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A packed weekend of Song Contest selections saw some spectacular shows, as well as controversy around lyrics, feedback, and running length. Gina Jones joins Ewan Spence to continue the discussions.
Our nominations for the Iceberg start and end (on time) in Italy. Then we move to Finland and the increasingly spectacular UMK shows. Malta gets in on the action with lyrics that court controversy and heightened conversations. Finally, we head to The Late Late Show to discuss the tension between Reality TV panels and the Jury Feedback in Eurovision selections.
Eurovision Insight News Podcast: Serving Camp
The words and the music of Eurovision come under the spotlight once more, as Ewan Spence and Gina Jones discuss the latest headlines in the Song Contest world.
Discover more about the Eurovision Song Contest and follow its journey to Basel by listening to the ESC Insight podcasts. You’ll find the show on iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Spotify. A direct RSS feed is available.
I think the fans moaning about how it’s unfair or discriminatory to censor the Maltese entry because it’s a perfectly acceptable word in Maltese are being so disingenuous. At the end of the day, the Maltese are being deliberately provocative.
I get the argument about “serving c–t” being empowered etc, and I don’t personally find the phrase offensive. But some people do, and quite understandably don’t expect words like that to feature in a family show (before or after the watershed). I certainly wouldn’t want my kids using the phrase in any context. I don’t think Miriana has some sort of moral right to be able to stand on the stage and say it. Especially as she seems to be intentionally mispronouncing it.
If the song’s going to be accepted as it is, we might as well do away with the offensive language rule. As I saw someone else say, you might as well submit a song with a chorus repeating the word “phoque”, saying “oh it’s just French for seal”.
Also, it’s not fair to expect the BBC and RTE to break Ofcom rules. (I think I’m right in saying that even if it’s after the watershed, broadcasters have to take into account who is watching, the expectations of the viewers and the number of times the word is using.)