The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews episodes

November 21, 2023Episode 210: Wilderness
Ireland Gut Rehab
We welcome back Alex McMillan to discuss the state of Ireland's Eurovision Song Contest selections and reflect on the nation's historical successes and recent failures. Is Eurosong on the Late Late Show the best selection method? Is Ireland stuck in the nostalgia for their dominance in the 90s? What risks can the delegation take to make a splash in Malmö?
Alex McMillan
Alex is a game designer, question setter, and American Song Contest apologist, best known for their work on Only Connect. They’ve worked on a range of game shows in both the UK and US, and when they’re not doing that they can be found writing articles for Hard Drive or performing stand-up as Céilí Rae Minogue. They have been watching Eurovision for the last 20 years and attended their first contest in person in 2023.
Wilderness Summary
Welcome back, Alex McMillan! (1:10)
Ireland Since the '90s at Eurovision (5:30)
The Late Late Show Problem (13:40)
Finding the Irish Sound (19:15)
How to Tweak Ireland's Selection Method (25:07)
Who Should Represent Ireland at Eurovision? (29:44)
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The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.
Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.
Join the EuroWhat AV Club!
If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.
Special Guest: Alex McMillan.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
Alex McMillan
Alex McMillan (@UndeniablyAlex) / X (formerly known as Twitter)
Céilí Rae Minogue (@CeiliRae) / X (formerly known as Twitter)
40 min
November 07, 2023Episode 209: Millstreet
It's been 30 years since a small town in Ireland took on the challenge of hosting Eurovision while the concept of Europe was undergoing a transformation. We look back at Millstreet 1993, the accommodation of several new countries wanting to join the party, and... the Bartman?
Millstreet Summary
The Journey to the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest (1:14)
A Tour of Millstreet (4:58)
A Tour of Europe in 1993 (8:16)
The Eurovision 1993 Contestants and Their Performances (12:55)
Reflections on the Contest and Its Impact (34:02)
Subscribe
The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.
Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Twitter @eurowhat.
Join the EuroWhat AV Club!
If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Our next episode will be about Scopitone.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
Home | Millstreet Green Glens Arena
Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1993 - Wikipedia
Welcome to Barbara Dex | Barbara Dex
When Eurovision was a matter of life and death - BBC Culture
Do the Bartman - Music Video - Director's Cut [4K Scaled] - YouTube
41 min
October 24, 2023Episode 208: Calendaring
As we continue to wait for the full guest list for Eurovision 2024,: Cyprus announces their artist, a bunch of selection processes release start dates (FRIDAY?!), end dates, and a few name changes (EEK!), plus we start filling out this winter's TV calendar.
Calendaring Summary
Cyprus internally selects Silia Kapsis for Malmo (1:22)
35 Countries Confirmed So Far (3:24)
Malmo Budgets and Planning (5:16)
Eurowhat AV Club (6:50)
National Selections 2023: Malta, Estonia, Albania (7:30)
National Selections 2024: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Iceland, San Marino (10:51)
Changing Methods: Slovenia, Lithuania, Denmark (15:15)
Subscribe
The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.
Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.
Join the EuroWhat AV Club!
If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Our next episode will be about Scopitone.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
Silia Kapsis - Age, Family, Bio | Famous Birthdays
Eurovision 2024: The City of Malmö To Spend €2,5 million
Käytiin reissu Malmössä ja tehtiin ruotsalaisille pikku pränkki. Kuka sanoi, ettei oman maan esikarsintaa vois mainostaa viisujen… | Instagram
How Finnish sensation Käärijä got the world wearing neon green and singing 'Cha Cha Cha' - Vogue Scandinavia
"It was one of the most beautiful experiences": How Loreen made two-time Eurovision history with two healers - Vogue Scandinavia
The EuroWhat? Podcast - 2024 Eurovision Song Contest | Malmö, Sweden
20 min
October 10, 2023Episode 207: Aline!
Discussing Valérie Lemercier's "freely-inspired" Celine Dion biopic — What do you do if your pop culture idol doesn't sign off on you making a biopic about them? Change their name, tweak some of the facts, and play all the roles so you can make a movie like Aline! We have A LOT of questions about the film:
Aline! Summary
EuroWhat AV Club: Aline! (3:53)
🎥 What is Aline? (6:14)
🎤 What is your relationship with Celine Dion? (7:55)
😲 At what point in the movie did you go “Uhhhhh, what?!” (14:13)
🔎 What is Aline actually about? (17:36)
🎶 How was Eurovision depicted in Aline? (23:53)
🤔 Who is this movie for? (26:12)
⚖️ Would you recommend Aline? (31:58)
Join the EuroWhat AV Club!
