Miscellaneous
Guest Mike Mccomb Mike has been writing about TV online since 2008, when he started the blog WTF Little House on the Prairie? The blog was a project to practice writing about television analytically prior to getting an MA in Television-Radio-Film from Syracuse University, or as he likes to call it “TV Camp.” The EuroWhat? Podcast | A Eurovision Song Contest Podcast for Americans Mike McComb (@Rube_Goldberg) | Twitter TV writer Mike McComb joins Mark to discuss the bizarre and beautiful magic of this European musical tradition. Enjoy this episode, and don’t forget to have a drink on Terry in song 9. Mike is a Eurovision aficionado, having come to it via the Sounds Like Teen Spirit documentary. He’s not let being American and thus being geofenced out of most live broadcasts steer him away, as his work on the EuroWhat? podcast will attest. Get Extra Envy in your inbox Sign up to the weekly newsletter so you never miss a list, and for some unmissable Eurovision recommendations you won’t get elsewhere. Mike’s picks In order of discussion: Stockholm, 2016 Both Mark and Mike felt that this year’s ceremony was the epitome of everything that’s wonderful about Eurovision, especially the sense of humour. Copenhagen, 2014 This was Mike’s second pick as it was an iconic year for the contest, seeing Austria’s Conchita Wurst absolutely nail it, and bringing us more memorable and mockable Eurovision moments. Baku, 2012 Mike appreciated this final from a European education perspective. It gave us the singing grannies, delightfully clunky hosts, and a consistent fan favourite in Euphoria, which was another winning song for Sweden. Malmö, 2013 This was a surprise entry for Mike, but it snuck in as it was simply a solid year. The opening reintroduced the Parade of Nations, but perhaps the year was marred by a little too much dubstep. Mark’s picks In order of discussion: Düsseldorf, 2011 Mark enjoyed the high level of earnestness from this year’s final, the host’s entertainment appeal, and the songs. For Mike, there was a consistency issue throughout the night, with all the favourites finishing in the first half. Tel Aviv, 2019 Mark picked the 2019 final for its focus on interesting staging, and because he felt they didn’t try to go overboard with the showbiz sparkle, but instead were quite humble and sweet in places. Iceland’s entry was legit terrifying, though. Oslo, 2010 Mark thought 2010 was a nice year, and felt it marked the beginning of a transition into the knowing, semi-ironically-detached period the content is now in. It was the first contest where Mike got fully invested, so it has a special place in his heart, too. More of Mike McComb Mike is the co-host of the EuroWhat? podcast, and you can follow him on Twitter @rube_goldberg. Links Support the podcast