Ep. 11 - From Melancholic Anthems to Metal Music Creation: A Life of Travel and Transformation - A Life in Six Songs

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:08):
I don't know.
Hey everybody, welcome toanother episode of A Life in Six

(00:40):
Songs.
I'm your host, David Rees, andI'm joined by my co-hosts,
Carolina and Raza.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Hey, hey.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Hello For those of you new to the podcast, each
week we embark on an epicadventure to find the songs that
are stuck to us like audibletattoos, that tell the story of
who we are and where we've been,to help us figure out where
we're going.
It's a life story told throughsix songs.
We approach our conversationswith love, kindness and

(01:09):
curiosity to counter theprevalence of hate, anger and
judgment in the world.
Our goal is that by listeningto these stories, you can bring
more love, kindness andcuriosity into your own life.
With that, let's go have alisten together.

(01:32):
Our guest today is StefanNordstrom.
Stefan is an undergroundmusician, metal vocalist and
guitarist, digital nomad andcontent creator, mostly based in
Stockholm, sweden.
He has a background in extrememetal music and currently has
four musical projects going.
In 2019, stefan decided to quitthe nine to five and instead
live in a more passionate andhealthy way to experience more
in life.
Stefan, welcome to A Life inSix Songs.

(01:55):
Thank you very much.
All right, so to kick offbefore we get into your actual
six songs, we're going to warmup with just a general question.
Briefly, just tell us you knowwhat role music has played in
your life oh well, it's beenhuge.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
I would say like, uh, given the team themes of the
podcast, I think it matchesperfectly, like with
associations and like importantmoments in my life and like
especially with the songs andbands.
It's like very clearconnections to different parts
of my life.
So, like, as long as I canremember, it's been playing a
huge part and I think the partis just growing more and more

(02:31):
strong also.
So awesome.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
Thank you so much for that.

Speaker 2 (02:35):
All right, I'm gonna kick it over to carolina and
we're gonna get into your sixsongs yeah, I would imagine if,
if just based on your intro um,you know, making a big career
change and everything to justlive in this more like musically
authentic way really reallyshows what a big part of your
life music is.
Um to to start us off, what'syour earliest music memory?

Speaker 3 (02:57):
the song that I thought about is oh to my family
by cranberries that I heard alot in the early 90s not really
by choosing to hear it, it wasmore that it was was everywhere
and it's a song that I very,very much connect to being like
seven, eight years old yeahperiod.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
It really was everywhere during the time when,
when it came out and waspopular let's, let's have a
listen.
My mother, my father.

Speaker 4 (03:23):
She hold me she hold me whenever I dare.
My father, my father, he likeme, he like me, cause anyone can
hear.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
How does it feel listening to it now?
What kind of memories does itbring up for you?

Speaker 3 (03:46):
What kind of memories does itbring up for you?
It's mostly so.
I think it's very interesting,like how this song kind of
disappeared for me when itwasn't on the radio anymore.
And then when I was like in my30s and started exploring like
90s alternative music and thatstuff, then I started listening
to it again and then I realizedlike it has that melancholy to
it and I think that's what Iliked also about it when I was

(04:06):
seven or eight years old andheard it on the radio.
It has a feeling that resonatedwith me even then, but I wasn't
sure what it was, and so maybeI needed to listen to all of the
extreme music and become amusician to understand, to go
the long way, to understand whythis affects me so much as it
did back then, which I didn'tquite get back then.

Speaker 4 (04:26):
So I love that.
I love the idea of going backto music that we listened to and
and and liked, back when wewere, you know, 10, 10 years
younger, 20 years younger, um,but but then coming back to it
and then being able to identifywhat was it that you liked about
that song?
Right, I think.
Um, this idea of learningvocabulary, um, is, is is

(04:50):
interesting to me, meaning that,even though you can't define
what it was like with a word, um, you had to feel you had, you
had the same feeling and thennow, as an adult, you can say
that, look it, it was themelancholy in that song that
really resonated with you.
But the cool thing is, itsounds like your ears were still

(05:11):
tuned and resonating withsomething that was melancholic,
even though you didn't know thatthat's what that was at the
time.
But yeah, that's really cool.
Was there music in yourhousehold?
Did you grow up in sort of amusical family, you know,
parents, siblings, things likethat?

Speaker 3 (05:28):
Yeah, they were not playing music, but there was
like a lot of music in my house,but the thing is that my
parents were a lot older than Iam, so I mean they were
basically checking out oflooking up new music in like
1970.
So it was like they were likewhen the Beatles and Rolling
Stones came around, they stoppedchecking out new music.
I had a lot of 50s and 60s,especially instrumental guitar

(05:54):
music and stuff like that.
I think that is definitely inthe back of my head when I write
music and stuff like thatsometimes, even though I don't
actively think about it.
I think it's still a part of themusical vocabulary.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
Make it left an imprint yeah, yeah, absolutely,
absolutely, yeah, and I I lovehow that happens.
You know, kind of going back towhat raza was saying and and
what you said, stefan, about,like you know, you connected to
this in some way when you, whenyou heard this cranberry song in
the other music at at the time,um, but it wasn't until later

(06:27):
that you sort of like workedyour way back to it and said, oh
yeah, this is why I'm kind ofkind of digging it and stuff
like that, and I always findthat really, really fascinating
in that sense, because it's likewe we have these moments in our
young childhood that areformative, but we don't fully
understand them until we kind ofgo back and, uh, you know,

(06:48):
check them out.

Speaker 3 (06:48):
So yeah, I appreciate that early 90s.
I think it's it's very true forme because, like there were so
many songs that I heard and Iwasn't even sure which band it
was playing them, like you know,right in 3, 94, 95, less.
As I also like thought aboutthe pesh mode was also another
one of those bands that I waslike I didn't know who Depeche
Mode were and then I startedlistening to them maybe 10 years

(07:09):
later and I realized, oh, thatsong is actually by them.

Speaker 1 (07:13):
Right, exactly, yeah, and it's cool too in that way.
I think it's that whole thingof like, you know, we should
stay a child our whole life andstuff, and because what happens
when we're young?
We sort of just absorb whatever.
We're not worried about whatgenre it is or if it's cool or
not, it's just like that's anamazing song, that's cool, I
like hearing it.

Speaker 3 (07:33):
I think I made a turn there, kind of like, from being
very open and then I becamethis like extreme metalhead type
person for a very long time andhad a very close-minded taste
for a very long time and thenmaybe in my late 20s, I started
opening up again and then I justrealized that a good song is a
good song basically, and then Ireturned also to a lot of music
that I considered maybe stupid,like grunge or stuff like that,

(07:53):
and realized that, oh, this isjust about the song in the end.

Speaker 4 (07:59):
I think we're all speaking from the same sort of
experience, because one, we'reall kids of the 90s, so we have
this like just just this, reallylike intrinsic love for that.
That era of music whether itwas grunge, whether it was metal
, whether it was alternative,whether it was there were so
many different sort of musicalmovements that were, that were

(08:21):
happening then.
Musical movements that werehappening then and which now, as
an adult, I think so you know,two of your other hosts are also
.
You know, we've all dabbled inmusic in some ways, so we were
sort of music nerds in that way.
But I definitely find myselfgoing back and if I'm playing
like a guitar lick, I'll thinkback and go.

(08:43):
I think I heard this somewherein some random 90s thing, some
little nugget which has thenlike filtered over time and then
it comes out as somethingcompletely new.
I think that that's how a lotof musicians, you know, do
things.
It's like acting as a musicalfilter and taking some of those
old influences and then theycome out in this unique way.

(09:04):
So that that's really cool tohear so we'll.

Speaker 2 (09:07):
We'll move ahead here to your next song.
Um, you know, as as wecontemplate, like our, our
childhood or past, or certainmemories that really stick out
for us, what's a song that whenyou hear it, you're instantly
transported to a specific timeor place, we'll listen to it and
then get to know where thatsong takes you.

Speaker 3 (09:29):
Yeah, the song is Porcelain by Moby.
It's a song that I also havelike very early memories with,
just because it was one of thosesongs that was also everywhere
in the late 90s.
It was all over TV and it waslike a very, very commercial
song.
But it's also one of thosesongs that has this
unidentifiable melancholy to itand this was a song that I

(09:50):
actually didn't stop listeningto.
I've loved this song since,like I don't know, it came out
in like 1998 or 99 or somethingyeah, that's awesome.

