S2 Episode 4 - And Our Douze Points Go To Pete Fenner

In this engaging conversation, Pete Fenner shares his deep-rooted passion for Eurovision, recounting his journey from a young fan to a prominent commentary writer and lyricist. The discussion delves into the technical challenges faced during broadcasts, memorable anecdotes from various Eurovision events, and the intricacies of songwriting and translation. Pete also reflects on the evolution of the contest and shares a delightful cocktail recipe, adding a culinary twist to the conversation.

Pete’s love of Eurovision began in 1968. His first actual visit was in 1995 when it was held in Dublin. From 1997 (when the UK last won) to 2004 he was a volunteer reporter for local radio stations, where he became friends with the Icelandic delegation. He worked on some of their songs and wrote publicity for their acts, translating the song into various languages. From 2005 onwards he was a researcher and commentator assistant for Iceland and wrote lyrics for their 2007 and 2008 entries as well as songs for albums the artists then released.

From 2016 he was a researcher for the international commentators, presenting trivia about each year's contestants to help fill ten hours of television.

Takeaways

Pete's love for Eurovision began in the late 1960s.

He started attending Eurovision in 1995 in Dublin.

Pete has written lyrics for Icelandic entries in Eurovision.

He has worked with various radio stations and commentators over the years.

The importance of humour in Eurovision commentary is emphasised.

Technical issues are a common occurrence during broadcasts.

Songwriting in foreign languages presents unique challenges.

Pete's experiences include memorable backstage anecdotes.

The evolution of Eurovision has changed how commentators work.

Cocktails and culinary delights are a fun addition to the conversation.

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Transcript

Hear Me Roar (00:33)

Hi. It has been a week of technological issues. ⁓ We recorded this podcast on Zoom in the end because ⁓doing it via our usual method just simply wouldn't work. But it's not just that.

that's bedeviled us, hasn't it? No, well, as you know, very easily bedeviled by technology. I know how to do certain things that I need to know how to do. And if anything goes awry, I can't do it. So if I turn on the computer and a sign comes up saying anything that I'm not expecting, I just shut down and have to go and get my hubby or phone him at work.

Or you WhatsApp me. Or I WhatsApp you and I say, hell, what does this message mean? You put pictures... I screenshot it and say, right, it's showing me this. What does that mean, Yvonne? What do I do? I'm useless. Don't click on the link, Marie. Do not click on the link. I'm not proud of this lack of technological knowledge, but it's just a fact. I'm not ashamed of it either. No, no, loads of people are the same. But I did a talk.

for the WI, for a WI that's a, that is a, what they call themselves? Zoomers. It's a virtual WI. That's the word I'm looking for. But that's starting COVID. I think so, yeah. Anyway, they're a fantastic bunch of ladies, but I kept getting kicked out of the Zoom.

I'm sure it wasn't personal darling. No it wasn't, it was awful. We've had enough of listening to her now, out. It was so embarrassing, so embarrassing. It was like, hello, hello, we can't hear you again. And I was like, oh no. Did you not just turn it all off and unplug it and start again? I did, I just came right out and I just restarted my computer and then it worked fine. I knew the problem was at my end, because my computer is just absolutely jam packed with stuff. Yeah.

And it was just- bit like our brains. Yeah, and it was just having a little meno meltdown of its own, I think. Yeah. So yeah, and then I bought the speaker thing for doing my talks and I still haven't worked out how to use that, but it's bloody awful. Well, even I thought you had it on upside down, but even I've tried it every which way, but loose. it's just rubbish. Absolutely rubbish. 25 quid down Well, there you go. That's what you get. I know, I know. So we're going to be talking to...

Pete Fenner, who is an absolute star of the Eurovision scene. And his love of Eurovision began in 1968 when he was just a stripling. And his first actual visit was in 1995 when it was held in Dublin. From 97 when the UK last won.

Who remembers that? To 2004 he was a volunteer reporter for local radio stations where he became friends with the Icelandic delegation and he worked on some of their songs and wrote publicity for their acts, translating the song into various languages. So from 2005 onwards, he was a researcher and commentator assistant for Iceland.

and wrote lyrics for their 2007 and 2008 entries, as well as songs for albums that the artists went on to release. So from 2016, he was a researcher for the International Commentators presenting trivia about each year's contestants to help fill 10 hours of television. 10 hours! I know, I know. So if you want to hear some Terry Wogan exclusives and...

