Can’t beat a 21st Century Eurovision Song Contest for lessons on the dynamics of the new Europe. Talk about New vs. Old. Fringe vs. centre. East vs. West. Anyway, the fringe is obviously where it’s at now. Those picturesque Eastern European capitals with their glistening waterfronts and their pretty mediaeval old towns and their flat taxes are the new centre.
Slow, old, slow growth Western Europe nicely filled out the bottom four places (Britain at least made it off the bottom). Swirling, folk-inflected ‘Eastern’ sounds dominated the competition, from Greece to Moldova. Self-confident, good looking, aspirational, enthusiastically-English speaking artists made all the running. Greece may have won but the real competition was between the new nations of the Balkans and Eastern Europe. Get your hat, Europe’s going East.
Comments 5
Actually, watching the scoring last night it suddenly occured to me that Britain is a fringe nation – on the fringe of something really exciting happening in Europe. And it really p’s me off.
Posted 22 May 2005 at 12:20 pm ¶You got that? From Eurovision?
Posted 23 May 2005 at 2:50 pm ¶My North American bias showing: Norway had the only true rockers, Wig Wam, with the great tag line: “Rock is the New Schläger”…
So, the real question remains: Is Rock and Roll dead???
-Russ
Posted 23 May 2005 at 6:13 pm ¶That is so totally true, no-one else has realised that the people who are funding eurovision are all in the last 4! Instead they are bad mouthing Javine! She was definatly in the top 5!
Posted 23 May 2005 at 7:02 pm ¶>You got that? From Eurovision?
Well, Eurovision was crap as per normal – but what it makes you realise is how many countries there are in Europe and how hungry they are and how enthusiastic and how the old rules of money and power don’t seem to quite apply any more. So the ‘new’ european nations can gang up on the ‘old’ european nations and we’ll all change as a result of that.
Posted 31 May 2005 at 12:51 pm ¶Post a Comment