209 Millstreet === [00:00:00] Ben: All right. I am clicking this link apprehensively. Oh, no [00:00:06] Mike: Hello and welcome to the Eurowhat, episode 209, dropping on November 7th, 2023. We are a pair of Americans trying to make sense of the Eurovision Song Contest. I'm Mike McComb, and I'm here with my co host, Ben Smith. Hey Ben! [00:00:25] Ben: Hey, Mike. [00:00:26] Mike: In this episode, we'll be going back to the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in Mill Street, Ireland. It was nice to have a deadline for this episode, because I kept uncovering things that delighted me so much. And it's like, oh, I gotta throw this in! I gotta throw this in! And it's just like, okay, I can stop looking at things now and try to put together the story of the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest. Yes, this one is definitely going to be a treat. [00:00:55] Ben: Hooray! No tricks. [00:00:56] Mike: We've used a Trello board since we launched this podcast back in 2018, mainly to keep track of episode ideas and keep all of our notes in one place. And I'm pretty sure the card that was labeled Mill Street was, number two or three created when we put that board together. [00:01:14] The Journey to the 1993 Eurovision Song Contes --- [00:01:14] Mike: I knew it was an important contest to talk about, but I didn't know the full details. There were just little bits and pieces here. It's like, oh yeah, that happened in 93. I think that happened in 93. But because there wasn't a clear narrative in my head, I think that's kind of what led to it being kind of kept on the back burner, since we had kind of more timely topics that would pop up, as we were producing the show. But at this year's contest, there was that interstitial that mentioned the Mill Street contest and the supposed rivalry between the UK's Sonia and Ireland's Niamh Cavanaugh. I don't get the sense that there is a legitimate beef between the two of them. [00:01:53] Ben: No! [00:01:54] Mike: They both seem lovely. But, I mean, they brought it up, and it was something that happened 30 years ago, so year that ends in zero, pew pew pew. [00:02:03] Ben: Pew pew pew! So [00:02:04] Mike: So it seemed like this was finally the time to talk about this particular contest. What do you know about Eurovision 1993? [00:02:14] Ben: I have not done any research on Eurovision 93, but I know that that is around the time that, you have both the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. Splitting into their component nations and all of a sudden, hey, 20 more nations wanna do Eurovision, can they come over and play? And the eb you just are going, uh, um, uh, and figuring out what to do with that. That's been an interesting topic for me. So I'm hoping that that is in your, in, in what is to come [00:02:41] Mike: Yeah, actually, I think one of my headings is, um, uh, uh, the EBU panics. [00:02:47] Ben: Yeah. Just, yeah, just like the e. The EBU going, oh no, the show is already very long. [00:02:53] Mike: I think that's a good intro to what we'll be talking about. as with most contests, the story really begins the night of the previous contest. So, Eurovision 1992 was held in Malmö, Sweden. Hmm. Uh, there were 23 countries that were competing, and it was the largest contest to date. I mean, the contest is just getting bigger and bigger every year. Ireland gets its fourth win, thanks to the song, Why Me, which is performed by Linda Martin and was co written by Johnny Logan. A couple of strange factoids, that came out of that. Linda was 40 the night that she won, and she is still the oldest woman to have won Eurovision. Which seems kind of crazy to me. [00:03:36] Ben: Yeah, like, that's, that, yeah, like, how? [00:03:38] Mike: I checked, because i's like, I'm pretty sure Laurene is around my age. she turned 40 a couple weeks ago, so Sweden hasn't taken all of Ireland's records just yet. [00:03:47] Ben: Just, yeah, don't, but also don't tell them because they will try to do [00:03:51] Mike: yeah. Uh, our eyes are on you, Eva and awa. So, uh, [00:03:55] Ben: Do it! [00:03:56] Mike: so on the night of the 92 contest, an Irish businessman named Noel c Dugan, was taking notes while watching the show. And upon Ireland being declared the winner, Dugan wrote a letter to Ireland's broadcaster RTE and some folks in the Irish government congratulating them on the win and suggesting that they consider his hometown of Mill Street rather than Dublin as the host city for Eurovision 1993. Dugan was very persistent in reaching out to RTE. There was that letter the first night, several more letters that followed, a phone campaign. Like, he really wanted this in his hometown. [00:04:37] Ben: Just can we make this as early 90s as possible? He