Speaker 2 (09:59):
Let's take a listen.
I never meant to lie, so wheredoes this song transport you to?

Speaker 3 (10:19):
to that time period, I would say when I'm maybe like
12, 13 years old, living at myparents place.
It's also like pre my realmusical interest.
I just remember like hearingthis song all over tv shows and
stuff and like it catches my earsomehow.
But I didn't really engage withit until later.
But it was one of those songsthat definitely like it has a

(10:41):
strong connection to that timeand it stayed with me definitely
also when did you get into sortof playing music yourself?

Speaker 1 (10:49):
was it around this time, or were you starting
already and this kind of took itin a certain direction, or this
was right?

Speaker 3 (10:56):
before, actually maybe like two or three years
before I started playing guitarand I got really heavily
interested in music.
So it's it's interesting thatthe song is kind of from the
period when I was leastinterested in music.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
I ran into it, which probably tells a lot about the
power of the song actually, Sure, and I think at an age I think
you said like 12 or 13, likeadolescence, we're starting to
have all of these feelings, someextreme feelings about things,
trying to figure out our placein the world, our voice, finding
our voice.
That's like a very delicate age, I think, and sometimes a theme

(11:32):
I've noticed with this show iswe don't really pick the songs,
but the songs kind of pick us inthat way.

Speaker 3 (11:40):
I don't know if you had a similar feeling, because
you may not pick that song today, but at the time like seemed to
really just stay with you yeah,I think the case with that one
is it's definitely like that,because I mean I never willingly
turned on that song until maybelike five, seven, eight years
later than hearing it for thefirst time.
So it was more that I heard iton like I think it was on like

(12:01):
the movie the beach and a lot ofstuff like that, and it fits
perfectly with the themes andthe whole whole atmosphere of
that and I think I connected itthat way also.
So it's really I think you'redefinitely right there, because
you're so impressionable also atthat point.

Speaker 1 (12:17):
So it sticks, yeah, absolutely, and it's sort of
like that thing of um, you know,when you hear it you can be
where have you been all my life?
Like it just like thatimmediate, like it's like, oh my
goodness, I feel understood bythis song.
Like this song gets me and Iget it right.

(12:40):
At that age, 12, 13, you'restarting to become, you have a
sense of yourself as a self,right, and you're sort of like
making your stake in the worldof here's who I am, here's kind
of what I feel and believe andstuff, and so when you find a
song that just hits just right,you're like, yes, this is
perfect.

Speaker 3 (13:00):
Yeah, and just like the Cranberry song, this is also
like a very melancholic song.

Speaker 1 (13:10):
And that was also something I didn't really
reflect on back then.
Right, right, right, you'rejust like it just connects.
You're not like, oh, I likethis kind of melancholy, sad
feeling song.

Speaker 3 (13:14):
You're just like this feels right, this is yeah,
exactly because that's the stuffthat I started reflecting on
again, maybe like seven yearslater than that, so it makes it
very interesting were yousomeone who paid attention to to
lyrics back then, or was itmore just the feeling from the
music than the chords and chordprogressions and things like
that?
I think I started caring aboutlyrics when I became a metalhead

(13:37):
, like around when I was 14, 14,15, started listening to
metallica stuff like that.
Then that started becoming apart of it.

Speaker 4 (13:44):
Nice, yeah, yeah, I mean you can't have a better
metal lyricist than JamesHetfield, right?
It's like when everyone else issinging about, I don't know,
black leather and flames andSatan, he has the genius of
thinking about politicalstatements and drug references
and the ills, things like that.
I didn't realize.

(14:06):
And it sounds like in this songmoby is is singing because I
always thought of him as like um, like an instrumental uh person
and he would have guests, guestpeople come in, I think when
stefani was the one that Iremember, um driving to the east
side or whatever that song, um,but I think this is moby
singing in this song, which isinteresting.
Yeah, and it is melancholy.

(14:26):
I wouldn't, um, I wasassociated him with like nike
commercials, not not really deep, like introspective.

Speaker 3 (14:33):
you know sad, sad music, but yeah, it's fantastic
yeah, he's kind of an underratedsongwriter because you think of
this very commercial kind oftechno guy, but he's written
some of the saddest musicactually yeah yeah, absolutely
and to me, this, this song, likethe second you hear it kick in,
um, you know it's perfectbecause the question is a song

(14:56):
that transports you somewhereelse and it, this does it.

Speaker 1 (14:59):
This song does it for me too.
Like you can't hear this songand just boom, be right back in
that time.
Um, because it's just such aperfect representation of that
time.
Um, for me, it reminds me ofthat uh val kilmer movie with
elizabeth shu, uh the saint.
Um, I don't know if this songwas in it, but I think there was

(15:20):
maybe a moby song in it.
But it just has that same kindof vibe and techno and kind of
music and it's like right atthat time, like later 90s and
everything.

Speaker 3 (15:28):
And yeah, it was a very characteristic time.
I think it's not not only likethat.
I was in such an impressionableage.
I think it was like a lot ofunique stuff going on, like 97,
98, 99.

Speaker 2 (15:39):
100% for me to it.
So in 1998, I was I wasstudying abroad in England and
when I hear the song it takes melike right back to a fall,
gloomy, rainy London of thatyear.
But it was a pivotal year.
We were reaching like 2000s.
It felt like kind of the end ofa period of time before like

(16:01):
things got chaotic with like Y2Kin 2000 and all that kind of
stuff.
So it was like this really likeinteresting little bubble of a
time, the late 90s.

Speaker 4 (16:08):
I felt like this was before cell phones and social
media.
So we were like forced to justdigest all this music and
entertainment and pop culturethat was happening at the time,
which just so happened that itwas really, really good you know
good pieces of entertainment inthere too.
But yeah, how was it like I'mgoing to ask a completely, you

(16:32):
know, sort of novice question,but you know, growing up in, did
you grow up in Stockholm, andif so, you know how was it sort
of like city life for you, ordid you grow up in the outskirts
?
Can you describe some of thatexperience?
Give us a little taste of whatlife in Sweden was like for
young Stefan at age 13.

Speaker 3 (16:55):
I grew up in the suburbs outside Stockholm in a
very typical kind of middleclass area.
So it was just like basicallyworking people, not not much
going on, like very comfortableupbringing and like really like
pretty simple.
I would say just uh, not rich,not poor, just normal swedish

(17:16):
stuff and it's not that much,not that much to say about.
It's like not that much going on, really, just yeah it's a very
normal upbringing going toschool and then coming home and,
and and listening to music yeah, I mean, I had a brief period
for like two, three years aroundthis when I was gaming a lot.
So I was basically like acomplete hermit, just gaming and

(17:37):
gaming, and gaming.
So that that was what I luckilysacrificed when I started doing
the musician thing.
So I didn't have space for both.
So luckily the musician stuffcame in which was good, because
if I would have gotten stuckwith the gaming I don't know
would have probably been a verydifferent life.

Speaker 1 (17:56):
Absolutely.
And I'm like I'm sure thegaming kind of set you up well
to do the musician musicianthing, because it's a similar,
it's's a different activity, butit's a similar sort of um uh
environment in that way.
Right, gaming you're sort ofsitting in the room in front of
the you know screen and you'replaying and you're kind of
investing a lot of time and thenwhen you start writing music

(18:17):
and listening to music, you'redoing the exact same thing.
Right, it's a lot of it's noton stage performing all the time
.
It it's a lot of alone in yourroom writing chords and writing
music and writing songs andstuff like that.
That you kind of sit with it inthat same way.
I know, like playing video gamesyou can kind of lose track of
time, right.
You sort of like oh my goodness, it's midnight or 2am or
something like that, and writingmusic can be similar, right,

(18:39):
you lose yourself in it.
Did you feel that similarityfrom a transition into, like
gaming, into music?
Was it a similar kind of feelor did it like, was it a?
Did it feel like a kind of 180shift for you when you made that
change?

Speaker 3 (18:51):
I think it was kind of a logical overlap, especially
in the listening part, becausethere was like a lot of
alternative people in swedenthat were very into gaming so
naturally all the gamer peoplewere often into metal music.
So like a lot of the earlymusic that I listened to, I
actually found through peoplethat I was gaming with.

