Surviving Iceland

The tackiest day of the year draws near and as almost every icelandic individual tries to deny it they can not resist the powerful competitiveness and sheer joy of the Eurovision song contest. As for me, I gave up the fight years ago. I know it will always end up the same way anyway: I stubbornly try to convince myself and others that my taste runs deaper and that the years I spent in art school really changed me and now I demand something with substance, even if it is for entertainment value. But as the finals draw near this special vibe starts to fill the air, unresistable glitter giggly tackiness that is just too sour to ignore and too sweet to resist. You get sucked in wether you like it or not and on that fateful night you will rise up and applaude your country, however flat and boring the song might be, this is your duty..HELL!...your right!...this is what it's all about...this is what it means to be Icelandic!

Today is the first semi final of The Eurovision song contest and Iceland is competing for a spot in the finals on Saturday. Since I so bravely gave up the fight against this yearly tradition I feel a tingle in my belly and excitement in my chest. The Icelandic singstress Johanna Gudrun will sing the ballad "Is it true" on the stage in Moscow tonight and I wish her all the best:






I remember when Iceland first competed in the Eurovision song Contest in 1986, I was 7 years old. The press went crazy over the song Gleðibankinn (The Bank of Joy) and it became an immediate local hit. Most people knew the words to the song and a few people here and there even knew the oh so elegant dancemoves that the trio performed. We were all positive Iceland would win that competition! On the fateful night the streets where empty. All the homes where filled with people allready celebrating victory. We ended up in the now quite familiar 16th place....I came as quite a shock to the nation! We felt like the kid that gets invited to the birthday party only to get picked on. Disappointed, humiliated and bitter we decided never to get carried away again by this childish and silly gathering. Yet time and time again we do, thankfully!

HAPPY EUROVISION DAY!

As an extra treat here's the classic Eurovision song Gleðibankinn (The Joy Bank)



survivingiceland.com/SHS