Chris Kontos, Kennedy Magazine

There are two reasons. The first one is a song, which is one of my favorites by this old English punk band called The Wedding Present. They’re actually playing Athens this Saturday, so I’ll have to go (laughs). The second one is the Kennedy family. I used to be obsessed with them, especially with John-John. You know, he used to have a magazine too. His style was kind of preppy, he had a beautiful wife – the whole package really appealed to me. But the song is the main reason.

The idea is to open a window to the rest of the world. One could say that Greece is a bit off the map, somehow. Most people don’t know much about it. When I started Kennedy Magazine more than 11 years ago, there wasn’t much going on here. Because of my experience with photography, and because I love writing, I felt like a magazine was the right medium to do so. The economy was terrible here at that time, an all-time low. Which to me is the perfect opportunity to reinvent yourself and try something new. I had no idea the magazine would last that long. It’s a lot of work and energy, and I always keep questioning whether I want to do keep going or not (laughs).

One of the reasons why I struggle so much with the magazine, and why I only publish one every two years now, is because I feel like I have to talk about things that are important. Things that matter to me. For example, in the last issue I spent 3 pages talking about the separation from my wife. I think that as an artist, and as a writer too, you have to strip yourself naked in front of people. I think that’s what sets us apart, and I hope that our readers feel the same way. At the same time, I want the magazine to have a certain lightness, hopefulness. I think it’s important to offer some distraction from all the negativity and seriousness that surrounds us. I prefer to make people dream. Life is good, even if it’s challenging or tough at times. So, I try to get that message across to the people that read Kennedy or keep up with our social media.

It is. As you can see here, I have about 4000 records. I used to be a DJ, and a successful one too (laughs). It was one of my favorite things to do. Covid put a halt to that, and of course the whole lifestyle is very taxing and extravagant, so it takes its toll on your life as well. I played a lot of techno, and trance, but mixed with all kinds of things. A lot of Belgian techno music too! I’d love to DJ again now that I’m talking about it (laughs). But I’m into a lot of different types of music. I like dark stuff too, like gothic, or black metal. When I go to a concert and I see these young goth kids, it warms my heart. Because they’re into something I connect with, and it has a lot of depth.

I used to be (laughs). You can see right here that I have tons of older magazines. I used to buy so many of them, especially fashion magazines, but it’s so hard to keep up with everything that comes out. Purple was always one of my favorites, and I still pick it up sometimes, they haven’t changed their recipe. I like how they still keep it sexy, in that typical French style. I used to also really enjoy magazines like The Skirt Chronicles, Fantastic Man, The Happy Reader, and a bunch more. But nowadays I prefer to spend some more money and buy an artbook instead of a magazine, because it’s something that stays, that you can go back to – like an investment.

I would. Kennedy Magazine doesn’t really make us any money, it’s like voluntary work (laughs). Photography is how I make a living, mainly working with fashion brands, or hotels or what have you. Sometimes it goes beyond photography, and I handle the whole creative direction, which I love doing. When they give me a budget and tell me to do whatever I want: that’s my favorite thing to do. That’s what I did for Mr. Porter last year for example. They shipped me a box full of clothing, and then it was up to me to take care of the creative direction, the casting, the locations, the copywriting and so on. In the end, we presented the campaign almost like a piece of journalism, but with fashion. I didn’t work with real models, but with people that I know here in Athens, and it was amazing. The best of both worlds.