Sunday 11 May 2014

Eurovsion Song Contest 2014 - a post-event reflection.


The sole night of the year when I stay up beyond 11 p.m. - and it wasn't without its usual quota of excitements and controversy, especially the latter, this year in Copenhagen. Lots of it like a circus - we had a trapeze, a trampoline, a see-saw, skating, 'rain', a man-sized hamster-wheel and a circular keyboard to boot! But, hey, what else did you expect?

Final scores:-





Biggest talking point was participation of bearded drag queen, Conchita Wurst (real name: Tom Neuwirth) performing for Austria - and coming first (not entirely unsurprisingly), becoming that country's first win since 1966.  Since her participation became known certain bodies, particularly in Russia and Belarus - as well as Austria's own extreme right - have been dismayed and, spluttering with rage, petitioned  the Eurovision authorities to exclude her from the competition or, if not, not to screen her performance on grounds of it being 'perverted' and having a 'corrupting influence'. Of course such requests were quite rightly given short shrift. Russia's opposition to Conchita no doubt boosted her chances to win with her over-earnest, power-ballad, 'Rise Like a Phoenix' which in my own ratings wouldn't have made it into the top half of the 26 participants. But it was satisfying for Russia to be given two fingers (non-British readers read 'one finger'). The final winner appeared to be likely early on with only one or two other countries coming even close. At the very least it was good to have a country winning again which had had to wait for nearly half a century.


Not only was Russia's own entry (two sisters joined by their hair, at least at the start, but coming a respectable seventh) unfairly booed for, no doubt, this very reason, but in the voting section every time another country gave a substantial number of votes to Russia that got booed too. Not very pleasant and not at all fair on their act, even though I didn't think much of their song.

My own telephone vote went to Belarus, hottie Teo singing 'Cheesecake' with four backing male dancers/singers - a perky number performed with some nifty little snake-hip moves. A happy song, which is always a plus for me. 


Sad to say, sassy little Teo only came in 16th place, one place above the uninspiring (though a lot liked it) UK entry of Molly Smitten-Downes and her self-penned (We are) 'Children of the Universe.' - which, I suppose is an advance on the Bee Gees singing that "We are children of the world." - and including 'aspiring' lyrics like "Power to the people!"  (Oh dear! Straight out of John Lennon/Vietnam War days!) Still, we managed to finish two places higher than last year's Bonnie Tyler effort, though I think in this case 17th was about its deserved slot even though the bookies had placed it Top 5.


My second favourite, from host nation Denmark, Basim singing 'Cliche Love song' had quite a bit in common with my first choice of Belarus, another chirpy, toe-tapping, smiley number with front man and four backing singer/dancers. Unfairly finishing in 9th place. (Dooby-dooby-dup-dup).



My number three choice was the Netherlands with an attractive, unassuming,  c/w duet, 'Calm After the Storm'. This was the only highly placed of my own choices, coming in at a good second.



My fourth was Switzerland (actually finishing 13th)  with whistling and violin playing, another up-beat entry, and my fifth, above, would have been Rumania (ending up in 12th), a duet with the guy rather like a good-looking David Gest, not everybody's definition of handsome though, despite an alarming haircut (clump on top) I found him attractive.

Two acts stood out from the rest for being 'different'. One was Netherlands (above), the other was Iceland, 'Pollaponk', a (mostly) bearded sextet decked out in their regular, trademark, cartoon colours, brash, loud and crazy, just like their song. (I thought red and pink were the hottest). The song itself was a little better than okay. It finished 15th though felt it maybe ought have scraped the Top 10, just.

So this year we had it all - controversy, the good, the bad and the boring. I always mark the entries on a list as the contest progresses. Until this week I hadn't heard any of the songs, not even the U.K. entry. I didn't think the overall standard this year was quite as high as 2013. In fact my scores for 8 of the 26 entries was a big fat '0'. - only Belarus getting my max of '5' and Denmark being the only one to which I accorded a '4'. 
But all in all it was good fun - and one can't help but be thankful for that poke in the eye from Austria and supporters for Putin and his thuggish friends. Good on ya!





14 comments:

  1. we have been in Greece a few years sailing when the song contest is on. In the restaurants and cafes they have it playing none stop and really get into it shouting at the tv

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    1. I think it's now found its own niche in entertainment, Sol. I remember in the 60s it was taken ever so seriously, but still compulsory viewing. Then in the 70s and into the 80s it got regarded as 'naff' and one would only whisper that one had watched it. In the 90s it started recovering some kudos until now I think it's where it deserves to be, a unique world event - crass, yes - jokey ,of course - daft, naturellement - political, regettably so - but it's never been so watchable as it is now. A glorious extravaganza that maddens and entertains in equal measure. Now I'm proud to say that I just LURVE it!