If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes just like this one with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.
Subscribe
The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.
Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Twitter @eurowhat or Bluesky.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
Aline | Prime Video
The EuroWhat? Podcast Episode 84: What is Poptimism?
Let's Talk About Love: Why Other People Have Such Bad Taste: Carl Wilson: Bloomsbury Academic
The Number Ones: Los Del Rio’s “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)”
Celebrities Reveal the Age They Had Sex For the First Time | EG, Extended, Slideshow | Just Jared: Celebrity News and Gossip | Entertainment
Valérie Lemercier’s Céline Dion Biopic ‘Aline,’ Reviewed
Céline Dion Quasi-Biopic ‘Aline’ Must Be Seen to Be Believed | Vanity Fair
38 min
September 26, 2023Episode 206: Obvious Points Klaxon
Greece and Turkey have had a tense relationship and Cyprus is often in the center of disputes. We take a look at these dynamics and how they may have shifted over the last 50 years at Eurovision.
Obvious Points Klaxon Summary
Greece debuts at Eurovision (1:43)
Greek Politics (5:40)
Cyprus (8:11)
Greece, Cyprus, and Turkiye at Eurovision (13:33)
Do Greece and Cyprus always give each other 12 points? (23:07)
Subscribe
The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.
Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Twitter @eurowhat.
Join the EuroWhat AV Club!
If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Our next episode will be about Notes on Camp.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
The EuroWhat? Podcast Episode 98: Let’s Talk Turkey
Marinella - Krasi, thalassa ke t' agori mou • Eurovision 1974 - YouTube
Greece 🇬🇷 - Eurovision 1976 - Mariza Koch - Panaghia Mou Panaghia Mou - YouTube
Çetin Alp - Opera (Eurovision Song Contest 1983, TURKEY) - YouTube
30 min
September 12, 2023Episode 205: Efficiency
We get caught up on September 2023 Eurovision Headlines, of which there are a surprising amount. We already have an artist, details on multiple selection processes, and more than 2 dozen countries ready to party in Malmö, Sweden.
Efficiency Summary
Belgium selects Mustii (1:02)
Christer Bjorkman and Per Blankens join the production team (3:07)
The EBU debates AI (6:53)
Show Business: Patreon and the Great American Pop Culture Quiz (9:16)
National Selections: United Kingdom, Switzerland, Malta, Cyprus, Ukraine, Germany (10:21)
2023 Streaming Stats (18:12)
Cosa sta facendo Maneskin: VMA Bingo Edition (20:26)
Photo by Mattias Diesel on Unsplash
Subscribe
The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.
Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Twitter @eurowhat.
Join the EuroWhat AV Club!
If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Our next episode will be about Noes on Camp.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
Belgium announces first artist for Eurovision 2024!
The EuroWhat? Podcast - 2024 Eurovision Song Contest | Malmö, Sweden
EBU Debating Banning AI at the Eurovision Song Contest - Eurovoix
Rina Sawayama was allegedly approached to be the UK act of Eurovision 2023 – ESCXTRA.com
Duran Duran Will Cover Billie Eilish On New Halloween-Themed Album
23 min
August 29, 2023Episode 204: Welcome to Sweden
From "Waterloo" to "Tattoo", Sweden has been a dominant force in the Eurovision Song Contest for more than 50 years, winning the competition seven times. We dive into the ESC history of next year's host country.
Welcome to Sweden Summary
Sweden: A Land of Contrasts (2:23)
Sweden's Overall Record at Eurovision (4:19)
The "Waterloo" Era (8:13)
The "Digaloo" Era (13:36)
The Carola Era (16:33)
The Charlotte Era (22:54)
The "Euphoria" Era (34:31)
The "Heroes" Era (38:55)
Cover image by Robert England from Pixabay
Subscribe
The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.
Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Twitter @eurowhat.
Join the EuroWhat AV Club!
