For the first time in a no of years I deliberatley missed Saturday's Eurovision. Why? Because I was convinced that many other countries that were involved would have better entries than ours. Gone indeed are the 1970s when we could be a bit smug and feel superior when we looked at some of the other contributions (which in itself, may not be a bad thing perhaps)
But this year I found I was really not too keen on the band making their entry. The song wasn't original, neither was the band, and their whole act, to paraphrase a comment one newspaper columnist made some months back, was as camp as a row of tents.
Now Eurovision needs a bit of camp, a bit of kitsch, and there have been some brilliant acts over the years which exemplify that, such as ABBA. In fact I would have been very happy if the
Scissor Sisters were the UK's entry this year. They would have been far more original and less cheesy.
But Scooch were a bit of an overkill and I am still surprised that they won against entries like, say, Justin Hawkins, who has a bit more clout about him. It's one of the few times where I think the British public got it wrong and the critics got it right.
Eurovision is a great musical concept, but in order to reach new fans and widen it's appeal, it needs to branch out and grow and develop with the times
5 comments:
So you won't be joining my to take Scooch to number one then?
Paul, you look so deep and thoughtful in your profile photo I wouldn't have thought for a minute that you were a fan of Eurotrash.
I agree, the concept is an interesting one, but it is never going to work. If we let the public vote, we get Scooch. If we pick the entry which is purely based on sales, then we get something which is far from original and not worth watching. If we choose unknowns we get Pop Idol. It just won't work. I'd rather see an interesting drama or live music show on the BBC. That is where some of hte money should be sent.
Louise, I think you know the answer to that. 101 would be more like it
BaldockBaldrick. I am a bit snobby when it comes to music and get fed up with people putting rubbish before talent. Wouldn't Eurovision be better if they had some kind of electoral college, a certain percentage from the public, a certain percentage from the music critics, and a certain percentage from the music industry. That way it might be a bit more representative
And if Eurovision means Scooch, then no I am not a fan!
Let's face it, we wouldn't have won the contest even if the British entry had comprised Mick Jagger on lead vocals, Dave Gilmour on lead guitar, Paul McCartney on bass, Tony Banks on keyboards and Phil Collins on drums! (Replace all-time supergroup band members as appropriate).
I used to love it too, but the block voting has turned it into a farce. It's high time we cut our losses and pulled out.
"Let's face it, we wouldn't have won the contest even if the British entry had comprised Mick Jagger on lead vocals, Dave Gilmour on lead guitar, Paul McCartney on bass, Tony Banks on keyboards and Phil Collins on drums! (Replace all-time supergroup band members as appropriate)."
But Paul we would have left with dignity, knowing we won morally, that the other countries who voted for the winner lacked musical taste. And yes, I think it is time we pulled out
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