Dana International: Radio

Randi: With us today we have the only one, at least in Norway I dare say, who knew about the Eurovision-winner before we all saw the woman at the Eurovision. Welcome, Geir Skogseth!
Geir: Thank you very much!
Randi: What was your first introduction to Dana International?
Geir: That was some three and a half years ago, when I was on holiday in Israel. At the time I was studying in Egypt, needed some change of atmosphere and went to Israel. Where I heard her songs in a disco and watched people take off completely, it must have been around the time her second album was released. When I returned to Egypt, I discovered she was fairly controversial there as well - as she sings a couple of songs in Arabic.
Randi: We’ll get back to conspiracy theories and the like. First, I have a piece of information saying her real name is Sharon Cohen?
Geir: Those in the know are a bit divided on that one. It’s slightly difficult to find biographical information. Her name as a child was Yaron - when she was a boy. And then I’ve read somewhere that she changed her name to Sharon as an adult - after having gender reassignment.
Vera: Right, so this means she does what she can to cover up her past, is that it?
Geir: Cover up and cover up, well - this has to do with identity. Most transsexuals want to pass as the gender they in a way change into. Accordingly, for her this has to do with identity, and very little to do with hiding her past, which she is very much aware of. And she’s not allowed to hide it, either. [By the press, I should have mentioned.]
Randi: We have been looking forward to this, and still look forward to know this Eurovision-winner better. Right. She lives in Israel, that much we know. But how... where did she grow up, childhood...
Vera: How were her teens?
Randi: Do you have any information on those kinds of things?
Geir: Yes. Right, the newspapers disagree on whether she is 26, 27 or 29. I believe she was born in ‘72, in south Tel Aviv - a neighbourhood where the main bulk of the population immigrated to Israel from the Arab world. Dana’s parents have their origin in Yemen, and her grandfather immigrated to Israel in ‘48. She grew up in a relatively poor Israeli environment among Jews from the Arab world - who have always been victims of discrimination in Israel. She’s not from a minority background as such - they are in a majority in the country - but they don’t have very much influence. As a 14 year old, she took part in a staging of ‘Joseph and his amazing techni-color dreamcoat’, a musical based on the story of Joseph in the Bible. She had the leas - as a boy. She is supposed to have discovered the Israeli gay scene at 16, and met this producer there. The one running after her with long, wavy hair onstage...
Vera & Randi! Yeah!
Vera: The guy who looked like the German singer?
Geir: Yes! He did look a little like Guildo! His name is Ofer Nissim, and he has managed her career and written several of her songs. He has not written this year’s entry, as many have claimed. [This was written in several Norwegian papers.]
Randi: Shouldn’t we listen to this year’s entry? I must warn you, we have a somewhat - I’ll be frank - awful recording of ‘Diva’. We have downloaded it from the net, here you have it.

