Στο πλαίσιο έρευνας – πασατέμπου, από αυτές που φιλοξενούνται στα mainstream media (το συγκεκριμένο ήταν το “Κ” της Καθημερινής, στα early ‘20s), είχε ζητηθεί από Έλληνες πολιτικούς να διαλέξουν το τραγούδι που σημάδεψε τα νεανικά τους χρόνια. Η φαιδρότητα του concept ξεκινούσε από την ίδια την ιδέα του …ενός τραγουδιού – αναιρετική της πιθανότητας να αφορά κάποιον στοιχειωδώς φιλόμουσο. Tο “ενδιαφέρον” τώρα προέκυπτε από την αποστασιοποίηση ενός από τους ερωτηθέντες : …“είχε κάνει τη διαφορά”, επιλέγοντας το The Number Of The Beast των Iron Maiden. Αυτός δεν ήταν άλλος από το Γιώργο Γεραπετρίτη. Μη γνωρίζοντας τον εν λόγω (ακαδημαϊκό εκτός των άλλων), δεν μπορώ να ξέρω αν το εννοούσε, ή ήθελε να αλιεύσει συμπάθειες από τη “μέταλ κοινότητα” των ‘80s. Σε κάθε περίπτωση, η πολιτεία του σημερινού ΥΠΕΞ της “χώρας”, σηκώνει πληρωμένη απάντηση από το αγαπημένο του (εκτός εισαγωγικών ή εντός) συγκρότημα. Αυτή περιέχεται …όχι σε ένα, αλλά σε δυο τραγούδια από το Fear Of The Dark, άλμπουμ που οι Harris & co κυκλοφόρησαν το 1992 : Be Quick Or Be Dead (00:00), Judas be My Guide (03:24). 📀 📀 📀 In the context of one of the filler-surveys published in mainstream media (this particular one was in “K” magazine of Kathimerini, in the early 2020s), Greek politicians were asked to choose the song that marked their youth. The absurdity of the concept began with the very idea of …a single song — which undermines the possibility that it could concern anyone even moderately into music. The “interest” arose from the distancing of one of the respondents : he …“made the difference” by choosing The Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden. Ηε was none other than Giorgos Gerapetritis. Not knowing the aforementioned (an academic, among other things), I cannot know whether he meant it, or whether he wanted to fish for sympathy from the “metal community” of the ’80s. In any case, the record of the current Foreign Minister of the “country” warrants a paid answer from his (whether outside quotation marks or inside) favorite band. That answer is contained …not in one, but two songs from Fear Of The Dark, the album Harris & co. released in 1992 : Be Quick Or Be Dead (00:00), Judas be My Guide (03:24).

BE QUICK OR BE DEAD
Covered in sinners and dripping with guilt
Making you money from slime and from filth
Parading your bellies in ivory towers
Investing our lives in your schemes and your powers
You’ve got to watch them
Be quick or be dead
Snake eyes in Heaven
The thief’s in your head
You’ve got to watch them
Be quick or be dead
Snake eyes in Heaven
The thief in your head
Be quick or be dead
Be quick, quick, quick, quick
Or be dead, dead, dead, dead
See what’s ruling all our lives
See who’s pulling strings
See what’s ruling all our lives
See who pulls the strings
I bet you won’t fall on your face
Your belly will hold you in place
The serpent is crawling inside of your ear
He says you must vote for what you want to hear
Don’t matter what’s wrong as long as you’re alright
Pull yourself stupid, rob yourself blind
You’ve got to watch them
Be quick or be dead
Snake eyes in Heaven
The thief’s in your head
You’ve got to watch them
Be quick or be dead
Snake eyes in Heaven
The thief’s in your head
Be quick or be dead
Be quick, quick, quick, quick
Or be dead, dead, dead, dead
You’ve got to watch them
Be quick or be dead
Snake eyes in Heaven
The thief’s in your head
You’ve got to watch them
Be quick or be dead
Snake eyes in Heaven
The thief’s in your head
Be quick… or be dead!
Be quick!

JUDAS MY GUIDE
Lights out
We live in a world Of darkness
No doubt
Everything’s up for sale
We sleep
All of the world is burning
We pray to god for a better deal
Nothing is sacred
Back then or now
Everything’s wasted
Is that all there is?
Can I go now?
Judas my guide
Whispers in the night
Judas my guide
Fight wars
Die in a blaze of glory
Come home
Meat in a plastic sack
Fall down
Better pray to your God for mercy
So kneel and help the blade cut clean
Nothing is sacred
Back then or now
Everyone’s wasted
Is that all there is?
Is that it now?
Judas my guide
Whispers in the night
Judas my guide
Judas my guide
Whispers in the night
Judas my guide
I live in the black
I have no guiding light
I’m whispering in your dreams
Judas my guide
Whispers in the night
Judas my guide
Judas my guide
Whispers in the night
Judas my guide