(19:12):
Because this was still likepre-Google, pre-social media
times.
So when people found greatbands for you, it was like
absolutely invaluable and thiscould have been like really I
mean bands that would have beentaking five seconds to find on
spotify now, and I mean right,right.
And when someone gave you thatlink to a down to download an
album by like in flames orsomething like that really big

(19:34):
band, it was still like amiracle back then.
So it it was absolutely thegaming played its part, for sure
, in the.

Speaker 2 (19:41):
Oh, that's so cool that's so cool, so cool.

Speaker 1 (19:44):
We've talked a lot on this show about that, about
sort of the currency of musicand how it gets like exchanged
and migrates and you know, youhave a cousin who you know is
from New York or you knowsomewhere else and they come
back home after their summeraway and they bring back music
and it's like oh my goodness,and all the different ways, and
so that's really cool to hearhow the gaming community was a

(20:08):
way people were sharing musicbefore.
We just could, like you said,punch something into Spotify and
kind of find whatever we kindof want.
That's really cool.

Speaker 3 (20:15):
Yeah, I do have a lot of memories from the era I
haven't been through the realproper CD era, but still just
the era when you found music ontv was also very interesting,
because you kind of had to waitfor your song to come on again
and you barely knew who did thesong and right that stuff.
And then transitioning to thiskind of file sharing era where

(20:36):
you still couldn't use spotifyand it was still super hard to
find information and I mean nowit's just like you can google
death metal bands and you have500 of them.
It's a whole different game.

Speaker 4 (20:45):
Yeah, yeah, I remember the.
I don't know if you guysremember Headbangers Ball right.
That show on MTV was likededicated to metal and then,
right when metal was gettinggood, like when Pantera's Far
Beyond Driven came out theydecided at least in the States,

(21:05):
MTV canceled Headbangers Ball.
So it's like oh God why.
But that, I think, led toStefan what you're talking about
, which is like you know folks,that people that are into metal,
the sort of underground music.
There was very limited outletsfor finding new music and, I
think, gaming.
You're absolutely right.
I remember some of the like, uh, some of our heavier bands.

(21:29):
You would hear their sort ofsingle but attached to um, to
like a video game that came out.
I know, like typo did, did uhum, one of their, one of their
singles.
They couldn't get it on onheadbanger's ball but it came
out on a game called blood backin the day.
It was right in the like mid,mid, late 90s or so that's the
most appropriate game for typonegative.

(21:51):
My goodness I remember likebeing in my college dorm and
downloading the game just to getthe video version of I think it
was like my girlfriend'sgirlfriend that was a single at
the time and I only got itbecause of the song, not
necessarily the game.
I wasn't really a big gamer.
But yeah, this video gamereleases was like this

(22:16):
commercial way of getting accessto underground music, newer,
up-and coming underground music,and yeah, and then Napster
happened and then that was thelead-in to Spotify and and yeah,
and then, you know, the napsterhappened and then that was the
lead into spotify and applemusic and all the streaming
stuff.
But yeah, no, it's really cool.

Speaker 3 (22:30):
Yeah, that's the real struggles.
I can remember like havingthose early file sharing
platforms and trying to downloadsomething, and I think I had
like dial up and it was like 20minutes to get one song and I'm
trying to trying to findsomething that was actually the
real song, which exactly alsowas.

Speaker 1 (22:48):
So it was a lot of challenges back then and then
someone would call the house andcut off your download and you'd
lose the whole thing oh mygoodness, angry if somebody
picked up the phone, oh mygoodness.

Speaker 3 (22:58):
Then my mom got like the bill for the telephone and
it was like seven times higherthan it was supposed to be.
Why are you?

Speaker 1 (23:09):
calling Russia all the time I'm downloading music
mom.

Speaker 2 (23:17):
It's super cool to hear the journey and the
progression to things.
We see that a lot as a theme onthe show too.
Like deviations in folks umjourney throughout their lives.
Because you had this, you know,brief stint of of gaming and
somebody could say, well, youknow, you could have been
playing music that whole time ordid you feel like that was a

(23:37):
waste or whatever?
But that's what led you to thecommunity, which exposed you to
certain music which, like youknow, um, what do you say, david
, like the universe doesn't makemistakes, right, all the things
that we like go through lead usin our path.
That'll lead us to our nextquestion here, when we start to
really really kind of get intoyour musical tastes and exposure

(24:00):
to music.
What was a memorable time whenyou were first exposed to a
band's artist or music?
What was the song?
Maybe we'll take a listen andthen and then I'll ask, maybe,
like, who played it for you andand what did that feel like?

Speaker 3 (24:14):
the song I thought about that made like such a huge
transition is also from thistime.
It's the song crawling byLinkin Park that I actually saw
on on tv and it was one of thosesongs that I was kind of
hunting on the TV to come backbecause I didn't know which band
it was by and it was very coolbut I had no idea what it was.

Speaker 2 (24:30):
Awesome, let's take a listen.
It's a really good song.
So what was it like, thisexposure to this band and this

(24:59):
artist and this song for you?

Speaker 3 (25:01):
I think they were just so right on time with their
music, like especially forpeople that are born like 85, 86
, 87 they all, like everyonethat I know that are from Sweden
and born around this era, hasthis album.
So it was like they just madebasically the perfect album for
people my age who were like sortof into alternative music but

(25:22):
didn't dare to take the step yet.
And this is.
This is kind of dark anddepressive, but it's also
commercial enough for people whoare not really into rock or
metal yet to kind of dive intoit.
For me it was like I saw themusic video and I heard the
music on tv and I was like thereis something about this that
was just.
It was like immediate, justlike what is this?

(25:44):
and I was it was once again likewhy is this so exciting?
I wasn't sure about, but Iwanted to listen to it, like
over and over again yeah, thiswas a great record all around.

Speaker 4 (25:53):
Um, this was, I think , the first time that, uh, that
we've heard sort of commercial,um sort of screaming right in
like, like screaming growlingvocals, but there was still like
melody in there.
And then there was like sort ofthe hip-hop, um influences and
and um and then and the beatsthat it had a guy doing

(26:14):
electronics and and uh yeah yeah, yeah wiki wiki wiki why and,
by the way, for for those of uswho were born slightly before,
uh, you know 85, 86, this it wascool to see sort of like the
next era of uh, of of what, what, heavier music, but but melodic

(26:36):
music would look like, I think,for us day for you, and I was
like, I mean, I was born in 1980and for for me, like the
breakthrough was metallica'sblack album.
Right, it was the first timethat it's like it was just
everywhere and you had no idea.
Uh, that wow, these, these guysplaying really heavy, heavy
music, chuggy guitars, yeah,talking about nightmares and
stuff, and all of a sudden it'slike the super bowl, you know

(26:58):
theme song, um, I think lincolnpark lincoln park did that a few
years later for the nextgeneration.

Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yeah, and even for us that were, you know, late 70s,
early 80s, I think it did thesame thing.
Right, because this is thattransition to new metal.
Right, but not so much right,like you said, we've got two
vocalists here, we got someonesinging, we got someone rapping,
we've got a person doingturntable stuff, but it wasn't

(27:27):
to the extreme of like LimpBizkit or something like that.
That was, like you know, reallyjust kind of like hip hop metal
together and really taking itup, and so it was this way of
like, like Stefan you said, allthese people that were kind of
into a little bit alternative,maybe indie songwriter, some
hip-hop and stuff this was likeeveryone could gravitate towards

(27:48):
this and then it was like, allright, what's next after this?

Speaker 3 (27:52):
yeah, because melody and production wise I mean it's
it's pure pop, right, and theymake and they really put it
together so well because, likeit has the extreme edge in the
darkness but it's also simpleenough.
Mean, I was listening to likeboy band music at this point
almost so still I couldunderstand the language of this.
Sure, they really found themiddle ground there.

Speaker 2 (28:15):
Yeah, so in like the timeline of your life at this
point, were you playing anythingyet?
Or was this kind of thecatalyst for, like I might want
to actually play some musicmyself?

Speaker 3 (28:29):
this was right before , I would say, because I had the
transition from this and then Istarted listening to as I would
have said back then real metalmusic like iron maiden and
metallica.
I like got absolutely obsessedwith metallica and iron maiden
like maybe one year afterhearing this.
And then when I think aboutLinkin Park, if you would ask me

(28:50):
what I would have thought aboutLinkin Park in the 20s, I would
have said this is the biggesttrash that ever existed.
And now I've gotten back to thepoint where I'm really still
appreciating it because thesinging is amazing for one, but
I wasn't playing instruments yet.
I think I was 14, 15 when Istarted picking up the guitar
and started understanding andthat's when the real deep music
interest kicked in.

