Ben Smith has been watching the Eurovision Song Contest since 2008, blogging/podcasting about it since 2011, and a part of its digital press center since 2021. He has deep thoughts about the ways improvements in streaming media in the last decade have made the contest more of a truly global event, and can also do a tight five on Norway’s selection process. He lives in Somerville, MA and can be found more generally at goodatinter.net.
Ben Smith has hosted 225 Episodes.
-
Episode 213: Trickle
January 9th, 2024 | Season 7 | 30 mins 43 secs
albania, croatia, finland, ireland, lithuania, moldova, norway, serbia, sweden, ukraine
Eurovision 2024 barely took a break for the holidays! We get caught up on Albania's Festivali i Këngës, the results of the ESC 250 Countdown, and look forward to Moldova, Norway, and Lithuania this coming weekend.
-
Episode 212: 37ish
December 19th, 2023 | Season 7 | 36 mins 26 secs
albania, australia, croatia, czechia, finland, germany, israel, italy, luxembourg, netherlands, romania, slovenia, spain, sweden, ukraine, united kingdom
We finally have a (tentative) roster for next year's Eurovision Song Contest! Czechia has selected their entry, artists have been announced for the Netherlands, Slovenia, and the UK, and national final season details are coming into focus. What a way to wrap 2023!
-
Episode 211: Allons-y!
December 5th, 2023 | Season 7 | 29 mins 23 secs
azerbaijan, estonia, finland, france, greece, italy, malta, slovenia, spain, sweden, ukraine
FRANCE has jumped the gun and released their song for Eurovision 2024. Greece has announced their artist, a handful of countries have named their contestants for their national finals, and tickets were already on sale... it's barely December? Join us as we peruse Eurovision Song Contest headlines.
-
Episode 210: Wilderness
November 21st, 2023 | Season 7 | 39 mins 36 secs
ireland, sweden, united kingdom
We welcome back Alex McMillan to discuss the state of Ireland's Eurovision Song Contest selections and reflect on their historical successes and recent failures. Is Eurosong on the Late Late Show the best selection method? Is Ireland stuck in the nostalgia for their dominance in the 90s? What risks can the delegation take to make a splash in Malmö?
-
Episode 209: Millstreet
November 7th, 2023 | Season 7 | 40 mins 19 secs
bosnia and herzegovina, croatia, denmark, greece, ireland, italy, luxembourg, netherlands, slovenia, sweden
It's been 30 years since a small town in Ireland took on the challenge of hosting Eurovision while the concept of Europe was undergoing a transformation. We look back at Millstreet 1993, the accommodation of several new countries wanting to join the party, and... the Bartman?
-
Episode 208: Calendaring
October 24th, 2023 | Season 7 | 19 mins 25 secs
albania, armenia, azerbaijan, cyprus, denmark, estonia, finland, germany, iceland, israel, lithuania, malta, norway, san marino, slovenia, sweden
As we continue to wait for the full guest list for Eurovision 2024,: Cyprus announces their artist, a bunch of selection processes release start dates (FRIDAY?!), end dates, and a few name changes (EEK!), plus we start filling out this winter's TV calendar.
-
Episode 207: Aline!
October 10th, 2023 | Season 7 | 37 mins 11 secs
denmark, france, ireland, switzerland
Discussing Valérie Lemercier's "freely-inspired" Celine Dion biopic — What do you do if your pop culture idol doesn't sign off on you making a biopic about them? Change their name, tweak some of the facts, and play all the roles so you can make a movie like Aline!
-
Episode 206: Obvious Points Klaxon
September 26th, 2023 | Season 7 | 29 mins 22 secs
cyprus, greece, türkiye
Greece and Turkey have had a tense relationship and Cyprus is often in the center of disputes. We take a look at these dynamics and how they may have shifted over the last 50 years at Eurovision.
-
Episode 205: Efficiency
September 12th, 2023 | Season 7 | 22 mins 46 secs
belgium, cyprus, germany, malta, sweden, switzerland, ukraine, united kingdom
We get caught up on September 2023 Eurovision Headlines, of which there are a surprising amount. We already have an artist, details on multiple selection processes, and more than 2 dozen countries ready to party in Malmö, Sweden.
-
Episode 204: Welcome to Sweden
August 29th, 2023 | Season 7 | 46 mins 15 secs
sweden
From "Waterloo" to "Tattoo", Sweden has been a dominant force in the Eurovision Song Contest for more than 50 years, winning the competition seven times. We dive into the ESC history of next year's host country.
-
Episode 203: Iconic
August 15th, 2023 | Season 6 | 36 mins 24 secs
france, iceland, montenegro, serbia, spain, sweden, turkey, ukraine, united kingdom
We say farewell to our host nations by discussing one area where Ukraine and the United Kingdom overlap: iconic runner-up entries. But what does "iconic" mean for Eurovision entries?
-
Episode 202: Drought
August 1st, 2023 | Season 6 | 19 mins 34 secs
luxembourg, norway, sweden, ukraine, united kingdom
With one month to go until Eurovision New Year and next year's host city and dates announced, it's been a fairly quiet month for the Contest. We check in with some of the national selection processes that are already casting for the upcoming season.