A little bit about Graham Norton. Listen on!

Hear Me Roar (04:31)

Yay! Pete, it is absolutely fantastic to finally have you with us. Yes, it's lovely to meet you. This is Marie. Hi.  Pete. ⁓

Pete (04:43)

Nice to meet you.

Hear Me Roar (04:54)

I want to know what started this whole love of Eurovision, right? I used to watch Eurovision every year from being a child with my grandma. So it had like huge sentimental value for me. What started your love of Eurovision?

Pete (05:10)

First of all, not to be rude, but when was that? So that I know roughly how far back we're going.

Hear Me Roar (05:17)

Well, I was born in 66. So from probably the age of, I don't know, seven or eight. So early seventies?.

Pete (05:24)

Yes, that gives you an idea because I was born in 62, so I've got a four-year head start on that. I remember Sandy Shaw winning it in 1967, just about, and then...

Cliff in 1968, I remember those and I always loved it because I loved ABBA when they won it. And they're still with us. In fact, they're kind of ossified now in London for years doing it every night without being there. So just shows people. You we were right all along that they were good.

Hear Me Roar (05:51)

Yeah

Pete (05:55)

And then the first time I didn't realize you could actually go because it used to be people who with invites only who wore black ties and they used to sit there and as people who produced the show said they sat there and applauded politely and just they were really waiting for it to finish so they could go and have the cocktails and drinks and nibbles afterwards. And then yeah and then in 1995 I found out via a friend that you could actually go and we got tickets to go to Dublin to see the show there and

It was a package with Ryanair and the Jury's Inn in Dublin with tickets for the final. So three of us went to that and that started it really because I met people, more and more people, and went to report on it with radio stations and for the BBC later. I just, you know, I just couldn't stop going. We went to Dublin twice because Ireland kept winning it, as you know. Yeah.

And then when it was in Dublin in 97 and I was doing it for these radio stations uh the UK won it. So that brought the interest.

Hear Me Roar (07:00)

Is that bucks fizz?

Pete (07:02)

No, no, you're 16 years under there.

Hear Me Roar (07:06)

This was like 1981 or something wasn't it?

Pete (07:10)

We were just testing it's alright. It was Katrina and the Waves in 97. And then of course it was in the UK. So I thought, can't miss that. And we went to Birmingham, which was only a drive up the road. And when it was in Birmingham, Israel won. thought, It was Dina International won with a sort of disco pop. So I thought, well, can't miss going to Israel. then we went there in 1999.

And that's when we met our Icelandic friends. was a singer from Iceland who said, oh, you know, we were working for radio stations. And they said, oh, you will be there at the press conferences, won't you? Because we want people to ask questions. And it's all being televised in Iceland because it's hugely popular there. So we said, yes, yes, we'll be there. We'll make sure that there's always someone asking something. And we became friends with them. And that's still ongoing now. 26 years later.

Hear Me Roar (08:01)

fantastic

I know, and you've ended up, you've actually wrote one of the Icelandic songs for Eurovision, didn't you?

Pete (08:10)

Yeah, two of them, did the lyrics for ⁓ in 2007 and 2008. And I've done a few others because I've helped them with them where you see the English version translated and you say to them, well, you need to fiddle with it a bit. So I've done some others uncredited as well. I won't say how many, but there's a few. This year, it was two boys who did a rap in Icelandic. Yeah, and they were lovely.

Hear Me Roar (08:35)

Yes, I remember them.

Pete (08:39)

I'm friends with the producer now of the show in Iceland where they pick the song. And they asked me this year if I would be on the UK jury. Well, not actually on the UK jury to pick their song, but to be the UK jury. There were seven of us from different countries and I was doing it for here. So it was 50 % televote, 50 % juries from different places. So I was doing that. And when they'd won it, I said, well, it's great in Icelandic and it's quite funny because they're talking about

Hear Me Roar (08:53)

Yeah.

