Maybe Fabrizio Faniello Should Scream

"So how about that Fabrizio guy, eh?" my friend asked last week as we were driving down the highway.

"Who's Fabrizio?" I asked.

Well, unbeknownst to me, the afternoon show on CBC Radio (it used to be Sad Goat, but now I dunno) has been imploring listeners to get on the Eurovision website and throw their support behind Malta's contestant, Fabrizio Faniello.

Eurovision is a European pop song contest that Abba won in the early 1970s. I've often heard about it from relatives. Apparently, the Maltese are very keen on the contest and had come close to winning it a couple of times.

But not this time. Malta came in 24th. Some Gwar-type band from Finland won this year. Maybe it was a protest vote. I've listened to a few competing songs and, like the Maltese one, nothing really stands out. Then again, I've never been one for pop songs unless I'm at a wedding or gone dancing at a gay bar (cheap liquor, great energy, lots of men who will never bother you for anything else but a light. What's not to love?).

Then again, life is different in Europe. I can't imagine The Ramones were very big in St. Julien. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.