Eurovision

[tazz]

Eurovision 2023 starts tomorrow, with its usual blend of pop music and pop politics.

Beware all the videos and the website seem to feature flashing lights, dizzying graphics and gaudy colors.

Official trailer :

Get your glad rags on!

Eurovision Song Contest

Official website of the Eurovision Song Contest. The latest news, photos, videos, participant info, voting results, the Contest's rich history and much more.

eurovision.tv

 

[Forest Cat]

I grew up with Eurovision. Or, I grew up with Melody Grand Prix, that's the biggest part of it, we finished that just now a little while ago, but that leads to Eurovision. I'm still a little upset that we didn't win last year, Subwoolfer was a winner darnit.

A lof of drama and myth surrounding Eurovision. We used to have a deal with the Swedes, they gave us lots of points no matter how much they thought we sucked and we gave them lots of points no matter how much we thought they sucked. Simple. Then they betrayed us! One year they didn't give us the points! We're still plotting our revenge for that. We have won it three times so that's good. But we have also finished dead last eleven times. Thats's not as good.

This year we are sending Alessandra Mele. And the Swedes better vote for us!

 

[tazz]

Looks like Sweden are favorites at the moment with Norway in 6th. I'm getting a bit old and out of touch to pick winners, but I can't see us doing well.

Subwoolfer was a winner

Absolutely!

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

We don't have that in the USA.

 

[Forest Cat]

We don't have that in the USA.

You guys don't know what you are missing. It has been going on since 1956 so I think we can call it a tradition here.

This is one of my favorites, we won with this one in 2009:

 

[Luca]

I actually love most of the songs from Eurovision lol, even though I live in the US. I listen to all the songs on Youtube and I usually pick a favorite.
Maybe this is a hot take but I think European music is a lot better than American mainstream music. I actually listen to mostly foreign-language music.

My favorite this year (although this was from Melodi Grand Prix, in Norway, like Forest Cat mentioned)

Jone- Ekko Inni Meg

Some favorites from the past few years, and these are actually some of my favorite songs of all time in general, to be honest...

Alvan & Ahez- Fulenn (France, 2022)

Go_A- Solovey (Ukraine, 2020)

 

[Stuttermabolur]

Eurovision is huge here. We are the biggest Eurovision fans on the planet (over 90% of the country watches the final). We joke about how the only two times in the year the whole family gets together is Christmas and Eurovision (it's also a play on our atomized society). The best part of the competition is giving absolutely ridiculous songs expensive stage theatrics and seeing what happens. There are a lot of completely ridiculous Eurovision songs, but I still think Iceland has the most mind-boggling one. Depending on your tolerance of ridiculousness this is either a must watch, or something you must avoid at all costs.

Spoiler: In case you need to be convinced...

This song features goose-stepping, a golden shower, two guys with luchador masks prowling, a phone call with god, an audacious dress tear and two guys in silver underwear hopping on one leg

 

[tazz]

One of my favorites from 2019, but then I have a thing for reindeer...

 

[Forest Cat]

Eurovision is huge here. We are the biggest Eurovision fans on the planet (over 90% of the country watches the final). We joke about how the only two times in the year the whole family gets together is Christmas and Eurovision (it's also a play on our atomized society). The best part of the competition is giving absolutely ridiculous songs expensive stage theatrics and seeing what happens. There are a lot of completely ridiculous Eurovision songs, but I still think Iceland has the most mind-boggling one. Depending on your tolerance of ridiculousness this is either a must watch, or something you must avoid at all costs.

Spoiler: In case you need to be convinced...

This song features goose-stepping, a golden shower, two guys with luchador masks prowling, a phone call with god, and an audacious dress tear

Iceland kicks butt in Eurovision. And now there's a Will Ferrell movie about Iceland and Eurovision! Awesome I could not be more happy about that.

 

[Tom]

I only know one song from Eurovision. They used it in the 2011 horror film The Thing.

 

[Forest Cat]

I only know one song from Eurovision. They used it in the 2011 horror film The Thing.

That's the "Sámiid Ædnan", very famous here. It's actually a political song, it's about the Sâmi peoples rights and some other things. It's a good song. And catchy.

One funny thing about that movie, I watched that when I was a kid. The one from 1982. And at the very beginning of the movie a guy is speaking Norwegian. And he pretty much spoils the entire plot of the movie. He's trying to warn people but no one in the movie understands what he is saying. I understood everything he said, huge spoiler. I was not surprised by much in that movie. He should have started with saying "spoiler alert".

 

[Forest Cat]

Eurovision is as much about costumes and props as it is about music and this one was an instant classic. In 2014 the Ukraine said "How about a guy in a big hamsterwheel?"

 

[Tom]

That's the "Sámiid Ædnan", very famous here. It's actually a political song, it's about the Sâmi peoples rights and some other things. It's a good song. And catchy.

One funny thing about that movie, I watched that when I was a kid. The one from 1982. And at the very beginning of the movie a guy is speaking Norwegian. And he pretty much spoils the entire plot of the movie. But no one in the movie understands what he is saying. I understood everything he said, huge spoiler. I was not surprised by much in that movie. He should have started with saying "spoiler alert".

That's really interesting. I didn't know that. I am a big fan of all the Thing films. The 1980 version left you wondering what happened at the Norwegian site. In case you never saw it, the 2011 film is not a remake but a prequel and is about what happened at the Norwegian site.

I also loved the original from 1951 'The Thing from Another World'.

 

[Bolletje]

I love the absolute camp that is Eurovision. I used to watch it with a friend, but she’s too busy to watch it with me this year. I’m hoping for the energy and courage to go watch it at a local Drag Bar by myself this year.

 

[Forest Cat]

I love the absolute camp that is Eurovision.

lol It's glorious, isn't it.

 

[Bolletje]

lol It's glorious, isn't it.

Yes! But watching it by myself is less fun than watching it with a group

 

[Luca]

Yes! But watching it by myself is less fun than watching it with a group

I wish I could watch it with you!

 

[tazz]

watch it at a local Drag Bar

Now there's a good idea...

 

[Forest Cat]

Yes! But watching it by myself is less fun than watching it with a group

What do you think has been the best contribution from the Netherlands? Do you have a favorite?

 

[Bolletje]

What do you think has been the best contribution from the Netherlands? Do you have a favorite?

Overall I am not a fan of Dutch contributions. This may be because we usually send boring acts and our media is always absolutely convinced we’re securing the win, and during the live broadcast it’s mostly complaints about other countries and favoritism. I’m not much of a patriot, haha. I usually prefer the Balkan countries because they deliver the best camp.

Most memorable Eurovision moment for me was watching Dana International win in 1998. I think that was the moment I became fully aware of trans people being people too (it sounds so terrible saying this now, but I was a pretty sheltered 12-year old kid and the only context in which I heard the word “trans” was to call someone a transvestite and/or travesty as a curse word)
She was such a force to be reckoned with, an empowered, formidable woman. I was obsessed. I played Diva so much, my parents “lost” the CD, mysteriously.