also faxed them, he sent a message to everybody's pager. [00:04:44] Mike: I mean, probably. [00:04:46] Ben: Probably. [00:04:47] Mike: I think what may have finally caught the ear of RTE was that Dugan had a venue and he was offering it for free. [00:04:54] Ben: Yeah, that's just like Event Planning 101. Will they provide the venue for free? [00:04:58] A Tour of Millstreet --- [00:04:58] Mike: Let's talk about the proposed city and venue. Mill Street is located in County Cork, southwest of Dublin. The town's population in 1993 was around 1, 500 people. It is a small town. [00:05:13] Ben: Yes. [00:05:14] Mike: My high school had about 2, 000 students, and that was on just one city block, this is definitely a different size than we are used to for, Eurovision, host cities. [00:05:26] Ben: Yes. [00:05:27] Mike: Noel C. Dugan's family, has a couple of businesses in the town, the main one being the Green Glens Arena. according to the venue's website, which can be found at millstreet. horse, Did not know that horse was an available domain extension, so, uh, packing that away for future use. but yes, Green Glens Arena is an equestrian center that hosts events of all shapes and sizes, along with horse show competitions, the venue has hosted Disney on Ice, various Olympics trials, uh, major headliner concerts, and my favorite item that was on the list. The European Juggling Convention. I'm gonna send you a squib that I found describing it, uh, I would love for you to read it, [00:06:14] Ben: Like most juggling conventions, it features a mix of workshops for jugglers, a quote, renegade performance performed for participants, Games, performances, and a public show usually spread out over a period of a week in the European summer. [00:06:26] Mike: I love that there's just a convention for everything, [00:06:29] Ben: Oh yeah, no, just like, hobbyist conventions are everywhere. [00:06:33] Mike: Green Glens is one of the largest equestrian centers in Europe, and it had an audience capacity at the time of about 3, 500. Too small for today's Eurovision standards, but certainly workable for what was needed in 1993. And, really, the whole story about this venue being selected and Mill Street really kind of coming together to, host this, worldwide event in just their, like, little small town. It was just, I don't know, it reminded me a lot of, like, the kind of cozy British movies of the mid 90s. [00:07:06] Ben: Oh yeah, The one that immediately comes to mind, of course, is not British, but just like, The Big Green, of like, Small Town! We're rallying behind the soccer team! [00:07:13] Mike: Exactly, yes. It's so joyful, like, every store in the town center adopted a country during Eurovision week, so, they were kind of, like, mini ambassadors for everybody. everything about it was just so charming. [00:07:27] Ben: Where is my heartwarming documentary looking back 30 years [00:07:30] Mike: exactly, that's what I was thinking, I think we've mentioned on the show before, like, the idea of the, Netflix Eurovision movie being kind of more of a series. the first movie was the one that they've produced. And then, like, the next one could be about the small town that's going to throw Eurovision. And then, like, another movie that's... Like, just a different perspective on the whole thing. It's, it's, yeah, like there's just something so heartwarming about this. A little bit like waiting for Guffman, but not mean spirited, I think. [00:07:56] Ben: like, that, that level, but also just in like density of character actors that I'm just delightfully enjoying, but yeah, just like heartwarming, not like as mean as Waiting for Gotham kind of gets. [00:08:08] Mike: So the venue and the location is settled. All of those were kind of easy logistics for this particular contest. [00:08:16] A Tour of Europe in 1993 --- [00:08:16] Mike: As you mentioned, the previous few years in Europe, there have been several monumental changes that were literally redrawing the map of the continent. you have the Berlin Wall coming down in 1989, several countries that were once part of the USSR declaring independence starting around 1991, countries that were aligned with the communist bloc such as Poland, Hungary, Romania. They're opening up more and more to the West, Czechoslovakia had the amicable divorce that kind of finalized in late 1992, and Yugoslavia was splitting apart, albeit more violently, we will get back to that in a bit. What this meant for Eurovision is the EBU suddenly had 20 or so countries that saw them from across the bar and really liked their vibe! And on top of all this, the Treaty of Maastricht was ratified by several countries to establish the European Economic Community, which is the precursor to the European