(29:10):
I think at this point it wasstill a bit superficial.
But this album definitely inthe trajectory of what I was
listening to is super importantBecause I think it could have
gone a completely different wayif I didn't have this kind of
mid-transition bands that got meto death metal, because I had
to transition first throughMetallica and Iron Maiden and

(29:32):
then through lighter extrememetal music, like the more
melodic stuff.
It took me getting from this tolistening to death metal and
thrash metal music.
It still took me maybe three orfour years of adapting to how
it sounds and how it feels andkind of progressing more and
more extreme yeah, you gottacrawl first, then you can walk
and then you can run right.

Speaker 1 (29:52):
If we just try to make you run right out of the
gate, it might be like I'm notready for that.
Um, and I really appreciate yousharing this and really these
first three songs have beenthese kind of.
We see this progression in youand your sort of musical taste
and musical growth and I thinkthat's something that you know
we really try and do with thisshow, because a lot of times we

(30:12):
can be in our 20s or 30s orwhatever and look back and be
like, yeah, I had my grungephase or I had my, you know, new
metal phase, or I had my boyband pop phase or whatever it
might be, and we can kind offeel like, oh, I should have
known better, I should have beencooler back then, or whatever.
And it's like it's just so.
Not about that, right, it'sabout how the ones lead you to

(30:33):
the other and it's all thisjourney we're on and you can't
get to where you are today,making the music you are,
listening to the music you arewithout going through those in
that way.

Speaker 3 (30:43):
It's not something to regret, it's something to kind
of put in the perspective and goyeah, that's part of my journey
yeah, like I mean, of course,there are bands where I think,
still think, like what was Ithinking when I was listening to
this?
Of course but in case of, incase of lincoln park, I can
understand the and I can alsoappreciate just that, like the

(31:03):
productional elements and likethe singing is absolutely
amazing.

Speaker 1 (31:06):
So that part is also yeah, yeah, even if you're not
throwing it on, still now, right, we have those bands and groups
that maybe were from 20 yearsago that we still put on or,
like I, still like it today.
We might not be doing it withcertain of these bands, but we
can at least appreciate it forwhat it was at the time and for
us, yeah, because in the casewith the of these bands, but we
can at least appreciate it forwhat it was at the time and for
us.

Speaker 3 (31:25):
Yeah, because in the case with the Cranberry song and
the Moby song, I mean that Istill listen actively to
definitely yeah.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
Do you still actively listen to Linkin Park?

Speaker 3 (31:35):
No, but I did hear a really good Linkin Park cover by
one of my favorite singers.
That was really amazing.
So that one I actually listenedto because it's kind of a
singer-songwriter version of aLinkin Park song, sure.
So I can appreciate thesongwriting aspect, but I don't
think.
I'm listening to Hybrid Theory.

Speaker 1 (32:01):
So much for getting the episode shared by lincoln
park.

Speaker 4 (32:03):
Just kidding we're just kidding, just kidding I, I
heard, uh, I heard the craziestcover.
Uh, this, this is lincoln parkcovering an adele song and it
was at some I think it was likethe iTunes festival.
It was amazing.
It was like Chester's range butdoing Adele's vocals and it was

(32:23):
just him and Mike Shinoda onpiano and it was amazing, it was
spectacular.
So the three of us grew up inSouth Florida and we have a very
specific genre of musicassociated with South Florida
from that period, from the early90s, which is booty music,
which is hip hop, dance, party,right, that's, that's, that's

(32:48):
sort of that.
That's South Florida to thebone.
But different areas havedifferent.
You know musical affiliationsand Sweden and you know
Scandinavia I mean metal anddeath metal and heavy music is
like, when I think of Sweden, Ithink of heavy music and just

(33:08):
like just getting it right anddoing it right, and then there's
so many different offshoots andstuff from your, you know,
opeth to Ghost at the Gates, youknow.
But as someone who lives inSweden, who kind of grew up
there as this, you know Swedishmetal was becoming like a thing.
How was it for for you locally,like, were you guys?

(33:31):
Was it like, were you guys coolwith it?
Was it like?
Were you guys cool with it?
Were you guys, was it sort of amatter of pride that look, this
genre that comes from the placethat we're living in?
And so how did you guys feelabout it being in Sweden at the
time, you know, in the early 90s, mid 90s and give me, if you
can give me, your perspective ofhow it was for you guys.

Speaker 3 (33:55):
I don't think there was like a Swedishedish, like
swedish pride type element to it, but there was definitely, like
in sweden.
It's so different, like, if youlike, if I go meet people in
portugal, for instance, that aremetalheads from my age and I
mean they were like a smallclique that got bullied and they
were super weird and toeveryone and that kind of stuff,
and in in sweden it was morelike, I mean, every class of 30

(34:18):
people had like three or fourpeople in our iron maiden shirt.
So I mean it was in that way.
It's it was cool it was verydifferent compared to other
countries because there is likeand you can still see that like.
If you pass by a high schoolyou will see like the metal or
at least like some kind ofalternative clique of people.
So I think in that way it's verydifferent in the nordic
countries because it's sonormalized and I think you can

(34:40):
see that in in workplaces also,because like they're I mean most
metalheads in sweden they'reworking like office jobs it or
they're teachers or whatever.
So it's and that's somethingthat you can definitely like.
Spot that it's extremelydifferent in like south america
and stuff, that the metalheadsare more pure metalheads and
they're maybe not so interestedin the career stuff.

Speaker 2 (35:02):
Now I'm generalizing, but it's more that type of vibe
, so just more mainstreamculturally than maybe it would
be in other regions of the worldor other countries.

Speaker 3 (35:14):
I think even in the 90s it was just so normalized
because there were simply somany people and so many bands.

Speaker 4 (35:22):
Yeah, so it's more acceptable, so to speak.
I remember I was a so I'm anattorney by trade and I remember
living in Milwaukee many yearsago and I walked into court one
day and the lead prosecutor hadlike a neck tattoo, but wearing

(35:42):
a full suit, and then and madethe most like eloquent legal
arguments and I was just like,ok, so I know, this dude is
affiliated with metal somehowand he's, you know, of sound
mind and and and an argument andit's and it's completely
acceptable and it's normal and Ithink over the years it's just
it's become acceptable.
But maybe in some of the moreup and coming countries, like I

(36:02):
know, I mean so I grew up in, Igrew up in Pakistan, which is
not the Middle East, but I meanit is a Muslim country, but the
idea of like metal and tattoosand things like that is still
immediately you have thisassociated association with
things, like you know, satanismand devil worship as opposed to,
and it immediately labelspeople as outcasts as opposed to

(36:26):
just being.
Hey, I like heavy music andthat's okay.
It seems like in Sweden.
There was much more of the look.
It's much more acceptable.
There isn't anything to fearthere.
It's just music, it's justentertainment of sorts.

Speaker 3 (36:39):
Yeah, especially after I went to other cultures
and seen metalhead people there,I realized that we were kind of
blessed because especially whenI was in Egypt I noticed I met
a gang of metalhead people inCairo and when they were walking
around in public places peoplewere staring at them like
they're aliens.
Basically it was a very weirdattitude places people were like
staring at them like they'realiens, basically, and like very
, very, very weird attitudetowards them.

Speaker 4 (36:59):
So it's definitely different in many different
other places give it I, I think,give it time, right, I think,
time time has this, this amazinguh thing of healing things, and
I think, just uh, you know it'san education thing as well.
Um, um, yeah, I think that'sall I had to say about that.

Speaker 2 (37:20):
I'm watching you going somewhere right real time
rosa rosa was like in alldifferent countries.

Speaker 1 (37:25):
Right now living life well I I remember, um.

Speaker 4 (37:29):
So you know, I I think one of the reasons, stefan
, why I reached out to you oninstagram was I saw, you know,
I'm like this guy is travelingall over the place, um, and and
and and just it seemed to becoming from the same place that
our podcast is coming from,which is, you know, opening
minds.
You know there's an educationfactor, being curious about the

(37:50):
world, judgment free and thingslike that.
And I saw one of your posts Ithink it was the one from Egypt,
and it immediately reminded meof the Slayer video, seasons of
the Abyss, which was filmed infront of pyramids, and I'm like,
okay, look man, if Egypt canwelcome Slayer for a video shoot
, and then, 20, 30 years later,my boy, stefan, is over there.

