Eurovision 2008

We had a little party for the Eurovision finale again this year. At least half the guests came reluctantly... either not having heard of Eurovision at all, or wondering why in the world I'd want to throw a party for such a ridiculous event. But everyone had fun whether they liked it or not, even though Germany's entry embarrassed themselves with a horrible performance which left them tied for last place.

It amuses me how popular the Eurovision Song Contest is among other expat bloggers, as well. Adam publishes his list of favorites yearly. Beth did some live blogging not only for the finale, but for the semi-finals, too. Hard core. Snooker's heart was stolen by the pirates. Brian is not so convinced he loves Eurovision, but blogs about it all the same. There's always some scandal or other involved, such as this year's English-language entry for France (as noted by Mark).

Despite my feverish voting for Azerbaijan, the winner was Russia' s Dima Bilan, with this performance featuring a Stradivarius violin and an Olympic skater. What's not to love?

The finest in German teen Europop

Introducing... Jimi Blue! Mr. Blue would like to inform all the ladies out there that he is only capable of romancing those of you sporting pants of the little, red, and hot variety. Tokio Hotel doesn't have anything on this Justin Timberlake clone.

Urban is the new Black

When I lived in Germany in the 90s, I was somewhat bemused to learn the term 'Black Music'. This basically referred to any and all music performed by African-American artists. The term was used on posters, in advertisements, and in clubs. A 'Black Music' party or CD could include everything from Janet Jackson to Naughty By Nature, all part of the same genre due to the skin color of the performers. Coming from a nice liberal east-coast college, I was more than a little shocked by the terminology. Would you put Handel and Rammstein in the same musical category?

Today I don't see or hear the term 'Black Music' around Munich much. But the show MTV Urban? It's all about the Black Music.

At last, the Americans may know the joys of German teen angst

Even though Germany has some great home-grown musical acts to offer, rarely does a German artist make it across the Atlantic to the US (as opposed to American music, which makes it over here to Germany far too often).

If I had had to bet on which German music was going to make it big in the US next, Tokio Hotel would have not been where I put my money. So good thing I wasn't betting: A Wild Welcome to a German Teen Pop Band.

Tokio Hotel is the group which required riot police protection at the train station in Zurich. Apparently they are re-scripting their German hits to have English lyrics. Lucky you, you people who don't speak German but want to sing along with Bill! (Yes, I admit to knowing the name of the porcupine-headed lead singer. Do you still respect me?)

And you thought the White Man's Overbite was an American thing

As it turns out, the Swiss are pretty good at it, too.

So tonight we went to a Wir Sind Helden concert. Now don't get me wrong - Wir Sind Helden is definitely one of my all-time favorite German-singing bands. Right up there with Xavier Naidoo and the late great Falco. But I'm not such a fan of standing in a smoke-filled crowded room listening to really loud live music while drinking 7-franc Miller Genuine Draft (an atrocity which I'm sure would never happen in Germany, but the Swiss' taste in beer is a story for another post). At least I had the good sense to hit up the coat check counter at the beginning of the encore, thus saving us an hour-long wait...

Heidi on the Walensee

Yesterday afternoon we took a train to Walenstadt (about an hour from Zurich), in search of some Swiss culture. We walked through the small town to the lake and hopped on a boat for a dinner cruise. The Walensee has some beautiful, dramatic scenery going on – on one side the mountain is so steep that it appears to plunge right into the lake, while on the other shore you can watch trains weave in and out of tunnels. The views would have been breathtaking, had it not been cloudy and drizzly for most of the ride. We still got a few beautiful glimpses here are there.

After the boat ride, it was on to the evening’s main event: Heidi – das Musical, Teil 2. The large outdoor stage is right next to the lake, set up so the audience can enjoy the spectacular view as part of the backdrop (and also so we had something to look at when the story line started dragging). The musical itself, which was performed in a mix of High German and Swiss German, was OK. It told the story of Heidi in parallel with a story about the life of Johanna Spyri, Heidi’s creator.

I was most amused by the co-marketing going on around the musical. We received free Heidi brand ice cream on a stick just for attending, and there were samples of Heidi brand yogurt available at intermission. And on our way out, we were each handed a bottle of Heidi brand water which – I kid you not – promised to give us “Heidi Power.” Anyone know what that might entail?

Music in Tokyo

As of today, my new favorite band is Bump of Chicken. My love of this group is 100% based on its name alone.
Coming in a close second is Japanese Rap Sta.
Ever wonder what black sounds like?