Eurovision Song Contest - a wasted opportunity?

It might be a guilty pleasure for millions of people but the Eurovision Song Contest grates on every one of my nerves. The flaws are obvious. Generic, bland, tacky and gimmicky are some of the words that spring to mind. Also the political voting which takes place between countries makes a mockery of the contest and further drains the whole thing of credibility. For example, just after Britain had invaded Iraq to universal opposition, our entry receieved a grand total of nil points. But the thing that really annoys me is that the Eurovision Song Contest is a good idea gone wrong. It has so much potential to really showcase the very best of European music. I am listening to Danish singer-writer Agnes Obel as I write this blog and I am going to see First Aid Kit, a Swedish folk duo, in concert later this year, so the talent is definitely there. So far the only good thing to come out of the Eurovision Song Contest has been Abba and Terry Wogan's drawl humour. Either the contest undergoes a radical revamp by the powers that be or a country takes a risk and breaks this trend of superficial pop by consistantly entering non-mainstream musicians and bands of genuine quality. Until that happens the Eurovision Song Contest will remain a wasted opportunity. The ironic twist is that the entire affair is now so ridiculous that aspiring bands and singer-song writers with integrity and talent will not want to be associated with it and are likely to give it a wide bearth. Alas.

The inward and outward journey

"...nothing so liberalizes a man and expands the kindly instincts that nature put in him as travel and contact with many kinds of people." - Mark Twain

I am not a huge Mark Twain fan but I like this quote and I think there is some truth in it. When I read it recently it reminded me of a tv program I watched a few years ago about inner city violence in Los Angles. The thing that stuck with me was that almost all of the gang members had never been outside of L.A., that their gang culture was the only way of life they had ever known. It is a sad reality. Maybe if these gang members were given the opportunity to travel and experience different cultures and lifestyles then they would feel inspired to do something positive with their lives. In a different environment and surrounded by different people then hopefully they would blossom and flourish. But some people need therapy, not travel. I remember hearing a homily by a priest and he gave the following analogy: if you put a cow on a train from Glasgow to Aberdeen then the cow will still be a cow when it arrives in Aberdeen. I think the point he was trying to make is that there are people running around, filling up their lives with work and activities, but they are too afraid to look at what's going on inside them. There is no point in travelling the world with a broken personality, you will still be the same person wherever you go. If you are miserable in the east end of Glasgow then you are likely to be just as miserable on the gondolas of Venice or on top of the Effiel Tower in Paris. It takes courage to face our own brokeness and set those inner demons free. But I think the inward journey and outward journey of our lives can go hand in hand and both can set in motion the liberation and kindly instincts that Mark Twain speaks about.

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

With 'On Chesil Beach', Ian McEwan serves up a beautifully crafted and haunting novella to add to a string of critically acclaimed and best selling novels. Set during the early 1960's, a newly married couple, Edward and Florence, travel to the Dorset coastline to celebrate the first night of their honeymoon. As both settle into their hotel, next to Chesil Beach, and as they try to enjoy their evening meal they are inwardly preoccupied with the impending consumation of their marriage.  During their courtship and engagement both neglected to discuss the whole issue of having sex and as the event draws closer and closer they grow increasingly anxious, but for very different reasons. McEwan skillfully interweaves this situation with flashbacks of the couple's past and thus builds up a rich and subtle picture of the two characters. What happens on Chesil Beach is a powerful and heart-renching climax, a warning against the human pitfalls of repression and pride. McEwan writes with great style and captures the reader from his very first sentence, never letting go. Beautiful, compelling and devastating. (Contains one scene of strong sex) 8.5 out of 10.