George Dalaras: Some of the most famous Greek singers are hypocrites and laughable

George Dalaras’s statements have caused a debate in recent days. In particular, the great musician referred to young artists and compared Antonis Remos with Grigoris Bithikotsis while criticising Konstantinos Argiros’s decision to participate in a fast food advertisement.

In speaking on the You Still Haven’t Seen Anything” show, he stated: “Of course, I didn’t have in mind that saying or making any comments [would do that] and certainly not now; I occasionally comment on our environment around the song. My whole life has been in agony about what exactly a singer is and what a song means in our country. For me, a good singer is, first of all, one who has a good voice.

“Remos, Vertis, Oikonomopoulos, and Argiros certainly have good voices. I value these people and single them out. It’s one thing to sing and have a good voice and another to sing great songs. Many handsome singers do not sing worthy songs, and of course, that is their choice. Of course, no one will leave the mark of Bithikotsis, Kazantzidis, or the rest of the legends of previous eras.”

And he continued: “I will not comment on what everyone says (e.g. Grigoris Arnautoglou); everyone makes value judgments and is judged whether they are a radio producer, a television personality, a journalist, an analyst, whatever. I am judged for who I am and what I do. As you already know, I have set a very high standard for the art of singing and music in particular and the bar is set very high; I am not going to lower it. Everyone can do whatever they want, depending on the life they have chosen to lead. If a musician or singer decides to change jobs and can run a business, it’s clear that I won’t judge him, and I won’t deal with him.”

He said about the ads some artists choose to do: “In some ads at the stops, I saw chickens and some burgers that many Greek singers also advertise. Some Greek singers who are the most famous and have had long careers are hypocrites whose voices are laughable. When a person has a good voice and earns a lot of money from his work and the world has rewarded them and often lavishly, they should realise that bad behaviour towards society and the aesthetics of the world becomes hubris.”

Finally, the singer revealed that in the past, he had advised Sakis Rouvas about his career.

“You have to go deeper into the music to understand what the song is, to understand what the history of the song is, what this history has left behind in this place. In such a country, we don’t have the right to enjoy the good things of Mykonos, the sunshine, fried potatoes and fruit salad, and that’s all”.

“I like that Dalaras is said to be old-fashioned because I am. I trust old-fashioned things until I find something more worthy to win me over,” concluded Dalaras.

READ MORE: Sakis Rouvas: The moment flower baskets hit his face – Watch the video.