Hello

Here's my first podcast under my new name... including new introduction music!

September sees the start of the Eurovision 2017 silly season and so I take a bit of time to re-iterate WHY I changed the name of the blog and cast light on what I hope to be doing this coming national finals season. I can't go on the way things were, so things have had to change...

So, you can follow all the fun and games on twitter at https://www.twitter.com/DVVHolland  
or like our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ESCarmchair

You can download or listen to thelatest podcast here - https://archive.org/details/escarmchair160823

Click here to listen to this podcast in your usual music player (M3U Playlist)

Welcome to ESC armchair !!!!

De Vogels Van Holland is dead.... long live ESC armchair!!!!

Don't worry too much, it'll be the same people doing the same kind of things just with an easier name and possibly the scope to do some new things!

The old blog name, although individual and quite knowing, had been weighing on my mind for a while but I think the nail in the coffin came around Eurovision this year when I realised that things needed to change, hopefully this small blogpost will explain why...

The name, although in its own way quite clever, didn't really say anything about what the blog was about and it that way it showed my naivety. The original name 'De Vogels Van Holland’ was a nod to the fact that I personally wanted to learn about Eurovision and ALL its history, and in a kind of way I did that. One might say it was really a very selfish blog in the fact that it was about MY progression, MY learning, MY knowledge. As time has gone on and I know more, now is the time to try something new.

The other problem about the name was the fact that to non-Eurovision fans it was not accessible. Not being in English meant it was a mouthful to explain and translate. Trying to spell the name live on BBC local radio so that people could find it - was a little bit tricky. Therefore it was important that if I was to change the name it would be something a bit more encompassing, easy to search for and also easy to imagine!

Then there is the issue of time. With work and looking after a now walking 15 month old; finding time, space, energy and enthusiasm to do posts and podcasts is becoming more and more difficult. I don’t want to just give it up as it gives me a sense of belonging to a community as well as a lot of joy – and hopefully it does to you too. So I feel that a re-name and a re-vamp will give me a bit of time and space to work out how I can carry on being a very miniscule part of the Eurovision blogging community with a better vision and direction in a way that won’t put too much pressure on myself.

So, what will the new website bring?

To be honest, I still don’t know – however I feel the new name does fit with my view of eurovision. Although I would say I am a bit of a Eurovision fanatic I’ve never been to any kind of Eurovision event – an ESC rehearsal/SF/F, national final, concert pre-party or ANYTHING. In fact the most ESC thing I have ever been to was a Sébastien Tellier concert 2009 where he sang his Eurovision entry. 

So in a kind of back handed kind of way I am making this weakness my strength, this couch potato view of Eurovision is a bit of a bridge between the hardcore fans and the casual once-a-year watcher. So this is where the armchair part comes in  - the fact that I am watching is just like everybody else. Yes, I might have friends inside the bubble and I follow the relevant sites and people to get insider knowledge but my view has always been the TV view. Yes, Eurovision is a massive contest and being at Eurovision is a ma-hooooo-sive deal and it must be such a thrill to be a part of it, but this will never be me. I don’t have the time, money or opportunity to do this. In fact the only possible way I could even go to a Eurovision would be if the EBU located next year’s jESC or ESC in my local village hall. 

I would be lying if I didn’t way that every May I become quite sad and jealous of all my ESC friends who are boarding planes, facebooking photo albums and tweeting from rehearsals (hence my slightly deprecating subtitle) but Eurovision is the world’s greatest TV show and I am 100% a tv viewer. 

Anyway, I think that will do for now… 

Over the next few weeks there will be tweaks and change to the design of the website and possibly the odd update posts. Between now and the start of the Eurovision circus in September I’ll be hard thinking about what *exactly* my shtick, niche and POV is, so here are some questions for you

1) Which parts of the DVVH posts/podcasts did you like or enjoy most?

2) What would you like to see/hear more of?

3) What does the idea of ‘ESC armchair’ say to you

4) When you think of my posts/podcasts, what impressions do you get?

Any feedback or ideas are gladly welcomed, tweet any ideas to my new twitter account @escarmchair - or leavea comment at the end of the blog :)