Mysteries of the EuroVerse

German Nenov (Ukraine's Creative Director Eurovision 2023), SuRie (UK 2018), Izzy Uncut (Watch What Happens Live)

On this episode, we explore the technology required to make a spectacle like Eurovision happen-- and we discuss how Eurovision's identity as a technological innovator is connected to its self-identity as an institution meant to stitch Europe back together. We talk with Ukraine's Creative Director for Eurovision 2023, German Nenov, about how the show comes together.

Then we sit down with SuRie, the UK's 2018 Eurovision contestant. Her performance marked one of the times that the machinery of Eurovision stopped-- as a man rushed the stage nearly interrupting her performance. We talk with SuRie about how she kept the performance on track, and also what it's like for an artist to try and translate their work to the needs of the Eurovision stage.

Finally, New York's premiere stunt queen, Izzy Uncut, drops by to evaluate spectacle at Eurovision. We talk about some of Eurovisions most iconic moments of athleticism and surprise in a game we're calling "Cooter Smash or Cooter Pass."

SuRie, Storm, 2018 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dmlXBBC6J8

Cooter Smash or Cooter Pass:

1. Svetlana Loboda, Be My Valentine (Ukraine 2009) https://youtu.be/xqclaNucp24?si=KOuXVK_rCJ4W0aB9

2. Javine, Touch My Fire (UK 2005) https://youtu.be/k8zTZkCdeyg?si=Ahm7TFfq32IStxiI

3. Tanja, Amazing (Estonia 2014) https://youtu.be/wi9Q1ufjooE?si=HcSYWRVPI8CqbTIj

4. Hadise, Dum Tek Tek (Turkey 2009) https://youtu.be/TzKgojZqO5Y?si=St3i1mEBpLv_iM4R

5. Blanka, Solo (Poland 2023) https://youtu.be/RuGQ58gN8Wg?si=yFIQQ1ZnL9WWBvfS

6. Chanel, SloMo (Spain 2022) https://youtu.be/TmRIQ-JSFuE?si=yhiChN6_Ez21qlaj

Sally Ann Triplett 18:41

(Prima Donna - Love Enough For Two - UK 1980 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8fUTTwOp40, Bardo - One Step Further UK 1982 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qy6S7LvtNc)

Tvorchi 31:26

(Heart of Steel- Ukraine 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neIscK1hNxs)

Size Matters With Josh Keating 36:44

In this episode, we talk about a core inequality in Eurovision's system for choosing the acts that make it to the Grand Final-- and how that's a reflection of a difficult balance that most international institutions have to face: How do you balance a commitment to fairness with the need to appeal to the larger countries that keep you funded.

We talk to two Eurovision acts: Sally Ann Triplett, who represented the UK twice, and Tvorchi, who represented Ukraine this past year in Liverpool.

Then Vox.com Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Josh Keating stops by for a game focused on how the power imbalance at the core of Eurovision affects the music on the night of the Grand Final-- as Eurovision's largest countries ("the big 5") get to skip the semi-finals entirely. This very serious game is one we're calling "Size Matters with Josh Keating"

1.  I Want Your Love - Eduard Romanyuta - Moldova 2015 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px1MoZ0k7qY)

Blanka (Poland 2023) - 19:31

Her song, Solo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvQRpV1-ZhY

Theodor Andrei (Romania 2023) - 30:09

His song, DGT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRxv-AUCinQ

Pixie Aventura (Hulu's Drag Me To Dinner) - 42:16

On this episode, we're talking about the fandom! The unique nature of the Eurovision fandom comes from the fact that it's a sprawling international set, communicating across national boundaries, but then uniting once a year in a completely different city. We explore the network of Eurovision fanclubs under the OGAE umbrella-- with help from the president of OGAE himself, Simon Bennett. We talk about how social media has affected the fandom, the unique character of the Eurovision community and how that's been shaped by the particular nature of the song contest.

6. https://youtu.be/3Qa7_y21oOY?si=mqtUyhff5a7KtP3M - Can Bonomo - Love Me Back - Turkey - Live - Grand Final - 2012 Eurovision Song Contest

Liverpool Revenue from Eurovision: https://news.liverpool.ac.uk/2023/10/26/university-joins-liverpool-in-eurovision-civic-pride/

1:07- Deep Dive- Eurovision and Contemporary Pop

21:43 Joker Out (Slovenia 2023)

39:58 Killer Notes or Killer Nodes with Telly Leung

This week we're discussing Eurovision's relationship to contemporary pop-- and specifically what it is about the rules of the world's largest song competition that complicate its relationship to the charts. We cover rules around back-up singers, auto-tune, the orchestra, and use of tracks.

21:24 Interview with Fazla (Bosnia, 1993) - All The Pain In The World, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmbrJkzQ4Ik

36:20 Interview with Jeff Hiller (Somebody, Somewhere)

In this episode we look at politics at Eurovision in the modern era. First, we examine a series of conflicts in Europe, and discuss how Eurovision's increasingly dominant self-conception as "apolitical" has hampered its ability to consistently confront contemporary events. Then, we talk to Fazla, who escaped Sarajevo under siege in the dead of night-- dodging sniper fire and scaling a mountain barefoot to make it to Eurovision and deliver a very important message. Finally, we comedian Jeff Hiller (Somebody, Somewhere) examines how even Eurovision's campiest numbers can carry important messages in a game we're calling "Is That A Political Message in Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Happy To See Me?"

