“Conchita of Europe”, the first interview with Conchtia Wurst to air on Russian TV, is finally out. Dayana, a wiwiblogger in Kaliningrad, has kindly translated the video and added English subtitles, so be sure to turn them on before pressing play.
In the ten-minute segment, Conchita once again draws a distinction between her being a drag queen, and transgender performers like Dana International:
When I need attention and adventures I go out as Conchita, and when I just wanna walk, go to shop, Tom does it. Without long hair, without lashes, without a bra. Just a normal guy.
She also stresses the difference between herself and Dana International:
She is a woman, and I’m a guy who dresses up as a woman…I don’t have breasts, it’s just a bra.
Elsewhere in the video the narrator describes Conchita as “a deliberate business project” for Tom. Conchita says that the Tolmachevy Sisters shouldn’t take the audience’s booing personally. And she admits that she likely would not have won Eurovision if she wasn’t a man.
Ola Shelest, Russian ESC commentator, explains to Russian viewers that Europeans aren’t particularly shocked by Conchita because they have seen it all before:
They have already seen bearded women, and, um, I don’t know, men with primary female sexual characteristics.
The video ends somewhat derisively, with the narrator reminding viewers that Peter the Great used to chop off the beards of aristocrats:
Peter the Great, who made his “Window of Europe”, cut beards of his boyars with an ax. Interestingly, what would he do now? Tolerant Europe has already made a choice. And now Europe will live with that choice.
I just got furious after watching this interview! It’s disgusting! And I can’t even call it an interview because all that we’ve been showed (even a part of the whole video report) is just cut Conchita’s answers inserted in some moments after the narrator’s extremely sarcastic text! So, how can we believe it? The interview is just adjusted as they want us to see it and it’s not just a point of view of this TV company, wich btw always makes a mountain out of a molehill, but deliberately distorted facts. They can use their right to have their point… Read more »
Dhani, I think you should boycott next year’s Eurovision. If you think Conchita’s win is effecting the planet’s weather pattern, Eurovision is definitely messing with your head. For the sake of your mental health you must take a long break from Eurovision. Start now!
That’s not the full program!
I don’t speak russian, but friend from there linked me the full one and said for warning that it wasn’t nice. In full video there were people breaking cardboard Conchita figures and the interviewer was very nasty to her. You can find the full one at Youtube and if someone translate that one, everyone could see how spiteful it was.
I feel nauseous after watching part of it and didn’t even understand what they were saying. :/
LOL, another hatchet job from the Russians. Making Conchita sound completely mercenary, as if she doesn’t love herself as Conchita but is just doing it as a ‘business decision’. You’ve gotta love the Russian media. Clueless and homophobic to the end 🙂
If Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Azerbaijan didn’t take too kindly to Conchita winning imagine how Kazakhstan would react if they debuted this year. Their dictator would go berserk and there would have been an even bigger boo in the hall for Kazakhstan.
@dhani: best of luck to you 😉
Nice interview. I’m happy Russia has opened their arms for Conchita. And I’m kinda happy that (s)he sees that without a dress he wouldn’t have won Eurovision.
she must apologize for the terrible things shes done to the balkans now!! otherwise i boycott eurovision 2015
They’ve cut out the part where Conchita was criticizing the Russian government. The funniest part is, they think Europe is full of bearded ladies. It’s also unusual for Europeans, but at least Europe support differences, and they don’t see them as a reason of discrimination.
The interview was not about introducing Conchita to Russia. I didn’t like the way they were talking.