In my prediction yesterday, I thought Satin Circus would win and represent Finland in Vienna. A promising prospect; to send a reasonably modern and radio-friendly pop song to the ESC in a year where the pop songs seem few and far between.
Instead we end up with a song I find a lot weaker. Punk isn't my thing, really, but even for being a punk song it's pretty basic.
My initial disappointment is that Finland will not send the best possible song - according to my taste - when there were good candidates in the running.
The second - and bigger - disappointment is of course the reactions after Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät won. The total and utter outrage triggered in some people because an ESC act breaks the norm is nothing short of frightening. Mud-slinging and name calling. There is no shame in being disabled, you know.
I'm also torn between what is worse: the haters or the fakes. The fakes who want to be so understanding and free-spirited and liberal but who display just as much prejudice as the haters. If you vote for PKN because you're amazed somebody disabled can stand on a stage without falling over, you just reveal how little you think of disabled people in the first place.
As for the rest of the results, I was surprised to see Shava receiving so little love from the televoters despite being the big winner of Yle's online gallup prior to his semi final. It just goes out to show how little gallups like these really represent public opinion.
On the total, the UMK final was a really good show, brilliantly hosted by Rakel Liekki and Roope Salminen, showing off good production values. A quicker pace would be welcome for next year, but you won't find many entertainment shows on Finnish television that are better than this.
And I guess the bottom line is that an entertainment show that provokes this amount of emotions really is public service at its best.
Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät / Aina mun pitää (Finland 2015)
I am also disappointed at the result. I myself am a great fan of Shava. I voted equally for Shava and Satin Circus. Opera Skaala was also great but I doubt their chances in ESC.
ReplyDeleteAbout the voting result. Finland is always ready for a protest vote. And here was a perfect chance to give a protest vote. I guess the majority of voters for PKN are the ones who do not follow ESC or think ESC is crap. The third reason was that there was a heavy agenda in social media to vote for disabled persons. To make a difference.
I am not shocked. I have been disapponted in Finnish voting so many decades I am used to this. I will focus in other countries
In the beginning of this week I was very much torn in two about how to react to the PKN:s victory. I hadn't really found a favourite among the entries, but "Aina mun pitää" was definately not the song I wanted to send to Vienna. I also didn't like the way people were pushing it and telling people to vote for it because it is different and the guys performing it are different and because of their disabilities they'd deserve be selected. I'm sure many people voted for it without listening to the song or at least listening to the other songs to really choose the best song available.
ReplyDeleteNow that the song is chosen I'm trying to focus on what lays ahead. After all, the PKN won the contest fair and square, and with a big margin. Of course one can be disappointed and wonder what would have happened if some other song was chosen. But that is nothing new, we have sent "bad" songs before and whether song is bad or good is really question of taste. Whatever ones views are, this is our song, this is the group that will represent Finland in Vienna.
And following their interviews in local media and in the international media (language seems to be no problem to PKN unlike to some other our representatives) the group has revealed themselves to be even more sympathetic than I had thought. Also the song has opened to me differently, when I don't have to compare it to other entries in UMK and fear for the result. Punk is still not my cup of tea, but there has been many worse songs in the past, some of them sent by Finland. Finland may not be sending the musically (or even visually) the most appealing Eurosong this year, but it is the one the will get more attention than many other entries and will not be forgotten. And it the cause of the disabled gets some boost at the same time, it is not a bad thing at all. No other country would have dared to do what Finland has done. In the end PKN's result in the contest (it can really be anything from nul points to top 10) is the least important thing.
And to those who still moan and groan about how ashamed they will be when PKN climbs to the stage in Vienna I will say this: the only reason to be ashamed for a Eurovision entry is when an artists don't do they work properly, are clearly uninterested in what they do or behave arrogantly to the audience or to the Eurovision institution. I am sure PKN will do none of that.
Everyone is entitled not to like the Finnish entry (I still don't love it but curiously I am getting more and more fascinated by it), but after 1 and half minutes it is over. And next year we will send something completely different.