The Aptness of Chance

(b) The picture of me holding up the '12 Points' sign in the strap of this blog is so disturbing, some of you may now be hiding beneath your desk, unable to read any further.

(c) This year's Contest is less than three weeks away and I'll need to get my schlager-skates on if I'm going to lead you through the 43 entries pushing and shoving their way to the top of the podium in Belgrade by Saturday, May 24 (and there's two qualifying rounds to get through before then).

I'd best get cracking, then (your introduction to the first four songs competing in the first semi-final follows this entry), but before all that, what's this gubbins about the 'Aptness of Chance'?

Well, Boom Bang a Blog officially got underway (during my lunch) on Wednesday, May 7, 2008.

On Tuesday, May 6, 2008, the present author was as shocked as anyone (including my mate in London who was the first to text me with the news) when they opened some of their morning papers. A comment I had made about Cliff Richard possibly not getting his saintly mitts on the 1968 trophy after 40 years, despite allegations General Franco had rigged the vote for eventual winners Spain, found its way on to page three of that morning's Guardian newspaper (let's not get cocky, it was a long way down the page).

The story grew legs, which means lots of other newspapers simply lifted the copy (which came from a press agency) and tweaked around with it a bit. As my quote balanced out the main thrust of the story, that quote, my name and my Eurovision website of almost eight years' standing (Whoops Dragovic) found itself included in news titles across the UK. It was all very flattering, but very surreal at the same time, considering it was an opinion on such a daft subject.

Anyway, at 5.55pm last night, I found myself talking to BBC Three Counties (it's somewhere near Watford) DJ Roberto Perrone on his drive time show as a result of the article. He wanted me to agree with him that we should send an Armada to Spain and claim the trophy which is rightfully ours.

I didn't agree with him. In fact, I think I sounded rather square, dull and boring, but as I say, it was a very surreal day.

But at least it meant I got to speak fluent Flemish for the first time in my life.

It's all most peculiar.