19:55 - Gjon's Tears talks about his 2021 Eurovision near-win

35:00 - Michael Hsu Rosen plays a game putting the people against the powerful

We dive into one of the biggest controversies among Eurovision fans: how Eurovision selects its winners. Should they rely on the expertise of industry juries or should we let the people decide? We explore the evolution of Eurovision's constantly evolving selection process, and talk about the different implications of its varying forms.

In this week's episode we explore Eurovision's language rule-- which, during the eras' it's been in effect, has required that countries only submit songs in their own national languages. Defenders of the rule claim that it's necessary to preserve the diversity of language in Eurovision, while critics point out that it's unfair to require representatives from smaller nations to perform in languages unfamiliar to the televoting audience. We talk about how the on-and-off implementation of this rule tracks with larger issues at Eurovision, including the commercialization of the festival, the balance of power between larger and smaller nations, whether globalization necessarily means loss of national identity, and whether pop music is moving into a new phase of internationalism.

#03: Pop, Power, and Politics

1:15 Deep Dive into The Political History of Eurovision

16:46 Jamala (Eurovision Winner, 2016, Representing Ukraine)

30:49 Brooke Gladstone (Peabody Award-winning host of On The Media)

These days, Eurovision claims to be “apolitical,” but that wasn’t always the case. We explore how Eurovision was founded in the aftermath of World War II, alongside political institutions like the UN, with the aim of stitching Europe back together. And we talk about how the contest dealt with ‘political’ songs over its first half century. 

Then we talk to Jamala, the Ukrainian singer who performed her Eurovision winning song about Stalin forcing Crimean Tatars out of their homes two years after Putin had done the same for her generation. 

Finally, we introduce American journalist Brooke Gladstone to the contest through a game where she guesses whether or not a song was censored for being too political. This leads to a conversation about how Eurovision might better function as a public square, particularly in a time of increasing conflict in Europe.

Links:

Jamala's Album QIRIM: https://open.spotify.com/album/4oiDxgPCPh6FZDNQFCLziC?si=q43ss1SUSvm6B6zHTXBCyQ

Jamala's Eurovision Winning Song, 1944:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxS6eKEOdLQ

"Is It Political?"

Marry Me - Krista Siegfrids -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdU02F9lT2g

Ne ver, ne boysia - Tatu - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRwsNuDX3Kg

We Don't Wanna Put In - Stephane & 3G - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6-7Rw4xug

1944 - Jamala - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxS6eKEOdLQ

Madonna's Eurovision Performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=VG3WkiL0d_U&t=0s

#02: Queer-o-Vision

18:36 - Gustaph (Eurovision Contestant, 2023, Representing Belgium)

35:18 Robin de Jesus (Three time Tony Nominated actor, Netflix’s tick…tick..BOOM!, Hulu’s Welcome to Chippendales)

There’s always been something a little queer about Eurovision. In our second episode, we explore the contest’s history with the LGBTQ+ community– and how this “family show” has, at many points in its nearly 70 year existence, been way out front on LGBT rights issues. We also discuss the moments when the contest hasn’t lived up to its image.

We then talk to Gustaph, who, as a teen, left a promising career as a popstar in Belgium because of pressure to stay in the closet– only to emerge two decades later on the world’s largest stage with a song that’s unabashedly queer. The surprise hit of Eurovision this year, it catapulted to the top ten after being placed toward the bottom in the betting markets. We discuss how Gustaph’s out and proud second act reflects a radically changed culture, and the ways in which homophobia, now subtler, seeps into both the fandom and supposedly “aesthetic” criticism. 

Tony nominated American actor Robin de Jesus then stops by to play a game of “Gay or Eurovision.” As he guesses whether a number is performed by a queer artist, or if its queer aesthetics are just part of the Eurovision brand; we talk about the evolution of queer style and queer music in a time of expanding rights and mainstreaming of the community. And that conversation sounds gay to you— you have no idea how gay it gets.

Links:

Dana International on Pinkwashing: https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/r1emcq8g2

Ping Pong: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/may/12/israel

Mango TV Scandal: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44078305

The Queer Politics of Eurovision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnjtzn7ZkCs

Charlie’s Politico Article: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/05/20/tricky-politics-of-eurovision-during-war-00097885

Gay or Eurovision:

Give That Wolf A Banana - Subwolfer - Norway, 2022 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJjo8s3fKUM

Lasha Tumbai - Verka Serduchka - Ukraine, 2007 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfjHJneVonE

Cezar - It’s My Life - Russia, 2013 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgHWFiavqjA 

Mahmood and Blanco - Brividi - Italy, 2022 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MgMhzfUmiA

Minn Hintsi Dans -Paul Oscar - Iceland, 1997 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-D4AAkYpsk