Union. So, overall, the concept of Europe is transforming. But Eurovision isn't really equipped to handle this sudden influx of new and interested parties. As I mentioned, 1992's Contest had 23 countries, and the show was about three hours long. And yeah, they were having a very difficult time imagining a show running any longer than that. [00:09:41] Ben: Longer than three hours? Like, the mind boggles. Aww. [00:09:44] Mike: I know. at the same time, Eurovision is all about, like, continental unity, and saying no to all of these new people that want to be part of the show. And It's now suddenly half the countries of Europe. That's not really an option either. So the plan the EBU comes up with is the 1993 contest will be capped at 25 countries. The countries that competed in 1992 would be allowed to compete in 1993. Of those 23 countries, Yugoslavia obviously was not going to be taking one of those spots, but the other 22 countries did sign up for 93. So there were three slots still up for grabs. To determine which countries were going to take those slots, There was going to be a separate pre selection contest. Only countries that have never competed in Eurovision as an independent country could enter this contest, so if Morocco wanted to come back for some reason, this would not be an entry point for them. Countries that competed in this pre selection but didn't advance They would have a space reserved in the 1994 lineup. To accommodate those 1994 slots, a relegation system was introduced where the countries at the bottom of the scoreboard would sit out to allow for more new countries to compete. So at least four countries were going to be at risk at the 1993 contest. Of the potential 20 ish countries that could have participated, 14 expressed interest, but ultimately only 7 submitted entries to kvali I'm going to try to pronounce this. Kvalifikacja za Mil Street. Which was held in, and I'm going to try to pronounce this, Ljubljana, Slovenia. the capital city of Slovenia. There's a cheat. Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia Herzegovina were the three countries that advanced from this pre qualification. Slovakia missed the cut by one point, they were followed by Estonia, Hungary, and Romania in the standings. So the four of them would get A buy into the 1994 contest, and it may surprise you to hear that Romania's broadcaster had a bit of a temper tantrum, uh, following the non qualification. thing I did find delightful in the overall standings for this contest, each country received 12 points from one of the fellow competitors. Granted, everybody was giving points to everybody because there were only seven competing, but the fact that everybody got a 12 [00:12:18] Ben: Aww. Unity! [00:12:20] Mike: Have you watched the 1993 contest before, or any of the performances from 93? [00:12:25] Ben: Uh, I have definitely watched Arvind Garna's, 1993, performance. [00:12:30] Mike: They are highlighted in my notes. That was one of the reasons that I didn't have you watch this whole thing because it's like, oh, I don't want Eloise to be stuck in your head for three weeks like it was earlier this year. [00:12:40] Ben: Earlier this year. It's still stuck in my head on some [00:12:43] Mike: Mm hmm. Yeah, same here. It just bubbled up to the surface I did watch this contest for the first time in preparation for this episode, and I'm not going to go through each entry but I do want to pick out some of the highlights. [00:12:55] The Eurovision 1993 Contestants and Their Performances --- [00:12:55] Mike: And might as well start at the beginning. If you wouldn't mind, I'm going to copy the link to the video for it. I'm going to paste it in the chat. And, uh, yeah, if you could just kind of narrate what's happening. We'll, we'll, we'll both watch this. It's, it's only going to be about a minute, but, uh, yeah, if you could just kind of narrate what you're seeing on the screen. [00:13:18] Ben: Okay, we've got like some abstract ribbons happening. This can be like the, yeah, this is the Eurovision logo. Okay. Ooh, a loon. so this is, I feel like this is like Irish folklore. Oh, I mean, yeah, like Magic Horse, some sort of like, like it's very much like the Pure Moods commercial. Okay, yeah, we've got like a, like, ethereal dancer in white sort of prancing through the forest. Just kind of like an Enya adjacent instrumental is happening throughout all of this. Okay, and she's transmogrified into a butterfly, and we're back at the glowing horse. Again, just like at any minute, just like, I'm gonna be told that for 27. 