OMG! Scandal!
The Icelandic nation is currently engaged in selecting its contestant for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. As loyal readers may recall, Iceland goes ga-ga for the cheesy spectacle that is Eurovision, as it is our annual chance to prove to the World at Large that we are ‘the best’ in something. In this case, ‘the best’ in performing hopelessly banal songs in a competition that is riddled with nepotism and rigged voting. But no matter – the Icelandic nation has a notoriously short memory span and rises to the challenge each year like a seasoned trouper.
Four Saturday evenings in a row, a bunch of hopefuls will be getting up on stage and performing their respective songs, ending in a televote. Two Saturdays are down already; tonight is the third of the four. And as it happens, one of the biggest scandals of the past week had to do with this evening’s contest.
Here in Iceland we have a wildly popular TV personality known as Sylvía Nótt, who is this exceptionally air-headed Valley Girl type [with a 21st century slant], who despite her extreme narcissism is quite endearing.* She tours around and does these Ali G. type interviews and basically has people rolling in the aisles with laughter. She also happens to be a pretty good singer – the woman behind the character, that is, who rarely makes an appearance as herself [here is a rare exception]. And now someone has had the brilliant idea of entering her – Sylvía Nótt – into the Eurovision pre-preliminaries [i.e. selection of the Icelandic contestant here at home] this year.
The scandal to which I refer took place a few days ago when the song leaked out and passed like wildfire through Icelandic cyberspace. This is strictly forbidden according to the rules, as songs must be original and not have been broadcast previously. The other contestants were furious – understandably – and demanded that the song be eliminated. Emergency meetings were called at the Icelandic National Broadcasting service, while the collective nation held its breath. Finally a decision was made to allow the song to stay in, prompting even further rage among the other contestants.
The things is, even without the leak, this song is very likely going to win.** The lyrics are all in the incomparable Sylvía Nótt style and the entire undertaking is a complete and utter send-up of the camp Eurovision spectacle and Iceland’s obsession with it.
"Congratulations to Iceland – because I was born here
I’m Sylvía Nótt and you’re all rooting for me
Eurovision Nation will have a seizure when I turn up
Born to win this thing – like, totally yeah…" ***
[Unofficial translation with no regard for rhyming, obviously.]
Personally I think it would be completely healthy for our nation to have a contestant that doesn’t take herself seriously in the least and makes fun of the whole thing. Hell, it would probably be totally healthy for Eurovision Nation as a whole. So while I haven’t even given the rest of the pre-preliminaries more than a cursory glance the last two Saturdays, I shall be watching tonight. Sylvía Nótt has my vote. Rock on!
* Excerpt from an interview in Atlantica Magazine:
Atlantica: Are you quite philosophical about your work?
Sylvia Nótt: Yes, really I am. My mother’s a yoga teacher. He’s from Nepal and every morning when I wake up, we meditate. I am really spiritual, too. You know, I can see ghosts. Once when I was here at this café I was in the toilet and somebody knocked on the door and when I came out, nobody was there.
** Mind you, I may have to eat my words – last year there were high hopes for the Icelandic contestant in Eurovision and many people had the champagne on ice already, but she was eliminated in the preliminaries.
*** In an unusual act of utter irreverence, YT proudly presents the link to the controversial song here. Do keep in mind that it is created for the Eurovision Song Contest and as such about as removed from Highbrow Culture as can be.
SO IS THE WEATHER A WINNER?
Oh, sure. For this time of year it is, thanks to the greenhouse effect. It’s drizzling at the moment with a slight breeze making the spindly birch trees outside sway ever so slightly. It’s currently 9°C and the sun came up at 09.59 and will set at 17.25.
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