Dirk Polak by Mecano at Booze bar (Athens) and the spiritual quest

Last night I had been to the second day of the spiritual quest film festival at Goethe Institut, Athens. There, I met my friend K., whose friend had a photography exhibition at Booze, so we decided to go after the festival. At a certain time, a tune caught my attention. And a very familiar and loved one at that. But it was quite different and slower, as if it were an arrangement. K. looked at me and said that this was the song by the gentleman next to me.

It was the new version of Untitled by Mecano (the Dutch group please, not the Spanish!). And the man next to me was Dirk Polak.

Then a whole conversation on a number of topics sparked up with Dirk, starting from musicians and bands we both love (like Joy Division and Nick Drake), moving on to his remark about the vanity of Athenian women (and then my retort which he found quite apt that "stupid men make vane women"), his love for Russian poetry, his having been in Athens for quite some time and played at Gagarin, the new album, his partner Sofia Florou (a ballet teacher who told me some amazing stories regarding her life and career which I would like to document). The meeting ended up with the suggestion to watch together Control, the film about Joy Division and Ian Curtis and share some of our favourite music.

Dirk was an amazingly vibrant and energetic person in a brilliant and friendly mood; indeed, aptly personifying the energy spirit and the gut power of the song Untitled which I consider one of the best songs of its genre of all time, alongside 3-4 of the best songs by Joy Division.

I was also happy to talk with eL Panouli (Mecano photographer who also took these photographs). In the pic on the left there is me, Sofia Florou and Dirk Polak.

Video clips


Mecano at Rockwave 2006 - Treasure Lost and Found



F. Truong & Mecano

Links

• Mecano home page
• Untitled by Mecano lyrics and mp3
  
• Interview of Dirk Polak at enoughfanzine
• Interview of Dirk Polak in Greek
• Mecano at myspace
• Mecano at Dutch Rock and Pop Encyclopedia
• Mecano at Wikipedia