MESHUGGAH Interview with Marten Hagstrom Page 7
By Greg Nalbandian
MESHUGGAH Interview with Marten Hagstrom Page 7
By Greg Nalbandian
SW: What would you say are the biggest differences between American metal fans and Swedish fans? What are their expectations?
MH: Well, if you're comparing the U.S. to Sweden, it's pretty simple to state the differences. The American crowd is way more accepting. When you play in Sweden, there are the usual "music police." People don't go to shows as much as they do here in America. In Sweden, at a concert, half the crowd is fans of the band and half of the crowd are what we call "music police," people standing with their arms crossed saying, "Oh, they f**ked up. Ooh! Oh, he dropped a drumstick" or "The guy didn't play that right." You know, we got a lot of that goin' on in Sweden. But, there are kick-ass shows in Sweden as well. But, if nine out of ten is kick ass in America, like four out of ten is kick ass in Sweden.SW: Last question. Why is Sweden such a factory for metal musicians?
MH: Um, well I think there are many different reasons. One thing is tradition. When it comes to stuff in general, it doesn't matter if it's sports or if it's politics or anything; you kind of tend to have different traditions within different countries. We've always had a very, very strong music based tradition. People in Sweden listen to a lot of music; very much and very diverse music. Sweden's a small country and our social standard (of living) is pretty high. Which makes it easier for kids to grow up, be in a band for more years than you could in America. 'Cause in America, you might have to quit your band and go to work in McDonald's. In Sweden, it could be easier to trick the system and get a couple of extra years and give it your all. And I think that has helped a lot of bands.