99 I can get two cassette tapes of this and other... Okay, and the horse has gone through the water, and there's now, like, another cloud. Oh, it's gone. The water is in the coast of... presumably Ireland. [00:14:14] Mike: Yeah, yeah, so we could stop it there, but, um, good, I'm glad you picked up on the pure moodsiness of it, because that was my immediate reference [00:14:22] Ben: At any second, Celtic Woman is gonna come out and just start singing all of their beautiful songs. [00:14:28] Mike: That was the kind of unexpected start, it's like, ooh, what did I sign up for, and, uh, can I do that again? So, after some establishing shots of Ireland and Mill Street, Show begins, they acknowledge that it is the biggest Eurovision ever, that there are 21 pages in the rulebook, and throws out, our favorite statistic that 300 million people are watching this program. Uh, again, no citation [00:14:57] Ben: Yeah, we can we can just make up whatever numbers. It's 1993. How is anybody going to tell? [00:15:02] Mike: She also mentions the... beginning of the European community, like kind of proto EU thing going on, which set off buzzers in my mind be like, Oh, right, that was happening. So a lot of stuff going on and that this production acknowledging it is really kind of creating this sort of time capsule effect of this particular contest. Italy kicks off the show. Not a particularly memorable performance. There are a lot of these, uh, were, not particularly memorable songs, like I looked at our list, from the Iconic episode that we did earlier this year to see like, okay, what, what popped up? There were only three or four songs that were really in that conversation. We'll hit those along the way. Turkey was in the two spot with a song that was kind of like blue eyed, soul, but it just really felt kind of out of time, where it's like, what was going on with pop music in 1993? And I pulled up the Billboard year end Hot 100 singles. I'd like you to take a look at this list and kind of get your impressions of it. [00:16:06] Ben: Things that were happening in 1993 in music, number one on the list, Whitney Houston's cover of I Will Always Love You, so yes, uh, Woomp, There It Is by Tag Team, the UB40 cover of Can't Help Falling In Love, which, okay, [00:16:22] Mike: Yeah, so, like, it's already starting to get kind of all over the place, and we're not even that far down the list yet. [00:16:28] Ben: Yeah, no, no, no, uh, yeah, cause like, then, uh, Janet Jackson, That's the Way the Love Goes, SWV's Week, Rump Shaker by RaxnEffect right next to Dream Lover by Mariah Carey. This is around when the Soundscan era goes into effect, so all of a sudden, all of the R& B and hip hop that is getting purchased suddenly and very vividly shows up on the charts. Oh man, I'm continuing to scroll, just like, Soul Asylum's Runaway Train. Rhythm is a Dancer by Snap at number 25, heck yeah. [00:16:56] Mike: Yeah, uh, like, you've got Def Leppard, and Taylor Dayne, and Duran Duran, and Ice Cube, and Kenny G, like, it's just like, it's all over the place, [00:17:05] Ben: Yeah! Oh yeah, Prince of the New Power Generation 7. [00:17:08] Mike: Yeah, the all over the mapness of this lineup, at Eurovision is maybe more on the pulse than I would have expected. [00:17:16] Ben: You're early enough in the decade that like, the distinct identity that we associate with it has not yet fully formed, so it's just like, let's just try some stuff, let's just figure out what that is. [00:17:24] Mike: Germany, Switzerland, they go. Denmark, I don't really have much to say about their song, but this is a good time to talk about what the postcard motif was for this contest. It was basically, the act would go and do some sort of touristy thing, and then follow that up with some food and drink. with Denmark's postcard, they do a tour of the Jameson distillery. After the tour, we see a close up of a tray with a bunch of shots on it, and, the server is passing shots to everybody in the group. The first person in the group, who's one of the backing singers, she has this look of anguish on her face of, Oh no, I can't do another shot! I think Denmark had a little too much fun in Ireland, is maybe the point of that story. So, Greece, uh, Greece's entry was one of the ones that was kind of in the iconic discussion. it's the song Elada hora tu fotos by, Katerina Garbi. I really enjoyed this entry. I think the live version was good. I would love to hear a version of it with, 2023 production behind it. Like, I, I think it could still work, definitely recommend checking that one out. next in the lineup, is Belgium's Barbara. And you're just like, wait, Barbara? Is that Barbara Dex? It is Barbara Dex. Barbara Dex is probably most, infamously known as having an outfit that, um, was not great. [00:19:22] Ben: Theoretically, like, she made this dress herself. And it was bad. [00:19:26] Mike: And it became the inspiration for what was the