Myrto Papadopoulos   For the Greeks one of the biggest pleasures
is to go out, drink and spend a lot of money at the
''Bouzoukia''...  In general, the history of the bouzouki is
actually intertwined with the rebetika songs, which is among the
most distinctive Greek music sounds.  The culture of rebetika
songs started blooming in the hashish venues and prisons of the
port towns in Asia Minor and the Aegean Sea islands at the early
years of the 20th century, and reached its peak later during and
between the main World Wars.  These rebetika songs had lyrics
about hookers and pimps, drugs, love, money, death and
everything that could be associated with everyday life. The
chords of the songs were based on a wide range of rhythms and
ancient modes, and stood out due to the improvisation of their
introductions known as taxims.  Today, the music and the clubs
that play this music, are referred to as bouzoukia (deriving
from the plural of the word bouzouki), after the primary
instrument involved.  Bouzoukia are a main