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  2. I suspect I would really enjoy watching this!

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    1. You absolutely would, S/b. I guarantee it. It's the campest thing since ever. And through the TV screen my Gaydar is assailed by the huge gay element of the audience who just lap it up. It seems like it's the majority. (Must be a great place to go for a casual pick-up!)
      If you ever got to watch it live all four of you would set the evening aside months in advance - and it would be a fruitful subject for discussion for days afterwards.

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  3. Eurovision has come and gone! Where did the time go?

    I watched the winning performance and was a little startled. Then I played it again and just closed my eyes and listened. Wow! Brings to mind the great and legendary Shirley Bassey. Austria made a brave choice and it paid off.



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    1. Once a year is just about right, Paul - and I'm pleased that this event now has such a high profile worldwide.

      I've now heard the winning song four times and I still don't think it deserved to win. If it had been sung 'straight' by another artist with no special 'characteristic' I can't see it coming out first. But since when did the best song EVER win this competition? Only once in my 56 years of watching has my own first choice also come top - that was just a few years ago when the smiley, violin-bowing Norwegian hottie won in Moscow (just at the time of the anti-gay legislation coming to the surface) when he described Eurovision, accurately in a kind of way, as the world's biggest gay festival.

      Yes, it was a very brave choice for Austria. Though a similar thing happened a few years back when Israel chose the transexual Dana International, much to the disgust of hard-line religious groups - who also won. So there may have been some similar calculation there. Some in Austria said that choosing Conchita would make the country a 'laughing stock'. Well, who's laughing now?

      Shirley Bassey? I can just about see that - though have to qualify it by saying that I could never see what others see in her (Bassey) either.

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  4. Another of those times I wished I had TV service. The Conchita win is causing quite a stir around these parts. I have to see the video before commenting further. Thanks for your insights.

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    1. Yes, it's a real 'event' here, C., and I'm glad the contest has found its own ground after many years when one would be ashamed of liking it or even watching it. I think it's one of those events which this continent can handle pretty well uniquely because of Europe's 'patchwork quilt' geography - a lot of diverse nations within a relatively small area.
      To be honest, watching it live can be quite an ordeal. The final is three and half hours long (plus, if you want to watch the semi-finals 2 X 2 hours each!) - but it's always worth it for the range of emotions one goes through.
      I do hope you can somehow catch up on it, even if it's only for the 'best bits'.

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  5. I felt sorry for the young Russian girls and they must have been warned that the atmosphere wasn't directed at them.

    However, if Governments and even Eurovision had some guts, they would have asked (or told) Russia not to take part. You can't hold out a welcome to a country that has invaded and taken over land of a fellow competitor!

    To be honest, if I was in the hall, I would have booed every Russian point too.

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    1. I felt immense sympathy for the Russian act too, Stephen, though I do wish they'd had a more arresting song. Still, coming seventh is not something to be sniffed at.
      It wouldn't at all surprise me if Russia, and maybe one or two others, now withdraw from next year's contest in a sulk. If they do they'll be back in time for sure.
      I just read this morning that Russia and Belarus blocked TV transmission of Conchita's performance, though if that's true it doesn't explain how Russia managed to award her/him 5 points - unless it was a protest vote. And if they did I wonder how they managed to avoid all those shots of her reaction during the voting as several countries gave the max 12 points to Austria - and how did they show the final result, if they did?.
      It's always a tightrope walk on politics in this event. You might remember some years ago when the Israeli performance (sometime before 'Dana International') was blocked from the TV screens by one of its participating Arab neighbours. And in the event Israel still won that year
      I think if you'd been there this year booing Russia for invading Ukraine then you'd have been in a minority of booers doing it for that reason - though a boo is a boo..

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  7. I think most Yanks view the Song Contest in the same light as 'soccer" - they know it's a big thing but they don't get it. Pressed, the only thing Yanks seem to know about it is ABBA once won it. It is fascinating to hear about it.

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    1. I think it's a mix of entertainment and politics that has made it so fascinating, Dr Spo. Even though the latter shouldn't come into it at all it's given the whole event a harder edge. As pure entertainment it would be pretty shallow and forgettable (though I'd still watch it for its OTT glitter and glorious campness which, I dare say, your own right-wing advocates wouldn't 'get' either.).
      I believe it's now being watched live by increasing numbers in North America and Australia - and also, it's said, even in China now. Of course time zone differentiations don't help but watching it on catch-up should be quite easy, even if one doesn't have the 'excitement' of watching the result evolve.
      I do hope that one of these years I'll be able to read your own incisive comments on the event after you having watched it with the rest of us.

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