Guilty Pleasure - Eurovision Special: The Final Instalment

Here it is folks, my final tribute to all things Eurovision and what better way to end this spectacular special than with my favourite two acts to come out of the competition.

Consisting of Cheryl Baker, Jay Aston, Mike Nolan and Bobby G, Bucks Fizz represented the UK in the 1981 contest with Making Your Mind Up and won.

How Bucks Fizz managed to win the competition is beyond me. The singing was off key, the dancing amateurish and let's not even go there on the costumes. Despite this blot in Eurovision history, I am awfully glad they did win. If not for the competition, they would not have gone on to have a very successful career.

I turned 14 in 1981 and Bucks Fizz were without a doubt my favourite band and remained so for many years.

They released many singles, with three of them reaching number one in the UK. They were also very successful throughout Europe and even as far afield as Australia.

Of all the albums Bucks Fizz released, my favourite is Hand Cut which was released in 1983.

The artwork alone was worth the price I paid. Of all their album sleeves, this to me is the one that is the most visually stunning.

The reason I love this one the most is down to one track alone. That track is "I'd Like to Say I Love You".
It is such a beautiful song and I cannot believe the record company did not feel it worthy of a single release.
I am sure it would have proved to be a massive hit for them if they had.

Bucks Fizz are still performing, though they are now two separate groups. They have not had a hit single or album for years. Personally I think their demise from the charts was due to over exposure in the early 80's (Rihanna take heed) which resulted in the fans turning away from their music.
I was not one of those fans and continued to buy and listen to their music.

Of all the tracks Bucks Fizz recorded I have chosen my favourite three and they are:

Number 1 - I'd Like to Say I Love You
Number 2 - Tears on the Ballroom Floor
Number 3 - Golden Days

Whilst I love Bucks Fizz as a group, Cheryl Baker has always been my favourite and it was a travesty that her one attempt at a solo pop career went unnoticed. She released a fantastic version of "If Paradise is Half as Nice" and it should have been a massive hit for her.
I think I was one of the few that bought it and I still own it along with all my other Bucks Fizz albums and cd's.

I have two Bucks Fizz related dreams. One is to meet the original members of the group. The other is to write a musical based around their songs. I already have an outline for it and who knows, one day it may just happen


And so to the act who joins Bucks Fizz as my favourite to come out of Eurovision and who else could it be but the amazing Abba.
Consisting of Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-frid Lynstag, Benny Andersonn and Bjorn Ulveaus, they represented Sweden in the 1974 contest and won with Waterloo.

Abba went on to become one of the most successful acts to ever come out of Eurovision and one of the most successful bands in the world.
Selling millions of singles and albums, they were Sweden's biggest export for years.They are famous throughout the world and have influenced many of today's artists with their music.
How anyone can not like Abba is a mystery to me. Their music is ridiculously good and can be enjoyed by any age.

Of course, they have a huge gay following but I do not love Abba because I am gay. To me, ones sexual orientation does not determine who you will like music wise. That is not what music is about. Music is how it makes you feel inside. With their music, Abba have the ability to make you feel happy, sad, excited and many other feelings.

Abba split up many years ago and that alone is proof of how good they are as their music still sells by the millions.
There is always talk of a reunion and I know that if a concert were to be announced, it would sell out in an instant. One can hope that maybe one day they will make that announcement.

Choosing my favourite three Abba tracks was a difficult task. There are just so many that I love. Nevertheless I have managed it and here they are:

Number 1 - The Winner Takes it All
Number 2 - Thank You for the Music

Number 3 - Happy New Year

There is only one word to describe this song and that word is "perfection".

So there is..my favourite two acts from the many years of the contest.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my Eurovision Special. I have absolutely adored writing it and looking back at the many highlights.

If you agree or disagree with my choices, please feel free to send me a message or maybe even a comment about my blog in general. If you really like the blog then pass the link onto your friends. Whilst my specials have been for all ages, some of my earlier blogs are a little on the rude side so please be cautious if you do pass the link on.

All that is left for me to say is tune in Saturday 26th for the 2012 Eurovision Contest from Baku and wherever you are in the world, I hope you enjoy the show.

Until next time, I bid thee farewell.

Lawrence

Hello folks. I hope you are all well and eager to read my latest confession.
You will pleased to know that this will be rated PG rather than the usual 15 or 18. For those of you that are disappointed, wait for next week. It's going to be a corker!

During my younger years, I always tried to go out a couple of times each week. Monday and Thursday was cheap night at Queens Court so these were usually the nights I went.
This particular week, my friend Richard and I decided to go out Thursday, mainly due to the fact that it was cheap night at Mission too and it is less than a minute walk from QC.

The plan of action was to arrive at Queens Court for about ten, stay there until midnight and then go to Mission, where we would dance the night away or at least until it closed.
Whilst at QC I had several drinks and was feeling quite merry. I had seen very little action so that was all I was feeling.
A little bit of dancing took place and a few more drinks and soon it was time to head off for Mission. You always knew when it was that time as Queens Court suddenly resembled a ghost town.
We made our way over and were confronted with the usual never ending queue. This meant we would have to wait at least twenty minutes to enter the club. We didn't mind that night as it was really warm and we had nice people in front and behind us. When I say nice, I mean they didn't smell of sweat. There is nothing worse than standing near someone who doesn't know what deodorant is and even in the gay world that still occurs.
We were moving closer and closer to the entrance and soon we were within two minutes of entering. When we reached two minutes, this was usually the time I would flirt with the doorman. If I'm doing the flirting, you know I've had a drink but on these occasions it was always in jest.