Barbara Dex Award that originally was being awarded to the act with the worst look at the contest. So very mean spirited. I'd like to get your thoughts on how The Outfit. [00:19:44] Ben: let's take a look. Okay, so it's like, kind of like a beige y gray, overlay, and there's like an under thing, but there's also just like, a collar. [00:19:51] Mike: Yeah, big collar, buttons down the front. It's a challenging look. And it's, it's a shame too, because I mean, like, she's singing the song well. It's not the most memorable song, [00:20:00] Ben: Mm hmm. [00:20:01] Mike: the song overall might have been... Better received my takeaway about this outfit is I'm wondering if it was ever screen tested. [00:20:10] Ben: Yeah, yeah, like, I'm wondering if that's what the issue is, is that nobody was like, what is this going to look like under the lights on the stage? [00:20:17] Mike: Yeah. if there was a screen test for it, changes could have been made. Like it, it, it sort of works. Like I can see what she's going for. It's just not particularly successful in this iteration. but then turning it into A whole award and like really kind of bragging on it is just like, that's not great. Also, she's only 19 in this performance. So it's like, hey, kind of on the young side, maybe not bullying. How about that? [00:20:43] Ben: like, let's not, yeah, [00:20:44] Mike: this is kind of a iconic performance in A different definition of that term. Going further down the lineup, we've got Malta, Iceland. Iceland had three keyboardists on stage. And, it was also one of the songs that had a lot of what I called emphatic sax. That was kind of a running theme throughout all of the songs in this particular year. let's see, Austria, Portugal. Portugal had the youngest singer in the competition. Annabella, who was 16 years old. Great voice, but yeah, it's like, still weird to have such youngins in the competition. Uh, France, Sweden. Do you have any more thoughts about Arvangarna? [00:21:23] Ben: The song has grown on me, but that's mostly just because it lives in my head for now So I've made my peace with it. So it's like I I like I like what they're aiming to do. [00:21:31] Mike: I think one of the things that I found most enjoyable about the performance this time around was, Arvangarna was the sixth version of Arvangarna of the night, up to that point. [00:21:42] Ben: Oh, no [00:21:43] Mike: Yeah, there were a lot of groups of that style, where it's just like a bunch of guys on stage with this kind of dance hall, dance [00:21:52] Ben: like dansevans. Yeah [00:21:53] Mike: six might be a bit of an exaggeration, like depending on how you count, but there were at least four groups that were of this style. And we are only halfway through the lineup. So Sweden was followed by Niamh Cavanaugh, who would go on to win the contest. She was Working at a bank at the time, and the bank took out a full page ad the weekend of the contest, in the newspaper, letting her know that she could take Monday off if she ended up winning the contest. So, good for her, three day weekend. Her performance of In Your Eyes, I really think it hit the balance of everything at the contest. Like, her vocal was amazing, her backing singers were used in a way where, like, they weren't upstaging her, they were still part of the performance. She was balanced with the orchestra really nicely, like, everything really came together. And she looked so effortless in performing this song, even though... It is not an easy song to sing. In Your Eyes has a perfect record in the ESC 250, and I can totally understand why. Like, this is a very worthy winner, particularly in this field, And I think the song still holds up. Luxembourg, I mentioned this on Blue Sky, uh, while I was watching this, where This was a performance that kind of broke me in terms of just going, Oh God, the hair! Like, it's a cumulative effect. I don't want it to make it seem like Luxembourg's hair story was particularly egregious. It was just like kind of the breaking point of crunchiness and like that sort of late 80s hair metal thing. Yeah, it was just, [00:23:55] Ben: no, no, I know I know exactly what you're talking about yeah, just just the cumulative effect of just like so many people [00:24:00] Mike: Yeah, yeah, it was during their postcard. It's like, oh, I can't, I can't, no. Following Luxembourg was Slovenia. one of the ones that advanced out of, the preselection. Perfectly cromulent. I think it's something that Slovenia could conceivably send today and it would sort of work. It wouldn't do great at Eurovision, but it would be kind of consistent with what they've been sending the last few years. Let's see, Finland, and then, Bosnia Herzegovina were represented by, Mohamed Vazlogic, who