Credits
News
Complete u-turn for publicity
Georgians admit using Eurovision for politics
In a string of public appearances and interview, the band have completely reversed their stance, claiming that they and their nation have been thrown out of the competition because their message against the Russian leader threatens to embarrass him in Moscow.
Lead singer Stefane Mgebrishvili said "We are not politicians, but we are patriots; we love our country. When you hear bombs going off in your country you have to say something. This song was our little protest, and we were denied the right to sing it,".
Rather than altering the lyrics, the band, with the support of the Georgian national broadcaster, withdrew the entry claiming that it was an unfair censorship of their right to freedom of expression and that the song was never meant to be political.
Now, they are performing and giving interviews claiming that their political message has been banned from the competition. They are releasing the entry across Europe, including in the United Kingdom, where it is already on the Music Week pop chart at number two this week, as what now appears to be a carefully orchestrated PR campaign that is based around piggy-backing from the Eurovision Song Contest PR machine to highjack interest in the show for their own political means.
They went on to give the clear impression that they never wanted or expected to perform in Moscow, and that the EBU simply fell into their own PR plans to embarrass the Russian leadership through using the Eurovision Song Contest. The band have been quoted as saying "Who remembers Eurovision entrants, apart from one or two? They are forgotten after 24 hours," said Imedadze. "This is a much better opportunity for us – thanks for the publicity, Mr Putin."
Related polls
- Georgia decided: How much do you like Shine?
- esctoday.com National Final Awards 2010: Best PERFORMANCE not to qualify in GEORGIA?
- esctoday.com National Final Awards 2010: Best SONG not to qualify in GEORGIA?
Go directly to the reactions
Reactions
When reacting to a news item, please stick to the topic. Inappropriate messages (swearing, racism, hate, etc.), messages in other languages than English and spam (which includes URL advertising) will be deleted and you risk your account being removed. Reacting on newsitems is only possible when logged in as a member. Still don't have member account?
Click here to react Click here to become a member (free!)
http://www.euro-party.blogspot.com/
You can visit and vote for your favourite song
http://www.euro-party.blogspot.com/
You can visit and vote for your favourite song
Smart move Georgia, and you are correct, by this time next week no one will remember who will have won next Saturday.
However, to crack the UK charts will be much more significant than the usual euro-drivel this contest produces.
Well done Georgia!
Of course the text was a provocation, everybody understands that. But nevertheless, the song is great, it would have served a top 3 placement. A pity they did not just change the lyrics as they were asked to.
"We don't want Putin. We just want to shoot him." -- Not a very convincing argument.
Is any country ready to die for Georgia today?.....
Didn't think so.
for an attitude like this... i think Georgia should be banned from the contest for 3 years.. just like the EBU did to Lebanon..
The EBU banned the Lebanese broadcaster for reasons that ran out of their hands.. instead these girls throw this incoherent song, and just because the EBU told them to amend the lyrics, they whine their freedom of expression was censored
Gosh, give me a break...
@Gary Greene:
Not having heard of Patricia Kaas is kind of a cultural fail there btw! 
In case you hadn't heard Patricia Kaas is the best selling French artist ever, which means she's outsold Edith Piaf! And even in Russia and Ukraine she's had big hits.
Actually I wouldn't take the UK as representative on this one - there cant be many European countries where less world/foreign language music comes in. (Ok, possibly Ireland but that doesnt exactly diminish my point).
Also, the Georgians made both the Dutch and the Irish news several times - than automatically makes them the most covered Eurovision entry I've heard of so far! If you care to read my post I said these entries were the most likely to be remembered, and if you can think of one that is more likely than these ones, good luck to you!
the Georgian song is no. 2 on the Music Week pop dance chart, not pop chart ( a very obscure chart that doesn't reflect sales just airplay in some clubs)
This article is bad journalism and completely biased. Shame!
They went on to give the clear impression that they never wanted or expected to perform in Moscow, and that the EBU simply fell into their own PR plans to embarrass the Russian leadership through using the Eurovision Song Contest. The band have been quoted as saying "Who remembers Eurovision entrants, apart from one or two? They are forgotten after 24 hours," said Imedadze. "This is a much better opportunity for us – thanks for the publicity, Mr Putin."
Disgusting, they should be punished for this.....
Wow, nver saw that coming!!
Come on! "We don't wanna put in" was a clear message to Russia, the title alone doesn't even make sense in English.
Mrs. Men
that wasn't the point I was making
If the band were doing this for purely personal gain, I agree that would be disgusting, but that is not what is happening. The Georgian broadcaster and the people chose this as their protest, what they are doing they are doing on behalf of the Georgian people too. Not just publicity for 3G but publicity for their cause.
(and you are correct about Peace will come, but I think that strangthens my point, why is that political protest OK and this one not?)
I don't see why people are calling this petty, or sad. Why can't they spread there message? And why is entering a song woth a message such a crime in your eyes in the first place.
I may be in the minority thinking that politics can have a legitimate place ont eh Eurovision stage, but it makes sense to me.
Why not hve a song that plays on the name putin, there was no direct attack telling people to invade russia or anything.
And how is it immature to realse they got great publicity for what is an important cause. You may not like the way they phrased it but it seems perfectly fine to me.
It is all far from pathetic...
I just don't get why this is angering people.
