος είναι μέρος της ζωής μας, της καθημερινότητάς μας, είτε μας αρέσει είτε όχι. Ο τζογαδόρος σίγουρα δεν θα περιμένει να του κτίσεις καζίνο για να ξοδέψει τα λεφτά του, δεν σε έχει ανάγκη. 

Στην Κύπρο όμως, ο πρόεδρός μας, δεν θέλει να το κάνει γιατί λέει οτι θα καταστραφούν οικογένειες, θα κλείσουν σπίτια και ο τόπος μας θα καταντήσει Λας Βέγκας λόγω του υπόκοσμου. Λαμβάνοντας υπόψην μας την ανεργία, την απελπισία και τη γενικότερη κατάσταση του τουρισμού μας που βρίσκεται στον αναπνευστήρα, δεν ακούγεται και τόσο άσχημο. Επίσης, να υποθέσουμε ότι ο υπόκοσμος τώρα, δεν έχει δράση στην Κύπρο, αφού είναι όλοι νοματαγείς πολίτες και γενικά ζούμε μέσα σε μία κοινωνία όπου βασιλεύει το δίκαιο και ο νόμος. 

Εν τω μεταξύ στα καζίνα πέραν του νοητικού πλέον συρματοπλέγματος, παίκτηκαν ήδη ολόκληρες περιουσίες, χάθηκαν τόσα εκατομμύρια. Είδατε εσείς πουθενά την καταστροφή; Φυσικά και όχι, αφού είναι καθαρά επιλογή του καθενός το τι θα κάνει με τα λεφτά του και πώς θα επιλέξει ο ίδιος να τα ξοδέψει. O μοναδικός χαμένος από την όλη υπόθεση λοιπόν δεν είναι ο τζογαδόρος, αλλά το κράτος. 

Πέραν των κοινωνικών επιπτώσεων, που έτσι κι αλλιώς στην παρούσα κατάσταση τα κοινωνικά θέματα δεν φένεται να ενδιαφέρουν τους αρμόδιους, το κράτος ενώ θα μπορούσε να βγάζει πάρα πολλά εκατομμύρια (300.000.000 και μόνο από τις άδειες κάθε χρόνο) δεν κάνει τίποτα γι’ αυτό. Εξού και η οδήγηση μας στον μηχανισμό υποστήριξης ή σε δάνεια από άλλα κράτη. 

Η δημιουργία καζίνου, θα έβλαπτε σοβαρά και τον υπόκοσμο, θα ήταν ένα κτύπημα κάτω από την μέση αφού έτσι, ο κυρίαρχος στην πράσινη τσόχα θα είναι το κράτος και με μία μπάγκα αρκετά μεγάλη ώστε να κτυπά τα ρέστα του όποτε θέλει και με το αζημίωτο. Δεν θα είχαμε γκαστερικές επιθέσεις όπως την ψεσινή και σίγουρα δεν θα είχαμε και τόσα θύματα.

Ο Κύπριος, συγκαταλέγεται ανάμεσα στους τρεις μεγαλύτερους τζογαδόρους στον κόσμο. Τα σκύπτρα τα κρατάνε οι Κινέζοι. 

Ο τζόγος αυτή την στιγμή βασιλεύει στον αθλητισμό αλλά δεν είδαμε καμία αντίδραση, έχουν φτάσει στο σημείο να θεωρούν άθλημα τον... ιππόδρομο και τα εκατομμύρια που παίζουν κάθε φορά, την ώρα που όλοι ξέρουν ότι είναι όλα στημένα.

Τζογαδόροι είμαστε όλοι στο κάτω κάτω, απλά μερικοί ξέρουν πότε πρέπει να σταματήσουν (ο σωστός τζογαδόρος) και άλλοι όχι (ο πάντα χαμένος τζογαδόρος) και αυτό είναι που κάνει τον τζόγο να παίζει τόσο σημαντικό ρόλο στην ζωής μας.

Όπως είπαμε και στην αρχή, τρόποι υπάρχουν πολλοί για να χάσει κάποιος λεφτά, υπάρχει όμως μόνο ενας για να σταματήσει να το κάνει και αυτός είναι όταν θα χάσει την ζωή του.

_________________________________________________________________________________

There are many ways with which a person can lose money, but there is just one way for them not to do it again.

For years now, here in our country, Cyprus, we argue, we take decisions, we regret, and change our minds but nothing happens...

Should we finally give licenses for casinos? Or not?

