The EuroWhat Podcast

😩 NEW EPISODE 😩 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?

🇺🇸 NEW EPISODE 🇺🇸 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 revisits the first half of the series as we consider Eurovision’s next attempt at expanding their brand in Asia later this year.

🎹 NEW PATREON EPISODE 🎹 Eurovision 2026 had an interval act featuring Cesár Sampson performing “Vienna” by Billy Joel. Long Island native Maura Johnston joins us to discuss the documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes which debuted on HBO in July 2025.

📼 NEW EPISODE 📼 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.

🏕️ NEW EPISODE 🏕️ 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.

🇮🇪 NEW PATREON EPISODE 🇮🇪 This season we kept finding ourselves watching clips of the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest from Dublin, Ireland. We invited friend of the show Ted Van Houten to join us in a rewatch of the full contest in all its Lite FM glory:

🏆🇧🇬 NEW EPISODE 🇧🇬🏆 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?!

🇪🇸 NEW EPISODE 🇪🇸 Spain has been ride-or-die for Eurovision since debuting in 1961. In this episode, we’ll be taking a look at how Spain’s original approach to the Contest may have informed their decision to not attend the festivities in Vienna for the first time in 65 years.

🇳🇱💰NEW EPISODE💰🇳🇱 Eurovision is an expensive enterprise, and the Netherlands has been one of the Contest’s largest financial supporters. In this episode, we’ll be taking a look at the financial impact of Netherland’s absence from Eurovision 2026.

👩‍🎤 NEW PATREON EPISODE 👨🏻‍🎤 We discuss the full Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot with frequent guests Ned Raggett and Maura Johnston who also share their insights as HoF voters. Who could we be seeing on future ballots soon and who has not yet received their due?

🇸🇮 NEW EPISODE 🇸🇮 Slovenia has struggled to find momentum and consistency on the Eurovision scoreboard. In this episode, we take a look at how rule changes—especially around who qualifies—has impacted Slovenia’s ability to succeed at the Contest

🇮🇸 NEW EPISODE 🇮🇸 Iceland's television broadcaster RUV turns 60 this year and 2026 is also their 40th anniversary of entering Eurovision. We take a look at why it took 20 years for Iceland to join the party, and why they won't be in Vienna this year.

🇮🇪NEW EPISODE🇮🇪 Boycotts, jury overhauls, technological shifts, major protests, religious and political violence, hot pants... Ireland had a lot to deal with when it hosted Eurovision for the first time in 1971.

🇷🇴 NEW EPISODE 🇷🇴 Romania returns from its Eurovision hiatus this year, hopefully with some things figured out. We review the country's history at the Contest, its qualification troubles, and how their strategy at the contest may be high risk, high reward

🇵🇱 NEW EPISODE🇵🇱 The Eurovision semi-final era has not been kind to Poland. We’ll be doing a deep dive on what worked 30+ years ago and identify where Poland may secretly have its finger on the pulse of what does well at the Contest.

🇫🇮 NEW EPISODE 🇫🇮 Finland's UMK is one of the premiere selection shows each Eurovision season, but it didn't start out that way. We explore the evolution of the format and how YLE continues to make the program must see TV.

🇱🇹 NEW EPISODE 🇱🇹 Lithuania isn't exactly a Eurovision powerhouse, but their lengthy selection processes have been showcases for the country's music industry. We take a look at how their approach to the Contest may be serving a different purpose than competition: