“This week,” a new series on my blog where I talk about whatever, with regularity.
This week, the winners of both Croatia and Serbia’s Eurovision competitions were decided, and whereas Croatia’s winner Baby Lasagna filled me with joy and meaning, Serbia’s top two, Teya Dora (winner of the jury and ultimate winner) and Breskvica (winner of the popular vote, second place overall) made me uncomfortable and anxious. I’m not going to talk about it more than to say that I’m glad Teya Dora saved us from Breskvica’s reprehensible brand of nationalism (or was it jury member Sajsi MC who saved us?), but it would have been better if Dušan Kurtić (or Zejna) had saved us all from both of them. But that probably belies my escapist tendencies.
Other things I liked in Serbia’s competition, besides the literally perfect performances from Dušan and Zejna: Konstrakta did not fail us, gave us a genius and high-quality performance, and would have once again been a wonderful representative (alas). But maybe she’ll have time to open a bakery now. Keni Nije Mrtav was one of my personal favorites (think 3OH!3 vibes (but with less questionable lyrics)) and it was amazing to have caught them playing in the toilet at PIN Conference in December and then on television’s most sparkly event in February… Can’t wait to see them live, hopefully in a place that has as much character as they do. And Lena Kovačević… Just… Wow. What a good song. I listened to it once and have been pining for an expensive beach vacation ever since. (And then I listened to it several more times.)
Oh yeah, and my favorite performance of the week, Sanja Vučić’s rendition of Eurovision sensation Käärijä’s “Cha Cha Cha” (Finland, 2023). Absolute fire. I don’t know whose idea this was but they should get a raise.
As for Baby Lasagna, please watch this video of elderly people reacting to his “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” music video which will help you understand it better than any piece of analysis.
To understand what happened in Serbia, go to the memes.
On March 7, Marina Satti will release Greece’s Eurovision song, and that is what we’re really waiting for on this blog. We love Marina!
This week, I attended a conference in the UK where researchers-in-training like me presented exciting approaches to inquiry in the face of climate crisis. Some of the most exciting ideas I heard there were about artistic practices and emotions, and the ways people are engaging in communities and nature through art and human connection. This is really only tangential to the work I am doing under the umbrella of this blog, which has a political dimension but is not really about effecting change. But it’s true that when I move from this blog into the world of creation based on this blog, it’s likely to include academically-informed elements that have something to say. To be successful, art has to have a worthwhile process and connect with people, or at least leave a strong impression – it has to be good by any measure of art. This is, to bring it back to Eurovision, why Konstrakta is so successful.
This week, I’m obsessed with Lara Di Lara, Eskisi Gibi Değil (good for zoning on long train and plane journeys; YouTube; Spotify).
This week I also made a perfect coffee.