Vera: Geir, you’re lip-synching! Do you know the words?
Geir: I know it fairly well. It’s full of gems, I must say. Very very beautiful lyrics. Touching.
Vera: Wow!
Geir: Not.
Randi: We have to say we’re sorry for the terrible sound quality of ‘Diva’ - as we have downloaded it from the net. But now over to what is most exciting about Dana International. You touched upon Egypt earlier. There is a sort of Egyptian conspiracy theory which interpreted freely says that Dana is an Israeli agent sent out to corrupt Egyptian youth?
Geir: Yes.
Vera: A trifle paranoid?
Geir: A teensy bit! This has to do with Egypt. This is far from the only conspiracy theory going around in Egypt, you get a new one somewhere around every third week. This is one of the big ones. Another: Did you know Israel distributes chewing gum in Egypt that makes people lust after each other?
Vera: Naaah?
Geir: Yes! It’s true!
Vera: What a terrible thing to do!
Geir: Yes, and with sex-chewing gum!
Randi: But on to other conspiracy theories regarding Dana International.
Geir: She is supposedly created by Mossad and Freemasons to corrupt Egyptian youth in order for them to become less nationalistic, have children out of wedlock, etc. etc.
Randi: A mix of man and machine, then?
Geir: Something like that, but the thing is that this is part of a view where Israel really is all a huge conspiracy to achieve world power. It’s only a part of that.
Vera: I see!
Geir: Dana is only a pawn in the game.
Randi: Now, today is Israel’s 50th anniversary [according to our calendar], how do you think Dana is celebrating?
Geir: Fairly intensely, I think she is proud of her country. But what I see as very positive about her is that she is a symbol of a different Israel than what is presented by the government. She herself has said that she represents not only Jewish Israel, but also Christian and Muslim Israel - and accordingly Palestinians and Arabs, the whole population.
Vera: You’re talking of a different Israel. Like the fact that there is a gay scene in Israel is a big shock to me, a smack in the forehead. But as a 16 year old she was out in Tel Aviv’s nightlife. What is the Israeli gay scene like? Is it common to be transsexual there?
Geir: Not very, but most gay scenes have been places transsexuals have sought out - because they haven’t felt comfortable other places. With one sexual minority it’s possible to relax more than in society in general. This also happened in Israel. Even though transsexuals and gays strictly speaking have few things in common, most transsexuals are heterosexual, like Dana - to take one example.
Vera: But was she running around in just as outrageous outfits as a 16 year old?
Geir: Well, probably not as glamorous as she is now! As a 16 year old she was probably not that adept at make up I should think. When you see her girlfriends in Tel Aviv today, those who haven’t reached as far as her, those trannies are not as stylish as Dana.
Randi: Now, the first time we saw her was last Saturday in the international Eurovision final. But has Dana International participated in similar competitions before?
Geir: Yes, she participated in the Israeli final in ‘95 - and came second.
Vera: So, she did!
Geir: At the time she made some clear statements about not winning because she was transsexual. That’s fairly interesting. But this time she was not picked in a competition, rather she was chosen by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority.
Randi: We’ll talk more about Dana International. You have brought her entire back catalogue, almost anyway. How many records did you bring?
Geir: Five.
Randi: Are those albums or singles?
Geir: Four albums and one single.
Randi: OK. We will listen to Dana International, but after listening to Massive Attack and ‘Teardrop’. You’re listening to Mamarazzi.

Randi: We are still with Geir Skogseth. We could probably call you a Dana International-expert?
Geir: Well... A month ago many would certainly have called me a Dana International-nutcase, but I accept that title!
Vera: Yes, please do!
Randi: Now, just before we said good-bye to Massive Attack, you showed us a little booklet on this Egyptian conspiracy theory where there seems to be a picture of Dana International on the front cover. Could you disclose who it is on the cover?
Geir: Well, they probably couldn’t find a picture which was sufficiently titillating - so they chose one of Madonna instead.
Vera: As she has plenty to choose from.
Geir: Right, and here you also have a little more tit...
Vera: Some more cleavage and that sort of thing. But we must get to say that you actually know Arabic, as this conspiracy theory is in the wrong direction and upside-down with strange signs no-one can understand a bit of, so we have to mention that.
Geir: And that was a word from my sponsor...
Randi: You have brought the almost complete back catalogue of Dana International. We were a bit taken aback., or... We were all happy Dana won, as it created a lot of turbulence in all sorts of ways...
Vera: Except for bringing that somewhat fatter backing vocalist onstage. She got a big minus in my...
Randi: We have talked about that. But what is... Now I lost my way completely, Vera, pull me in again.
Vera: You were talking about Geir bringing all the records, her complete back catalogue...
Randi: Yes...
Vera: And that...
Geir: You were taken aback by something, no?
Randi: Well, never mind. Let’s get on with it. Wait, now I remember. That song, ‘Diva’, she won the Eurovision with, wasn’t very good maybe? Or... Not a fantastic tune... The question is sort of, does Dana International have any good songs in her production? Any good music?
Geir: Well, I think so! I’m a complete addict, so I like this one too! But of course, there were other songs in the final that could have won, I’ll have to admit.
Randi: Shall we start with her debut album, what is it called? When was it released?
Geir: It’s called, surprise surprise, Dana International, and was released in ‘93.
Randi: Now Thomas is over by the CD-player. Did you find her debut album, Thomas?
Thomas: Yes, I’ve found it. I have put it on song number 6.
Randi: Number 6, what song is it?
Geir: It’s called ‘‘Arusa’ and is actually in Arabic, one of the first songs she recorded. And it means ‘bride’ in Arabic.
Randi: Hit the play-button, Thomas!

