I posted this on ILM and I wonder if I actually believe it. I'd certainly like to.

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

"One of the things I really like about Eurovision is that it's a pop space which regularly and brutally REJECTS retro and revivalism via the ballot box: the regular ABBA-clones now can only scrape 12th or 13th and the French entries in their early-60s timewarm end up in the bottom four. Eurovision's commitment to the modernist project is impeccable!"

Comments

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

isn't that a visible trend?

(certainly it makes sense as a response-shift towards to the viewer-voting system, which wants its attention grabbing and its memory goosed, in a sea opf potential "good song" sameness)

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

it is a trend yes, but not i don't think, in the sense freakytigger intended it. it doesn't really reflect the underlying music (and in fact, as you point out, reflects the structure and operations of the program)

[carsmilesteve.livejournal.com]

[carsmile returns to his tired old schtick about it being all about the visuals because it only really exists to have a television simulcast across europe]