Surely gamblers won’t be ruined by one casino since gambling is in their blood, challenging others and generally walking on that thin line between winning and losing, between success and failure. Thinking whether they will soon double their money or be completely wiped out in a matter of seconds. You see, gambling is not something you can stop from one day to the next. It’s a disease.

Gamblers will bet you on whether you are able to run 10m in 2 seconds, they will bet you on a game of backgammon or dice, they will bet you on food, drinking, or simply on having fun. And it’s not about the amount, it’s the whole process. In other words, gambling is part of our everyday lives whether we like it or not. A gambler is not waiting for a casino to waste their money, they’ve got their ways.

In Cyprus though, our president refuses to give the licenses for casinos because, as he claims, families will be wrecked, households will be ruined, and our country will become something like Las Vegas because of the underworld. Considering the unemployment, the desperation, and the general condition of our tourism which is suffering, it doesn’t sound that bad. And let’s also assume for a moment that the underworld is not active presently, and that all citizens in Cyprus are law abiding and we generally live in a society where law and fairness reign!

In the meantime, in the casinos beyond the now mental barricade that divides our country, whole properties have been placed as a bet and millions were lost. Have you seen any destruction? Of course not, since spending their money is each person’s choice. The only loser in all this is not the gambler but the government.

Despite the social consequences, which are not a high priority for the relevant competent authorities anyway, the government could make many millions out of it (300million just from the licenses each year only), but chooses not to. Hence, Cyprus is very close to seeking financial support and loans from other countries.

The establishment of casinos would hit the underworld as well. It would be an “under the belt” move since it would mean that the government is now dominant in the gambling game with a respectful money pot. We wouldn’t have gangster-like attacks like the recent one and we surely wouldn’t have so many victims.

Cypriots are amongst the three biggest gamblers in the world with the Chinese leading the way at the moment.

Gambling at the moment is dominant in sports. But we have yet to experience an objection to that. It reached the point where horse racing, and the millions they bet, is considered a sport while consciously knowing everything is a set up.

At the end of the day, we are all gamblers. It’s just that some know when they need to stop (the right gambler) and others don’t (the losing gambler) and this is what makes gambling so important in our lives.

As I said at the beginning, there are many ways with which a person can lose money but there is just one way for them to stop... losing their life.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Savallas is a 30 something anti-hero who enjoys complaining about the world we live in. He claims AC/DC and Slayer are the best and apparently they are. At the moment he spends his time fighting unfairness in a small Cypriot town, kind of like a Cypriot Batman. You cannot follow his views anywhere because you have to pay for them.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Image credits:

http://casinopokerbetting.org

http://themindspost.com/

Read More

Review of Download Festival 2012

A review of the happenings at Download Festival 2012, Donington Park, UK

ANTHRAX

Our day started with Anthrax playing a half hour show. Since it was the ¼ of the Big 4 for which I had the lesser knowledge about and also the first time I was seeing them live, I was really focused and very open to liking them. I needn’t be though. They were simply powerful. Within those 30 minutes they had us jumping up and down, commanded the crowd to form a well-rounded mosh pit, and entertained us all the way. I was especially happy when I finally heard “Indians” which was stuck in my mind for 2 months. Belladonna did his usual with security guards rushing to “save” a female colleague from his hands when he tried to shake her to the song rhythm! They also forcefully kept him from crowd surfing. Download had officially kicked off for me. I give them a 9/10 purely because it was a 30 min appearance.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY

This was the only band I somehow wanted to see but didn't know much about them. I wasn’t expecting to be amazed nor was I particularly looking forward to see them- I was curious really. But they were good. Not being familiar with their work didn’t help much. I wasn't enthused but one thing really surprised me: how huge and what a great guitarist Zakk Wylde is. I also learned that his custom-made guitar weighs like a ton and only he can lift it! No wonders there. Unfortunately though, they didn’t make much impact on me and I was left being none the wiser about them. 6/10

LAMB OF GOD

Next, on the stage came these guys. Now, I have seen them live one more time when they opened for Heaven & Hell a few years ago. I was disappointed back then and I was disappointed this time too. The reason is simple; I just don’t fancy not being able to understand the song lyrics. Now I’m not saying they should attend a spelling bee class but seriously screaming to the crowd “sing it” and not actually singing it themselves is not much help especially to new fans! To be fair though I was biased towards not enjoying them but here is the thing. They were actually quite good, musically speaking. Their live music was arousing and many times I found myself tapping my leg and moving to the rhythm. On a different note, I seriously need to get Blythe’s vocal instructor’s number! 6.5/10

