Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.05.2013, Page 19

19 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 5 — 2013
How did you come to be one of the
country’s foremost Eurovision enthusi-
asts, maybe second only to pop-star Páll
Óskar?
I guess it's all Páll Óskar's fault, really. We've
been friends for 22 years and he's always
known about my obsession with the contest.
In 1996 we were on the Icelandic jury to-
gether, and when he was preparing for Dublin
in 1997, we worked a lot together to get the
online Eurovision Song Contest community
to notice him. He made some journalists
aware of me and it basically took off from
there. Then I participated in some TV gigs
and people saw something in me they liked,
so I've been invited back on TV again and
again. I think it's mainly because Icelanders,
most of us really love this contest—I mean
even hipsters participate in the televoting—
and I guess people respect me for being so
open about my love for it.
How would you explain Eurovision and
its mass appeal to people like Americans
who generally have no idea what this
competition is all about?
It's a competition where each country sends
one three-minute song, performed in what-
ever language people want. The viewers at
home phone in their votes, and each country
also has a jury. The public votes and the jury
votes are combined and the top 10 from each
country gets awarded points in the system
12-1, with the number one song getting the 12
points. No country can vote for its own song.
By giving each country equal number of
points to deal out, and not allowing them to
vote for themselves, it's not the population of
any one country that can determine the out-
come of the contest. This means that every
single country represented at the Eurovision
can in fact win it with the right song.
Eurovision has been going on since 1956.
It was founded to increase brotherhood
amongst Europeans after the horrors of
WWII. During the Cold War, it was a beacon
of hope for the downtrodden citizens of some
Eastern European countries, which have em-
braced it after the Iron Curtain was torn down
in the ‘90s. It's a place to show your fellow
Europeans that you're one of them. It's also a
place where you see who your "real" friends
are—who will vote for you, even when you
send your worst entries.
Can you give me any examples of that, a
song that none of our 'friends' voted for,
which left Icelanders feeling offended?
This can really be seen every year, in vari-
ous ways. When we end up mid-table, it's
basically the same few countries that give us
votes: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Estonia,
Finland, Malta, Israel, Spain and Latvia. One
example is “Angel” in 2001, when our only
points were two from Denmark and one from
Norway—probably the Icelandic diaspora in
the two countries—putting us in last place
with Norway. The worst case was in 1999
with our entry “All Out Of Luck,” when none
of the ex-Yugoslav countries gave us any
points and France gave us just a single point.
It really cost us the victory.
Are people who dismiss Eurovision as
some kind of eurotrash competition full
of lousy music missing the point? Do fans
acknowledge that it’s a bit hokey? Is it
supposed to be camp? Is that an aesthetic
that you embrace?
We all have different tastes in music and en-
tertainment, but I do think that many people
who dismiss the contest still think the contest
is like it was in the 1980s and early 1990s.
That was a really bad period when hardly
any songs made the charts. The increased
profile of the contest in the last 15–20 years
has changed that, and we've seen all sorts of
songs go on to do very well. Obviously, the
three-minute format demands that per-
formers stick it out, and that can often lead
to disastrous results, aesthetically. So of
course fans know that 80% of the contest is
pure fluff, but entertaining fluff. And it's the
occasional gems that you find, such as the
Dutch song this year, that really makes it all
worth it!
Are Icelanders bigger fans than other
nations? Why do Icelanders always think
they’re going to win, even when chances
are slim? Is this competition revealing of
the Icelandic character?
I think the contest is bigger here than in
most other countries, apart from perhaps
Malta. I think one of the reasons is that RÚV
has managed to make the whole pre-selec-
tion so successful that people feel person-
ally connected to the entry. And it’s one of
a few contests where our size or population
does not really affect our chances of win-
ning. We've obviously always chosen our
best song, so why should others not love
it as well? I do think it's a healthy positiv-
ity. Why spend millions of krónur to enter
a competition that you're certain you won't
win? And, yes, I do believe that it says a lot
about our national character, that we don’t
do things with only half an effort. We will al-
ways give it our everything, and sometimes
it works and sometimes it doesn't, but we
can't be accused of not trying!
Some people say that this is as much a
fun, maybe ironic, song contest as it is
about politics and showing country al-
legiances. Can you explain this aspect of
Eurovision?
