Because a Man’s gotta do what a Man’s gotta do. And yes, ultimately I do blame The Duke for my love the Eurovision Song Contest
When I was growing up, we had a second television in the house – a small 12″ black and white Sanyo (much to my wife’s dismay, I still have). And when there was something special on that I wanted to watch that clashed with something else very important on another channel, I could take the TV away from its home in the kitchen and up to my bedroom.
In 1982, there was something more important than the Eurovision Song Contest on the other side. I’m pretty sure that it was a John Wayne film, possibly The Searchers, and nothing can disturb my Dad when The Duke is on. Right there is my first Eurovision memory, lifting the black and white TV upstairs to be told where Harrogate was.
One 7 inch single of Bardo later, and Eurovision became a fixed point for me. Each year I knew it was coming around some time in May. And each year, I was relegated to the portable TV. I’d love to say that this was the point where I went all misty eyed, and that one day I would be at the Contest, but no. I knew the Contest happened every May, I knew that it would never be a family event, yet I never missed one. It was something that belonged to me, even though I offered to share it with my family.
Skip forward a few years or so, and Twitter has just launched. I’ve been on the service five months, through the Christmas period and its first hiccup of growth at the South by Southwest Interactive conference. It’s May, and I’m still watching Eurovision, except now I can tweet about it and give a text commentary (which was pretty revolutionary in 2007). You know what the fun part was? The replies, getting into conversation with others, and finding more people to share the Contest with.
And that started my engagement with Eurovision online. Each year people would point out my Tweets to others, I would write-up some thoughts on the Contest on my blog, and a little community would build up each year to share the Songs, thoughts, and the fun of the live show. At the same time, I continued to gather listeners to my weekly music podcast (which is still around and you can listen here), and that led to me speaking on the keynote panel at the EBU’s Multimedia Meets Radio conference.
In here was "Multimedia Meets Radio"
Fast forward to Eurovision that year, and the EBU people invited me to meet with them in Belgrade. Which wasn’t going to happen, as I was on a train from London to Edinburgh, making sure I was home to watch it on TV. “Well, maybe we’ll see you next year?”
Only now, after all the years, did I stop and think “why am I not at the Contest itself?” It had never occurred to me before, but then it seemed the most natural thing in the world It was just a matter of seeing who would win – unfortunately it wasn’t Ani Lorak , so I was off to Russia.
Still, it meant I wouldn’t have to listen to the new commentator on the BBC, and I was off to Eurovision. I even toyed with the idea of a podcast or two from Moscow, wondering if the online Eurovision communities would like such a thing…
Love Symphony and their shadow puppetry, Moscow 2009
At every step, there have been more people to share in the experience, and as that sharing grows, so does the amazing journey that the Eurovision Song Contest has put me on. It’s going to carry on this summer, as Baku beckons and calls many of us to the coast of the Caspian sea. I for one love the road, and can’t wait to see where it goes now, who I will meet along the way, and what happens next for both the Song Contest and myself.
It’s fascinating to find out how everyone here go into Eurovision and when it all happened. I think my first memory of Eurovision was in 2007 sitting down and watching it as a 10 year old, I never saw it all the way to the end, I only knew that Serbia had won in the morning. My first memory of any Eurovision music was either Take Me To Your Heaven a favourite of my dads family at family parties or Ooh Aah (Just A Little Bit) again at family parties, this was when I was around 5.
I agree with Eurovoix. It is interesting to see a fan who became interested in the contest via technology rather than music or something else.
The first contest I was in the room for was 1994 when Ireland won with our best entry ever. Of course at the tender age of one and a half I slept right through it. The first contest I remember seeing was 2001 when me and about 10 of my cousins watched Estonia take the victory – we loved them. I watched it every year after except 2002 but not as a fan as I am now.
In 2008 when Dustin went to Eurovision (he was a massive part of my childhood) watched the contest more closely and I fell in love with it. Strangely I became more interested in history and politics of Eurovision than the day-to-day on goings but by the time the 2009 contest came around I had, as they say, turned pro.
This is a lovely reminiscence, Ewan – the sheer sacrifice of having to watch it on a small black-and-white telly is true testament to your love of the event!
Might have to write one, too, from a Clueless Newbie to Eurovision Sponge!
My memory stretches back to 1980. You lot in the comments are making me feel old…..