MEGADETH

One of the word composites of the above was true: DETH. I did not experience MEGA in any way. Ok, perhaps Mustaine’s hair! But honestly, I was so excited that I was going to see the Megadeth live that I think I raised my expectations way too high. For starters, I think they were brain-dead during this live. They were barely moving or even entertaining in any way. At some point we thought maybe Mustaine had to leave early for the church mass? Or perhaps his pony was missing him much? The only thing that entertained us briefly was Vic Rattlehead wandering through the stage. Anyway, I was left unimpressed and disappointed in so many ways. On the other hand, again musically speaking, I liked them a lot. I enjoyed the classics like “Peace Sells” and “Symphony of Destruction” and all in all I am glad I saw them live. Not so glad about the white shirt though. So not metal! 5/10 

FIREWIND

This was the point where grunge took over the main stage (seriously Soundgarden?) and I moved on to the smaller stages to see some other favourites. I managed to watch Firewind for a while and I can tell without a doubt that they sound even better live. Gus G did his thing as always with those magic fingers of his. On the other hand, Apollo’s vocals were astonishing. Although appearing in one of the smallest stages, it was packed and people were very enthusiastic about them. The sound was not fair to the bands but the good ones got noticed anyway. Firewind make the Greek metal scene proud for sure. 7.5/10

GHOST

I insisted on standing still for 40 minutes waiting for these guys to show up.  I don’t know what it is about Ghost, but I was hooked when I first heard them by accident on YouTube. What is their deal? What is their music about? What are they? Appearing on stage dressed up like Ku Klux Klan members with their frontman, Papa Emeritus, dressed like a catholic priest with a skull where his face should be and holding a censer blessing the crowd did not solve any of my questions. Especially when their lyrics are filled with satanic elements! Whatever they represent be it humour, irony, or simply fun, their performance was great. I mean, the vocals were magnificent. I thought I was carried by angels (or maybe demons?) into the skies on a soft cloud ! The keyboards compliment their songs so well; I don’t think I have heard anything like this before. But then again I am not into Doom that much (apparently this is their categorisation). I loved them and can’t wait to hear their second album. 8.5/10

BLACK SABBATH

And on to the legends! By this time I was so exhausted that I couldn’t wait to go to sleep. I even wondered whether seeing THE Black Sabbath live is worth all this trouble. I have already seen them once with Dio so I thought to myself: “Is Ozzy really going to hit the notes and amaze me as much as Dio did? Is Tony going to be performing at his best? Is it really Black Sabbath I am seeing without Bill?” Then the first chord struck me. They started with “Black Sabbath” which couldn’t have worked better for the explosion that was about to follow. I then forgot all about my tiredness, all the urine, shit, food waste, or anything else I might have stepped or sat on without realising, and l lended my soul to the godfathers. It was phenomenal. For many reasons. Ozzy did hit the notes despite my otherwise expectations. He ran on the stage like a 4-year old, clapped his hands, and said fuck a lot. Only he can sing metal and successfully have the crowd move rhythmically left/right instead of forming a mosh pit! And only he can get angry when he “doesn't see our fucking hands in the air” anymore. Tony was looking like the true iron man and his guitar virtuosity was unaffected. This guy is so stoic I was really surprised when the camera caught him looking at the crowd and smiling at various times during the gig. Geezer shined again as the master of the bass and he did look happy to be sharing the stage with all of them. Clufetos was hitting the drums so hard I’m sure I felt the pain too. He was unbelievable. With 150,000 people and 300,000 set of eyes all watching them I think they felt what I did; that they belong together on a stage. Not Ozzy alone, not as Heaven & Hell, but as Black Sabbath. They had great chemistry and I don’t care where it came from be it money or respect for one another. And despite the fact that only ¾ where performing, based on that performance alone, I can be honest when I say I saw Black Sabbath. 10/10

THINGS I LEARNED/REALISED AT DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2012:

1. Anthrax is the best out of the 3 of the “Big 4” thrash metal bands I saw live.
2. Zakk Wylde is huge and looks like a good guy to have drinks with at a strip club filled with Hell's Angels.
3. Lamb of God have great music but the sound of Blythe’s screaming and growling voice makes me yawn repeatedly.
4. Mustaine does not look good in a white shirt and his hair has more volume than his voice.
5. Firewind sound even better live and I think I am in love with Gus G.
6. Ghost is perhaps the next big thing in metal; even Anselmo said so.
7. I pity the fool that will not get the chance to experience Black Sabbath live in front of a 150,000 crowd.

Limited videos can be found here.

Read More