Swedish Man Gets Disability Benefits for his Addiction to Heavy Metal

Roger Tullgren is a hardcore metal fan. He has been for most of his 42 years. But his love for metal is so strong that he forsakes just about everything else in life, including the ability to hold down a job. Why? Because he feels compelled to attend more than 300 concerts a year.

I quote from Global Post, which itself quotes from a Swedish outlet called The Local:

“I have been trying for 10 years to get this classified as a handicap,” he told the Local.

“I spoke to three psychologists and they finally agreed that I needed this to avoid being discriminated against.”

[…]

His new part-time job as a dishwasher at a restaurant in the city of Hassleholm will be supplemented by disability benefits.

“I signed a form saying: ‘Roger feels compelled to show his heavy metal style. This puts him in a difficult situation on the labor market. Therefore he needs extra financial help’. So now I can turn up at a job interview dressed in my normal clothes and just hand the interviewers this piece of paper,” Tullgren said.

Tullgren’s new boss has agreed to give him time off to see concerts, and lets him dress how he wants and play heavy metal music while washing dishes, provided it is not too loud when there are guests at the restaurant.

Try that with your boss. I dare you.