Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 37937 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

One thought on “Signing Screamo Metal for the Deaf

  • A little bit of backstory on this bizarre clip,

    The music is by the Swedish band Dead by April,. This is the performance that made them successful finalists in Sweden's Melodifestivalen 2012 event last weekend.

    Tommy Fransson is the peculiarly impassioned sign language artist. The 46 year old was hired by the state broadcaster to provide interpretive services for the broadcast. Both the song and the sign language "performance" were part of Svergies Television's Saturday broadcast, and now this video is making the YouTube viral video rounds.

    "We try to convey both the music and the characters. To be honest, I think the deaf heard what the guy in Dead By April was growling better than those who can hear," he told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper. Even the band made comments about it being "absolutely fantastic" on their Facebook page.

    Speaking of Facebook, you can "like" him here.

    Reply

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