If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
Eurowhat Sweden Intro - YouTube
The EuroWhat? Podcast Episode 23: That’s How You AI a Song
The EuroWhat? Podcast Episode 29: Start Voting Now
The EuroWhat? Podcast Episode 64: Win Win Win Win
ChatGPT Is a Blurry JPEG of the Web | The New Yorker
47 min
August 15, 2023Episode 203: Iconic
We say farewell to our host nations by discussing one area where Ukraine and the United Kingdom overlap: iconic runner-up entries. But what does "iconic" mean for Eurovision entries?
Using data from the annual ESC Top 250 countdown, we construct a rubric to identify songs from across the decades that could be part of a Eurovision Hall of Fame. In this episode, we highlight the entries that finished in second place and have a perfect ESC Top 250 record.
Iconic Summary
Saying farewell to the United Kingdom and Ukraine (1:15)
What is an "iconic" Eurovision performance? (6:48)
8 Iconic Eurovision Entries (11:09)
Building a Eurovision Hall of Fame (30:23)
Image by Maike und Björn Bröskamp from Pixabay
Subscribe
The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.
Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Twitter @eurowhat.
Join the EuroWhat AV Club!
If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Our most recent episode was about ABBA Gold in the 33 1/3 music criticism series.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
The EuroWhat? Podcast Episode 88: 12 Minutes in 2007 (Part 1)
The EuroWhat? Podcast: I Am Confusion (Part 2)
Eurovision Top 250 previous results – Songfestival.be
203 Iconic - YouTube
Episode 203 Playlist: Iconic
37 min
August 01, 2023Episode 202: Drought
With one month to go until Eurovision New Year and next year's host city and dates announced, it's been a fairly quiet month for the Contest. We check in with some of the national selection processes that are already casting for the upcoming season.
Drought Summary
Malmö, Sweden will host Eurovision 2024 (1:03)
Norway Suggests Jury Changes (6:09)
Patreon, Social Media, Guest Spots (8:48)
Luxembourg is ready to play (12:37)
Eurovision 2023 Impact Report (16:07)
Sam Ryder Emmy Nomination (17:45)
Cover Photo by Luismi Sánchez on Unsplash
Subscribe
The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.
Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Twitter @eurowhat.
Join the EuroWhat AV Club!
If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Our next episode will be about Abba Gold in the 33 1/3 music criticism series.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
The EuroWhat Podcast on Tumblr
The EuroWhat? Podcast - Bluesky
Eurovision Song Context
Shining Examples – The Great American Pop Culture Quiz Show
Eurovision Song Contest report shows impact on and off screen
20 min
July 18, 2023Episode 201: Sisu
Finland went all out in supporting their Eurovision entry "Cha Cha Cha" in ways that continue to reverberate weeks after the contest. We spoke with University of Helsinki researcher Zoë Jay and UMK associate producer/"Cha Cha Cha" dancer Matti Myllyaho about Finland's Eurovision 2023 experience.
Zoë Jay
Dr Zoë Jay is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki and the Centre of Excellence in Law, Identity and the European Narratives. She has a background in international relations and political science. Her research focuses on European politics, human rights, and the politics of international law, especially compliance with the European Court of Human Rights.
Matti Myllyaho
Matti Myllyaho is an associate show producer for Finland's national selection Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu (UMK) and performed as a backing dancer in Finland's 2023 Eurovision entry "Cha Cha Cha".
Sisu Summary
tumblr and Eurovision Fandom
Zoë Jay and Finland's Publc Response to Eurovision 2023 (4:47)
Matti Myllyaho on Delegating "Cha Cha Cha" Dancing (25:42)
Subscribe
The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.
Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Twitter @eurowhat.
Join the EuroWhat AV Club!
If you would like to help financially support the show, we are hosting the EuroWhat AV Club over on Patreon! We have a slew of bonus episodes with deep dives on Eurovision-adjacent topics. Our next episode will be about Abba Gold in the 33 1/3 music criticism series.
Special Guests: Matti Myllyaho and Zoë Jay.
Support The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews
Links:
fandom on tumblr
Leena Malkki on Twitter: "How totally CRAZY has #Finland gone with Cha Cha Cha? Let's take a look." | Twitter
Dr Zoë Jay (@zoecharlottejay) / Twitter
The sisu within you: The Finnish key to life, love and success - thisisFINLAND
Uuden Musiikin Kilpailu - YouTube
49 min

About The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

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The Eurowhat? Podcast launched in 2018 and features two Americans (Ben Smith and Mike McComb) attempting to make sense of the Eurovision Song Contest. The show tracks national selections and artist…