(38:11):
Things can change, change ispossible.
I got so many Slayer commentson those.
You know things can change.
You know change is possible.

Speaker 3 (38:17):
And and and and.
Yeah, I got so many Slayercomments on those pictures also.

Speaker 4 (38:24):
Was it Slayer or was it Slayer?

Speaker 3 (38:28):
Yeah, it was definitely Caps Lock.
At least there you go Caps Lock.

Speaker 4 (38:32):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (38:35):
Yeah, I think it's exposure.
It's exposure to differentpeople, to different genres, to
different musics, and havinggood experiences with those
folks.
That ends up kind of breakingsome biases and barriers.

Speaker 3 (38:48):
And I feel like I'm kind of a very work-in-progress
person also, so I still have noidea what I want to do with my
life, even though I'mapproaching 40.
So that helps also to keep anopen mind because, like I
haven't really decided onanything when it comes to the
future.
So that makes all of that stuffmuch easier also, I think.

Speaker 2 (39:05):
Totally, let's kind of take a little step to the
side here of just like kind ofeveryday life.
For for you, um, I think I hopewe get more to your travels
because it's it's you seem tohave a really, really
interesting um journey.
But for for our next song,what's a song that you

(39:25):
intimately connect with anotheractivity, like a, like a book or
a location or a trip?
What kind of song do you tie tothat?

Speaker 3 (39:34):
I chose my feel good travel song monte cristo by
klimp 1918, like an italianshoegaze band, because it's a
song that I think of always whenI think about like new
beginnings and startingsomething interesting.
This I always put on this songlike if I'm sitting on an
airplane or whatever.
It's always there.
So it's a very much like atraveling song for me awesome,
let's.

Speaker 2 (39:54):
I love it.

(40:18):
It's super cool.
Tell us about what you tie itto.
I think you said travel, yeah.

Speaker 3 (40:25):
Yeah, I have this initial memory because I started
solo traveling very late,before I got really into it, and
it was winter of 2018.
I went on my first solo trip toLisbon and then I was walking,
walking I think it was like fouror five o'clock in the morning.
I was going to the airport,walking through stockholm like
super dark, and then I had thissong on and it kind of that's

(40:46):
why it's so tied to like newbeginnings and traveling because
I remember that specific memoryand that trip was like
extremely transitional, like Imet a lot of people that are
longtime friends and I startedbands in portugal and I keep
returning.
I'm going to portugal tomorrow.
So, sorry, ironically so.
So it's uh, it's one like thissong, especially like, like I
told you like, uh, on airplanesand stuff, if I'm, if I'm on an

(41:09):
air, starting an airplanejourney or if I'm starting a
whole trip, I usually put thissong on as like a starter kick
to kind of get into the rightmood, because it has that.
And this band is very specialtoo because they have this kind
of it's hard to explain likethis kind of happy, sad, double
feel to it.
It's very nostalgic, it's kindof romantic nostalgic but also
sad at the same time.
They have very like, very weirdvibe to it that I haven't

(41:32):
really found in any other bandthis song is just like.

Speaker 1 (41:36):
I mean it's perfect because it's your song and it's
your interview.
So whatever song it was isperfect.
But from the outside it'sperfect too, because if we were
like, when you just said, like,going to the airport at four or
five, am you walking throughdowntown stockholm to get there?
Whatever this song is like, ifwe were going to make a movie of
it, this is, this is a song wewould pick.

(41:57):
It's like just perfect from theoutside too.

Speaker 3 (42:00):
Yeah, really love it yeah, it's a very special band.
I'm seeing them live for thefirst time also this summer, so
that's going to be amazing,awesome, that's super cool.

Speaker 2 (42:08):
I hadn't heard of them, but their music did remind
me of a band I really likecalled the naked and famous had.
Uh has a little bit of asimilar sound, so I'm definitely
going to check them out.

Speaker 3 (42:18):
I haven't heard it.
Are they like alternative rockor something like that?

Speaker 2 (42:21):
Okay, I need to check that out.
It's got a little bit of asimilar kind of melodic like
instrumental sound.

Speaker 3 (42:27):
Great, that sounds cool.

Speaker 4 (42:29):
While you were mentioning the song, I was
imagining, you know, orlandoExpress and Central Station in
Stockholm.
I was there with my son lastyear and, yeah, putting that
song, just that little excerpt,I can imagine just sort of
sitting in the middle of CentralStation and just watching the

(42:49):
chaos of people, you know, goingto work, coming home from work,
escalators up and down, uh, youknow, uh, lattes um in hand and
uh, and, and yeah, it's a, it'sreally cool.
I'll, I'll, I'll, I willaffiliate this song with with
stockholm and travel, I thinkmoving forward as well, that's

(43:10):
great, then you can try using itfor the same purpose and see if
it fits yeah, that's right.

Speaker 1 (43:14):
Yeah, it's definitely going on my travel flying list
for sure.

Speaker 4 (43:19):
Yeah, yeah, it's perfect and I've actually never
heard of this, this band, or arethey banned or so?
Like a solo act type?

Speaker 3 (43:25):
thing they are banned .
They're from italy, but I thinkthat they don't play live that
often and they don't promotethemselves very well, like the
people who are into them areextremely into them, but they
haven't really gotten verymainstream, despite being quite
catchy and I mean they're notvery extreme band.

Speaker 2 (43:40):
So they definitely have possibility to be more
mainstream, I think, if theywill try I think it's super cool
that you associated with travelbecause it's not just any trip,
right, you aren't going like onholiday, you know, and a break
from from school or somethinglike that.
Like this was kind of the startof what has become your, your
somewhat kind of I don't want tocall it like nomadic, but very

(44:02):
travel driven life, right.

Speaker 3 (44:05):
Yeah, I mean, if you compare my life seven or eight
years ago, I had no idea it wasgoing to be like this for sure
Cause, like when I was in mytwenties, I was just like, oh,
career money, career money,that's everything you can do, do
.
And then this kind of opened up, I think maybe I watched some
youtube videos and stuff aboutbecause the digital nomad stuff
was emerging around then, right,I was naively thinking that, oh

(44:26):
, this is going to be so I cando it like that.
And then it's, of course, likeit was a big transition to learn
how to do it properly andsustainably.
But I think I think, uh, likebefore that I had no notion that
I will would ever do this stuffbefore I did the first solo
trip.

Speaker 2 (44:41):
So it it was like 2018, 2019, 2020, like I changed
pretty much everything I cansee how a song like that will
stick with you because it's areal shift in like your life
trajectory but it's such, a,such a nice thing to have.

Speaker 3 (44:56):
Like, if I'm on an airplane taking off and I'm
going away for three months andthen having that particular song
to put on to get kind of intothe right, right mindset of the
trip, I think it's like justperfect to have something like
that.
Sure, I mean, I have multiplesongs for that, but this one is
definitely definitely a numberone.

Speaker 4 (45:12):
Do you plan out your sort of travel?
I guess not travel journeys,but I guess your sort of
extended itinerary for the year,like, for example, right now?
I mean, do you have the rest of2024 sort of mapped out in
terms of places that you want totravel?

Speaker 3 (45:38):
Or is it just more spontaneous, sort of whatever
spur of the moment idea mightseem cool at the time.
I'm usually like, maybe like ayear ahead oh, not in exact
plans, but in what I can affordto do and how I can do it.
So sure, I for next year.
I already have an apartment inportugal for a couple of months
in, I think, february, somethinglike that.
But then I'm going to SouthAmerica before and that's only
very loosely planned at thispoint, because planning the last

(46:00):
South America trip was like oof, so I kind of Just roll with it
, yeah exactly, but I also havea lot of smaller trips this year
.
I'm going to Portugal for acycle trip tomorrow and then in
the summer I'm going to do theusual metal thing go to a few
festivals.
So that's gonna be basically it, because I sometimes I feel

(46:22):
like I'm not even using myapartment in stockholm at all.
So I'm trying to trying to atleast be home for a few months
of the year.

