Living in Greece

Why Greece should not win Eurovision

May 28, 2010 at 16:30 ·

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I own and manage a neighborhood bookstore in Maroussi and I can assure you the topic of discussion is not the Eurovision Song Contest. There is a sharp contrast in the mood of my customers from last year, and they are more open and interested to hear, share and discuss any theory, opinion or view in what is in store for the future. Furthermore, should you try to discuss the contest to them, it would seem to them quite distasteful to consume one’s time with such trivial small talk and arrogantly not acknowledging the blight we are all in . Approaching them with taxpayers money issues and would we cough up the bill for the song contest, not that I posed the question to them, but my guess would be a firm yes- cause we are still here and we are somehow still standing.

I came to this blog by accident, but I found it very interesting. Greetings to all the people who visit this page!

I agree with this article. To begin, Giorgio’s song was terrible – something one would not even hear in the tackiest skyladiko. The fact that Greece even got 8th place for this song is a frigging miracle. Then again Eurovision is not known for good taste, but bringing out the worst Europe has to offer musically most of the time. The German contestant was not that great either but at least she was a bit better than Alkaios and Germany can afford to put on the show next year.

Personally I couldn’t care less if Greece never gets to host the Eurovision again. Festivals like the upcoming Synch in Gazi may lack the profile of Eurovision and cater mainly to the indie crowd. But it’s a step forward because it exposes people to new music & more talented artists both local & international. Greeks should support more of these kind of endeavours over the kitsch-fest.

Kat Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 01:39

Hi Demetri, it’s good to see you again. Months ago when people voted for one of five (?) songs, I was a bit surprised this one won. But I didn’t vote, so I don’t have a right to criticize. Like you, I’d rather see time and money spent on encouraging and promoting local talent. Too many artists go abroad because opportunities and venues are limited, and it makes more sense to invest at home.

Do Greeks even see Eurovision as a kitsch fest though? From what i remember, they took it pretty seriously. Over here people watch it for that reason, but not in the same numbers.

Most of the Greek pop singers are not that much better than the average Eurovision contestant nowadays.

Hi Kat, it’s nice to be back. I may not comment much lately but I always pop around from time to time, as you always have interesting and informative articles.

Bios, Greeks take Eurovision more seriously than they should. I believe Greece can produce great pop songs and for an international market as well. Melisses are not too bad, they’re not mind-numbingly brilliant but they have potential. I sent a link of their youtube clip of Kryfa to a lot of my non-greek friends a few months back and they all seemed to like it. They commented on how good the hook was, which is essential for a pop song.

Furthermore they are producing a style of music that is current with international trends i.e. electro-pop with a punk flavour. I think what stands in the way of many artists in Greece is that the local audience tends to have old-fashioned tastes out of synch with the rest of the world. Fortunately a younger generation is gradually changing this, hopefully this will help raise interest in contemporary greek music worldwide in the near future.

Kat Reply:
June 8th, 2010 at 21:57

Just want you to know I’m happy and grateful to have your long-time readership, even if you don’t comment much. And for what it’s worth, I liked the Melisses’ “Kryfa” when it first came out and it was in the vodpod, but they played it to death!

I firmly agree with this article. Eurovision is, what I would call, an ”expensive shame”. Not only does it cost millions & millions of euros that could have been spent for better purposes, but it also doesn’t promote our culture at its best (in my personal opinion). There are numerous kinds of Greek music: zembekika, dimotika, tsamika, etc. I acknowledge that as time goes on, we must adapt our music to certain changes in order to keep in touch with the rest of the world, however, this shouldn’t mean that we must completely sacrifice our traditional music styles for the sake of modernity. We, too, have a lot of interesting stuff to offer. Besides containing the word ”Opa” & singing in Greek, I don’t see how the song presented at Eurovision represents who we really are. It’s a shame. Why not blend in a bit of OUR culture into OUR music? It’s possible to do so while still being up-to-date. Being modern doesn’t mean having to look just like Americans. We shouldn’t be afraid to show the world our true colors. In fact, there’s no country that should. (by the way, I’m part of the younger generation )