Eurovision Song Context

Episode 89: Define, Then See: Journalist Tony Connolly on Europe's Stereotypes

July 12th, 2026  |  57 mins 29 secs

all kinds of everything, brussels, croatia, cultural identity, dana, don't mention the wars, esc, espresso macchiato, estonia, european stereotypes, european union, eurovision, eurovision song contest, father ted, fawlty towers, geopolitics, ireland, journalism, let 3, mama šč, national identity, podcast, rté, tommy cash, tony connolly, ukraine

"We define, then we see". In this episode, Bradley sits down with journalist Tony Connolly, RTÉ's Europe Editor based in Brussels, to talk about his book Don't Mention the Wars: A Journey Through European Stereotypes. Tony traces where our national stereotypes actually come from, why the brain reaches for them under stress, and how much truth (if any) is buried inside them.
The conversation turns to Eurovision, where stereotyping isn't just cultural shorthand, it's staged. We talk through Dana's "All Kinds of Everything," Ireland's 1970 winner and a reminder of Ireland's early Eurovision dominance; Tommy Cash's "Espresso Macchiato," Estonia's cheeky (and controversial) sendup of Italian stereotypes; and Let 3's "Mama ŠČ!," Croatia's 2023 entry, which used Cold War-era imagery to smuggle a pointed anti-war message onto the Eurovision stage. Plus: the Fawlty Towers line that gave the book its title, and the Father Ted episode that Eurovision itself couldn't have written better.

Episode 22: (Part 2) Master-pieces

September 12th, 2023  |  58 mins 35 secs

esc, eurovision, georgia, go_a, jamala, ogae, poland, russia, solovey, stephane & 3g, ukraine, we don’t want to put in

This episode's guest is Elka Krajewska. She’s an artist, poet, and activist. I'll talk to her about her current life in Warsaw, and her previous live in New York-- where she notably ran the Salvage Art Institute. The Institute famously deals with what remains of fine art that has been seriously damaged, which in insurance circles is called salvage. We’ll talk about the Rodin and Calder sculptures semi-destroyed in the attacks on 9/11, and the fragments of a very famous balloon dog sculpture. Elka’s now working in Warsaw. We’ll talk about Eastern Europe, about where she is now. About the human experience, art, impermanence. We’ll then chat about some iconic submissions from 2020, 2016, and 2009, including Go-A, Jamala, and Stephane & 3G. I always encourage you to go to the showpage at eurovisionsongcontext.fireside.fm and watch the submissions before we talk about them.

One last note, this episode includes 3 swear words that I haven’t edited. Hide your children.

Episode 21: (Part 1) Master-pieces

September 12th, 2023  |  50 mins 13 secs

esc, eurovision, georgia, go_a, jamala, ogae, poland, russia, solovey, stephane & 3g, ukraine, we don’t want to put in

This episode's guest is Elka Krajewska. She’s an artist, poet, and activist. I’ll talk to her about her current life in Warsaw, and her previous live in New York-- where she notably ran the Salvage Art Institute. The Institute famously deals with what remains of fine art that had been seriously damaged, which in insurance circles is called salvage. We’ll talk about the Rodin and Calder sculptures semi-destroyed in the attacks on 9/11, and the fragments of a very famous balloon dog sculpture. Elka’s now working in Warsaw. We’ll talk about Eastern Europe, about where she is now. About the human experience, art, impermanence. We’ll then chat about some iconic submissions from 2020, 2016, and 2009, including Go-A, Jamala, and Stephane & 3G. I always encourage you to go to the showpage at eurovisionsongcontext.fireside.fm and watch the submissions before we talk about them.

One last note, this episode includes 3 swear words that I haven’t edited. Hide your children.

Episode 16: Angelina Ballerina

June 12th, 2023  |  42 mins 1 sec

eurovision 2023, eurovision semifinal 1, kaarija, kalush, let 3, liverpool, loreen, teya and salena, tvorchi, ukraine, verka

Remember the girl in the sunflower jacket who opened Eurovision 2023? Her name is Angelina, and her intro in the first three minutes of Eurovision Semifinal 1 with a little boy named Josh probably had you in tears. In this episode I talk to her about opening ESC, representing Ukraine, Verka, and how glorious Sam Ryder's hair is.