PLAY JAJA DING DONG!
That’s right, kids! It’s time for the Eurovision Song Contest again! This year, it’s being held in Malmö, Sweden, after the contest was won by Loreen in Liverpool in 2023.
OK, so why am I talking to you about this? It’s not the usual kind of content we cover here on Couch Soup, a talent show between countries in Europe (minus Russia and including Australia, for some reason).
Well, because it’s freaking awesome, that’s why. Maybe not for good reasons, but because the entertainment value of this show is through the roof. It exudes ridiculousness at its best and most weird. I know this first-hand, having taken in last year’s dress rehearsal live. Words cannot do justice to how hyped I become annually.
It’s just an honest-to-God good time to enjoy with some friends, laugh your ass off, and get merry. Very merry.
Maybe even extremely drunk…
Why not get in the mood by watching a movie?
Netflix’s Eurovision movie tells the story of Fire Saga, the Icelandic entry into the competition after the chosen participant meets a grisly end. Fire Saga, Lars (Will Ferrell), and Sigrid (Rachel McAdams) are the contest’s biggest fans…
But they’re also a complete embarrassment!
This film perfectly captures the pomp, circumstance and just plain weirdness of the contest whilst also celebrating past winners, many of whom make cameos in the film. The likes of Conchita, Loreen and Alexander Rybak are all there, and, although that may mean naff all to you, for Eurovision fans, that’s 100% a Leo DiCaprio pointing gif moment.
Good is stretching the definition, but Fire Saga is definitely fun. And that’s in keeping with the spirit of Eurovision!
Eurovision isn’t really about the artist’s talent or the questionable buddy-buddy political voting (OK, Sweden. We know you love Norway, but sometimes they don’t deserve allll of your points!). It’s about the presentation and the song. For others, it may be different, but give me a bat-sh*t crazy pop song over a boring ballad any day of the week.
In 2023, I loved Austria’s entry, “Who the Hell is Edgar?”. It was about someone possessed by the spirit of Edgar Allen Poe, who became a very talented writer. It was nonsense, but it was also SO GOOD! The performance was accentuated by images of EAP’s face appearing behind the artists. I was so hyped by the end of the song.
By comparison, the eventual winner, Loreen, sang an excellent song beautifully. But it was a boring performance with little to no quirkiness. I’m not about that, and I was even a little irked by her triumph.
GIVE ME THE WEIRD! INJECT IT IN MY VEINS!
The best part of Eurovision, for me, is gathering with a bunch of my friends and watching the madness unfold. Part of that madness is the Eurovision Drinking Game.
Please drink responsibly!
The rules are tweaked every year, but the concept is broken into three different parts:
3. PUNISHMENT: During the scoring section of the show, you prepare an alcoholic punch and pour it into a bucket (or plant pot). It should taste nice because this part is brutal. For every X points your drawn country is given in the judges’ votes, you drink X units of the punch. Be hopeful you don’t get a fan favorite!
I don’t drink, so I can’t partake, but this is one of my most anticipated nights of the year, even as an observer. It’s hilarious, making me laugh until my sides hurt.
Eurovision is an institution and has been a tradition in my friend group for as long as I can remember. Maybe it’s time to create a tradition of your own.
And again, please drink responsibly!
