A Conversation With Chris Kontos: Kennedy Magazine In Retrospection
Chris Kontos is the founder of Kennedy Magazine, a biannual “journal of curiosities”. A long-time inspiration of ours, Chris is certainly the embodiment of good taste. In his magazine, and life, he combines the best of film, music, art, and fashion. In lieu of the launch of Issue 11, we met with him to discuss everything from the new issue, to Athens and to his thoughts on social media.
Ira: Describe Kennedy to someone that has never read it before. How did it start and what was the inspiration behind it?
Chris: It all started back in 2012. I was quite lost, both on on a personal and professional level, and everything seemed to be only getting worse - including Greece’s economy. So during that summer, I had a great holiday, maybe the longest holiday I’ve ever had. And when I came back, I started Kennedy. Since I knew I was going to be unemployed and depressed, I decided to do an extension of this blog I had at the time, called Journal of Curiosities. Unfortunately it’s not online anymore, because Blogger put it down, but it had a bit of everything; music I liked, food I liked, people I liked. And I’m still following that same approach with Kennedy.
Ira: What do you think sets Kennedy apart from all the other magazines available nowadays?
Chris: I think people like Kennedy because it’s very personal. I'm trying to be really honest in it, both with myself and the people who read it. I sometimes I talk about my inner demons, my anxieties, my happiness. And I think that’s where its success lies. It also has a lot of my personal taste, which I think people like to see. We all like seeing other people's lives and feeling like we're their friends.
Ira: One of my favorite things about each issue is your Editor’s note, at the beginning, because you always get very personal and self-reflective there. Do you ever worry about over-sharing or not leaving room for the stories to speak for themselves?
Chris: Oh no, I would never stop doing that. The last four years I’ve stopped writing on a daily basis, which I used to do a lot in the past, because of my iPhone addiction. So when I make a new issue, it’s a good opportunity for me to write. It allows me to get in touch with myself and engage in a dialogue with the readers. And I think if I didn’t take risks Kennedy wouldn’t be what it is. I did this story for Issue 8 that was 120 pages. No editor would ever do a story that is practically half the magazine. And If I had the chance to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Ira: Kennedy is a passion project for you, and as you said, you always stick to your vision. But when this passion project became a full-time job, did you ever consider becoming more “strategic” in your choices?
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Chris: Well actually, that was something I thought about when making Issue 10. That issue was truly groundbreaking for us, very different from what we’ve ever done before, because it was a thematic issue about Greece. It was also the first issue with a different cover, and the most successful Kennedy issue so far. Its success showed me that people are more engaged in the magazine when it becomes more focused. So I’ve changed my approach when making the magazine, and I’ve focused a lot on making it more digestible, in a way. Having a lot of amazing, niche interviews is sometimes not enough, and I realised I wanted to structure the magazine in a more approachable, to the reader, manner. But always without any compromise. The the next issue is going to be about Japan. It’s a really ambitious issue, very different from what we’ve done before.
Ira: Before this big shift with Issue 10, are there any other things that you changed during the years of learning more about how to put the magazine together?
Chris: Yes, some things definitely changed over time. One of those was the graphic design. I think a lot of magazines are over-designed, and with Kennedy we’ve gotten really adventurous with the design in some issues. But with time we tried to make the magazine less designed, and in the end we chose a more subtle layout, to make it more readable. But regarding the editorial vibe, I don’t think anything changed before the 10th Issue.
Ira: How do you stay inspired?
Chris: Well I can’t afford to not be inspired. Looking back I’ve realised that a lot of the issues I’ve made mostly on my own and for Issue 10 for example, I think I did almost all the stories myself. And despite that, I still managed to create something that was not boring or repetitive. That thought is certainly something that keeps me going. The other thing would be traveling. Athens is a place that can get very depressing, and regardless of the lifestyle you might have here, it still brings you down at times. So traveling is definitely one of the thinks keeping me afloat. And then my constant source of inspiration are the books that I read and the movies I watch. I’ve realised that if I don't watch a new movie or get a new record for a while I will feel really down. Movies especially really do the trick for me. I can watch one good movie and get a month’s worth of inspiration.
Ira: What is a movie that has had a profound impact on you?
Chris: I like Asian cinema a lot, and I really like Edward Yang’s movies. There is a movie of his that watch maybe once a year, it’s called Yi Yi. Now that I’m making the new Issue of Kennedy I will probably re-watch it, to get inspired.
Ira: Talk to me about the Athens and Greece that you portray in your photographs.
Chris: You’ve probably realised yourself that Athens is not what it used to be. If I could like give you a peak into the version of Athens I have in my head, it would be perfectly incapsulated through these photographs Spyros Staveris took in Omonia around the early 90s. Now that Athens has been gentrified and even places like Omonia have changed. There's nothing there anymore, no cinemas, no record stores. This is this side of Athens I like I don't like; the one that is now full of nice restaurants everywhere and full of tourists. It's really different, in a way, but at the same time, it’s still the same. I like to think that the Athens in my photographs is honest. Even if I’m shooting something depressing or something dirty, to me it is what it is. I cannot make it be something different.
Ira: You have undoubtedly managed to create a style that is very recognisable and your own. How was the process of finding your image?
Chris: That process started 20 years ago. Photography is all I’ve ever done. I worked at a record store once when I was 22, but apart from that, I’ve never done anything else in my life. When I look back at my photographs from 10 years ago, they're really different from the ones I take now. You might find some resemblance in some elements, but I think my images have truly changed these last 6-7 years. I think my photography has become a lot more personal during this time. And one of the reasons I think it might be appealing is because it's photography that people can identify with; it doesn't feel far fetched or impossible to recreate yourself. I try to apply that philosophy even when I shoot fashion. Another element that is important to me is the light in a photo; I will never take a photo with uninteresting light. And the color, since I only shoot color.
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