The time had arrived. We were allowed to enter the club. Upon entering Mission, you are hit with that smell. Not a nasty smell, more of a sweet aroma. The cause of this aroma was the smoke machines that would blast out big puffs of smoke every few minutes on the dance floor.
We paid the usual five pounds, had our hand stamped and headed for the bar. A drink or two later, we were dancing again, occasionally being engulfed by the clouds of smoke which kind of makes one feel like a rock star. Don't you dare try denying it doesn't.

After a few dances, I needed the toilet and informed Richard of this and that I would be buying another drink. The toilets at Mission are unisex which is always interesting especially when  you are greeted by a couple of lesbians partaking in a little domestic.
It was whilst I was washing my hands that I bumped into Lawrence. Was that a "at last" I heard from all of you then?
Lawrence was in his mid 20's, quite attractive and had ginger hair. Ginger is usually a massive turn off for me but there was something about him  that the colour of his hair just did not bother me.
I said hello to which he reciprocated. We exchanged names and then I headed for the dance floor alone.
Don't worry. That wasn't the end of Lawrence. I went there to let Richard know I had met someone and that we had clicked. Richard was more than happy to continue dancing and leave me to chat with Lawrence.
Mission has four bars or at least it did way back then and one of these bars was based in a chill out area. It was in this area that I found Lawrence again. I asked him if he'd like a drink. He did and so I bought him one along with my usual of course.
We chatted for ages and he made it more than obvious that he was attracted to me as was I with him.
After a while we decided to go for a dance. This was the perfect opportunity for me to introduce him to Richard. I did just this and I think he was rather relieved that he wasn't on his own again.
After a little chat at the edge of the dance floor, a song came on that I liked. I grabbed hold of Lawrence and we started to dance, slowly making our way into the middle of the floor. Song after song was played and danced to and if I had any doubt that Lawrence liked me, it was erased by how close he was dancing with me. When I say close, I mean close. Let's just say if he had been excited, I would have felt it!

The night was going well and I didn't want it to end. I had reached the point where I had to decide whether this was a one night situation or whether it could be several nights and days. I decided it was the latter.
A couple more songs were played and then I needed the toilet. Lawrence was happy to stay where he was as was Richard so off I went. I literally was only a couple of minutes and headed back to the guy who had made my evening just perfect.
That perfect night ended the moment I entered the room. I was confronted with Lawrence and Richard dancing together. Nothing wrong with that you say? You remember earlier how I described the way Lawrence was dancing with me? That's how he was dancing with Richard.
I marched over to them with a face like thunder. They both stopped and Lawrence excused himself and rushed to the toilet.
"What the hell do you think you are doing"? I shouted at Richard.
He said they were just dancing.
"Not like that you don't. You know I like him"
Richard then proceeded to tell me that Lawrence had made the first move and how he had said that he liked him. Then came the slap in the face. Richard liked him back.
Furious is probably too tame a word to describe how I was feeling. How could he do this to me?
Richard and I had had many nights out together and he knew it was a big thing for me not only to click with another guy but to also make the first move. I felt betrayed and needed some distance from him.
I made my way outside. Thankfully it was still warm.
Lawrence was also outside so I confronted him. All that was going through my head was that I had spent hours trying to get to know this guy, even bought him a drink or two and all of it in vain.
"What was all that about"? I said to him. He said it was nothing and that I was reading too much into it.
"I don't think I am". I said, "We just spent hours chatting only for you to try and get off with my friend".
Then I asked him the question that should not have even been asked.
"So who do you want. Me or Richard"?
"I like you both" he replied "How about we have a threesome"?
My jaw dropped to the ground.
By this time Richard had also exited the club and he caught the last bit of Lawrence's question. I looked at him and he smiled. I didn't smile back.
Richard then suggested we take up his offer to which I quickly declined. As far as I was concerned, the night was over.
I said my goodbyes and hailed a taxi. On the way home I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened and how stupid it made me feel.

That  was the beginning of the end for my friendship with Richard. Although I forgave him, our nights out together started to occur less and less often and as I write this blog, it has been three years since I last saw him. I always felt that he liked me more than a friend and perhaps that was why the Lawrence incident happened.
The truth be known, if it had been with someone other than Richard, I would have said yes to the threesome.

I never saw Lawrence again and to this day, I do not know if he and Richard spent the night together.

Until next time, I bid thee farewell.

NEXT WEEK : IT'S THE BIG ONE. THE CONFESSION TO TOP ALL CONFESSIONS. SO BIG, IT COULD BE A QUADRILOGY. I LOOK FORWARD TO MULTIPLE HITS.

ps I've had quite a few hits from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. Would be awesome if you could leave comments and pass my blog onto your friends. Thank you for your support.