Speaker 4 (46:28):
So it's nice, nice actually.
David and I were talking aboutsome of the cool places that
we'd want to hit in stockholm,uh, starting with that amazing,
uh 2112 burger place in ingothenburg, the one that, um,
the guys from inflames I guessare part owners, peter and bjorn
from from inflames oh, I didn'tknow they had one.

Speaker 3 (46:50):
but also, like I don't think I've been in
gothenburg for for like 10 plusyears, so I'm actually going
there this summer a little bit.
So check it out then.
It's probably one of thosethings.

Speaker 1 (47:03):
For the Swedes, it's like this is just another
music-themed restaurant out ofthe millions we have here, but
for us from the other side andme being a big Rush fan the
restaurant being named 2112 islike yes, yeah, they got it just
right.

Speaker 3 (47:19):
Yeah, but it's.
It's really nice for people whoare coming to stockholm and
goffenberg, because you havethis list of sites.
I mean you, you already havelike 10 or 15 things that you
can push in there easily.
Like in stockholm you have thebiggest cemetery with the cross,
that it's like the entombedband picture and you have all
that stuff, and I mean it's it'skind of endless, like like when
I, when I have, when I havepeople here, like we barely in

(47:41):
in a week we can barely getthrough the stuff that they want
to see, because so much, sosure yeah, next, next visit to
stockholm.

Speaker 4 (47:48):
I'm gonna get in touch with you ahead of time
because I'm kicking myself,because there are so many
landmarks and stuff.
But you know, we, we hit theviking museum, we hit the abba
museum, uh, some of those typesof details which is great, by
the way, you know, had a blast.
I mean, come on, like thecemetery we're entombed, had
their photo shoot I.
That should have been on myitinerary.
So next, next go around.

Speaker 3 (48:10):
But that one is a bit harder because it's not kind of
in the mainstream tourist area.
You have to get a little bitout of town.
But I'll help you out next time.

Speaker 4 (48:18):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely.

Speaker 2 (48:20):
So we've talked a little bit about, you know,
adventures and travel andexposures to new music, which is
all great and exciting.
But you know life has its upsand downs and with adventures
and wonderful things come somedifficult times or situations.
So for your next song, what'sthe song that that has helped
you through a difficult time orsituation?

Speaker 3 (48:42):
the song I thought about is gone by kristallinder.
It's like a very existentialsong for me, for good and bad,
like I can't go into the detailslater, but it's definitely the
song I immediately thought aboutwith this let's, let's take a
listen.

Speaker 2 (48:56):
Bestowed upon my soul Like shackles of gold, and

(49:23):
everywhere I turn, the worldanticipates when I'm gone, when
I'm gone, when I'm gone, whenI'm gone.

Speaker 3 (50:03):
Good, I would say Maybe therewas a period where I connected
this with darker things, but Imean it's an amazing song.
This is one of the songs Ilistened to like 500 times and I
still want to listen to it overand over again.
Wow, this is one of the songs Ilistened to like 500 times and
I still want to listen to itover and over again.
Wow, but it's definitely likekind of an good and bad
existential anthem for me,something in that vein.
I would say like sure, because,as if you connected to the

(50:27):
klimt song before, like 2018,2019, I was like living a very
adventurous, very interestinglife, just exploring everything.
And then COVID hit in 2020 and Iwas forced back to Sweden and
in that period my relationshipfell apart and my dad died in
that COVID period of 2020-2021.

(50:48):
So this song was one of thesongs I listened to a lot during
that period.
Because you probably knownothing about Kristallninder
he's very underground, so heused to be.
He used to be a 90s artist insweden, used to be very, very
big in the 90s and then he kindof disappeared into his own
obscure little world and stillmaking music and he's like a

(51:08):
very existential guy that's justsitting on social media making
this kind of not religious butvery, very spiritual content
about spiritual things and forme I've never been like an
existential spiritual person atall before all of this stuff
happened.
So this song was kind of my myintro to, kind of, because if

(51:28):
you don't learn how toexistentially deal with those
kind of things like then I thinkyou will completely lose your
mind eventually.
So this song was a big part ofme transitioning into dealing
with death and dealing with bigtransitions and just still
keeping some kind of hope in thedarker parts.
I would say Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (51:50):
And in this way where I think the pandemic is such a
unique time.
Obviously it's a pandemic, butup to then you had traveled
right.
That may have been an outletfor you or a way to process
things, or you know, but in thepandemic, like we all had to
stay put, so that thing you usedto do you couldn't, and now you

(52:13):
had to really process somechallenging moments yeah
basically went from like 100percent happiest status of my
life to the worst in a fewmonths.

Speaker 3 (52:23):
So it was like I mean , me and my ex, we were living
like the life of the life inportugal, having a super nice
time, and then suddenly we'reback in stockholm with no
apartment and months later mydad gets sick and then I am
stuck with like all of the stuffafter him, like I'm an only
child with a half brother, so Iwas stuck with the whole
situation of dealing with all ofthat admin regarding whatever

(52:46):
happened around that.
So it was like it was a lifelesson, really like.
So it was basically like maybelike a year where I was just
grinding the admin of all thatstuff and just trying to get
back to life, and this song kindof stayed with me through the
dark part of it, but also thelight part, like in 2022, when I

(53:06):
was finally through all of thatand started my new life by
myself, and that's like theperson that I am right now is
based very much on from 2022.
I don't even like remember whatI was like in 2018 or 19, to be
honest.

Speaker 1 (53:19):
so, right, right like a rebirth yeah yeah, I would
say very much, and and that'sthat's where the songs, I think
existential, good and bad comesin, because, like now, I can be
happy listening to the songalmost right, right oh yeah,
like it's evolved with you yeah,I would say definitely well,
and it's like you too and I lovethe way you said it and thank

(53:39):
you for sharing it of you know,you sort of weren't necessarily
spiritual before and you kind ofyou know, and youth, right,
when we're younger and we're notfaced with these things, we
sort of have that, you know,feeling of immortality.
You know Rush says it wellwe're only immortal for a
limited time, right.
And then we have life hits usand we realize no people around

(54:01):
us will be gone and also we atsome point will be gone.
And once you kind of come faceto face with that, it makes you
kind of re-evaluate your lifeand kind of reconnect with and
say, hey, I'm going to be gonesometime and so I've got to live
my life, there's no waiting onit.
So I really liked the way yousaid that and shared it.
I had a, I had a person tell methis phrase and it was religion

(54:26):
is for people who fear hell,Spirituality is for people who
have been there.
And I just love it so muchbecause, yeah, once you've gone
through hell, the tough times,that's where that spiritual
connection comes in, not tied toany religious belief or
anything like that, but justthat, like you said existential
right.
That that what's my purposehere.

(54:46):
We're limited.
What am I going to do with it?

Speaker 3 (54:49):
so thank you for sharing that oh, of course, uh,
but I think it's made me bothlike more humble and more
productive in the end.
I mean it was a terrible periodbut, as I said, I can barely
remember who I was before, to behonest.
I mean, I can remember theperson I've been the last two
years, but the versions ofbefore I can barely connect to
yes, because it was such agigantic transition.

(55:10):
So in that way, the song isdefinitely going to stay with me
.

Speaker 1 (55:15):
Yeah, I also love with the song.
Just one more thing, and thenRaza, over to you.
I broke my own rule with thissong.
We try and keep our clips toabout 30 seconds or so, and this
one I couldn't.
We're almost at a minute and ahalf.
But I just love how at the endhe's singing when we're gone,
when we're gone, and then thelast line's singing um, when

(55:36):
we're gone, when we're gone, andthen the last line is just when
we're, and it just cuts off andit's like, yeah, that's how it
happens.
When we're gone it's sort of inthe middle of a sentence.
We don't get to kind of tidyeverything up, nice, and then go
, it sort of just comes, and Ijust love that so much.
So thanks for sharing the songas well, nice it's an amazing

(55:56):
artist.

Speaker 3 (55:57):
I recommend like all his work like a lot, because
he's actively bad at promotinghimself, like he's just sitting
in sitting in a countrysidecabin making amazing music and
no one is hearing it.
So he needs some hopefully thiswill help.

