Aussievision team: Mike

Name and where you live

I'm Mike and I live in Brisbane, Queensland with my partner Dale and our two cats. I am originally from Melbourne.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I work in the field of communications and enquiry handling for a travel company and outside of Eurovision I’m quite the sports nut, especially football, supporting Melbourne Victory in the A-League as well as the European clubs Norwich City (England) Atalanta (Italy) and Real Madrid (Spain). I also support the Brisbane Lions (AFL) and Melbourne Storm (NRL) in the other major Australian codes. I have played a lot of different sports over the years, Aussie Rules, Baseball, Football, Basketball, Badminton to name a few. I still manage to get out and play a bit of tennis from time to time.

What is your Eurovision journey?

I first became aware of the contest back in the 1980s (Yes, I am THAT old!) I was at a friend’s house and his mother was watching it on TV. She explained to me what it was and why, according to her, Yugoslavia always had the best song, but never won. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that I engaged with the Contest more. I worked in a bar and the Manager had quite the obsession with it. He would play Sertab’s winning song all the time and also introduced me to the Russian entry by t.A.T.u. from the same contest. Both remain firm all-time favourites for me.

Like most Australians I enjoyed watching the show when SBS screened it on the Sunday night but never dug any deeper than what I saw on the night. It wasn’t until around 2013 that I really started to take a more in depth interest into the show. After that competition I downloaded the album and starting getting more interested in the actual music. (To this day, I can not believe how badly 'Cascada' was robbed!) In 2014 my interest continued and Dale actually invited me to a Eurovision party and watched the Grand Final live for the first time.

It wasn’t until Australia’s inclusion in 2015 that I really started to delve into the Eurovision world. Mainly through Twitter I started to discover more about other countries entries and artists and became aware of National Finals. In 2016 I went to my first contest in Stockholm and from that point onwards it became more than just a passing interest.

Do you have any affinity to nations other than Australia?

I can honestly say that I really don’t. I tend to let each entry stand on its own and I try not to let its origin cloud my judgement. Quite simply - if I like it, I like it. If I don’t, I don’t. I don’t care where it is from!

Any Aussievision highlights?

Through Aussievision I’ve had the opportunity to connect with a variety of great people in the Eurovision sphere. I’ve also had the chance to ‘peak behind the curtain’ at events like 'Eurovision – Australia Decides'. In Turin I will have the opportunity to be in the Press Room for the very first time and I’m very much looking forward to having this incredible experience.

Quick questions on Eurovision entries

Best winner:

'Every Way That I Can' – (Turkey 2003)

Favourite three non-Australian entries:

'Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit' – (UK 1996), 'Ne ver', ne boysia' (Russia 2003), 'Gravity' (Ukraine 2013)

Favourite Australian entry:

Tough one! I like them all. But overall I would have to say ‘Tonight Again’ the studio is good, the live was great and it is a track that still holds up. It’s such a shame that Montaigne didn’t get to perform ‘Don’t Break Me’ in 2020, because as a studio track, that is probably my favourite Australian entry so far.

Robberies:

As previously mentioned ‘Glorious’ by Cascada in 2013 was robbed blind! 18 points in total? Is that all? I’m still fuming.

Makes you dance:

'Fuego' (Cyprus 2018) is the first that springs to mind. ‘Sugar’ (Moldova 2021) is right up there too.

Guilty pleasure:

‘X My Heart’ (Azerbaijan 2018), and 'Falling Stars' (Moldova 2016). Technically I don’t feel guilty about liking them, but I guess they fall into this category.

Favourite non-qualifier:

'Forever' (Belarus 2018) & 'Há um mar que nos Separa’ (Portugal 2015)

Favourite Eurovision year:

2015 - Australia's debut and I genuinely do like a lot of the songs.

2016 – Wonderful contest overall and the first I attended live.

2003 – So many songs I liked from this year.

Favourite national finals:

Sweden’s Melodifestivalen has to be number 1 for me. I’m obviously emotionally attached to Eurovision - Australia Decides, as I have a vested interest in the winner. Benidorm Fest this year was incredible and I hope Spain commits to it long term. I would have to add France’s National Final as one I look forward to every year as well.

Favourite national final songs:

Just WAY too many to list here. National Finals have become such a large part of what we do, that I think I like them more than the actual Eurovision Song Contest now.

Any final comments?

I could never have imagined what Aussievision has become! It takes a team of hardworking and dedicated people to make it happen and I have nothing but appreciation for them all. I hope it’s added to the ‘Eurovision experience’ to many others, especially Australians and help spread the word about the Contest.