Well, we Icelanders are really supportive of
our Scandinavian friends. I think it's mostly
connected to which country you, as a voting
nation, are aware of, which country you will
look (or listen) out for? We surely keep our
ears open to Scandinavia, Germany, Ireland,
UK, France, Portugal and Hungary. I think it's
no coincidence that Iceland managed second
place in 2009, following the banking col-
lapse. It increased our profile and made more
people around Europe notice the song.
You have been predicting Eurovision re-
sults on an Icelandic show on RÚV called
“Alla Leið” (“All The Way”) for years now,
is there something formulaic about mak-
ing a winning Eurovision song? What does
a good Eurovision song need to have?
No real formula has been perfected, but it's
easy to say that it needs to be catchy. It needs
to stick in your mind through loads of other
songs and performances, until the telephone
lines open. You need a gimmick—and here
the problem is that you can easily overshoot
the goal. The gimmick needs to enhance the
song and atmosphere—not overpower it. I
usually use two pieces of criteria when pre-
dicting a winner: 1) Do I want to listen to the
song right away again? (like with Azerbaijan
2011) and 2) Do I remember the chorus long
after having heard the song only once before?
What are the chances that our entry this
year “Ég á líf” makes it all the way?
I have not been very optimistic about our
chances this year, predicting it not to qualify
for the final. I do believe that “Ég á líf” is very
catchy, and I can certainly remember the
chorus, but to me it's too repetitive, it feels
like it goes on for too long. It's very well per-
formed though, and I did hear it performed
live (not on TV) for the first time yesterday,
and it was better than I've thought before, so
who knows? I don't. We'll see what happens
in Malmö!
1986: ICY
“GLEÐIBANKINN”
Forgive me, but shoulder-padded,
metallic detailed, pseudo tuxedoes
and ‘80s hair gives me an instant
fashion hard-on. Plus it was our
first entry. RESPECT!
2000: AUGUST & TELMA
“TELL ME”
Einar Ágúst almost looked like a
cult leader. How much fun is it that
he got away with wearing a skirt
over pants!? I want that outfit!
2005: SELMA
“IF I HAD YOUR LOVE”
I didn’t understand the drama over
Selma’s "If I Had Your Love." She
was stylish and looked present-
able to Europe. Not overpowering
or overtly sexy. I think that’s very
respectable.
2006: SILVÍA NÓTT
“CONGRATULATIONS”
The amount of
time and ef-
fort that went
into making all
the costumes
over the whole
journey really
needs to be given
credit. She really
pulled off show-
ing that much
leg, as well as an
amazing Marie Antoinette hair-
style. She certainly blew me away!
I wanted to BE Silvía Nótt at the
height of her fame!
2013: EYÞÓR INGI
“ÉG Á LÍF”
He is a great representation of the
Icelandic man today, strong and
sensitive, handsome and not afraid
to be a little scruffy, approachable
yet stylish. I also wish him the best
of luck at this year’s competition.
ÁFRAM EYÞÓR!
…with Reynir Þór EggertssonALL
THE WAY!
Reynir Þór Eggertsson has a PhD in Icelandic and Danish literary his-
tory, he teaches Icelandic and Danish at the high school Menntaskólinn
í Kópavogi—and he has a strong passion for Eurovision. “I've always
been interested in languages, and when I was growing up, Eurovision
was one of the few times a year one could hear all those beautiful lan-
guages, both spoken and sung,” he explains. “Also, I'm kind of a statis-
tics nerd, so the voting system was an added bonus. Plus I do like music
and glitter. And I'm gay.” Since 2008, he has been predicting Eurovision
winners on an Icelandic TV show called “Alla Leið” (“All The Way”). We
dropped him a line to see if he could break this craze down for us…
"I think the contest
is bigger here
th
an in most oth
er

countries, apart for perhaps Malta.”
One can always count on pop star Haffi Haff for his relentless dedication to over-the-top fashion, irreverence and a flashy performance. He’s lived through the Eurovision preliminaries himself,
having competed at the local level to represent Iceland in the 2009 event with “The Wiggle Wiggle Song” (he was nudged out at second-place by Jóhanna with “Is It True?”). He also has a closet
filled with some of the flashiest and brashest fabric you’ll find outside of a John Waters movie! So naturally we had to go to him to help us pick out the best outfits from Iceland’s Eurovision
legacy. Here are his top five.
Haffi Haff
’s Favourite Eurovision Outfits!
UMMM…
Compiled by Rebecca Louder
Illustrations: Inga María Brynjarsdóttir
by Anna Andersen