BETALEVEL

Eurovision Finals Screening / Cheese Contest
Saturday, May 18th
Doors at 11:30am; contest begins at 12 noon
FREE

In an age of musical pluralism, it would seem that song contests should be an anachronism. And yet Idol, The Voice, and other similar franchises remain amongst the top-rated television programs internationally. On the twentieth anniversary of the EU, one might think that European nationalism had died down a bit. But, you know, what’s twenty years compared to hundreds of years of history? And there was a while there when the Eurodisco sound was decidedly outré, having taken a backseat first to the guitar-based approach of grunge and then the global ascendancy of hip hop. More and more, however, the blueprint for the “EDM” on the pop charts was drawn up in studios in Italy or Belgium, circa 1983.

And so, with all this being the case, one might conclude that the Eurovision Song Contest, an annual event celebrating competition, national pride, and above all else the undying beat of disco, would feel strangely relevant again. And maybe, in a way, it does. And yet it still feels cheesy. Very, very cheesy. (In the end, its earnestness is probably what does it in. You just can’t get away with outfits like that anymore if you mean it.) And we say CELEBRATE THE CHEESE!

How, precisely, do we recommend celebrating the cheese?

With cheese, natch!

Bring your favorite European cheese to Betalevel on Saturday*, we’ll bring some of ours, we’ll watch the Eurovision finals together, and while votes are being cast on songs, we’ll cast our own votes — for cheese.

If your cheese wins, you will be crowned the 2013 Head Cheese!

This year’s contenders:

*You do not need to bring cheese to attend the event.