The British MTV presenter who gave up everything to live in Greece

As an MTV presenter, he has also interviewed political figures such as Michael Gorbachev and Jacques Delors, and religious figures such as the Dalai Lama. Madonna, Mick Jagger and Janet Jackson were given a friendly welcome given that their music channel was so important to the music industry as the predecessor to YouTube and Spotify. As he describes in his book, “Getting Lost is Part of the Journey”: “MTV, Deutschland und Ich” All this propaganda ranged from crazy parties to extreme abuse. Until he got tired of it all and left MTV and Great Britain to settle in Germany. There he studied screenwriting after working for several years in local channels and began writing formats for TV shows such as “Where's the Money”. We met in Greece one afternoon at the Chelsea Hotel in Bagrati.

He described his start at MTV: “A friend told me that MTV – which I had never heard of – was starting in Europe, so I sent in my job application. They invited me to interview to play a reporter, but they also gave me an audition on how to 'write' on screen. I remember when I was leaving, I saw an American who looked at me the way a Londoner would and said, 'You look strange to me, which is very good for business.' That's how I got the job. “Three months later, they called me and put me in front of the camera… “What struck him about his job at the time was that while he was living and working in London, MTV was not as well known in the UK as it was in the Netherlands. Germany, Scandinavia and of course in Greece. He had the opportunity to come to Greece and report.

What made you come to Greece and start learning Greek?
Last November I was here for the 29th time, after an absence of 27 years. Greece has always had a special place in my heart. On MTV in the 80s and 90s, when there was something to do with Greece, I would make sure it included me. An interview with Stereo Nova, Vangelis, in honor of Greece's Olympic bid, and even a Tina Turner performance on stage. I made friends here, took a three-month sabbatical from MTV, and celebrated my 33rd and 34th birthdays with huge parties, with the help of Team Magna (Manos and Elias). In November, I reconnected with friends as if years had not passed. I started Greek lessons again – I did them 6 months ago 30 years ago. I know from my experience in Germany that you can only understand and become part of society when you master the language.
What are your goals here in Athens?
My original plan was to update my resume, finish the script, and continue my music interview podcast. But being here gave me the opportunity to interview a group of successful Greeks living abroad, the first of whom were Kid Moxy and Alex Antaeos. And I've started gathering new and old artists, designers, and directors who also live here for future episodes. I am also actively looking for other opportunities, I have a rich musical history, I was a well-known TV presenter and have an innate ability to connect with people, and I am also an author and screenwriter. I have nothing to lose, experiences, whatever their nature, are what matter in life.

Steve Bleme with Elton John

With Mikhail Gorbachev

With the Dalai Lama

Actress Heike Makac, Steve Plame and Madonna

With Kylie Minogue

With Tina Turner

What is interesting in Athens? I have lived in London and Germany.
Mainly people. It is made of the blue and white flag – the sea, the sky, the frothy white of the waves and the clouds. Simplicity, which when added to the complexity of the Greek spirit, creates a wonderful combination. I have a feeling that I belong here and I don't have anywhere else. Britain was the country I grew up in, but Germany was the country that made me truly understand who I was. But now it's time for the next adventure in my life. Which means my heart and soul.
Tell us about your encounter with a Greek legend like Vangelis Papathanasiou…
I've been lucky enough to interview almost every star of my generation, from Madonna to McCartney, Elton, Tina, Zappa, Cobain, and even the Dalai Lama, Gorbachev and up to 1,000 others. The greatest experiences are always when a musical hero and legend plays for you, whether it's pop music – Morten Harkett took a guitar home and played a medley of A-ha songs, Al Green sang for me at Tabernacle Church in Memphis, and here at his home in Placa, he sat Vangelis is behind the synthesizers. Lee has played and composed freely, in addition to his classical pieces. It was an unforgettable and unforgettable honor.
Who is the person you met that stuck in your memory?
The Dalai Lama influenced me more than anyone else. In 1994, His Holiness told me this “The ability to respect and care for yourself and others is what will fill you.”. It took me years to truly understand this phrase, but it finally occurred to me after I became the person taking care of my mother for three years until she died. Love and respect are paramount, the principles by which individuals and countries should live, and that is why, as I have done for the past thirty years, I have always believed that if Great Britain truly lived by its principles, as all other countries should do so. Do so, and she must return the Parthenon Marbles.