Anna Hopi
Although Windows95man’s habitus is like a poor man’s Günther, who is forced to go on stage without overpants, his performance in the UMK final was unparalleled, writes journalist Anna Hopi.
Windows95man and Henri Piispanen put on a spectacular show at UMK, with plenty of humorous elements. Matti Matikainen
Windows95 man won, and the issue has now been updated on social media and the media all morning.
Now we went in with a joke. But Finns, you voted.
It’s downright amazing how the race was managed after just the council votes Sara Siipola and Windows95man kept up. But when the people of Finland were allowed to vote via text messages, phone calls and through the Yle application that crashed during the evening, the situation completely turned upside down.
The black horse won with a clear margin of votes.
The fact that it was Windows95man who won, even though there were perhaps better singers and more versatile song options in the competition, seems to tell the spirit of the times. The song easily reminds me of the yäsärtekno, which was popped with pilot jackets on in my father’s worn-out Nissan sometime when I was in middle school. This kind of mood was everywhere, especially in small towns. I believe that Windows95man has got the people of the provinces and the so-called deep ranks of the people excited with his jitters.
It’s great that Yle has raised the profile of UMK from just a program watched by viusu fans and music people to entertainment for the whole nation again – which it was from the beginning.
Although Windows95man’s habitus is like a poor man’s with Günther, who is forced onto the stage without overpants, was an unparalleled performance in the UMK final. In terms of energy, the performance was top notch, and it had surprising elements. A pair of hornbills in a blue fringed jacket Henri Piispanen the sound was one of the best in the competition and it played beautifully in the live bets.
In Eurovision, you have to be able to stand out, and the most successful Finnish representatives have done this with our Finns’ superpower: weird humor. It can be said that even in his monster costumes, Lordi, who won in 2006, represented a certain kind of Finnish inside joke to European people. Who else would have thought to pull on such relays and push with guts to win?
Last year’s runner-up had similar legendary status On the wrapper, who, while bouncing on stage as a shirtless green grouch, did unprecedented branding for Finland. Now we’re even more firmly known as this kind of weird, humorous junk country.
And Windows95man rides in the same tradition. There were hoses coming out of the stern that threw jeans and sparks. They struggled through the show in scanty clothes, but luckily the hero got pants on at the end of the show. They came down from the sky, how else.
In Finland, especially during challenging national periods, these kinds of humor phenomena have arisen. If we take a look at the past, for example, during the recession of the 90s, phenomena like Kummeli and Vintiö emerged. They have such nonsensical hacks, caricatured characters and boyish ramblings. In recent years, we have been tested by the corona virus, the change in the security environment due to the Ukraine-Russia war, as well as the general rise in prices. The mood of the UMK winner could well be calculated, but it easily creates an experience of relatability and an impression of authenticity, because we are used to seeing this kind of imagery.
There are times when you could win at UMK with a touching big ballad, sometimes with a heavy hevimeining. This year, the Finns wanted to send a happy song to represent themselves, and it doesn’t hurt at all.