According to Swedish website The Local, a Roger Tullgren continues to profess his addiction to heavy metal to be a clinical disorder, a claim by which he previously graced our glorious website last year. Apparently he obsessively listens to metal “24 hours a day.” He’d told The Local that a few psychologists (where does one find such people?) declaimed the diagnosis in order “to avoid being discriminated against.”
At the time our previous story was written, Tullgren received about $155 in government benefits per month for the addiction. His diagnosis enabled him to play shows with his own band, Papa Midnite, a decision that hopefully ameliorates some of his compulsive behavior instead of feeding it. He hasn’t gotten a check since January of last year due to a new janitorial gig, but he’s “still very addicted,” and he claims it affects his ability to support himself.
Obviously, Tullgren’s claims have quite a reek of spuriousness. He remarked to The Local, “It’s really funny,” in reference to the reawakened media buzz about his story. And his meds now “[make] it hard to sleep, which leaves me with even more time to listen to metal.” Are these the words of an addict?
Either way, one can only commend the man, whether for his boldly blazing new metallic psychological trails, or for using his love of the metal to crib some sweet socialist cash.
