Growing up in the poor Athenian neighborhood known as Tzitzifies-Kallithea, Mike Pougounas took an interest in Greek punk at the age of 13, and started playing live shows during that year as well.
[1] In 1981, at the age of 16, Mike Pougounas would form The Gift, later renamed The Flowers Of Romance after a pre-Sex Pistols band in which Sid Vicious was the drummer.
In his position as The Flowers Of Romance's front man, Mike Pougounas would continue to hone his talents as a lead vocalist, songwriter, and keyboardist.
[citation needed] Mike Pougounas encountered international notoriety with the Flowers Of Romance's Dorian Grey LP, and by this time the band's style had evolved into gothic rock.
After sound manipulation, Mike Pougounas won a directorial award for Vlad the Demon at The 10th Independent Panorama of International Film and Video Makers, Patras City, 2008.