The Debate over Israel Reaches Fever Pitch on Eve of ESC
The European Song Contest is supposed to be an apolitical celebration of glam-pop. It never has been able to completely steer clear of current events, but this year is far more intense than usual.
By Jörg Schindler in Vienna
Outside, on the streets of Vienna, even the trash cans are now singing a song of love. The municipal department for waste management took the liberty of riffing on Austria’s Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) winners on the city’s garbage bins. With a deft switch of letters, Udo Jürgens’s “Merci, Chérie” – the song with which he won the 1966 Eurovision for Austria – became “Merci kehr i” (”Thanks, I’ll do the sweeping”), while JJ’s “Wasted Love” (last year’s Austrian victor) is now “Waste and Love.”
The city is getting ready for the big day – and it isn’t beyond stooping to a bit of, ahem, trash talk.