Randi: What we heard just now, that uuuuuuuuuh?
Geir: That’s what women do all the time in Arab weddings, accordingly this is a wedding song.
Vera: They shriek.
Geir: They shriek, it’s called ululating in Arabic.
Randi: Now for us, listening to Dana International’s debut album. OK, she’s sort of a Eurovision artist. Which means, eh... garbage. To be unkind.
Geir: Shame on you!
Randi: Many think this way! But what kind of a musical tradition is it that Dana International belongs to? If you think of the world of Arab music?
Geir: Most of her songs are dance-pop. Very P3-Poprush [a chart show on Norwegian radio] kind of music, to be quite honest. But she is inspired by Arab music, traditional Jewish songs, cabaret - you name it.
Randi: Will we get some examples of that in the next track?
Geir: The next song is more of a traditional Dana-tune. One of her biggest hits...
Randi: Just tell Thomas what record to find...
Geir: Song number two on record number two.
Thomas: OK, yes.
Vera: You found it?
Thomas: Yes, I start it a little into the song.
Randi: And this is an example of what?
Geir: This is an example of Dana’s ordinary pop - not particularly ethnic, but most popular in Israel.
Randi: OK, let’s listen.

Randi: What is Dana International singing about here?
Geir: This is a somewhat melodramatic song about her not being able to do without you, and ‘you say you have to go, you say you can’t stay, that it’s late, but please, stay a while’.
Randi: Right, so this top of the league in Hebrew disco?
Geir: Well, there are not that many artists in that style. The music business there is very varied, but this - yes, I think so.
Randi: We’ll move on to... We do have other samples, don’t we? Let’s have a bit more extreme example of... We haven’t got more samples? Thomas is looking for something...
Vera: But Dana International, these were very different samples, Geir, but has she been very diverse through here career in music?
Geir: Yes, and on most of her records too. Her last album is quite conform, not very ethnic in the way she was before, slightly more aerodynamic. But then again, she recently released a compilation in Israel bringing in everything. As many of the different songs have been popular on different levels and among different groups.
Randi: Thomas, what are you doing out there?
Thomas: Now I found an album, called Maganona?
Vera: Was that pronounced correctly?
Geir: That’s right!
Vera: Wow!
Geir: And it means ‘mad, crazy’ in Arabic. The first song is a little noisy, it’s sort of an answer to the Egyptian conspiracy theories she has been a victim of.
Randi: Yes, this we just have to listen to!
Geir: ‘I’m not crazy’, but frankly it sounds like she is... one has to admit!
Randi: The first track? Ready, Thomas? Hit play!
Vera: Let’s hear you scream, Dana!

[‘Maganona’ intro with Dana screaming kukurukukuku - the girls in studio take off completely]

