Podcast for the Greek diaspora, Ouzo Talk, is making waves, with listeners in over 20 countries globally now tuning in for the Ouzo-fuelled conversations of co-hosts Nick Athanassiou and Tom Skolarikis.
From Australia, the USA and Canada, to as far afield as India, the United Arab Emirates, France and Turkey, Greeks the world over have downloaded the new podcast as the Greek-Australian duo guide them through all things Greek – a bottle of Ouzo almost always empty by the end of the conversation.
“If you had told us a few months ago that there’d be people in India and the UAE – of all places – listening to this little podcast of ours, we may have asked you what drugs you were on and if you’d maybe share some with us,” laughs Skolarikis.
“The fact that it’s spreading like that proves that Greeks are well and truly everywhere, and no matter where we are in the world, we all have some sort of shared experience as Greeks. That’s something we want to connect with.”
Despite the title, Ouzo Talk isn’t a podcast about Ouzo – although a large amount is consumed during recording, often resulting in some interesting conversational twists. According to Tom, it’s all part of capturing a sense of ‘parea’ – something that was lacking during Sydney’s most recent COVID lockdown.
“We started this podcast in a pretty unlikely way,” recalls Skolarikis, a former journalist whose family all hail from Corfu in Greece’s North-West.
“Both Nick and I met while working at Qantas a while back, but have since moved on to other things. We ended up both working from home during lockdown, so to break the monotony, we would meet during our lunch breaks down at Brighton Beach, grab a coffee and walk and talk. It was just about the only thing we could do, and it really helped to keep our spirits up and sane.
“All our conversations ended up cantering on Greece, or some aspect of our Greek-ness. History, philosophy, science, family, our origins – we covered it all.
“Eventually we realised that these are conversations that we all have with our Greek friends and family over a drink or a meal. We just thought ‘why not record them so we can share it with more people’?”
Since launching their first episode in October, Ouzo Talk has covered everything from the history and impact of the bouzouki, growing up Greek in the diaspora, the elements of the best barbecue or souvla, and the issue of the Parthenon Marbles.
Future installments of the podcast are already in the works, with two episodes set to be released each month moving forward.
“There’s so much exciting stuff coming up,” says Athanassiou – whose ancestors hail from Epirus.
“We’ll be dedicating future episodes to Greek street-food, the best and worst of travel stories, deep dives into some Greek islands and destinations, as well as in-depth interviews with prominent Greeks around the world.
“But I think the ‘laiki bradia’ we have in the works at the moment is going to be the most fun. There’ll be music, there’ll be drinking. Who knows, we may even smash a plate or two.”
