Sweden Says Metal Addiction Is A Disability

So this one is a bit old (from back in 2007) but I just found it and I thought it was interesting. Actually I laughed out loud, so enjoy the idea and the story.

Apparently, Sweden has decided that a dependency on that of heavy metal is now an accepted disability. It seems that a Mr. Roger Tullgren (no that's not him in the picture) has won his case to make his love of the adored genre something that he should receive a government stipend to continue. He claims that because of his frequent concert attendance (over 300 shows in 2006), it has been impossible to maintain a job - part-time or full.
Tullgren was seen by three shrinks and eventually received a letter stating, "Roger feels compelled to show his heavy metal style. This puts him in a difficult situation on the labor market. Therefore he needs extra financial help," we should all be so lucky. In addition to extra 'financial help' he is allowed to miss any amount of work he chooses to attend these shows, as long as he makes it up at a later date. Also he gets to play his 'loud music' at work and dress as he feels (corpse paint anyone?) to reflect his love for music. The article goes on to say Tullgren has had this 'disability' for over 36 years, and has spent the last 10 years of his life trying to get compensation for it.

I'm sort of on the fence about this one; on one hand I think it would be sweet to get paid to attend shows (maybe even paid to write...?), but on the other, I couldn't imagine hitting 300 shows a year. That would either become very expensive - something working part-time would not cover - or you would be seeing a ton of crappy bands and shows. I used to work next to a bar, I've seen a ton of crappy shows, and at about one a week, that's all I figure I could possibly handle. And I dedicate hours of my day working on this website, although I would love the ability to listen to my music at work and dress how I want, but I at least get to work on The Klepto's Guide while working (as I am now), so that's something.

But kudos to this man, this Roger Tullgren, for he has won a major victory not only for himself, but for metalheads everywhere. I'm not sure what that victory pertains mind you, but I still think it's pretty wild. As a side note, this man is in his 40s. Don't you think there would be a moment in his life where he would go 'wow, this is crazy'?

No? I guess it's just me then.

Check out the original story at The Local for more info.