Pete (09:10)

talking about traveling through the Atlantic and rowing and keep on going until you get to where you want to be. And we're going to Greenland and we're getting very wet and we're going to go onto the Faroes. And I thought this is quite funny, but it would be nice to do it in English. So I wrote them an English version and they recorded that. that's on YouTube now. Fantastic. They did a jazzy version of it. And that was funny. I met them when they come over to London because before the contest.

because every year there's a show with usually about two thirds to three quarters of the entrants and they go to different cities to get used to performing them on stage and meeting the other artists. So there's one in London, one in Madrid, one in, well there was in Tel Aviv, obviously not now. There was one in Moscow as well and so everything changes with the politics. But I met them at work. so...

It was lovely to be involved with it again and I'd never written a rap before, funnily enough. I said to them I'm actually old enough to be your granddad, you know that, I said I'm 99 % sure I'm not, but I could be. They're in their early 20s. Eurovision is great for that because you meet people you otherwise never would have and the generations and different countries and...

Hear Me Roar (10:12)

Ha ha ha ha!

Sorry?

Pete (10:32)

You end up becoming friends with someone random from Croatia who you never thought you'd ever meet. And that's the lovely thing about it, really.

Hear Me Roar (10:42)

So am I right in thinking that you got into this way back when by you were going to be going to Eurovision anyway. So you went to Radio Slough or somewhere and said, listen, I'm going to Eurovision. If you give me a press pass, I'll send you a report back for free. ⁓ You got your press pass and access all areas and they got their report.

Pete (11:08)

That's right, and it was different radio stations in a group. So the one in Slough was one of them. And of course, when the UK was favourite, this lovely woman who accredited, she said, you just want to go to the parties, don't you? You just want the party. I used to work at the BBC. She said, I know what it's like. I said, well, there's an element of that, but she's a favourite. And so she might win and we could get an interview. If she wins, if she wins, I want an interview on Sunday morning.

Hear Me Roar (11:12)

Right,

Pete (11:37)

It was like that. We did, meet her

Hear Me Roar (11:42)

You blagged your way in and you got the interview.

Pete (11:47)

We did get an interview with her the next day. We met, we went to her party in fact. There were three parties at once. There was the Russian one, the Icelandic one and the British one. And we thought, well, just to be, we like the Icelandic act. It was very funny, that one. But to be, to be patriotic, we went to the British one.

Hear Me Roar (12:05)

Excellent. And then you've probably done interviews with many, many more Eurovision stars since.

Pete (12:13)

Yeah. them all. Met them all.

Hear Me Roar (12:16)

And you write the commentary as well, don't you, for Iceland and others ⁓

Pete (12:23)

that

started. Yeah, I used to just do notes for friends and my mom and people at work. And, and then I thought, well, we might as well use this while I've done it. And Iceland used to use it in the in the early 2000s. And he used to give it to Terry Wogan. And it took me years. I've never told anybody this officially before. I'll tell you, shall I? Yes Terry's no longer with us, obviously. And he used to he one year he just read it all out.

Hear Me Roar (12:45)

I

Pete (12:52)

And I thought, crikey, complete with a couple of mistakes that I'd inadvertently put in there. And when I got back, I found it on eBay, and the actual script with all his amendments on it and his introduction, and I won it back. I paid 30 pounds to get my own thing back with all his amendments on it and all his little comments. So after that, I worked with the Icelandic commentator.

every year they would want it to be funny and entertaining and quite often because they like the British sense of humour we would say things that they would like but they wouldn't ever come up with it and so we spent ages translating stuff into Icelandic to make it funny and it became incredibly popular because in Iceland 99 % of the people watching television on that night and for the two semi-finals are watching that it's an incredible figure.

Hear Me Roar (13:47)

That's huge.

Pete (13:49)

There's not much on the other side, it must be something like one man and his dog or something, but everybody watches television, who watches telly on those days.

Hear Me Roar (13:59)

You got to know Terry Wogan, didn't you?

