Dimitry Pompée and Jeremy Bent

Dimitry Pompée, Oscar Montoya, and Jeremy Bent are the hosts of Eurovangelists, a hilarious podcast about all things Eurovision.

Jeremy Bent is a comedian, writer and voice actor living in Los Angeles. You might know him from the podcasts Mission to Zyxx and Nice to Meet You, or from Stephen Colbert Presents Tooning Out the News on Comedy Central. 

Dimitry Pompée is a TV comedy writer. He is an alumnus of the Paramount Writers Mentorship Program who has worked on shows for Disney, Netflix, and DreamWorks Animation. Before working in the entertainment industry, he was a mildly-successful lobbyist who worked for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Postal Service in Washington DC.

Describe Eurovangelists in 10 words or less.
Jeremy Bent: We want America to watch Eurovision, because it’s so fun.

Dimitry Pompée: We’ll make Eurovision an indelible part of your life, you’regonnaloveit. (I had one word left)

Describe Eurovision in 10 words or less, for people who don’t know.
JB: Olympics with pop music, and the same amount of gold.

DP: The greatest song contest in the history of the world.

If you were going to rename Eurovision, what would you call it?
JB: I actually think they nailed the title with Eurovision, but “Europe Sings!” has a kitschy vibe to it, plus it would translate into different languages a little more cleanly.

DP: A lot of nations in the past shortened “Eurovision Song Contest” to “Eurosong,” so I’d go with that for tradition’s sake. I also liked “Grand Prix de Chanson,” which I believe was how Austria billed it when they hosted in 1967.

What is your relationship with Eurovision?
JB: I’m the newbie. I’ve really only been a fan for a couple years, but I’ll say the more I engage with Eurovision, the more I find to love about it. It’s over the top, it’s silly, it’s sometimes very earnest - what can I say? It’s great.

DP: I discovered the Contest back in 2003. I discussed this on our first episode, so consider this a sneak peek of what you can hear on Eurovangelists!

It was Saturday, May 24. I was 14 and my parents grounded me for something so stupid, I can’t even remember it. They took my TV, video games, computer, anything that could be remotely entertaining. All I had was my clock radio, so I started tooling around with the dial. That's when I discovered NPR. I listened to Car Talk, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Studio 360, A Prairie Home Companion, Says You, all the mid-aughts Saturday gold. 

As you probably know, NPR plays BBC News at night. And the big story dominating the headlines was the United Kingdom getting last place and zero points at Eurovision earlier that day. British media was absolutely LIVID. There was even a Minister of Parliament who claimed that the other countries were punishing the UK for supporting the United States in the Iraq War. Of course it couldn't possibly be because the UK’s song that year was arguably the worst thing they did since Margaret Thatcher, it was definitely because of the Iraq War.

But then, a representative from one of the competing nations said something that was essentially, "Well it wasn't not NOT because of Iraq." So after all this hullabaloo, I had to know what this whole Eurovision thing was all about. I downloaded the 2003 Contest off of Limewire, and after I removed all the viruses from my computer, I gave it a watch. I could barely comprehend what I was seeing, and I had never heard music like that before. The show was full of performance, pomp, politics, and pettiness. It was like the World Cup, Model UN, and pro wrestling combined and set to music. I was hooked. Haven't missed one since. I’ve seen every edition of Eurovision at least once, and I have them all saved/duplicated on two hard drives stored in a fireproof lockbox that I keep in storage. That’s not a joke.

How are you all connected?
JB: I think I’m the lynchpin of this particular podcast: Oscar and I met in a musical improv class (foreshadowing!) many years ago, before getting to perform together on a team in New York for a couple years which was a joy. Dimitry and I first met at an event for fans of Anamanaguchi, one of our favorite bands (additional foreshadowing!). He lived in DC at the time, but we kept in touch and he eventually started a career as a tv writer. Eventually the three of us all made it to LA (myself last), which is where Dimitry the superfan introduced me to Eurovision. After my second grand final in 2023, we started batting around the idea for a podcast. And when I mentioned this idea to Oscar a few weeks later, I realized I knew another superfan. We met up to chat about it, and when Dimitry and Oscar started rattling off their favorite songs from forty years ago, I thought, “This is it. This is the show.”

Why are you the perfect hosts for this show?
JB: You know how your friends would sometimes point out weird stuff about your family that you never noticed, because you’re a part of your own family and it seemed normal to you? That’s the reason three Americans talking about Eurovision makes sense.

DP: I think it helps that we’re obsessed with Eurovision, but in a way that invites people in, regardless of their level of knowledge about the Contest. If you’re new to it, we’re happy to sit down with you and tell you everything you need to know to get onboard. If you’re a decades-long fan, we’re thrilled to have a fun, passionate discussion about whether or not Cliff Richard was robbed in 1968 (he was, Spain under Franco almost certainly used some underhanded tactics to secure votes). 

