That's Greek for "Congratulations, Despina!"
Despina and her friends form a small group of young Greek women and their families, who have been using me for various occasions for years. They reside along the Northern area of Queens....Whitestone, Bayside, Astoria.
It's always a blast to sing at any of their events, because they're usually held at one of the many Greek restaurants that dot the area. You feel as if you're transported back to another time and place, with the food, the music, and the language.
The "Americanization" of these young women has got to be tough on the families; especially the overprotective Dads, brothers, and male cousins. The girls tend to be a little wild through their late-teens and early-twenties, but they eventually come back to embracing their old world customs, given the frequent trips back "home" to Athens and Mykonos.
The celebration for Despina was because she had just passed her Bar Exam. She likens herself to a modern-day Elle Woods from "Legally Blonde": she dresses to impress, she picks her favorite team by the color of their uniform (and how the guys look in them!), and she insists on Five-Star treatment wherever she goes (Cancun, Atlantic City, etc.)
One night in Cancun, she had a little too much to drink and spent about an hour trying to get into her hotel room with her credit card and couldn't understand why it wasn't working!
"Elvis" was called upon to sing the congratulatory song. I always write the Elvis-grams to the tune of "Jailhouse Rock". But the hilarity ensued when I walked into the restaurant, the Greek band was playing.....drums, keyboards, guitar, and a bouzouki! I politely waited until they were finished and started my song.
Usually I warn bands in restaurants that they shouldn't accompany me because I take a lot of liberties with the songs and they throw me off while they try to find the right key. This group "attempted" to play behind me.
There's something very endearing about an Elvis singing telegram, singing to the tune of "Jailhouse Rock" in a Greek restaurant, accompanied by a bouzouki!
Multiculturalism at it's finest.
OPA!!!!!
Kerry
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