Lex Marinos’ Blood and Circuses – An Irresponsible Memoir (Allen & Unwin 2014) is anything but an ‘irresponsible’ account of his life and times. Nor is it the settling of old scores, the self-assertion of a conceited ‘star’ or a tantalising scandalous narrative from the Australian arts world.
First and foremost it is a tribute to all known and unknown artists, famous and obscure performers – most of whom have been colleagues and collaborators of Marinos – who have struggled (some of them falling victims to adversity – poverty, alcohol, drugs, depression, suicide) to contribute a small part to the ambitious post-war great structure of the Australian arts industry.
Furthermore, this memoir should be viewed as a small gesture of gratitude, a “thank you” to all those who helped the author to fulfil his childhood dream: to be become an artist and live the exciting adventure of art – not a negligible thing for a person like Marinos. Hence, he does not seem to hold any grudges against anybody; nor does he express any inhibitions regarding whatever failures and disappointments he has come across.
In addition to the above, the greatest contribution Lex Marinos’ memoir has to offer is, I think, the author’s unabated interest and in-depth preoccupation with the phenomenon of Australian multiculturalism from the ’50s up to now. How and to what extent has multiculturalism shaped the psyche of Australian society, and what has been achieved during this period? All these matters are viewed and examined in Marinos’ capacity both as a performer as well as an arts administrator and media presenter.
According to the writer, although many things have changed since the ’50s, in relation to the multicultural landscape – especially after Whitlam’s pro-migrant government policies which, in many respects, were a catalyst for the country – in the end the situation has not essentially changed dramatically. Despite various grand proclamations over the years by demagogue politicians regarding the “great achievements of multiculturalism”, the mainstream Anglo-Saxon culture has not allowed any significant space for change. With rare exceptions there has hardly been any real opening up to the ‘other’, the ‘different’, the ‘foreign’ in the theatre, literature and the arts in general.
Thus, all cultural activity by the minorities in Australia remains marginalised, confined to the narrow ghettos of the migrant communities. A living example of this is the case of Lex Marinos himself who, even though he was born and bred in Australia by first generation Greek migrants, as an artist and entertainer never managed to get rid of the ‘wog’ label which accompanied him all his life. The result? To complete his long and exciting artistic career by playing the role of an elderly Greek migrant (that of Manoly in The Slap), having previously interpreted numerous similarly stereotyped characters.
This fact alone speaks volumes. That is why all relevant chapters, referring to ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘identity’ issues, are not only interesting but also valuable material for all concerned with these subjects (historians, sociologists, cultural and multicultural scholars, etc).
It would be futile, of course, to ask politicians to read at least these relevant chapters, if not the whole book, as these people are “careful and troubled about many things …”
In conclusion, the almost obsessive tendency of the writer to record at length and exhaustively every infinitesimal and insignificant detail of his otherwise impressive career constitutes, I think, the most vulnerable point of the book. This extremely thorough presentation of a vast number of details may, perhaps, have a sentimental, historical or other significance for the writer himself. I very much doubt, however, whether and to what extent all these details actually interest the reader who, after a point, may feel somewhat bored and weary. Other than that, the huge volume of information stretches the text dangerously.
And yet, despite this point of criticism, this is a robust, vibrant, humorous, witty and vividly-written memoir, full of enthusiasm and gusto. There is a successful combination and intermarriage of daydreaming, nostalgia, commentary, criticism and self-criticism, devotion and love for the family and for the writer’s two beloved countries – Australia and Greece; the ‘Mediterraneo’ chapter, where Marinos, together with his family, explores Greece extensively searching for his family and cultural roots, is excellent. Above all, we witness throughout the book the writer’s passion for art and life.
Marinos has obviously enjoyed writing every single page of this memoir, in the same way as he had enjoyed each and every day of his long, adventurous and fulfilling career. It is likely that his readers may read his ‘irresponsible memoir’ in an equally enjoyable manner.
* Note: This is a summary of a longer book-review on Alex Marinos’ book.
Dr John Vasilakakos is an acclaimed Melbourne academic and writer. His latest book is Christos Tsiolkas: The Untold Story (Connor Court Publishing, Melbourne 2013) whose Greek edition came out by Odos Panos Publishing, Athens 2015.