Marathon
Well, we know and follow
Marathon's musical endeavors quite many years now, so I suppose some of
you are already aware of what this band is up to and able to do. Another
reason that makes this interview very interesting is the fact that it represents
in a perfect and clear way the situation and obstacles that every Greek
rock and metal band faces in an every day basis.
1. HELLO MILTO! HOW ARE YOU? ARE YOU READY
FOR SOME SUMMER VACATIONS OR THERE IS NO REST FOR THE WICKED?
Hello Nick and thanks for the interview. I’m
doing well, the same old blues as they say. Summer vacations, no, I don’t
think so, I have a lot to do with my music and to be honest with you, I
don’t really like summer. I prefer winter, I feel much more comfortable
with it.
2. THE NEW ALBUM HAS THE TITLE “LITTLE ROOM CLUB”.
WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU WANT TO SUGGEST WITH THE TITLE? WHY DID YOU CHOOSE
TO USE AS A COVER THE PAINTING OF A FAMOUS ARTIST?
Little Room Club is the name that I give to
my house, my personal space. I’ve lived there for the last 14 years and
all my life has been in this house. You see, Marathon was first born in
there, I have my personal studio there, my records, everything. I also
have a big garden! I prefer to spend all my time there. Well, I’ve always
liked the work of John William Waterhouse and I just thought, why not,
let’s use the nymphs for the cover of our new album. Just like that!
3. WHY DON’T YOU DECIDE TO SIGN WITH A LABEL AND
FINALLY TO SEE YOUR WORK ON A CD AND NOT ON CD-R? IT’S REALLY PITY THAT
SUCH GOOD WORKS AS YOURS ARE RELEASED AS CD-RS…
To tell you the truth it’s not that I don’t
want to sign with a label, the labels aren’t interested in signing with
us. Here in Greece I have come into contact with many record companies
and they’ve just slammed the door on my face saying ‘You are not pop enough,
you don’t sing your songs in Greek, you don’t play Greek folk music or
this ‘entechno’ thing, you are not a trendy guy, so we cannot promote your
music’. Hell, no! I’m a rocker and I won’t change what I love for those
motherfuckers. The good thing is that some radio stations, just to mention
some in France, Argentina, Israel, Canada, Singapore, YU play some of our
songs. I believe that people there love Marathon much more than here in
Greece. I can tell from the e-mails I receive and the CDs I have sold until
now. This makes me feel a little sad and disappointed about my country.
Anyway, now I’m getting into contact with some labels in Europe and if
it all goes well, I believe that we’ll soon sign with a label out of Greece,
we’ll see.
4. ONCE MORE YOU DID EVERYTHING BY YOURSELF, DOESN’T
THIS TIRE YOU A BIT? HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT TO QUIT AND JUST PLAY THE GUITAR?
It’s not easy to do everything by myself.
In fact, sometimes, I’m getting so tired that I don’t know if I’m gonna
make it. But I must continue because there are no others who can help me,
except for a few friends. Most musicians that I have played with have just
quit music, others are totally disappointed with the whole situation of
rock music in our country, others want to play black metal and such kinds
of music. So it is very hard for me to find musicians who want to play
blues rock and to give the best of ourselves all together as Marathon,
and try to promote our music even if this means that we must leave Greece.
5. WE ALL KNOW THAT IN GREECE IT’S VERY HARD FOR
A ROCK GUITARIST TO LIVE BY THE MUSIC, SO IF I AM NOT INDISCREET, CAN YOU
TELL ME WHAT YOU DO AS A REGULAR JOB?
For the last 10 years I’ve been working in
the major radio station of my town, Larissa, as a radio producer. Actually,
since I was 18 all jobs I’ve done dealt with music, from sound engineer
to music-shop assistant. Apart from that, since I was 13, I have worked
in so many jobs from field worker to delivery boy. What an irony!
6. SO TO COMPOSE AND RELEASE ALBUMS, ESPECIALLY
IF YOU PLAY ROCK/BLUES, IS AN EXPENSIVE HOBBY, DON’T YOU AGREE? FROM YOUR
EXPERIENCE, HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO DO A DECENT PRODUCTION IN A ROCK/METAL
ALBUM?
First of all, I don’t see it as a hobby. It’s
part of my life and I live with it and from it. In our days, it’s easier
for a new artist to make a promo or a demo than in the past. The cost depends
on the studio you record and the people you work with. As for me, I’ve
always had the best price possible for my works, but because I spend much
time in a studio, I’m setting up my own equipment in Little Room Club,
so the new CDs will come from Marathon studio.
7. EXCEPT FOR MARATHON, RECENTLY YOU HAVE RELEASED
A HUMORISTIC ALBUM. DO YOU PLAN TO CONTINUE THIS PROJECT?
Definitely! As you know, in Greece things
tend to go from bad to worse but I prefer to face this with a touch of
humour. I consider it to be the best way for people to overcome misery
situations and as an artist I feel the responsibility to expose the way
things are through my music.
8. YOU’VE COMPOSED MANY SONGS, SO ARE THERE ANY
SONGS YOU COMPOSED SIMPLY AS “FILLERS” AND LATER ON YOU REALIZED THAT THE
FANS REALLY LIKED IT?
No! Songs come straight from heart, most of
them are personal stories, so I meant to offer something when I wrote them.
Now, it’s up to each listener’s taste which songs they would prefer.
9. WHAT’S THE BEST AND WHAT’S THE WORST PART IN
YOUR MUSIC, ACCORDING TO YOU?
The best part is music itself, especially
when it’s played live. The worst is that I can’t perform every day!
10. WHAT TITLE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS INTERVIEW TO
HAVE? A TITLE THAT WOULD SUM UP ALL YOUR EFFORTS WITH MARATHON UP TO NOW?
Marathon is our name
Blues / Rock we play
And fuckin’ yeah, we’re here to stay.
11. THANKS! IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE
TO MENTION HERE?
Peace, Love and Unity is all we need.
We are all children of planet Earth.
I hope that music will save our world and
make us all better people.
Nick "William_Kidd"
Parastatidis
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