Well, perhaps… A bearded Austrian man in a dress, Conchita Wurst, won the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen on Saturday night with “Rise Like a Phoenix” – the title quote was his line from the winner’s press conference. The 25-year-old singer also told reporters in Vienna
On the theme of tolerance, Wurst told reporters in the Austrian capital: “This will remain an issue for a long time and I fear I won’t see the end of it in my lifetime. It will be my life’s worth and I gladly take it on”.
“It was not just a victory for me but a victory for those people who believe in a future that can function without discrimination and is based on tolerance and respect”.
Fans waved Austrian fans and rainbow signs and banners reading “We love you!” and “Conchita Queen of Love + Tolerance”, the news agency AFP reported.
Asked if she felt vindicated against her critics, Wurst said: “I don’t really feel vindicated. I believe everything happens for a reason.”
After performing her winning song for the final time in Copenhagen, Wurst had held the Eurovision trophy aloft and shouted: “We are unity and we are unstoppable”.
In Vienna, she explained: “That was obviously meant for certain politicians whom we all know”.
Asked if it was directed at Russian president Vladimir Putin, who last year signed a law banning “gay propaganda”, Wurst replied: “among others”.
The audience in Copenhagen would probably agree – they booed when the Russian entry, 17-year-old twins the Tolmachevy Sisters, received high points, and when the votes from Russia were being announced. Russia finished in 7th place, on 89 points.
But if there was a political message being delivered, it came courtesy of the national broadcasters’ specially selected juries. For the most part, the public were voting for something completely different…
A breakdown of the voting competition organisers revealed that Poland’s song, We Are Slavic, featuring a group of scantily clad young women dressed as milk maids, was the runaway favourite of the British public.
But the UK’s expert jury – headed by former Fame Academy judge Carrie Grant – ranked it last in 25th place. It had Malta’s entry Firelight in first place on average, slotting the eventual overall winner, Austria’s drag artist Conchita Wurst, in third.
The final score from each country is weighted 50/50 between the public vote and the five-member panel so Conchita ened up being allotted the UK’s top marks of 12 points.
The gulf between popular and expert opinion was not limited to the UK. Irish, Norwegian and Ukrainian voters also placed Donatan and Cleo first while their panels gave the Poles a low ranking. They also proved popular in the Netherlands, Iceland, Austria, Macedonia, France, Germany and Sweden, where voters placed them in the top three.
Despite their popularity the duo came 14th in the final voting on 62 points, which was three places above Britain’s Molly Smitten-Downes.
As the BBC report also notes
The UK phone vote gave Poland’s Donatan and Cleo top marks but the jury thought they were the worst act of the night.
Their combined score meant Poland ended up with nil points from the British.
Most of the countries’ voting power is split 50/50 between a jury and the public. Austria’s Conchita Wurst won the contest in Copenhagen on Saturday.
Other discrepancies included Germany, whose public vote put Greece in fourth place but whose jury ranked it fourth from bottom at 22nd. Again, this resulted in nil points overall.
Ireland also gave Poland top marks in the telephone vote but the song We are Slavs was given bottom marks by the jury panel.
Poland’s act was accompanied by a number of attractive female performers who suggestively churned butter and washed laundry on stage.
Indeed… For the record, Poland topped the phone vote in the UK and Ireland, while the juries placed them in 25th and 26th place respectively – out of 26 acts. Austria was 3rd in both phone votes, placed 3rd and 1st by the two juries, topping the combined votes and gaining 12 points in each case. You can see the breakdown of national public votes/jury selections here.
Ireland RTÉ failed to progress beyond the semi-finals, and are going back to the drawing board. But not that drawing board… [I blame Louis Walsh! – Ed] Doesn’t everyone? [Just don’t mention the turkey.. – Ed] I won’t! Austerity. *cough* *cough*
ANYhoo… here’s your winner!
And the [UK, Ireland, Norway, Ukraine] public favourite…
And a more than honourable mention to the runners-up, from The Netherlands, The Common Linnets. [They was robbed! – Ed] Indeed.
[Bring back Lordi? – Ed] They’d never be allowed to win now…
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