Nothing Can Make Athens' Few Remaining Rockabillies Hang Up their Boots

When I first met Lefteris and Christos a few years ago, I didn’t quite get what their deal was. It took me a while to understand that rock and roll is not only alive in Athens but that there are people over here who never stopped listening to it, loving it and living by its once-upon-a-time controversial rules.

We met at the Thisseio train station in downtown Athens. They came on their bikes, and on our short walk to the cafeteria, the word “Elvis” came up at least five times while passersby gawked at us shamelessly.

VICE: When did you first listen to rock ‘n’ roll?
Lefteris: It happened randomly, but then again maybe it wasn’t so random. My father listened to rock'n' roll. When I was still in elementary school, we got a new stereo, which somehow ended up in my room and with it, so did all the records (45 rpms) by Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Elvis Presley, etc. I was curious and so I started listening to them. I hadn’t a clue back then what rock ‘n’ roll actually was, I just liked the sound.

Christos: Lefteris is older than me, and him and his mates would hang around the bank in Vavoulas street, in Kifissia. They must have been around 17 years old and I was about 13 or 14. I’d walk past there and I remember thinking to myself “Who are these weirdoes with the chains and sideburns?” Then, in high school, my best friend listened to Elvis. We listened to Elvis, until we discovered Jerry Lee [Lewis] and that was that for me. It was all down hill from there (laughs).

When you walk down the street I’m guessing you get a lot of comments by passersby – the way you just did. Do you remember any particularly funny incidents?
Chris: The funniest incident actually happened in a job context. I am an architect and my firm had to renovate the palace of a prince in Oman, who at some point showed up in the office to meet us, accompanied by thirty bodyguards. He looked at me and was obviously uncomfortable.

Lefteris: At some point I got a job as a chemistry teacher in a private school. I would go to the school canteen to get coffee regularly, but they never served me. One day, while I was hanging around there, I saw a fellow professor order coffee, and get served. I went over to the manager to protest and she said: "We don’t serve coffee to students." I just assumed that they didn't like my clothes; it hadn’t even crossed my mind that they might have confused me with a student, even though I was actually very young at the time. However, there were other fellow teachers who would look at me weirdly. One of them told me to shave my sideburns. “They don’t even suit you”, he said. I explained that it wasn’t to me, rock 'n' roll wasn't about looks.

What is rock 'n' roll for you? What does it mean?
Lefteris: Rock 'n' roll, is not just one thing. There’s a vagabond element involved. It is, rather, characterised by a certain kind of vagrancy. It’s just that as the years go by, you sort of stop behaving as "wildly" as you used to do once.

Christos: He’s actually worse now (laughs). Rock 'n' roll is a feeling – it’s the existence of a feeling, "bonding" with something or someone. It is authentic.

Lefteris - Chris: It’s almost a character trait, a way of life – you don’t get it simply by dressing this or that way.

I’m guessing that many people who you hung out with back then sort of moved on with time – each for their own reasons.
Lefteris: Nine out of ten people moved on. A precious few remained loyal to rock 'n' roll. One reason is that a lot of people looked to rock ‘n’ roll as way to defuse their teenage anger and yeah, people change. Some people ended up listening to contemporary Greek music. Others turned into ravers overnight – which was what dominated the scene back then.

Were there any women in your group back then?
Lefteris: Not really, and the ones who did wore leather jeans and stuff like that. The pin up style that’s sort of trendy now didn’t really exist back then. And most of them were sisters of friends or cousins​​, that kind of thing.

What’s the best live gig you've ever been to?
Lefteris: Stray Cats who played in the Farewell Tour at the Summer Jamboree of 2008, and the Bullets every single time.

Chris: Crazy Cavan’s live at Ol 'Skool Weekend in Rio in 2011.

Are there any Greek bands playing rockabilly (and not only) that really stand out?
Lefteris - Christos: Thriller – when you hear the record it’s hard to believe it came from Greece. Also Bullets from Thessaloniki, Breathless (also from Thessaloniki), the Misty Blue Boys, Hi Rollers and Dustbowl are also very good. And undoubtedly, The Last Drive and The Invisible Surfers. There are great Greek bands out there, but, unfortunately, Greece cannot support them.

How do rockabilly feel about the Greek summer and the sea? I'm guessing it takes some time to take off all those chains, vests and scarves.
Lefteris: That’s when you become conscious of just how heavy these boots are.

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