Life after Helsinki 2007 Eurovision

Yle organized among its other consolation Eurovision 2020 programming also a voting to find out the most loved Finnish entries of each decade ( here ). The 1980s were certainly a real rollercoaster giving us some of the best and some of the worst entries ever. Sata salamaa took a clear win, no doubt helped by Antti Tuisku's recent cover that brought the song to new generations.  1987 Virve Rosti - Sata salamaa  34,8% 1989 Anneli Saaristo - La dolce vita  19,6% 1985 Sonja Lumme - Eläköön elämä 16,9% 1984 Kirka - Hengaillaan  12,1% 1983 Ami Aspelund - Fantasiaa   5,7% 1981 Riki Sorsa - Reggae OK  3,3% 1980 Vesa-Matti Loiri - Huilumies  2,7% 1986 Kari Kuivalainen - Päivä kahden ihmisen 2,3% 1982 Kojo - Nuku pommiin  1,9% 1988 Boulevard - Nauravat silmät muistetaan   0,6%

Timo Kojo, commonly known as "Zero Kojo" turns 64 today. He earned the nickname in the 1982 Eurovision and ever since he's been the prime example of Finland's failures in the contest. Being a good sport, he's apparently taken pride of it and even these days spits it out if he doesn't like the Finnish entry, like Sing it away last year..... in a bit of an old grumpy man style :-) Congratulations!

Anneli Saaristo represented Finland in Eurovision 1989 and as always, also this year before Eurovision in Malmö the veterans got their share of the spotlight, too, in various medias, and also La Saaristo wasinterviewed. She told that Eurovision was the highlight of her career. "Never before or after people and media have been so interested in me " she tells. Her participation was a lot critized before Lausanne, and ever her looks were thrown in by some saying she's just too ugly for Eurovision (if my memory serves right she sued and won). That all changed when she came home with Finland's best placing ever in Finnish. "When you have success, everyone is your friend. If you fail, you become a persona non grata. There are many examples. Just think about Paradise Oskar! Where did he disappear from media? And Pernilla Karlsson?! Timo Kojo still carried the nickname as Nolla-Kojo (Kojo, null points) after 31 years..." But she remembers her own trip with fondn...

Eurovision 1982 is one of the Finnish Eurovision turning points. Kojo scored a flat zero in Harrogate while the other peace song Ein bisschen Frieden sailed to victory. The result got Europe asking if Finns are serious and are we doing it on purpose but we were not. When Kojo's Nuku pommiin was selected we thought we had a chance. The song was different in a in-your-face style. When Kojo returned home with null points the selecting jury was blamed and featured in newspapers with face photos like dangerous criminals, Kojo was treated as a national traitor, bottles were thrown at him in gigs and still today, after 30 years, he is known as Nolla-Kojo aka Zero-Kojo.  " Now I'm laughing only about it " he recalls in Iltalehti's recent interview. "It's ridiculous how this one mediocre song has caused so much hassle. After 30 years people still talk about it! " In 1982 Kojo had also another song in the final called Video-Venus that came 3rd. " ...

This year Finland celebrates its 50th anniversary in the Eurovision song contest and for the occasion YLE2 is not only broadcasting the three semifinals and the final, but a documentary on the 50 rough years in the contest on Saturday February 5, a week before the final.  But YLE's Teema channel will beat its sister in that. On April 30 a brandnew Australian documentary The Secret history of the Eurovision song contest will be broadcasted (repeated in two parts on May 10 and 17). Marion Rung, Kojo and Mr Lordi have collaborated to this programme. On April 30 YLE Teema will also re-broadcast the Eurovision song contest 2006 from Athens when Lordi won it for us. But that's not all. On April 26 we will see again the Finnish national final of 1973 , won by Marion Rung and then bringing us the best placement until then and until Lordi´s win, 6th. Along with that an interview with conductor Ossi Runne. A week later on May 3 we will have a chance to see again the 1974 national final...

In YouTube there's a voting for the most undeserved null pointer in history so go and vote here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RcaLWg-Fas . In early years before the current voting system was introduced it was quite easy and common to get a flat zero, however for me Italy 1966 still remains a mystery as it's a fantastic track and Domenico Modugno was a big star at the time. In more recent years Remedios Amaya did absolutely not deserve a zero in 1983. On the other hand if she got say 15th place would we remember her this well? There's always two sides to null pointer, too. A fact proved by Finland's own Kojo who made it his trademark and still lives on its glory! And frankly, you remembers those last placed ones who got a few points?