The EuroWhat? Podcast: Eurovision News & Reviews

The instantly-doomed American Song Contest really did seem like a good idea at the time: 56 states and territories competing for the hearts and minds of the public on NBC. The execution was not great, but we were pot-committed back in 2022 when we covered this pale imitation of Eurovision. What lessons can be learned before Asia tries its hand at the ESC formula?

📸 NBC

Revisiting the American Song Contest Part 2 Summary

Episode 5: That's Not My Jam (5:28)

Episode 6: Having Nunavut (27:17)

Episode 7: ......Trash (49:53)

Episode 8: Grahn Feenal (1:08:22)

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The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

previews of upcoming episodes,

North America tour dates for Eurovision alumni

National Selection dates

Tidbits we can't get to on the main show

We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::

The instantly-doomed Great American State Fair was supposed to bring together all 56 US states and territories. What if there was a song contest that did that? NBC tried it in 2022 and we watched it all.

This episode pulls out some of the best bits from the first half of the series as we consider Eurovision’s next attempt at expanding their brand in Asia later this year.

📸 NBC

American Song Contest Revisited Part 1 Summary

Episode 1: These Boots Were Made for Goofin’ (5:07)

Episode 2: Sunk Cost Fallacy (22:15)

Episode 3: Stockholm Syndrome (40:47)

Episode 4: ENTHUSIASM! IS! FLAGGING! (1:10:21)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

previews of upcoming episodes,

North America tour dates for Eurovision alumni

National Selection dates

Tidbits we can't get to on the main show

We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::

Scopitone was a video jukebox from the 1960s that featured short clips that could be considered proto-music videos. Ben discusses the history, production, and cultural impact of the medium while Mike delights in the off-model nature of the content.

📸 Cover Image by Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Scopitone Summary

What is Scopitone? (3:03)

Scopitone Production in America (8:15)

The End of the Scopitone Era (13:44)

Let's Sample Some Scopitone (19:17)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

previews of upcoming episodes,

North America tour dates for Eurovision alumni

National Selection dates

Tidbits we can't get to on the main show

We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::

What is "Camp"? In 1964, literary critic Susan Sontag investigated this question in her culture-defining essay "Notes on Camp". We discuss how the concept of Camp applies to Eurovision, other forms of pop culture, and our day-to-day lives.

📸 Cover Image by Loyloy Thal from Pixabay

Notes on Camp Summary

Notes from Future Mike (0:00)

Episode Intro (1:32)

Notes on Camp Background (3:26)

Is Eurovision Camp? (17:16)

Camp vs. Time (25:29)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

previews of upcoming episodes,

North America tour dates for Eurovision alumni

National Selection dates

Tidbits we can't get to on the main show

We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::

Better late than never: let’s talk about Eurovision 2026. We’ll discuss what happened in Vienna, what this means for the Contest going forward, and share our post-confetti plans. Also: BULGARIA?!

📸 Sarah Louise Bennett | EBU

BOOM Bangaranga Summary

Were we engaged with the Contest this year? (0:56)

The Eurovision Brodacasts (6:16)

First Semi-Final (10:06)

Second Semi-Final (16:24)

The Grand Final (28:41)

Data Tidbits (46:19)

Looking Ahead to 2027 (50:21)

Subscribe

The EuroWhat? Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts. Find your podcast app to subscribe here.

Comments, questions, and episode topic suggestions are always welcome. You can shoot us an email or reach out on Bluesky @eurowhat.bsky.social.

Join the EuroWhat AV Club!

If you want even more EuroWhat? in your life, join the EuroWhat? AV Club on Patreon! You can join for free to get virtual high fives and a monthly newsletter featuring:

previews of upcoming episodes,

North America tour dates for Eurovision alumni

National Selection dates

Tidbits we can't get to on the main show

We also have the EuroWhat? AV Club Podcast, a monthly bonus episode for paid members exploring Eurovision-adjacent TV, movies, books, and more. And if there is a season 2 of the American Song Contest... well... :::monkey's paw intensifies:::