Randi: This is fa-bu-lous!!!
Geir: Do you really think so?
Randi: We think of Nina Hagen, we think of Diamanda Galás...
Vera: And Laurie Anderson!
Randi: Many!
Geir: I get a lot of e-mail from fans of Nina Hagen, and transsexual people.
Randi: Right! But this is the answer to this Egyptian conspiracy, then. What is Dana International saying in this song?
Geir: She says ‘you all think I’m mad, but I’m not the very least crazy, I’m a respected housewife, you think I’m crazy, I’m not crazy’, etc.
Vera: Slightly ironic, maybe?
Geir: You could safely say that.
Vera: This ‘kukuruku!’ - what does it mean?
Geir: That’s ‘cock-a-doodle-doo’ in Arabic and Hebrew, as simple as that.
Vera: Eh right. Dead simple.
Randi: And the album is called...
Geir: This is the title track, ‘Maganona’ as they say.
Vera: Where did you get all these records?
Geir: Israel, mostly.
Vera: So you have to go there to get them?
Geir: No, you can get them on import and all now. And if you go to Paris, it’s dead easy! But of course, in Norway it’s still very difficult. But I think she’ll get a record contract pretty soon, she’ll be distributed in Europe, everything.
Randi: For all the listeners who want to get to know Dana International better, I can recommend Geir’s homepage, Geir Skogseth. Maybe you should mention the URL or a simple way of finding it.
Geir: The simplest way is to use some search engine, and search for ‘Dana International’, but Dana with a double N. Then my page will pop up on top of the list at once.
Vera: D-A-N-N-A.
Geir: Yes.
Vera: Splendid.
Randi: Thanks for coming, Geir Skogseth, the biggest expert on Dana International in Norway.
Geir: Thank you!

Jubilant Israeli youths celebrate Dana's victory with a poster showing the maximum points Eurovision voters could award

The victory of the transsexual singer, Dana International, in the Eurovision Song Contest is not being celebrated by all Israelis. It has been condemned by religious Jews. The BBC's Middle East Correspondent, Jeremy Bowen, reports from Jerusalem. Hundreds of Dana's fans stopped the traffic, lit fireworks, danced in fountains and sang her song again and again in Tel Aviv after she won.

Dana wins - and Israelis are split
They love the way she looks and the way she sounds, but this was about much more than pop. They believe she is part of a bigger fight, not just for gay rights, but for every Israeli who wants this country to be modern, secular, and part of the west. Both secular and religious Jews see Dana's victory as a battle in the constant cultural civil war they are fighting against each other. Religious Jews are horrified that Dana International, who was born a man, represented Israel. Israelis are every bit as divided about religion and culture as they are about peace with the Palestinians, which is, at least, the subject of negotiations. There is no real dialogue between secular and religious Israelis, and Dana's victory is another sign that the gulf between them is growing wider.

Israel has won the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest after a nail-biting finale kept the entire continent on the edge of their seats. Taking a total of 174 points, Dana International walked off with the annual trophy for Diva after the vote went down to the final jury, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Israel had battled throughout the voting against Malta's Chiara and the UK's Imaani, who took second place with 157 points.

The win for Dana comes after rabbis in Israel said the transsexual singer had brought shame on the country. But the singer, a former drag artist, had already amassed a popular following at home and received a standing ovation from fans in the audience.

Switzerland left the contest with the infamous "nul points" after failing to pick up a single point from any of the voting countries.

Slicker contest
This year saw a distinct lack of the usual brash mix of Euro-pap and appalling outfits left over from the 1970s. In came the clean smart lines of outfits which could have come straight from the studios of Calvin Klein or Donna Karan.

With one very obvious exception - Germany's Guildo Horn and the Orthopaedic Stockings - the whole contest stepped towards a smarter and more tuneful next century. Guildo, with his long flowing locks and his new age cape, took the stage like a man who had just surfed a wave of free Europe-wide publicity.

The interval entertainment, as ever, proved marginally better than the actual songs, moving from Scottish pipers, through Asian dance, a male voice choir to a traditional British brass band.

Voting controversies return
This year, for the first time, the winner was partly chosen through a telephone poll across Europe, replacing the mysterious workings of the "national juries" system. And the telephone voting proved to be just as impartial and entirely based on merit. Getting into the spirit of some of the past dubious results, the audience at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena booed and cheered whenever they felt countries had blatantly voted for allies. Greece got the conspiracy theories up and running when it gave 12 points to Cyprus, which promptly returned the compliment. Germany, denied the chance to vote for Austria who stayed out this year, gave its support to Turkey - probably thanks to the country's large immigrant population.