went by the name Fazla, and was the head of a group of six people, and their song was Svobodsvyeta, uh, which translates to all the pain in the world. So this was right in the middle of the war that was happening as part of the breaking up of Yugoslavia. Slovenia and Croatia had declared independence, and they were in the northwest corner of Yugoslavia. Serbia is on the eastern side of the country, and Bosnia Herzegovina is right there in the center. Sarajevo, which was the capital of Yugoslavia, also the capital of Bosnia Herzegovina, like everything is just centered in there. So Bosnia is at the center of this war. The performance really highlighted this. the staging featured a lot of what was reading as mirthless dancing. [00:26:26] Ben: mm hmm [00:26:26] Mike: Fazla was singing with a thousand yard stare, so like really driving home the point of what this song is about, even though it's not in English, and I think it really translated quite clearly, like, what the story of the song is. Even their journey to Eurovision was pretty fraught. there was a really good BBC article that I'll have linked in the show notes, highlighting the experience, and it was an interview with, uh, Fazla about it, and, uh, there was one quote that I wanted to pull out that I will send your way. [00:27:00] Ben: After their surprise victory, Muhammad and his band left Sarajevo to get to Eurovision. They weren't scared of running across open fields to get out, snipers trying to pick them out in the darkness. Quote, The Serbs were shooting all night long, but it was nothing different to any other time, really, he says. We were being shot at in the town, too. Not everyone made it. The group's conductor was meant to come a few weeks later, but by then fighting was so intense there was no way out of Bosnia. [00:27:22] Mike: , it was intense and, describing, how this new Europe was taking shape. in several different ways. And when it came time for the actual voting, this was still when juries would be calling in from their respective countries. And Bosnia Herzegovina, they needed satellite technology because phone lines were not functional. during the contest. It was very real the contest was acknowledging it like not calling it out specifically but the audience knew what was going on and we're very supportive throughout the show. Following Bosnia was the UK with Sonia's Better the Devil You Know Was it playing non stop while you were in Liverpool, or was Eurovision the only place that you [00:28:25] Ben: Eurovision, yeah, like, Eurovision was, like, really the only place that, like, I engaged with that song in full, on the main street that, our flat was on, they were playing, like, it was primarily winners, cause, like, I heard the song Running Scared more than I have ever needed to again in my life. Sitting with, the window open, just like, oh no, it's starting again. And yet, not once did I hear, better the devil, you know, Liverpool, come on, that's your hometown girl. [00:28:50] Mike: I'm sure I've heard it, like, other times, like, ESC 250 Countdown, and just, like, in passing and stuff, but this was, like, the first time where I was, like, actively listening to it, and... Not really my thing. It feels like it's kind of the UK's take on Schlager. Like, I can understand it as a Eurovision entry, and, like, why it could have been a winner. I don't think it's aged particularly well, especially compared to In Your Eyes. Yeah, I guess this is my roundabout way of saying, just like, Eh, I think second place was fine. [00:29:20] Ben: It also feels, adjacent to Stock Aiken Waterman stuff, just because, like, well, Sonia, her first hit in the UK was a Stock Aiken Waterman song. So, yeah, like, this feels very adjacent to it, like, down to, like, the kind of, like, fake saxophone. [00:29:35] Mike: Yep. The emphatic sax strikes again. So, like, this is getting into, the last third of the show, so starting to flag a little bit, and then Netherlands pops up. And I'm going to, pass this video to you, [00:29:47] Ben: All right. I am clicking this link apprehensively. Oh, no, Okay, like I don't dislike this this feels like very of that moment Just appreciate the group shoulder shimmy happening in the back It feels very much like the remix of Tom's Diner [00:30:32] Mike: Oh, yeah, there we go. [00:30:33] Ben: just like doo doo doo doo doo doo doo [00:30:37] Mike: Yeah, I heard this and it's like, Oh, this is very much my speed. And [00:30:42] Ben: no, like I got I got slightly worried it like when this was from the guy Oh, what are they gonna do? But no like this is this is this is fun. I like this [00:30:47] Mike: Yeah. I think this is another one where like, I may have heard it passively and like, I went back and listened