bluegatereview

“This anomaly must stop,” declared the Greek poet Giorgos Seferis in a statement on March 28 1969, in which he denounced the military junta that then ruled Greece. Since seizing power in their 1967 coup, the Colonals had suppressed the Greek people with political punishments and detentions, torture and censorship. Mikis Theodorakis, whose music was banned during the dictatorship, had set a 1930s poem of Seferis’s to music. It was called “Denial” and became a song of resistance. It was a solemn anthem. At the same time there was a different song around, upbeat and triumphant. Kids, that weak link, loved the naughty words and couldn’t help but share the song with their friends at school. Alarmed teachers implored the parents to make the children stop singing the catchy chorus.

I am in some kind of educational situation. We are a group in a classroom waiting for our professor. Here he comes, walks straight over to me and hands over a pile of papers and a package. “Hold this for me,” he says, turns swiftly around and walks out of the room. I look down at the brown paper-wrapped package and notice it’s addressed to Herbie Hancock. Wow. I turn to my fellow students, approach them one by one, point at the label, saying “Look, I get that it’s not THAT Herbie Hancock, but it’s pretty awesome all the same!“ Nobody seems to get it. Nobody knows who Herbie Hancock is, and when I try to explain, nobody is the least bit interested or thinks it’s remotely awesome.

Unbeknownst to most, she had played Space Invaders before. Low tech black and white – being the early eighties – with some primitive controls, on her brother’s home computer. Hours on end, shooting, shooting those cannons, blasting those aliens. One weekend, she travelled to the big city with a girlfriend. They went to the amusement park. At the arcade, two guys were playing Space Invaders. They invited the girls to join them: “Hold this, press here, have a go.” Fancy controls – being the arcade – and colorful displays. Easy! Shooting, shooting those cannons. “Hmm…” Her victory was obviously a fluke, said the young men – ah, those capricious cannons! They smiled in a manly manner, then let her play again. So much easier than at home! “Hmm…” And again. They couldn’t understand it. What are the odds? They said her luck was remarkable. A statistical anomaly. She kept blasting, blasting those aliens. The guys stared at each other. It was a freak thing. So LUCKY!

1980s