Pete (14:03)

Yes, yes. We used to meet up either at the parties or go into the commentary booth. And I remember when it was in Greece, it was as hot as you'd imagine it was. The booths can get extremely hot. And it was like a telephone box, this thing. And he's quite a big guy, and so am I. And I remember standing in there with him, and you could hardly move, but the sweat was pouring down. And it was right in the middle of the audience. And these guys have got to talk sense more or less for four hours.

in this confined space with all this mayhem going on. So you've got to be good. You've got to be very experienced. And the ones that, you the ones I've worked with, I'm lucky enough to have worked with have all been delightful. And they've all got voices, you know, lovely voices for television and radio that you could only dream of, all the commentators. I love working with them. And then from 2016, so next year would be 10 years.

Hear Me Roar (14:53)

was

Pete (14:59)

I've done the research and the stats and trivia for all the commentators, they all have it now. And I do briefings at the shows. There are three briefings before each show the day before, two semi-finals and a final. And I do that. so I've got to know nearly all of them know me now.

Hear Me Roar (15:21)

Graham Norton as well then.

Pete (15:23)

Yes. Yeah. He's lovely. He's exactly the same as he is on the shows on TV. remember once it was in Denmark in 2014. I've got a story about the toilets in Denmark as well, which I do promise you I've done. But in Denmark, kept extending and cutting bits in the interval show. And they had this strange thing where this guy walked up a ladder.

and there were pigeons and he got covered in pigeon poo, you see. It's right up your street, this kind of thing. And it was just awful. went on and on. And I said to him, are the BBC seriously going to show that? He said, well, they've got nothing else to show. I mean, we have to. So we were all wondering what we were going to say about it. And in the end, they cut it. We also had to have a piece cut out in, when it was in Sweden in 2013. There was going to be a

⁓ It's a very offensive clip about this boy and an older woman and they were having this affair and it got extremely rude and all the English speakers said we can't possibly show this. It's got extremely rude words in it spoken by this 13 year old. So we had that cut out and things like that happen you just never know.

Hear Me Roar (16:43)

So if you're translating songs into different languages, are you fluent in several languages then?

Pete (16:51)

Yeah, my German and French is very good. I had degrees in those and my Spanish is good and the other is not good enough to write songs. It's very difficult to write songs in a foreign language. That's why I always admire Bjorn from ABBA because although he makes a few mistakes like in Fernando, he writes, since many years I haven't seen a rifle in your hand instead of for many years. ⁓

There are a few things like that it's very difficult to get it right and to get it to sound right so he's just a genius really. So writing in your own language is easier obviously.

Hear Me Roar (17:28)

So songwriting then, do you have a musical background? Is that in your, you know, your history?

Pete (17:35)

⁓ Words and writing lyrics are. I couldn't play the piano. I did do clarinet for a while, but I never got much further than it sounding like a Canada goose. I always loved. Well, you are writer as well, you know that it's just something you love doing. getting the words to fit, especially if you start with a foreign melody.

It's a bit like a rubik cube. You keep twisting it until it works because you have to get the sounds right. As one of the Icelandic singers said to me, don't forget to put the ooh, R, E's and oohs in the right place because if they're not in the right place, it doesn't sing. So I can't really sing very well and I can't really play anything, but I can do that.

Hear Me Roar (18:21)

Well that's fantastic. You've kind of found something that you love and something that you do well and what more could you ask for really?

Pete (18:32)

Yeah, it's just fun because you get to meet all these people who seem to be appreciative of it.

Hear Me Roar (18:38)

You're in your 60s now, though. Are you going to keep going to Eurovision until you're 100, if needs be?

Pete (18:48)

Well, I was going to pack it up in 2004 because the BBC couldn't accredit enough everybody who wanted to go. So I said, well, OK, I'll pack it in. then the Iceland said, no, we want you to go. they accredited me to go. And then they got me accommodation as well. I didn't go this year because it was in Switzerland and it was going to be very expensive. I did it all from here. Right. With the delights of things like

Zoom and so on. You don't have to be there now and half the commentators aren't there now either. So they do it all from countries like Slovenia, Albania and Montenegro, North Macedonia, small countries do their commentary from home. It's not quite the same because obviously you haven't met all the artists so it's a little bit stale for them if they aren't there.

So then they are reliant on all the information they can get.

Hear Me Roar (19:48)

be so much better being there. You were telling us before about, there being a power cut once. I mean this just kind of tells you the atmosphere that's there backstage, but you were telling me about a power cut?

