A Swedish man is now eligible for disability citing his addiction to heavy metal music. And yes, this is something that's been approved by the bureaucracy. Roger Tullgren's compulsion toward heavy guitar music began when he listened to his first Black Sabbath at the age of 2.
Now however, his desire for the form has apparently gotten to the point where it disrupts his ability to carry out a typical, full-time job. Tullgren reports attending upward of 300 concerts a year (and NME notes that he rocks long-hair and plenty of tattoos).
"I have been trying for 10 years to get this classified as a handicap," he said, according to the Global Post. "I spoke to three psychologists and they finally agreed that I needed this to avoid being discriminated against."
Tullgren currently works part-time as a dishwasher at a restaurant in Hassleholm, a venue that will apparently acquiesce to his needs. His employer allows him to wear what he wants to work (heavy metal t-shirts) and take off time for concerts as he needs. Tullgren is also allowed to listen to music as he does his work. Hopefully, for one, his coworkers in the dish room don't mind heavy metal and two, hopefully the law still requires him to wear a hair net.
Tullgren noted that the new diagnosis means that potential future employers won't be able to discriminate against him either...he can wear Napalm Death shirts to interviews and there won't be anything they can do about it. He reportedly visited three psychologists to get support for his push for disability benefits.
Our advice, if you don't live in Sweden: It might be tougher to get out of work this way than it sounds. And getting all those psychologists to comment on your behalf can't be cheap. Speaking of heavy metal and addiction...
