Everyone knows George Kapiniaris from his popular Wogs out of Work and Acropolis Now days.
Since then, he’s had many roles under his belt, from Ronnie McDoggle in Fat Pizza, inmate Ricardo in Broken Hill and Alex Lykos in Alex & Eve, as well as hundreds of stand-up comedy shows and gigs at weddings.
Unfortunately his shows, jam-packed with laughter, had to be cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19. We caught up with him to see what he is up to these days and he shared everything from the books he is reading to his favourite meal during lockdown.
What have you been reading?
Jimmy Barnes ‘Working Class Man’
What are you watching?
Schitt’s Creek, Lovecraft County and Raised by Wolves.
What music are you listening to?
I’m listening to a lot of Blues at the moment. I’m learning songs for a new band I’m putting together. Hopefully we will be able to perform again in 2021.
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What are you cooking?
My favourite meal at the moment is an old Greek dish which is perfect for cold Melbourne nights when you’re locked down in isolation. Oxtail with Potatoes and Beans in a Red Sauce (Kokkinisto). Perfect with Fresh Crusty Bread. The dipping is the best part.
What is keeping you sane at the moment?
My Guitar. If I’ve had enough of the situation we are in, I lock myself into my studio, turn on my amp and play.
What is work like for you now?
Non-existent. I can’t do Comedy because all the venues are closed down so I’ve had to cancel many shows. I can’t host weddings because we can’t have weddings with more than a handful of people in Melbourne at the Moment and I can’t go interstate to MC weddings because all the states have closed their borders to Melbourne, Victorians, so I am passing on my gigs to my colleagues in those states. This COVID situation in Melbourne and the mistakes made by the Victorian Premier and his Ministers have really hurt the Performing Arts & Entertainment sector. It’s looking very bleak for us performers and there’s nothing we can do about it. The only work I do at the moment is for projects in the future but we can’t really plan properly because of the unprecedented situation that we are in. We need answers and the problem is we, in the Entertainment & Hospitality Industry, aren’t getting any answers.
What’s something positive you’ve witnessed or experienced since COVID-19 entered our lives and what have you learned about yourself?
To tell you the truth, not much has been positive but my wife and I, with our children, have bonded during the last seven months which is great. We have learnt how to save money too, because we’re not working, so things we used to pay for like getting the car washed, having a house cleaner, calling the gardener, going to a restaurant and handyman jobs around the house we are doing ourselves so that’s something we’ve realised we can do. In a modern world, we blow money very easily. We are constantly on our devices so we don’t communicate anymore. These two things have changed since lockdown for us.
Where’s the first place you’d like to visit in Greece once travel is allowed?
When international travel is allowed again in 2030, I would like to visit Zakinthos in Greece. We were fortunate enough as a family to visit Greece in 2019 but we didn’t make it to the west side of Greece.