Speaker 4 (56:09):
Yeah, we'll we'll get the word out yeah, I was just
gonna say I love how um get theword out.
Yeah, I was just gonna say Ilove how um, music is the sort
of vessel that like facilitatesso much of these open-ended
discussions.
I feel like I've got more frommusic, the the idea of like

(56:29):
freely thinking about theseexistential uh topics, than than
out of any discussion or anybook or anything like that.
I mean, of course, you know youcan, if you go out there and
search, you can find whatever itis, whichever medium works for
you.
But for me especially it's beenmusic and sort of free-thinking

(56:50):
artists that, where you'reallowed to, you know, just
question things, question.
You know what happens, things.
Question.
You know what happens, whathappens with our mortality, what
happens with life, the end ofit.
You know those types ofquestions and especially the
things that there are no answersfor, right, no one can know.

(57:10):
The stuff is a journey and it'san experience that we are just
trying to survive and to and tonavigate through.
And and it seems like you know,for for a lot of us, music is
that platform that allows us tojust explore and sometimes we
come up with answers andsometimes, sometimes we we start
down the path, like listeningto a song like this and then

(57:33):
many, many years later,something, something about it
clicks and and and then it allmakes sense, and maybe that's
that was what what the journeywas about to begin with.
But it's like music is thebasis to do that, at least for a
lot of us.

Speaker 2 (57:47):
So, yeah, no, I really appreciate the song as
well and with that, um, we willlead off to our, our last song,
our sixth song in your journey,in your story.
We'll kind of raise it to agood note or a lighter note.
What's?
A song that was part of just aperfect memory, where everything

(58:09):
felt just right.

Speaker 3 (58:11):
It's Summer Night Horizon by Anathema, because,
like a big part of my life,aside from the traveling, is
also running, and I would saysome of the most 10 out of 10
moments in my life have beenlike running in nice views, and
it's, of course, once againPortugal, and this is one of the
songs that I usually have on inthose moments, because this one

(58:33):
captures the whole.
Yeah, it really sounds likethat kind of perfection when
you're like running above cliffswith the sunrise over ocean.
Kind of has that feeling to it,I think.

Speaker 2 (58:44):
You do a really good job of describing like the the
sort of visual aspect.
So now, let's take a.

Speaker 1 (58:56):
Space between us.
Space between us.

Speaker 2 (59:10):
That's awesome.
What is this sort of perfectmoment that you associate with
this song?

Speaker 3 (59:17):
I would say, though, kind of.
I mean, I'm a very, very bigsucker for nice views in places.
I'm a very, very big sucker fornice views in places and, just
as I said, like the running in aplace with high cliffs, looking
over the ocean, with a sunset,that's kind of a perfect.
That's obviously my perfectmoment, and this song is just
like the, obviously the audiorepresentation of that almost.

(59:38):
And then AFMA is also one ofthose like really special bands
that have this kind of happy,sad juxtaposition to them.
And I'm like especially thatthat happy, sad mix like maybe
like 90% of my favorite bandshave that kind of, it's
something that really gets meabout, especially about this
song.

Speaker 1 (59:57):
Yeah, yeah, definitely, yeah.
You can feel it in there oflike that, that I'll describe it
as sort of tension betweenthose two things.
It's like this, thishopefulness, and reaching and
striving, but also like you feelthe weight of kind of the past
dragging behind and having tofight for it.
Right?

Speaker 3 (01:00:14):
yeah, love it yeah, and the whole and the song title
itself with the summer nighthorizon, I mean it just fits
perfectly with that also yeah,that resonates with me a lot.

Speaker 2 (01:00:26):
I don't run very much these days, but I did used to
run a lot, um and david and Iused to do a lot of triathlons
together and stuff and like.
There's this thing about kindof matching a perfect run or
ride, where you kind of get thatrunner's high with whatever
might be in your headphones orwhatever that soundtrack is and
you're like out in nature.
That makes you feel, I don'tknow that there's like a more

(01:00:49):
alive feeling when, like, all ofthat stuff just clicks for you?

Speaker 3 (01:00:53):
yeah, because I think it can sound a bit silly to
people who don't run like when Ifelt silly when I said it,
because it feels like but thefeeling itself when you have it
live, it's like, and really,really I mean it.
You don't get it every time,but when it because it feels
like, but the feeling itselfwhen you have it live, it's like
, really, really I mean it.
You don't get it every time,but when it hits it's something
really special.

Speaker 1 (01:01:08):
Yeah, I would.
For anyone out there whodoesn't run and thinks anyone
who runs after 10 years old isis crazy, think of the time when
you were young and maybe yourode a bike for the first time
and you had that feeling oftotal freedom.
That's kind of what you get inthese moments, right when you're

(01:01:31):
out there running, you've gotthe perfect song in your
headphones and it just feelslike this ultimate freedom going
on.
Yeah, I had that thought as Iwas putting your six songs
together from your questionnaireand, carolina, when I had this
one on here, I immediatelythought of you because it just
exactly the way you described it.
Stefan is the way Carolina hasdescribed it to me when she goes
on, runs and has that perfectsong and in that same way of

(01:01:52):
that mix of struggle and andkind of the the, the negative
feelings or whatever, but alsothis kind of positive like
breaking free, and you can just,yeah, you're kind of breaking
the chains of of crap behind youas you, as you run, and so
you're in good company heredescribing this song.

Speaker 2 (01:02:12):
Yeah I've heard people say like I'll only run if
somebody's chasing me, likethat's how much I hate running,
right, but if that's me is thatyou?
um, but, and a lot of runsreally suck, like shit hurts or
you're dehydrated or like it'sjust like not going well for you
.
I don't know how to describe arunner's high, but there's just

(01:02:33):
something like I don't know.
Your body just gets likeflooded with like I don't know
dopamine or serotonin orwhatever those feel good
chemicals are, and weirdlyenough, it feels just like
effort, effortless, like yourlegs are just like going and
you're just like flooded withjoy and you're looking around.
I don't know.
I'm gonna like no, but.

Speaker 3 (01:02:51):
But for me it's like it's super important for my
mental health.
Like when I don't, when I'm notphysically active, like it
takes five or six days, and thenI feel like really like just uh
it's, I'm like I have like areally really active brain, that
it's pretty much non-stop.
So the only really good way toshut it up.
It's basically exercise.
So when I don't get it, then itstarts spiraling very fast you

(01:03:13):
know, old age will bring bringthat about it.

Speaker 4 (01:03:14):
I'm just I, I don't run, but I love rowing um, so I
found it a few years ago.
Yeah, that that was my and and Ican row for, like you know, 30
minutes an hour and I I justlove it and I'm definitely in
that zone.
So I can relate to you guys inthat sense, just with a
different activity.
But I will say that you knowwe're talking about feeling
silly, you know about running.

(01:03:36):
This is a rowing sillyreference because we went to go
see Amon Amarth and there's asong in the middle of it.
They get everyone to do like aViking row.
Imagine 15, 15, 20,000 peoplegoing row row it was the
silliest thing ever, but it wasso amazing and it was so much

(01:03:59):
fun.
So for listeners, that aren'tfamiliar.

Speaker 1 (01:04:03):
Amon Amarth is a Viking metal band.
I think that's an accurate wayto describe it.
They got the Viking look andtheir songs are all about kind
of Viking themes in that way.
So yeah, raz is talking aboutthis thing.
They have the whole audiencesit down and they're all like
rowing while the music's playing.
It's pretty wild.

Speaker 3 (01:04:23):
It gets quite extreme on the big festivals when it's
pretty, pretty wild.

Speaker 4 (01:04:24):
So I imagine that gets quite extreme on the big
festivals when it's like 10people doing it yeah yeah, it's
uh, it's quite a spectacle yeah,but you know it keeps the brain
active, so that's good, so Ilike that yeah, yeah, probably
less injuries too than a full-onjust mosh pit, right, you know
yeah although you know, when youhave in flames following amon

(01:04:47):
amarth, they're bound to be afew mosh pits, which is, of
course, absolutely which is goodall right, stefan, that that
was your, your life in six songs.

Speaker 2 (01:04:58):
How does it feel to hear your life reflected um
through through the songs andthrough music.

Speaker 3 (01:05:04):
It's really interesting because it's a bit
of an opportunity to take a lookat myself also Because it's a
bit similar to I write a lot andthat's also a way to uncover
stuff in myself.
So when I hear the songs evenwhen I wrote the short summaries
of the songs when I show them Istarted reflecting on things
and I think it's a pretty goodrepresentation actually actually

(01:05:25):
of different things that I'vebeen through and who I am now.
Very interesting, I really likethis format makes it so much,
so much more interesting because, like, I've done plenty of
podcasts and musical interviewsand it's always like, yeah, it's
often very like genericquestions and I mean this is
this gets so much more engagingwhen you can get into personal
experiences and connect them.
So it's definitely somethingelse and it was.

