Lys Assia is Frustrated.
“I feel sorry for the composer and lyricist, because it really is a good song and they put a lot of work into it, especially Mister Siegel… one can’t really imagine it.”
She especially criticized the behaviour of the judges. “What has most disappointed me is that a jury can behave so uncoughly. They were cheeky enough to suggest the familiar form of address (Du in German) to me on stage. I have been on stage for 70 years and that worldwide and he allows himself to suggest the familiar form of address… what was I supposed to do? I was so shocked I couldn’t even react. And then he said this thing about coffee (Stämper had said her song might be better suited for a coffee tour or cruise for old people) That’s impudent, unacceptable!”
She apparently still thinks the public loves her as years ago. “You have seen, the public would have chosen me in the arena. That’s completely clear,” she told SF. Asked why she didn’t win the televote then, she said: “In any case it is not positive… First of all you can’t insult me like this as an artist and Secondly, one can’t dismiss the song like that…I mean, it’s a very nice chanson! It is clear that faster songs dominate, ok that’s the trend, but it still is a nice chanson.. and it is supposed to be a chanson festival not a Tonk Tonk Tonk festival. One cannot forget that I don’t have a group behind me that vote hundreds of times. That’s the problem! My audience is also older people, they don’t have internet and all that”.