to the studio track version and didn't hit me quite the same way. I think this is one where the orchestra really elevated the track just because you like have those opening strings and yeah. Also like, Ruth, Jacquette, she. owns the stage. this performance is very 1993. Very much my vibe, and I'm so glad that I got to encounter this. I love it. [00:31:15] Ben: Just anytime it like it's just always nice to encounter some new deep cuts for for our eventual ESC 250 balance. [00:31:22] Mike: yes. Although, this one is iconic. it has hit 10, countdowns. and it deserves. So, uh, good on you, Ruth. So, [00:31:30] Ben: Yes. [00:31:31] Mike: uh, let's see, uh, following the Netherlands was Croatia, the last of the, uh, prequalifiers. Their song was... Very show choir y, um, yeah, it had some English lyrics, which kind of surprised me. I thought the rules were very strict about language at this point, but I don't know, maybe they made an exception just given the circumstances, but it was fine. Um, the rest of the field, not much else to really highlight here. A lot of earmarks of the early 90s. Spain, their backing dancers, kind of doing this shoulder shimmy thing and then, like, doing some dance moves where, like, my immediate reaction was just like, oh no, they're doing the Bartman. And, should I even mention that on the show? And, like, uh, just cause, like, I know the Simpsons were a worldwide phenomenon at that time, it's like, well, it's the Bartman, like, is that, like, much more of a US thing? I ended up down a rabbit hole with that just this [00:32:22] Ben: Yes. [00:32:24] Mike: Do the Bartman was not released as a single in the U. S., so there was no chart standings there, but it was released as a single in other countries around 1991. It was one of the most popular songs to hit the Irish charts. [00:32:39] Ben: Yes. [00:32:40] Mike: it is specifically called out in its Wikipedia entry for, how successful it was in Ireland. It spent nine weeks at number one. there were only two other songs that had longer chart runs. At that point, it was like, wow! Later that year, Everything I Do, I Do It For You. Spent 11 weeks on the chart, so knocked Do The Bartman down a peg, and then when Wayne's World came out and Bohemian Rhapsody was back on the charts, that also got a few more weeks and knocked Do The Bartman down another peg. Do The Bartman is still in the top 20 of all time of longest runs on the Irish charts. It's like, wow, that was not at all. All expected! [00:33:22] Ben: No. Europe was doing the Bartman. [00:33:26] Mike: Eurovision's take on New Jack Swig, I'm just very tickled by. Line up finishes, there are a couple of interval performances, Linda Martin comes out, does her song, and then she throws it to Johnny Logan, Johnny Logan's song, he's starting to get a little funky, and this is about the time he's like, you know, I think I'm good, I'm not gonna watch the jiggery portion of this, so. in terms of how the scores, played out, it came down to Malta, who was the last country to give out their points. Ireland needed just one point to win, but the UK could win if they got 12 points. Ireland they get Malta's 12. [00:34:02] Reflections on the Contest and Its Impact --- [00:34:02] Mike: So, Ireland wins again, they pull the double, and so far, they are the only country to host two times in a row. They unexpectedly win again in 1994, so they are the only country to pull the triple, and also the only country to host three times in a row. In 1995, they drew the two spot. This is when running order was still by random draw. And, they were probably thankful for drawing the two spot they finished in a respectable 14th place. So they do not have to host Eurovision again until the following year because they win again in 1996. So, uh, yeah, Ireland on a tear there in, uh, in the [00:34:47] Ben: Peak Ireland. [00:34:48] Mike: 1993 strikes me as an important contest, not just because of, like, the Eurovision context of it, but, like, how it's a time capsule for what is happening in Europe at that point, and kind of recognizing all the change that's happening on the continent and The new political boundaries, the geography of the place, and just, like, really what the concept of Europe is at that point of transition. Not every Eurovision has that sort of importance. Like, there are contests that people enjoy, but, uh, yeah. Like, I think, 2021, that's an important contest because we're seeing how... It responds to, a pandemic and how you're able to navigate, live performances where it might not necessarily be safe. This year might be a important contest. I feel like there still needs to be a little bit of separation before we could make that determination. [00:35:47] Ben: Yeah. you need the, the