I'm with Gene on this
Most people who watch ESC will only watch the semi-finals and final. They don't look on here. They won't even know about Georgia.
Sorry Finn P - your comment about average European remembering Georgia is nonsense. They won't know!!!
And yes - there will be MILLIONS who haven't heard of Patricia - I hadn't before now and the same will go for 99% of the UK for a start...... And yes, she is too boring to register in one night.
Finn P
Have to disagreee with you because:
1) The "average" ESC viewer will only watch on the night and will have absolutely NO IDEA about what happened with Georgia
2) Patricia will no doubt go down a storm with her fans but there will be may many more millions who have never heard of her. Her song/performance will be too DULL to have any lasting effect with them
@Layla:
Ehm.... You're wrong there. Just because you don't want them to be remembered doesn't mean they won't......Their song has been remembered for the past MONTHS, and as they very correctly point out, this is practically unique for a Eurovision entry. This year, i can predict to you with almost complete certainty there will be just two, possibly three entries that the average European viewer will remember at all for more than 24 hours,
- Patricia Kaas (because she is a well-known singer)
- Georgia's song
- and the winner (assuming it's not France).
Personally, I think Georgia had a very legitimate form of protest, and they took the consequences as well. I admire this.
i love you georgia!!!
OMG! What a surprise - not! It was obvious they did it on purpose.
I find it sad, desperate and very pathetic. It's sooooooo lame and cliché: "Thank you for the publicity, Mr. Putin" - what a bunch of immature, little morons they are. This is what you'd expect hearing from celebrities and they are just wannabes.
I'm glad they withdrew (it also proved that it was political), their awful song will certainly not be remembered after their 15 minutes of fame/the fad is over. While ESC songs DO live on for many - their joke entry will not.
Re: the comments about about ESC being political/non-political, I agree to some extent..I mean hasn't Eurovision always been political in practically every sense? government interference (Spain 69), political voting (obvious over the years), political messages in the lyrics (Portuguese entries of the 70s, Norway 1980, even Finland 82!), so where does the EBU draw the line on its own policy? I mean even the folowing songs could offend some nations if you look deeply:
- Waterloo (Swe 74) - offend the French?
-Dcshingis Khan (Ger 79) - offend a few Euro nations?
- Conquistador (portugal 89) - offend some viewers in Mozambique or Macao?
- Mona Lisa (Austria 88) -
er sorry that last one just offends my ears...
anyway, my point is why be so surprised at Georgia? I guess it has more impact cause the "put in" message was quite blatant and the contest is in Moscow, they should have tried a more subtle approach?
ROFL!!! Seriously the song is so groovy!! But its definitely a good thing it was banned from ESC 
i'm glad they did what they did and it got publicity in France and in other countries so what they did was enough to let a message out : esc is not NOT political. They want it to be, but it won't and Moscow will remain the place where gay prides are forbidden, were journalists are killed and Russia a country that oppresses others.
Georgia come back next year though. So far both their entries have been great, who can deny that?
Georgians did nothing wrong. It's the EBU reference group who are not consistent and fair. I wrote about this in Helsingin Sanomat (8.5. cultural pages). Just one example: Verka Sercuchka was allowed to sing "Russia goodbye" in Helsinki. If the ESC 2007 would have been in Moscow, probably that would have been banned as well.
ESC has been, is and will be pure politics and this year proves it in a brutal way. Banning politics is politics as well.k
Georgia should been in ESC!
Politics aside ... this would have been the SONG leading the board ... !!!!!!
"When you hear bombs going off in your country you have to say something"... Did you say something when your government shot there shots against South-Ossetia? That this song is political is not breaking news, it was obvious from the begining.
By the way: There are just two sides in battles. Those who fights, and those who of different reasons stands between them.
1 country less....No sorries.
To some point I must agree with Gerogia that this is unfair. A lot of ESC fans feels that politics has nothing to do in the ESC, but that rule has to be held equal to all - either way.
In all fairness this year's EBU protest against Georgia, should to the matter of too political contence also be equally headed towards Israel and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Israels contribution is about the ongoing civil war in Israel, but could also be considered war - propaganda due to the accusations against Israel in FN - and to some peoples views it actually is war propaganda. To that matter I have no personal view, but I have to agree that it is very political still.
B&H entry this year is problably the most political entry ESC has seen in years, and to a lot of peoples view it must be considered a pure communistic commersial.
(It's about being cleaned, like the communistic ideology is that in order to avoid the worlds fall all people must be cleaned from egoism and greede, share everything, the workers shall rule and work themselves to benefit the common welfeare, the "high class" rich&powerful people must fall as all people are to be equal - this change must come through a revolution. The impression from a bit unclear lyrics are being underlined by the songs "revolutionary" drums, and of course the gathering of the workers in uniforms under the red flag) I like the Israelic and B&H entries very much, B&H is one of my favourits and I don't think they should be banned or sensoured, I'm arguing that Georgia has a point that their treatment is unfair considering the fact that we have two more very political entries this year that haven't been sensoured.
i like WE DONT WANNA PUT IN .I wish that it song will be in eurovision
The list of 61 reactions is divided into 3 pages. Choose a page:
1 | 2 | 3
React yourself
This news article is older than one week. Reacting to articles is only possible in the first week after publication.
