Ex-Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G. to appear on Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday
Esteemed Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Gus G. will make an appearance on the Eurovision Song Contest this weekend.
The guitar virtuoso, who leads his own power metal band Firewind and is an acclaimed solo artist in his own right, will reveal the voting results of his home nation Greece at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.
Gus G. – real name Konstantinos Karamitroudis - enthuses: "I'm happy to announce that I've been chosen as the spokesperson that'll be giving the final voting results on behalf of Greece at this year's Eurovision!"
The final of the Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday (18th May) with semi-finals happening tonight and on Thursday (16th May) that will whittle the 41 countries down to 26 for the grand final.
As one of the so-called Big Five countries, the United Kingdom qualifies automatically for the final alongside France, Germany, Italy and Spain, together with hosts Israel.
Having also played with Mystic Prophecy, Nightrage, Arch Enemy, Dream Evil throughout his distinguished career, Gus G. replaced Zakk Wylde in Ozzy Osbourne’s band in 2009 and contributed to Ozzy Osbourne's most recent solo album, 2010’s Scream.
Back in January, Roger Waters and Peter Gabriel were among the 50 figures from creative industries who signed an open later calling on the BBC not to support the Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Israel this year.
"Eurovision may be light entertainment, but it is not exempt from human rights considerations – and we cannot ignore Israel’s systematic violation of Palestinian human rights," they wrote.
The European Broadcasting Union's Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, Jon Ola Sand, defended Tel Aviv hosting the event, telling Israeli newspaper Haaretz: "We cannot permit the contest to be politicised.
"We were very clear about that. It seems that now everyone understands that Tel Aviv was a good choice. Jerusalem hosted the event twice before (in 1979 and 1999) and in Tel Aviv, which has proven itself in hosting diverse cultural events, it will be much easier to deal with the issue of Shabbat."