Our Australian Eurovision fan of the week is Dan Hatch aka @daniel_hatch on Twitter. Dan like many Australians lives overseas in the UK. Read his Q&A with us below.
What is your name and where are you from?
Dan. I'm from Perth, Australia, but live in London, UK.
Tell us something interesting about yourself?
I've been to Eurovision twice - Vienna and Stockholm. And seeing Petra and Mans sing Love Love Peace Peace live is right up there with my all-time top Eurovision moments ever (I think the top is still, and may always be, TaTu singing Not Gonna Get Us with the Red Army Choir in 2009. Only I had to watch that on the telebox).
Yes! Someone else who 'gets' t.A.T.u ~ Mike, Aussievision
On to Eurovision itself – when did you first get into the contest?
I'd always been aware of it, and loved the kitsch-ness of it, in the way Aussies do. But I got really serious about 2004. I found myself a boyfriend who's family were obsessives. I caught the bug.
Now you live in the UK do you end up supporting them as well as Australia and have you noticed any differences between Australia and UK's view on Eurovision?
Well, the tradition for us was always to pick a country, dress up appropriately, and go along to the Eurovision party with some obscure national dish you'd whipped up from scratch (and hope not to poison all your friends with it). So I was almost annoyed that Australia joined the competition because I felt like I had to support them and that spoiled some of the fun! Like, I couldn't go "all in" for Ukraine any more. I've never really supported the UK in it (although I DID love Scooch. "Salty nuts?"). What I find disappointing about the UK is there tends to be, in the mainstream, a certain level of sneering about the competition. They're starting to take it more seriously though - they're finally holding a competition (of sorts) to pick the national entry. It's a long way from Melodifestivalen, but it's a start.
Culture certainly seems to be changing and I have to admit, I loved Scooch ~ Dale
Do you have a favourite Eurovision year?
2011
Why is it your favourite?
Jedward. Just kidding. But it was just generally a good year musically.
We can agree to disagree on that one, probably one of our least favourite years!
Which Eurovision song:
Is your favourite?
Wild Dances, Ruslana.
Is overrated?
1944, Jamala. (I'm still really REALLY bitter.)
It took us about a year to even watch her live performance again. The pain.
Was robbed?
The correct answer here is Sound of Silence, Dami Im. No correspondence will be entered into. It's a fact.
Had the best live performance?
OMG, you CANNOT go past Svetlana Loboda's Be My Valentine. It had Spartans in hamster wheels, for crying out loud. The whole thing should be in the Louvre. It's a work of art.
Perfect answer ~ Dale
Did you last play?
Alexander Rybak's Fairytale.
Is your guilty pleasure?
Can you keep a secret? It's La Voix, Malena Ernman. It was the popera entry from Sweden in 2009 and I just LOVE it and I don't care what you think.
I LOVE LA VOIX. Embrace it, don't hide your love. ~Dale
Any other interesting honourable mentions?
If I start listing songs I won't stop.
Which songs do you like for the 2018 competition?
We get a popera entry about once a decade so I'm rooting for La Forza, the Estonian entry. (And no, I didn't just use an Americanism. THAT'S how much I love this song.)
Why should or shouldn't Australia be in Eurovision?
I love how bonkers it is that we're there. My fear is that "every man kills the thing he loves" and we might eventually spoil our own fun.
Are you happy with the choice of Jessica this year for us and her song 'We Got Love'?
Jessica is Queen and I'm thrilled she's back competing this time. I would have loved Sea of Flags to have been a competitive song rather than an exhibition. I think she'll do great. It's a top tune.
And finally favourite Australian song – Sea of Flags, Tonight Again, Sound of Silence or Don’t Come Easy?
My heart awakes to the Sound of Silence.
Thanks for your time Dan.