distance that comes with time. Mm-Hmm. [00:35:50] Mike: I haven't fully fleshed out this theory as like you've probably noticed, but it's something that I am thinking about where it's like you take a contest like 2017 where like I don't know if that's necessarily an important contest or like a capital I important one the way that 1993 It seems to be capital I important. [00:36:10] Ben: On the surface, just like, oh yeah, it took place in like, this really tiny town in Ireland, and is this whole thing, but just like, underneath the surface, there are so many changes happening in Europe that are also getting reflected in the contest itself. [00:36:24] Mike: And it's structuring the future of the contest, like the relegation eventually led its way to final system that we have. Even though Mill Street seemed like an awesome host, I think that really did kind of set the need for guidelines for a host city, they met the challenge of being able to host in Mill Street. I don't think Mill Street would be able to host today. [00:36:47] Ben: No. [00:36:48] Mike: Green Glens has grown, as a venue, since the contest, but,it's not big enough to be the arena show that Eurovision is now. And, I mean, it wasn't conveniently located. I if you check, millstreet. horse today, they have a listing of available, accommodations for people visiting. Like, the closest hotels are, like, 10 miles away. That just would not be feasible in today's contest. looking at where some of these major players are now. Noel C. Dugan, he's still with us. He celebrated his 90th birthday last year. In his continuing awesomeness, he was offering the venue as shelter for Ukrainian refugees last year, and yeah, everything that I found about him is like, oh, he's just trying to be, a nice guy, and a good guy, just, like, really celebrating his hometown. It's like, oh, like, yeah, so charming. Italy, 1993 was the, last continuous contest that they went to. they popped back in for 1997, but, they took an extended break. they came back in 2011. They've done okay since then. [00:37:48] Ben: Yeah, they've been fine. [00:37:49] Mike: Luxembourg, they are returning next year. they were one of the countries that was relegated, in 1993, so did not come back in 94. [00:37:59] Ben: or 96. [00:38:00] Mike: With the relegation, the bottom four were knocked out, so that was Belgium, Israel, Slovenia, and Denmark. So, sorry Slovenia, welcome to the contest! You can't compete next year. They were instantly relegated, to make room for, the four that didn't advance, in the pre qualifier. Luxembourg and Turkey, were also relegated. That was to make room for Lithuania, Poland, and Russia. with Italy not coming back, that's where the seventh slot was made available. the relegation system would continue to get tweaked, like it started involving average placements and points and stuff, it was not a perfect system, we will probably visit it at some point, but, the, relegation system at least allowed for more new participants to come into the contest. Barbara Dex? She did not let the fashion faux pas slow her down, uh, she's continued singing, she's released several albums, since the contest, one of them titled Dex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll. [00:38:59] Ben: Yes! [00:39:00] Mike: And she's even tried to represent Belgium a couple more times, since that contest. she is currently on tour, so, yeah, she's, she's still doing her thing. Niamh and Sonia, they met up at, Eurovision in Liverpool this year. And they both pop up from time to time, as ambassadors for the contest. Niamh represented Ireland again in 2010. Fazla, Bosnia and Herzegovina's representative, he's doing fine. He worked in the States for quite a bit, coaching men's soccer at the college level. It's been a while since Bosnia has been part of the contest. I believe their last participation was in 2016. It would be nice to see them again. Like they, they had a strong presence at the contest. [00:39:38] Ben: Their brand was very good, as I would see them again during, Eurovision again a couple years ago. I was just like, aw, I miss them. [00:39:44] Mike: Well, that's going to do it for this episode of the Eurowhat. Thanks for listening. The Eurowhat podcast is hosted by Mike McComb. That's me and Ben Smith. [00:39:52] Ben: That's me! If you'd like to help support the show and access a ton of bonus content, head over to Patreon. com slash Eurowhat. [00:39:59] Mike: Free access to our full archive of more than 200 episodes going all the way back to the 2018 contest can be found on our website, eurowhat. com. [00:40:07] Ben: Next time on the Eurowhat, we jump from Ireland's imperial period to whatever this current era is with our special guest, Alex McMillan. See you then!