Speaker 1 (01:05:47):
it was uh enjoyable from our side too to to hear
your life in this way.
I feel like we got a sense,like you said, uh different than
the typical interview whereit's like, all right, tell us
about the new album and you knowthose types of things and
you're maybe kind of feelinglike you have to play a certain
part or kind of live a certainpersona here.
We got to know you and that'sso great, right, because what I

(01:06:10):
love also is your music.
That you play, write andperform is very different than
all the music we heard today aspart of you, and I think that's
just so awesome to hear, andit's one of the goals of this
show is to show like, look, whatyou see of someone is a piece
of them, right.
There's such a deeper storybeneath that goes into that, and

(01:06:33):
so you know, I just am, youknow, I'm so thankful and
grateful that you said yes toRaza when he reached out, and
your questionnaire was a joy toread through.
You definitely understood theassignment in that way.
And so, yeah, it was an absolutepleasure.
So thank you so much forsharing your story with us.

Speaker 3 (01:06:53):
But it's really interesting because I'm quite
used to having this kind ofconversations.
Like my friend circle is verydeep conversations and stuff.
So it's kind of for some peopleI think it can be very
uncomfortable, but I'm kind ofused to having this type of
conversations yeah yeah so thatmakes it easier for me, I think.

Speaker 1 (01:07:11):
But but maybe you were expecting more kind of a
metal collection of songs alsoyeah, you just don't, you don't
know right, you're not you'renot sure, um, and I think it
makes perfect sense to, giventhe songs you picked and chose
and are part of your life andthe way you tell your story,
that you were so eager to bepart of this.

(01:07:32):
Right, I think it was a perfectconnection of like, yeah, I'm
in, like this is exactly what I,like you said, you're already
having these types ofconversations, and so you're,
you're, you're right, in linewith what we're doing here.

Speaker 3 (01:07:44):
So yeah, the universe doesn't make mistakes no no.
But also when I startedwatching the episodes I was like
, yeah, this, this is likealready familiar for me.

Speaker 1 (01:07:52):
So yeah, yeah, and it's cool to like um, what you
said about how, like, you havethese types of conversations in
your friend group, and that wasone of the motivations of how we
got this show going, because Iwas, you know we'd be out.
I remember once it was aholiday party for Carolina's

(01:08:13):
company that she was working atat the time and you know
everyone's kind of just fallinginto work, talk of like, well,
what do you do in this and this,and it's all like I'm like I
don't want to talk about this atall.
I want to know what was yourlast concert, what was the best
concert?
You know, these are thecomments and everyone kind of
around was like, yeah, let'stalk about that.
And so I was like, yeah, let'sjust start a show where we have

(01:08:35):
those conversations, cause evenwhen it was a lot of
conversations around music Inever really liked, because what
it would always come down to islike, well, here's the band I
like, and then someone elsewould be like, well, that band
sucks.
Let me tell you why.
My band that I like is the bestand I'm like that's not the
point.
I don't care what theindividual song is, I want to
hear the connection you have toit, because that's what's

(01:08:55):
similar between us and stuff andso um yeah, yeah, but because
with me, like I'm very I'mallergic to superficial, so as
soon as they start becoming likethat, then I'm just like.

Speaker 2 (01:09:16):
Yeah, I love that phrase.
Allergic to superficialconversations, I'm gonna steal
that there can be a lot ofmisperceptions about, like, who
you are as a person uh, basedbased on that, and so I feel
like this reflection throughpoints in your life gets us to
to see who you are right, likemaybe we no one would ever know
you were a runner or you, youknow, love certain parts of

(01:09:37):
travel and things like that.

Speaker 3 (01:09:38):
without, um, these sort of deeper kinds of
connections to music, because Iam in a pretty weird place with
that, with the instagram stuffbecause, I'm like this, what you
would call it like a microinfluencer or whatever on
instagram, and then people aremaking assumptions that oh,
you're this swedish viking metalhead and I'm like there's more

(01:09:58):
to me bro, right, right it'ssomething you do, but it's not
all of you exactly, and itdoesn't like my personality has
nothing connected to what peoplethink whatsoever in that
sometimes, and it's like I havea very weird relationship with
people who are like, oh, you'regetting famous and all that.
I think it's a super, superstrange to me all that stuff I

(01:10:19):
really, I really dislike when Iget that vibe that people are
like my fans or whatever.
Yeah, yeah, really.

Speaker 1 (01:10:25):
Yeah, it's a strange, strange feeling.
For sure it's been a pleasureto get to know just to get to
know you.

Speaker 2 (01:10:32):
We will.
We will start to wrap things upwith our lightning round, Roz,
if you want to.

Speaker 4 (01:10:38):
Yeah, yeah.
I just want to kind ofsummarize the last little bit as
well and say, look, we want tosay thank you first of all for
saying yes, for being a part ofthe show, for being willing and
being open.
And yeah, it goes both ways, inthe sense that you know, the

(01:10:58):
show is fantastic but it's onlyas good as the person doing the
assignment.
So we really appreciate that.
But with that, yeah, let's doour lightning round, which is I
think we kind of touched on thisa little bit earlier, but what
we want to know in a very quickspurt is what was your first,
your last and your best orfavorite concert?

Speaker 3 (01:11:19):
The first concert I ever saw was Dark Tranquility in
2002 in Stockholm.
I think it was my 16th birthday, so it was a very nice intro to
live music.

Speaker 4 (01:11:29):
Nice.

Speaker 3 (01:11:30):
And the last concert I saw was I don't remember, I
just watched two concerts in arow and I don't remember which
one was first and which one waslast, but it was I watched Over
Easter.
I watched Soen, swedishprogressive band, and also I
watched Cattle Decapitation Ithink that was the day after
like a Brutal Death Metal band.
So it was a very nice combo andthey kind of both spectrums of

(01:11:52):
music in one week.
But favorite concert, like Iwould probably have to say,
since Catatonia is my favoriteband, I have to say Catatonia,
but I don't know which concertsI've seen so many good ones
Probably London 2012, when theyhad a double DVD show, when they
played a very special setlist.
That's probably number oneconcert.

Speaker 2 (01:12:14):
Awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:12:15):
That is awesome.

Speaker 2 (01:12:16):
In the last few minutes we have left as we wrap
up, we want to make sure to giveyou the floor to tell folks who
are listening what you mighthave going on or what might be
interesting going on with youand how they can follow you.

Speaker 3 (01:12:30):
Well, music-wise, I have a death-do metal band
called Soliloquim.
That is my main musical projectand I'm making a new album
right now that will probably beout in maybe, like hopefully six
months to a year, and I alsohave five previous albums.
So I would say that that's themain musical thing I want to
plug.
And then there's also myinstagram stefan soliloquim the

(01:12:52):
band name and stefan.

Speaker 2 (01:12:54):
That's where it's easiest to find me great, and
we'll have links to all that inthe in the notes um that
accompany the show all righteverybody.

Speaker 1 (01:13:03):
Uh, thank you for joining.
Remember, like and subscribe.
Share the episode.
If you like what you see here,share it with other people that
you think would dig this kind ofstory, getting a little bit
deeper into people's lives.
And with that that was a lifein six songs.
We will see you next time.

Speaker 4 (01:13:29):
It says browser prevented recording.
Are we okay?
Do you want to?

Speaker 1 (01:13:33):
um, I think it's just happening right here at the end
, so let's not worry too muchabout it.
Um, in this I'll probably justedit it to have individual, like
when each person's talking, andso, okay, if you didn't make it
on the end, we just will cutyou out.
Just put out that part of thescreen.
It's from the show.

Speaker 2 (01:13:53):
I'm fine.

Speaker 4 (01:13:53):
I just want to make sure that Stefan is.

Speaker 1 (01:13:57):
The note I got on my side is specifically you, Raza,
that there's something with yourbrowser that's preventing
recording.

Speaker 4 (01:14:03):
Fuck my browser.

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Ep. 11 - From Melancholic Anthems to Metal Music Creation: A Life of Travel and Transformation

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Ep. 11 - From Melancholic Anthems to Metal Music Creation: A Life of Travel and Transformation