During the filming of an appearance on prime time Swedish TV, Mr. Eurovision himself Johnny Logan spoke openly to the press about his views on the state of the Eurovision Song Contest today. Although having won the contest 3 times himself, he makes no efforts to hide his disdain at the annual event.
It was while filming for the popular Swedish series Allsång På Skansen that Johnny Logan let rip with his thoughts on Ireland’s "tattered" reputation at Europe’s favourite contest: "Ireland have completely lost the plot, I mean just look at this year. We sent two guys (Jedward) who couldn’t sing!" he tells tabloid Expressen. He will perform his 1987 winning entry Hold Me Now on tonight’s show, but much has changed since Logan last participated. The star was clear in his criticism of this year’s contest from Düsseldorf, saying "Technically, the event was amazing. But the artists were like something you’d find on X-Factor, and never before have I heard so much singing off key. There’s no excuse for it", he complained to journalists.
Flattery does however get Mr. Johnny Logan everywhere, as he made an obvious play for the Swedish press stating that "Swedish entries have always been good, and the great thing about Sweden is that they always send top notch singers." This is the star’s first public appearance since the loss of his beloved mother some three weeks ago. He will however be visiting Sweden once again during the autumn, when he will be embarking on a nationwide tour with Swedish danceband Roosarna.
The veteran also spoke freely to the press about more personal issues, about the grief following his mother’s death: "I’ve been really low and miss her terribly. But that’s life, she’s with who she always wanted to be with now, my dad." He also commented on his recent decision to turn over a new leaf and to begin a far healthier lifestyle and has never felt better: "I realised that I was far too fond of wine. I’ve now lost 18 kilos, I train three times weekly and see a dietician. I used to starve myself, but now I’ve begun to eat properly and the kilos are falling off."
