A 17 years old in suburbs of Piraeus, Greece.
Favourite music: all the new wave, punk rock, a little bit dark style, very close to the 'proper' mood you have when you are a teenager, feeling angry about what's happening in the world - his world, feeling desperate sometimes, trying to find his identity.
Magazine "IHOS" (means SOUND). A magazine with many interesting open-minded music journalists. One of them writes about Jonathan's album: "Jonathan Sings". The title of the article is "Jonathan Stings!" The message of the article is that this album change lives and that is the most "hardcore" music of our times.
The boy, searching for new experiences, buys the album and that's it!
"It's too late .you are stuck with me". This music puts the end to all the dark, bloomy mood and shows the 'wide open road'. The relationship with Jonathan begins, the Rockin and Romance is the second lovely 'kiss' and the boy is beginning to search in these - no internet times- who's that guy, has he other albums etc.. Also he writes in his 'fan club', of course not the usual fan club. Jonathan send him some lines in a letter himself, the boy is the first fan from Greece, the boy buys a T- shirt painted from Jonathan (full of colour, with UFOs, camels, dinosaurs, etc).
The boy's friends find this music silly and childish, a betray in the 'dark kingdom', but the boy says it loud: He is happy and he is proud!. Now the dream is one: to see him Live! In the material Jonathan is sending, there are dates and venues in which Jonathan plays all over world, but Greece (very poor in concerts in these times) is never in them. So the dream is to travel somewhere near Greece. And when (in springtime) a concerts' schedule arrives from Jonathan and inside the boy finds Italy he take the decision: He will go to Milan for the concert of his life!!!
Unfortunately, there are several obstacles: No one of his friends is following him, his parents will not let him do this 'crazy' journey, he hasn't got so much money.
But the boy will fight for it: He makes his plan. He will take a 'cheap' plane early in the morning, he will arrive in Milan at noon, he will be in concert at night and just when the concert will finish he'll take the train back home and he will arrive (next day) at noon. The parents will not know anything about it (he will tell them that after his work -he works in a office- he will go to a friend, and he will sleep there- all this too risky but there isn't other solution) All the friends and his two sisters will know it and they all try to cover his absence. All the arrangements (tickets, a small travel bag with food, etc) are ready. Everybody thinks this is a total crazy idea for a 17-18 years old boy but for the boy this journey is everything.
The day arrives: The boy takes the plane of JAT (Yugoslavian Airlines) very early in the morning, the sun is rising up, he changes plane in Zagreb, and at about 12 o'clock he is in Milan - everything according to the program. The weather is not so good, many clouds, low temperature, the boy left 'hot' Athens with a T-shirt, he feels a little cold but his heart is very warm. He has to find the certain venue of Jonathan's concert. He buys a Italian newspaper (Republica), he don't knows Italian but he thinks that he will see Jonathan's name inside, maybe a photo, anyway he will find it for sure.
He takes the bus to Milan center, he opens the newspaper, he finds the name and the venue, he is happy, he is in heaven. Near the name of the venue, as an address, he reads "San Milanese". What is this? He has to ask, "do you speak English?'', the most (Italian) people in bus don't know or they say so, he finds a girl, he is lucky, she explains to him "San Milanese is a some miles outside Milan"
"ooh...and how someone gets there?"
"by bus from the centre",
"can you show me where I'll catch them?"
"Of course"
The bus arrives in the centre, the girl tells the boy that this the proper stop, she will also get off. Now they are in Milan's centre. Suddenly a thought passes the boy's mind: How he will return in Milan after concert, to take the train?
He asks the girl if there will be buses late at night to Milan, she says she don't think so, San Milanese is a small 'village' with not so often transport. Oh..Oh this is a problem, The thoughts are passing like 'thunders' in boy's mind, maybe he will take a taxi, or find a place to sleep there and travel in the morning, but what about train tickets, OK he will change them, and the parents, his boss, what excuse he will find, and moreover he hasn't so much money, oooh.NO..NO.he doesn't believe that he is too close to the dream and he can't catch it. The girl, holding his newspaper, is watching him, his face is changing expressions. He takes the decision, he will GO, and he will find a solution there, and if he don't he'll go after the concert to Jonathan, tell him the whole story, and ask him to give him a place to stay for the night. Jonathan will not refuse for sure! The light comes to boy's face again!
'OK thank you very much, I will go there, where is the bus station?" tells to the girl.
"You'll go straight and turn the second road right. Good luck. By the way who is the singer?" says the girl looking again the newspaper.
"He is Jonathan Richman, an American, he is great.."
The girl notices something in the newspaper
".here there is something other'', she points in a certain point
'What is ???",
"The concert is not for today.",
"..????"
"yes, yes, it's not for today.."
" and .for what.what.day."
"The concert will take place on Saturday, three days after today."
" Oh, I.I.. understand.." (the dream is fading away)
"What will you do?"
"I don't know..Thank you anyway"
"you're welcome (she gives him back the newspaper). Good luck". The girl leaves.
The boy, in the crowded Milan center, the weather like his heart, cloudy and raining, lonely, tears in his eyes, tears, tears from the bottom of his heart. He feels he is in a big silence, although around him people are passing fast, cars, traffic lights, buses, people are speaking, Italian is the language of this Silence, he walks without purpose, streets with no names, he takes the metro, he gets off, his body has been 'broken up' in pieces.
He tries to find a solution, but this is a situation without solutions, he opens the newspaper, he sees again and again the terrible 'point', he thinks 'maybe to see another concert, just as a.cure, he don't know the groups, only "Talk Talk' but he has seen them before some years and Ok they are not what he wants these moments.
And now he wants to leave this town. He goes to train station, he takes the first train to Yugoslavia and he will change train in Zagreb. He only wants to leave this place!
Some years after, Jonathan came to Athens (unfortunately without the Modern Lovers) but the magic is there. And during the concert the boy feels that Jonathan is looking in the audience for the boy of this story, he feels that Jonathan recognizes him, looks him straight in his eyes, the boy is hiding, and after the concert, he wants to go to speak to him, but he has not the courage. Only he 'followed' him next day in Patras, where Jonathan played in a small club, and before the concert he saw Jonathan wandering alone in town, and he didn't speak to him again.
The boy is now a man, it's me and this is the story of a dream, the loveliest in my life. Thank you Jonathan for everything.