Pete (20:02)

Yes, that's right. was in Dusseldorf, Germany. It was the first time they'd done it for 30 odd years. And so they were very keen to say, the technology is going to be great. And I was sitting in the booth for Iceland with this female commentator. And it was so hot, she said, shall we just strip off completely? I just can't bear this heat. Of course, Iceland is not used to heat anyway. So we kick off, and it was the first time she'd ever done it.

And the power suddenly went she said, no, Pete, Pete, just ⁓ get a technician, wherever you just get outside and get a technician. So I went outside and the Russians were doing this polka up and down the corridor out the back. And everybody else was standing there having a coffee. I said to it, is everybody we've all lost the sound. And it was in Germany, where technology's numero uno, and they use German microphones and equipment. And it was there that it failed. So that was quite funny.

Hear Me Roar (20:57)

Ya boo sucks to the Germans.

Pete (21:02)

The next day of course it all worked perfectly because they got it sorted out. But how the thing actually ever comes together I don't know.

Hear Me Roar (21:08)

It's amazing, they ran programs on it this year, didn't they, on how they pull it all together. And it's just unbelievable watching the set changes happen so quickly.

Pete (21:21)

Yeah, well, that's some of the logistics like the toilets in Denmark. Yeah, it was it was in an old a dock, the old dockyard in Copenhagen. This was this is 11 years ago. And they built the whole of the audience where the audience was sitting was made of scaffolding. And the commentators were sitting up about six flights right at the very top in these

in these booths and we always have to do a test to see whether we can get to the loo you see in between the songs because you've got you've got not well not in between the songs while the songs on so you've got three minutes so you have to be able to get down to the loo and get back within the three minutes so we did do a trial run to see if we could make it and he couldn't do it in denmark it was too far to get down and out and do it and come back so they said we'll have one of the empty booths

we'll put in ⁓ a portable toilet, you see. And, well, okay then, that's fair enough. And on the night, they've got a thing in there and it looked like one of those things you take on a picnic, a plastic thing with a lid and a handle at the top. That's all it was.

Hear Me Roar (22:31)

my god.

Pete (22:32)

But it gets worse. put a sign on the door that said, one go per show, men only. And I said, what are the Portuguese going to do? It's two ladies. How are they going to do it? So they weren't really particularly diverse that year.

Hear Me Roar (22:50)

Eurovision's all about the diversity as well, isn't it?

Pete (22:53)

Yeah, but commentators quite often get forgotten about. The lovely lady from Iceland, who I was with in Dusseldorf, ⁓ in that year in Germany, Azerbaijan won. And she said, Azerbaijan, what's that going to look like? And that was quite an experience, because why else would you go to Azerbaijan, particularly, unless it was for something unusual like that? And they knocked down in Azerbaijan a whole area of the city to build this

huge venue that was called the Crystal Dome, think it was called something like that. And they were still building it right up to the last minute. And my commentator went up one day to go to the loo and she came back and said, Pete, Pete, Pete, there's no door on it. They've taken the door off. There was this toilet in the corner with a 12 foot square hole. I don't know what we're supposed to do now, but toilets is always an issue, never gets talked about.

Terry Wogan earlier, I was going to say, in 2008, it was in Belgrade. UK had Andy Abrahams, who'd done, I think he did the X Factor. He was a busman who did the X Factor. And ended up doing it Do remember him? Yeah. Yeah. He had a soul song that was, it wasn't really very catchy, but he sang it very well. And he finished last or thereabouts, think he was last. And Terry said,

to me if Russia win this he said I'm not doing it again I'm never coming back again because it's just got too political and yeah sure enough to his word he said that he wasn't gonna do it again after that and he didn't and that's when Graham Norton came in when it was in Russia

Andy Abraham's confirmed this, did an interview, think it was in The Guardian a couple of weeks ago, and Terry said that to him as well. It is out there now that it was official, it's because if Russia won, wasn't going do it.

Hear Me Roar (24:50)

All right. ⁓ That's quite sad, really.

Pete (24:54)

Sorry? He was very funny, Terry.

Hear Me Roar (24:57)

Yes, we used to listen to him. He used to get sound more more drunk as the show went on.

