entertainment
I haven’t had a loo break since 2009! The truth about Eurovision
How did Lordi sing in a giant condom? How many sex lives has Epic Sax Guy helped? And what will push Graham Norton to retire? As Eurovision hits 70, legends of the song contest spill the beans
TL;DR
- Finnish band Lordi won Eurovision in 2006 with their song 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' while frontman Mr Lordi was suffering from a fever and wearing a heavy, non-breathable costume.
- Mr Lordi's win was initially celebrated in Finland but was followed by a period of resentment from segments of the population and music scene.
- Moldovan saxophonist Sergey Stepanov achieved viral fame as 'Epic Sax Guy' after Eurovision 2010, leading to unexpected encounters and later receiving a national medal for music.
- UK's James Newman experienced the lows of scoring 'nul points' in 2021 but found unexpected support and encouragement from the public and artists like Chris Martin.
- Eddie Friel's 1995 performance for Ireland inspired a sketch on the popular comedy show 'Father Ted'.
- BBC commentator Graham Norton describes Eurovision as an 'Olympics' for cities, notes the increasing professionalism of acts, and humorously refers to his commentary booth as a 'garden shed'.