What do you each bring to the table? How are you alike / different?
JB: Dimitry’s the expert, Oscar’s the performer, and I’m the everyman. Except when we’re other things.

DP: Each of us represent a different level of Eurovision experience. If you’re a newer fan, Jeremy is there to ask the questions you probably have and share a perspective similar to yours. If you’ve been a fan for a while but not for decades, Oscar does the same for you. And I’m here for all the long-time fans who want to compare old Eurovision with modern Eurovision. Additionally, we all have different opinions about the songs because of our personal preferences. We can all agree with each other one minute, then be arguing three different positions the next. It makes for a fun, conversational show that’s always compelling to hear. Especially when we’re fighting.

Fill in the blank: You will love Eurovangelists if you like _________.
JB: The Olympics. I am an Olympics diehard, and I can feel Eurovision pressing the same “international competition in the name of achieving excellence” buttons that the Olympics does. And I get both this year!

DP: NPR. Worked for me! There’s a strong correlation between liking public media and Eurovision. It’s definitely the same crowd.

Why will people love Eurovision?
JB: Do you like American Idol? The Voice? The Masked Singer? What if I told you those were all trash compared to this? You’d be upset with me? That’s fair, but please, give Eurovision a shot.

DP: As fun and silly as Eurovision can be, the moments of true human beauty are the real draw. You’ll see some of the greatest musicians in the world on that stage. You’ll see people from nations with generational rivalries singing together in the name of peace and freedom. 

Is it hard to have 3 hosts on a show? You all are funny…is it ever hard to get a word in?
JB: It can get a little noisy during a recording, but we all have our specialties. So I really wanna hear what Oscar and Dimitry have to say about a song, because inevitably they know something I don’t. 

DP: The three of us tend to contribute different aspects of analysis to the songs. For example, I usually put a little more weight on the lyrics and meaning of the song, while Oscar tends to put more scrutiny on the staging and visual performance angle.It helps us and our listeners form a fully-rounded opinion of all the Eurovision artists.  

If you were a pop group gunning to win Eurovision, what would your group’s name be and what would your hit song be about?
JB: I’m leaning into the goofiness of Eurovision here, but my group would be called OK J with our song, “Feelin’ OK,” a paean to feeling not amazing, but also not bad.

DP: OK J works for me! I revere the Eurovision stage and as a person who either got kicked out of my college’s music program or resigned with my dignity intact (depends on who you ask), I know I don’t belong on that sacred ground. So I’d say our song would be about how there are so many great songs performing at Eurovision that year and how you shouldn’t waste a vote on us.

What do all the winners of Eurovision have in common?
JB: They won - but by that, I mean a million small victories wove together to allow them to reign supreme. Every winner is the conflux of seizing the opportunity and a heaping helping of good fortune.

DP: Ooo, great question. While I don’t love all the Eurovision winners, key to their victories was standing out amongst their class, either in terms of vocal ability, staging, and/or performance. Take 2014 for an example. That year was full of great artists, but the second we saw Conchita Wurst’s performance of Rise Like A Phoenix, it was pretty clear Austria was going to win. As talented as the class of 2014 was, no one else was nearly as captivating.

Pretend you were going to make a new podcast. Your budget is $1M. Do not worry about the logistics or whether or not anyone would like it. What would it be?
JB: I think we would actually host a great video game podcast, because we’re all gamers. Maybe we document the process of making a Eurovision-based rhythm game together?! Insane. 

DP: Honestly, we’re already doing it. This is my dream podcast. Well, this podcast with a $1 million budget.

Are there too many podcasts?
JB: Too many for one person to listen to? Sure. Too many for everyone to listen to? Not so sure.

What’s a podcast you love that everyone already knows about?
JB: I’ve loved The Tobolowsky Files for years. I used to binge episodes taking the bus back home for the holidays, so it’s a comforting listen to me.

DP: Gotta applaud the OG, This American Life. Ira Glass and the crew made this possible for all of us.

What’s a podcast you love that not enough people know about?
JB: My friend Matt & Eric used to make a fake meditation podcast called Headplace that I thought was amazing. Short eps - very snackable!

DP: A dear friend of mine is a co-host on A Typical Disgusting Display, a podcast about screenwriting that has no reverence for the most annoying parts of the entertainment industry. They’re all about celebrating the art of writing, and just eviscerating the glad-handing nonsense that gets in the way of making great TV and movies.

Hot take:
JB: Don’t bring a rock song to Eurovision unless it really ROCKS.

DP: Sorry Loreen fans, but Elisabeth Andreassen will always be the First Lady of Eurovision to me.

Self-care ritual:
JB: A nice cold cocktail and an old movie.

DP: Oreo cheesecake and my favorite Eurovision hits.

Thanks, Dimitry and Jeremy!