Greek actor Yiannis Bezos said mediocrity has come to overwhelm much of today's artistic output, arguing that genuine creators are instead driven by a deep personal need to express what they carry inside and share it with an audience.
Bezos made the comments during an interview on the radio station Mega News, in which he reflected on what separates artists of real substance from the rest.
He said the need to create is not only a social one. According to Bezos, it is above all a personal need felt by the artist, tied to a desire to leave an individual imprint through their work.
He said that whatever example one takes, from the ancient tragedians to the great artists of today, a powerful need is what drives their work. He explained that this need is not purely social but deeply personal, describing it as an artist's wish to put forward a world they carry within themselves and to share it in their own way.
Bezos added that great artists are often very self-centred, yet at the same time they want what they create to become a shared experience with others. He said this, too, comes from a need: the artist wants to keep working and wants a body of work, or repertoire, to leave behind.
On mediocrity and the search for something more
Bezos spoke at length about the relationship between artists and what he called mediocrity. He explained that constantly seeking out new work and different points of reference is, for a creator with genuine interest, a way of continuing to grow.
He said that because mediocrity so often overwhelms the field, an artist who respects themselves will always search for something more and will be drawn to it out of necessity, in order to endure. He stressed this applies to the artist who has real interest in their craft.
Without that interest, he said, an artist is condemned to live in mediocrity and will end up speaking only to audiences and listeners who resemble them.
Theodorakis and Hadjidakis as examples
Bezos then pointed to two of the most significant figures in Greek culture, the composers Mikis Theodorakis and Manos Hadjidakis, to illustrate how he views the relationship between a major artist and their public. Theodorakis, known internationally for scores including Zorba the Greek, and Hadjidakis, an Academy Award winner for the song Never on Sunday, are widely regarded as two of the most influential composers in modern Greek music.
Bezos said that great artists such as Theodorakis or Hadjidakis were, in effect, in dialogue with people who were their equals.
