Interview with president of OGAE Croatia - mr. tomislav

1. Eurovision song contest in Kiev. What do you feel now when Eurosong is over and you're back at home?
Even at the airport in Kiev we were sorry, that we had to leave, but to tell you the truth, we would have ended up in the intensive care, if Eurosong had lasted even one day longer. We didn't sleep much, we were partying all the nights, through the day we were present at the rehearsals or we were on sightseeing of the city. The first thing that I did, when I returned to Zagreb, was watching the replay of the Eurosong and knowing I was part of that event made my eyes fill up with tears of joy. Unity of all the Europe on one single music event was in no doubt the strongest message the spectators could receive. It was really emotional and touchable. We were all friends, all equal. We could see Greek and Turkish flags together or flags of entire states of ex-Yugoslavia. It was remarkable.

2. Lots of different events is going on in Eurosong, not just semi-final and final. Which event was most tragic and which most funny to your opinion?
I believe that there were more tragic moments than funny ones. The most tragic was the fact that Iceland and Slovenia didn't make it to the final. We were shocked. Personally for me the most tragic if not shocking moment was the performance of the Hungarians on rehearsal - it was a disaster. Nevertheless I didn't stop hoping for Hungarian group Nox to reach the final. There was tragic moment when Belorusian Angelica Agurbash performed as there was a sound problem when she was on stage and of course when the Netherlands singer was surprised by silent microphone. It was a good thing that this was not heard and noted on TV. We all thought about Zagreb 1990 and we all had the same opinion, that Zagreb is no longer the only Eurovision host city which had a sound problem.

3. Was the Croatian delegation because for the second year in a raw it did not qualify for the final? In both occasions Croatia was short by only one place.
Of course we are disappointed as we were again so close. I guess that was the reason I was so upset that I almost got the heart attack. Actually all was forgotten in next 15 minutes and we could go to the big party and have a wonderful night. However we face new challenge and actually it is fun to be present in both semifinal and final. We were very pleased by the performance of Boris and we think that he made a great result above all the trend this year was rather unusual.

4. There were quite a lot of surprised people here in Slovenia as Croatia gave their maximum 12 points to eljko Josimovi last year and group No name this year. Does this perhaps mean that you don't mix music and politics in Croatia?
Obviously we Croats can separate music and politics nevertheless I think the biggest issue was the fact that both representative from Serbia and Montenegro didn't use so called >ekavine<. Because of that the songs were completely acceptable. However we never know, maybe Omar would receive 12 points from Croatia if he would be in the final.

5. Your feeling now that you've been seen by 160 million people on TV? Have you got any offer from Hollywood?
The feeling was phenomenal. One can't describe it. And we were so sad because we had the worst seats in the hall. But as it turns out they were the best. Hollywood haven't contact us yet but the reactions here in homeland are big. Everyone who knows us, send us sms messages that they saw us. Even from abroad including from Slovenia. After the big night even Boris came and thanked us for the support and loud cheering.

6. Angelica Agurbash? We heard that her promotion of Belarus ended in different way than she anticipated.
The above mentioned singer became a legend in more than one way. On each rehearsal she stirred up the enthusiasm and ovations but it wasn't really clear what was so special with the changing clothes. She glistened all over, she fluttered with her hands like a queen but unfortunately the only thing that wasn't there was her voice. Even though everyone predicted her breakthrough to the final - 4 million dollars was thrown away. We found out later that she had a nervous breakdown and she ended in the hospital. She was soon better and she proceeded with the promotion of her country. Her legacy was words with a new meaning: "Agurbash" now means rubbish and "Angelica" is now synonym for nervous breakdown.

7. Your comment on Slovene representative - Omar Kareem Naber - his performance with Teja and comment of Slovene pre-selection.
Omar sang fantastically and Teja was excellent. The performance itself was perhaps too static and boring. He hardly moved throughout his whole performance on the stage. Well, Chiara from Malta didn't jump on the stage neither but at least she gesticulated with her hands a bit. Nevertheless, the stage itself was not suitable for Omar's effective performance. As goes for EMA and your pre-selection: you have selected the best song. Neither Nua nor Saa would have a chance.

8. Kiev, Ukraine. Big city. Any interesting moments regarding capital city of Ukraine?
Kiev is really gigantic city. It's tidy, with broad streets, tall buildings, with numerous churches and cultural monuments. We were afraid of the "horror" of the post-communist regime but we were pleasantly surprised. Undoubtedly it is worth the visit. The only thing one has to watch out, are the underground passages with numerous shops. We needed 45 minutes to find the right exit.

9. The next Eurosong will be in Athens 2006. Will you be there?
Of course we will visit Athens with even more members as this year. Croats with typical red-white football track suit all over, ha ha. Hopefully, members of OGAE Slovenia will join us.