NORMAL LIFE: Eurovision Madness In Athens!

Eurovision, a key date in any music-loving gay man's diary! Once again, the song contest has left me feeling deflated, my beloved mother tongue used to the advantage of 20-odd non-English speaking nations. This year's result was nothing short of shocking!

On the one hand, I'm proud to be living in a nation that has won the contest for the first time EVER! Yes, Finland triumphed against 37 countries; only 24 countries made it through to last night's final in Athens which, as with the Olympics in 2004, did a fantastic job! On the other hand, they hardly won by being normal. The Finnish entry, a heavy metal band called Lordi, unleashed it's anthem, Hard Rock Halleluja.

Use of the word Lordi has been hailed as sacrilege by an orthodox clergyman in Helsinki with Greece having voiced similar concerns prior to the contest. Meanwhile, Finnish online chat rooms have been full of comments from people concerned about their country's reputation abroad. They should not only be concerned for Finland's reputation, but also the reputation of the contest. Traditionally full of disco and heart-rending ballads, my personal fear is that Lordi's popularity may set a new trend meaning that this contest is no longer a show about singing, but appearances and perceptions.

For as long as I can remember, the scores awarded by individual nation's tend to be related somewhat to alliances, be it political or historical. Who can remember Gemini's performance in 2003, rewarded with not one point, a clear indication of bad feeling towards Britain's participation in the US-led Iraqi invasion. Slowly, we are scratching our way out of the gutter. I mean, this year we got a massive 25 points (versus Finland's 292 points), ending up at 19th place!

Overall, though, the quality of the contest was a big improvement over previous years although I have to say that the J-Lo butt-shaking is getting old and the rap-based UK entry could not have been less British. Greece's entry, led by Anna Vissi, was naturally a huge hit with the home crowd, although her performance was like watching Celine Dion on drugs what with the rapid movements of her microphone which clearly proved she was miming. A personal favourite of mine was Romania's Torneros whose wonderful disco voice bought a new quality to the show after Luthuania's We Are The Winners which, as the BBC quoted, was more of a 'party political broadcast'. Then came Germany's attempt at west-country music, followed by Denmark's truer-than-life stance that they just Can't Twist.

My view of Eurovision remains the same as it did three years ago after the UK's appalling achievement of 'nil-points'. I think we need a review of what Eurovision means. Of course, Europe is a free area where democracies embrace the concept of freedom of expression. When I think of Eurovision, I somewhat expect that:

1. People sing in their own languages;
2. Entries are not associated to earlier successes in the music industry;
3. Entries should reflect the nation's traditional music values.

Perhaps then the show will truly reflect the diversity of the cultures and peoples of Europe. I am truly grateful to Finland for one thing: if they hadn't won, Russia would have and that denial is clearly cause for celebration. After all, are Russians European?

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