he connection between extreme metal and Eddie Meduza, the lewd god of homemade, Swedish slapstick music, is muddy at best. Still, a lot of metalheads secretly worship him, and there are devoted fans in bands like Hypocrisy and Necrophobic. Maybe it’s because he was one of the most hateful artists to come out of Sweden in the mid 70s. Maybe it’s because he never missed an opportunity of blasphemy. Or maybe it’s because he used the word “cock” a lot. Either way, he’s been dead for five years this year and it’s time to pay some respect at the altar of godforsaken DIY. We called up one true black metal warrior to talk about what Eddie, the Swedish godfather of bad taste, has meant to Nordic black metal. His upcoming unholy release has him chained to the studio, so officially this interview never took place.
Vice: Did Eddie ever inspire you?
It’s hard to pinpoint, but is there anyone that hasn’t been inspired by Eddie? If there was it must have been some bullshit wimp.
What do you think he has done for music in general?
I think it’s safe to say that he has been working below the radar.
And what about black metal, is there a connection?
I wouldn’t say that Eddie and metal go hand in hand, it’s probably more like he has united heavy metal fans and raggare [lowlife hot-rodders in vests—raggari if you’re Finnish] when they beat up some boring fucker. That kind of thing has been known to happen.
Did you ever see him live?
Yeah, once, in Bengtsfors. He was drunk for the first time after going sober and it was in an amusement park, so it seemed appropriate.
What was the mood like?
Like going to a reunion concert with the Beatles. Apart from that I can’t say I remember all that much. I was drunk too, so my memory fails me.
When’s the best time to listen to Eddie Meduza?
We usually listen to him on the boombox on the train, drinking and travelling the world to see Maiden.
Ever had foreigners listen to him during those trips?
Sure.
What did they think?
There was a group of Asian people who definitely liked him under threat.
What would you recommend to new listeners?
I prefer his political songs, about only voting for people that wank and things like that. I preferred the political songs when I was a kid too, but even more so now.
If you would meet the ghost of Eddie for a boozy night, what would you do?
Wank.
Massgrav released a cover of Eddie Meduza’s “Såssialdemokraterna” recently and when we asked them about it, they sent us this:
“If you mention the name Eddie Meduza a lot of people will wrinkle their pretty little noses. A lot of PC, chickenshit, careful-not-to-offend assholes that is—people who choose to get on their high horses because the Swedish King of Rock and Roll also had the habit of recording tapes containing poor humour and so called “obscenity.” Well, when you let a thing like that stand in the way of discovering and acknowledging the intelligent and funny fucking ROCKER that was Eddie Meduza, you’re making a complete ass of yourself.
Despite releasing a few truly classic albums during the golden first years of the 80s, Eddie never got the recognition he so richly deserved neither from the music establishment nor the general public. When we released a cover of “Såssialdemokraterna,” his most well known slur at the Swedish social democratic party, we were instantly faced with scorn and a complete lack of understanding from large parts of the so-called scene. The man gave you “Gasen i Botten,”[Put the Pedal to the Metal] “Volvo,” “Torsten Hällde Brännvin i ett Glas till Karin Söder” [Torsten Poured Aquavit in a Glas for Karin Söder] but you still can’t see past “Fruntimmer Ska en ha te å Knulla me” [Womenfolk are fer Fucking]?
Things may be about to change (too bad it’s five years too late)! Pretty-boy Hellström [of Broder Daniel–Ed.] recently recommended listening to Eddie in a major newspaper and here we are writing him up for Vice. But be warned. The genius of Eddie Meduza can be hard to recognize for people from the city or for people without any trace of sense of humour. It may be close to impossible to comprehend for people who wouldn’t recognize rock and roll if it took a huge bite out of their anus-bleached asses. Well, fuck you all. Hail Eddie Meduza! Kuken står!”
KAOS ULVEN
Massgrav/Yacöpsae 5″ split containing “Såssialdemokraterna” out now.
Doomsday Metal
All photos courtesy of www.event-media.se