Pete (25:04)

Yeah, he used to get some Baileys smuggled in. Graham now has his own wine in. I mean, he owns a vineyard somewhere, doesn't he, Graham? Uh Norton. And so he gets the wine in. they haven't allowed any in the booth since one of the countries got very drunk and had to be sacked. One of the commentators I won't say which country it was, but it was over in the East and it's country that isn't in it anymore.

They got so drunk that they couldn't understand what he was saying apparently. So then they banned alcohol. But Graham still has special dispensation because he always says from song nine, we will toast Terry Wogan and we have our first drink because Terry never drank until song nine about.

Hear Me Roar (25:51)

All right, OK. Why song nine? Is there some meaning behind that?

Pete (25:56)

Well, it used to be about halfway through. Now with 26 songs, it's barely that.

Hear Me Roar (26:01)

I was thinking you might need you might need alcohol before song nine when there's that many to go now. Well Pete I can I'm looking at the time and I'm very aware that we've had to do this on a zoom due to technical issues and I'm very aware that we might get kicked out any minute. So before we go

Pete (26:24)

It's like Eurovision actually.

Hear Me Roar (26:26)

Full of technical problems. Before we go, ⁓ we asked you to create a cocktail. So I think the subject of Terry's drink on song nine is a good segue into your own drink at the end of the podcast. What cocktail have you come up with?

Pete (26:47)

Well I've come up with the Sazerac because I really love the flavor of it really and it's mainly rye whiskey and you, shall I tell you how I make it if I can remember?

Hear Me Roar (26:58)

Yeah, go for it. Just tell us the ingredients.

Pete (27:02)

Yes, it's got, what do call it, the ⁓ absinthe. Or you can use like a ricar or a perno if you don't have absinthe. And you swish around the glass with it. And then you're supposed to put that in the sink. Well, you don't do that. You drink the stuff out the glass. Then you put the whiskey in, ice, perno bitters, and shake it and strain it out. And that's a Sazerac rye. And it's originally from...

New Orleans, used to be brandy because it was the French part of Louisiana and then they made it with a rye to use a rye whiskey.

Hear Me Roar (27:39)

And have you kind of added a, if you were to give it a little Pete Fenner twist, what would you give it? What would you add to it?

Pete (27:47)

It's quite nice with a 70s glacé cherry or something actually. And the cherry, there's a slice of orange you could have, sort of an orangey flavour. You could put that in.

Hear Me Roar (27:57)

takes you straight back to Fanny Craddock

Pete (28:00)

Hello, we love a bit of Fanny Craddock don't we?

Hear Me Roar (28:02)

Do we love Fanny? We do, don't we? Yeah.

Pete (28:05)

I like Fanny's mussels, it's my favourite. Funnily enough, I made them for the UK ambassador to Belgium only last week. Oh! Yeah. You get your mussel stroop and bite, you build them to the boil, put the lid on, count to a hundred, and then when you've counted to hundred slowly, with a Fanny voice obviously, one, two, three, four, get to a hundred.

Hear Me Roar (28:07)

Ha ha!

Really?

Pete (28:30)

You take the lid off, you take all the mussels out on the half shell and then you put, you use the mussel juice, reduced with a little bit of shallots and cream, cover that with it, a little bit of grated cheese and breadcrumbs and bake them under the grill and they're delicious, it's just so French.

Hear Me Roar (28:47)

And simple as well, not too difficult. So would you have some of that with your Sazerac cocktail?

Pete (28:56)

think, Sazerac , after that, don't think it could happen together. Perhaps champagne with the mussels. ⁓

Hear Me Roar (29:05)

Absolutely. Okay, so we've got Pete's Sazarac and with a cherry on top. Fantastic. Well, thank you so much.

Pete (29:16)

I

came up with the name for that Firewaterloo

Hear Me Roar (29:19)

Go on then.

⁓ yes. Well done.

Pete (29:26)

If

we've got anything better, we might as well use it.

Hear Me Roar (29:29)

That's brilliant. That's cracking. Well, thank you very, very much Pete for spending time with us. Yeah, it's been lovely to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. All of it good.

Pete (29:41)

We

could go on for another five episodes.

Hear Me Roar (29:46)

But we haven't got

time. I know, I know.