And of course, some Brits will say the trophy would have had their name on it if it had not been for France which kept up a much-loved tradition of snubbing the UK entry.

It may be the third time Israel has won the Eurovision Song Contest, but it is the first time the winner is a she who once was a he. The transsexual singer Dana International narrowly beat off stiff competition from Malta to emerge victorious. Supporters of the former drag star jumped with joy and waved Israeli flags as the final votes were cast, giving victory to Dana. Back home, Israelis took to the streets, cheering and honking horns.

Her nomination in November to represent Israel in the contest caused a stir among some religious Jews. Several powerful Orthodox lawmakers had even considered trying to topple the government over the issue. Shlomo Ben Izri, a deputy minister and member of the religious Shas party, called her "an abomination." Another member of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, Rabbi Shlomo ben Ivri, said: "Undergoing a sex change is worse than an act of sodomy ... choosing her is sending a message of darkness to the world."

Dana was previously known as Yaran Cohen. She gained fame in Israel as a female impersonator in Tel-Aviv night clubs before her sex change operation in 1993. After the show, Dana said her victory was a sign of changing times. "This just goes to show the world is open-minded and liberated. We are all equal," she said.

Her jubilant win was defended by the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain. Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain said: "Dana International's sexuality is totally irrelevant to her ability to sing well or perform on behalf of her country, just as anybody else's sexuality should have no bearing on their professional life unless it interferes with their work." What is much more disturbing is hostility directed towards transsexuals, he added. "They experience a major conflict of identity, being one gender physically, but the other gender emotionally. They feel they are living a lie and are trapped in the wrong body," he said.

The rabbi suggested that a more religious response would be firstly to understand the acute unhappiness felt by transsexuals, and secondly to view favorably any surgical remedies that brings them relief.

The religious establishment in Israel has attacked the choice of a flamboyant transsexual pop singer, Dana International, as Israel's entry in next year's Eurovision Song contest. Dana International, who has had a sex change operation, was chosen over 14 other contestants by a committee appointed by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority. She will perform her song "Diva" at the Eurovision contest, to be held in Birmingham.

The ultra-Orthodox religious party, Shas, said the choice symbolised the sickness of secular Israel. A Shas member of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Shlomo Ben-Izri, said he would ask the government to reverse the decision. Ultra-Orthodox Jews disapprove of ordinary female singers, to say nothing of transsexuals. However, one rabbi is reported to have ruled that men could attend Dana's performances as long as they realised that Dana was really a man.

Tensions between ultra-Orthodox and secular Jews have increased sharply following last year's election in Israel. Right-wing and religious parties are now members of Israel's government, and wield considerable influence.

Dana International, born Yaron Cohen, was voted singer of the year by listeners to one Israeli radio station, although music critics appear divided over her work. Most of her songs are in Hebrew. However, Dana's family is originally from Yemen, and she is able to sing in Arabic. Her manager says she has a big following in Egypt.

A bitter row has erupted in Israel over the singer chosen to represent the country in next year's Eurovision Song Contest. Dana International was a man until her operation five years ago and her nomination to sing in the Europe-wide competition has outraged Orthodox Jews. Some have threatened to kill her.

Named after her second record, Dana International is one of Tel Aviv's biggest stars and is using her platform to campaign for the rights of others wanting to live less conventional lives. Dana, born Yaron Cohen, said: "I represent liberal Israel, an Israel that accepts human beings whoever they are, no matter what they look like, no matter what sex or race they are." But powerful Orthodox Jews are horrified that Dana, who was born to a Yemenite-Jewish family, is to represent their country at the Eurovision final in Birmingham, England, next year. Deputy health minister and Orthodox Jew, Shlomo Ben-Izri, said: "In the past we have sent light to the world. Now we send darkness and I don't understand what has happened."