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The Eurovision Song Contest
The fun, the feuds, the highs, the lows, the scandals, the outrageous outfits, the innovators and the copy cats - this book captures the singular flavour of Eurovision and charts its 50-year history from a tiny venue in Switzerland in 1955 to the modern extravaganza watched by 300 million TV viewers.
- GenresNonfictionMusicHistory
208 pages, Paperback
First published December 18, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 14, 2018
First off, I will admit my review is biased in part because of what the so-called 'historian' of Eurovision had to say about Jess Mauboy's effort in the final of the 2018 ESC. His lambasting of her was (in my opinion) way off beam, and they demonstrate where O'Connor's limitations lie. He is unable to form complex or detailed arguments about his subject, relying on (mostly) a grab-bag of factoids and opinions that coalesce into a rather shallow history of the most significant annual popular culture event in Europe.
Admittedly this edition of his Eurovision history is (a) superseded and (b) compiled in an illustrated 'coffee table' style book, however O'Connor writes as if he is describing a series of YouTube videos distilled from past broadcasts. His fascination with costume and his subjective evaluations of the songs are hardly a valid form of history, and important themes of Eurovision (e.g. its iconic status in gay culture, the relationship between individual countries and their politics with Europe as a whole) are left barely touched. Yes, there is some impressive statistical information presented, however that aspect of the book as well as its overall tenor is one of trivia as opposed to serious historical analysis.
It would be interesting to see how later editions of this book stack up, and how they may compare & contrast to Chris West's book. I suspect West's title may be better.
In summary O'Connor has written a grab-bag of Eurovision trivia and thrown a subjective narrative around it. I wouldn't call this book a meaningful or thoughtful history in the more considered and complex application of the word.
Admittedly this edition of his Eurovision history is (a) superseded and (b) compiled in an illustrated 'coffee table' style book, however O'Connor writes as if he is describing a series of YouTube videos distilled from past broadcasts. His fascination with costume and his subjective evaluations of the songs are hardly a valid form of history, and important themes of Eurovision (e.g. its iconic status in gay culture, the relationship between individual countries and their politics with Europe as a whole) are left barely touched. Yes, there is some impressive statistical information presented, however that aspect of the book as well as its overall tenor is one of trivia as opposed to serious historical analysis.
It would be interesting to see how later editions of this book stack up, and how they may compare & contrast to Chris West's book. I suspect West's title may be better.
In summary O'Connor has written a grab-bag of Eurovision trivia and thrown a subjective narrative around it. I wouldn't call this book a meaningful or thoughtful history in the more considered and complex application of the word.
May 4, 2024
Used for nathan reinds the bigger picture eurovision 2021
June 5, 2024
Opin paljon uutta
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews