After Dark (drag act)

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After Dark is a Swedish drag act, consisting of Christer Lindarw and Lasse Flinckman. The group was founded in 1976, simultaneously as they, together with Roger Jönsson, opened their own night club in Stockholm, called After Dark Club. Since that time, they have become a major part of Swedish LGBT culture. The duo has also had international success, performing in Barcelona, Madrid and San Francisco.^[1]

[edit] Eurovision Song Contest

In 2004, After Dark participated in Melodifestivalen, the yearly Swedish song festival that selects the Swedish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. Their song "La dolce vita" went straight from its qualifying heat to the final night, and there finished third. The single of the song became a major hit on Swedish radio, and were often played in Swedish day nurseries.^[2]. Later that same year, in the autumn, they sat up a new drag show with the same name as the tune in Stockholm's main amusement park, the Gröna Lund.

In the fourth and final Melodifestivalen semifinal on February 24, 2007, After Dark performed the song "(Åh) när ni tar saken i egna händer". The act was in the Top 5 after the first vote, but ended up in the 5th place after the second vote and did not proceed to the finals. This time, Christer Lindarw's former partner Lasse Flinckman did not participate. If the first part of the song name is spoken quickly (Åh när ni), it is pronounced "Onani" which is the Swedish word for masturbation. There are few parts of the lyrics that can be interpreted as relating to masturbation. For example, "Tina, hon matar sig lugn. Hon pillar på knappen på sin varmluftsugn, glöm vispar och slevar här finns dip till tusen, använd fingret det gör susen". Roughly translated: "Tina, she satisfies her hunger. She touches the button on her oven. Forget whip and ladle, there is plenty of sauce, use your finger every time". The names used in the lyrics; Martin, Tina, Ernst and Bosse are all names of Swedish TV celebrities which, according to the Swedish news source Aftonbladet, gave their consent. The song is however performed "elegantly, intelligently and with style" and can just as well be interpreted as being about home improvement.^[3]