Thomas Seltzer (musician)

Thomas Seltzer (born 27 July 1969 in Hamar, Norway) is a musician in the band Turbonegro, a television talk show host and documentary creator, and an author.

Thomas Seltzer
Seltzer in 2006
Born (1969-07-27) 27 July 1969
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, tv host
TelevisionTrygdekontoret (2009), UXA – Thomas Seltzers Amerika (2020–2022)
AwardsGullruten 2013, 2021
Musical career
Also known asHappy-Tom
GenresPunk rock, rock'n'roll, hardcore punk, glam punk, death punk, heavy metal, hard rock, thrash metal, black metal
Instrument(s)Bass, drums
Years active1989–1998, 2002–2010, 2011–

Personal life

Seltzer was born to an American father and a Norwegian mother. Although he was born in Norway and has lived in Norway since his early childhood, Seltzer retains his US citizenship and has never been a citizen of Norway de jure. Seltzer applied for Norwegian citizenship in 2016, but got rejected due to Norwegian laws prohibiting multiple citizenship.[1] The Seltzer family hails originally from Midland, Texas in the United States, but together with his five-year-older brother he grew up in Superior, Wisconsin. At six, in 1975, he moved to Nesodden in Akershus, Norway. While growing up in Norway, Seltzer took up skateboarding, an activity deemed so illegal by Norwegian authorities that in 1984, Seltzer (age 15) said he "smuggled in [his] board from England."[2]

Seltzer currently lives in Trondheim whith his wife and two children.[3]

Musical career

Seltzer is the bassist (originally drummer) and main songwriter for the band Turbonegro.[3] He is famous for wearing feminine makeup and a sailor's uniform. He has also gone under the names "Tom of Norway" and "Bongo". He has also played in the bands Akutt Innleggelse, The Vikings, Oslo Motherfuckers, and Scum.

Documentary and book about the United States

Seltzer's documentary UXA – Thomas Seltzers Amerika shows him travelling through the United States to examine the state of the American Dream today. The first season, which aired on NRK in 2020, won the prize for the best documentary in Gullruten 2021.[4] The second season aired in 2022.[5]

In 2022 he published the book Amerikansk Karmageddon: Tanker om mitt fordømte fedreland,[6] which translates to American Karmageddon: Thoughts about my damned fatherland. The book addresses the same topic as the documentary series: the decline of the United States. It is more auto-biographical than the documentary series,[7] and the language is more informal than most non-fiction books.[8] Many reviewers have praised the book, describing it as "a powerful achievement",[9] well-referenced and convincing despite its informal style,[10] and a successful combination of personal stories with broad cultural analysis.[11] However, Aftenposten's reviewer called it untrustworthy and a "pop-intellectual bulldozer".[12]

Trivia

His enkeltpersonforetak is named Menneskekjøtt Engros,[13] translating to Human Meat Wholesale Inc. This was intended as a joke to see whether extreme names for businesses would be approved, and he has kept the name.[14]

References
  1. "Seltzer nektet norsk statsborgerskap: – Regelverket er helt koko". www.vg.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 16 November 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  2. "Akkut Innleggelse". Thrash and Tool (6). 1984 – via Internet Archive. We only street skate, but we made a couple of street-ramps. There aren't many skate spots here, not one skate park (never has been!) because skating is illegal (no kidding!). I smuggled in my board from England!! Rollerskates and something called "Rollerskis" are allowed! Incredible 'innit!!?
  3. Klikk.no: Thomas Seltzer elsker livet som pappa – føler jeg har vunnet i livets lotto 11 September 2023 (in Norwegian)
  4. Fish, Personvern Design og kode: Big. "UXA – Thomas Seltzers Amerika | Gullruten" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  5. UXA – Thomas Seltzers Amerika (in Norwegian Bokmål), retrieved 13 November 2022
  6. Seltzer, Thomas (2022). Amerikansk Karmageddon: Tanker om mitt fordømte fedreland. Oslo: Forlaget oktober. ISBN 9788249526215.
  7. Stjern, Anna (18 October 2022). "Thomas Seltzer: – Én ting har norske medier til felles med USAs høyremedier". journalisten.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 13 November 2022. Men i løpet av høsten har Seltzer også rukket å bli klar med sin bokdebut med «Amerikansk karmageddon – Tanker om mitt fordømte fedreland». Den blir mye mer subjektiv enn UXA – nærmest selvbiografisk.
  8. Nilsen, Gro Jørstad (12 November 2022). "Amerikanske oligarker styrer USA mot undergangen, mener Seltzer". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 13 November 2022. Seltzer skriver omtrent slik han snakker. Det betyr at «Amerikansk karmageddon» er løsere i formen og friskere i språkbruken enn vanlige sakprosabøker.
  9. Hjeltnes, Guri (10 November 2022). "Kraftprestasjon av Seltzer – Bokanmeldelse: «Amerikansk karmageddon»". www.vg.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  10. Nilsen, Gro Jørstad (11 November 2022). "Amerikanske oligarker styrer USA mot undergangen, mener Seltzer". www.bt.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 13 November 2022. I «Amerikansk karmageddon» fremstår Seltzer først og fremst som en belest og velorientert forfatter, som belegger sine synspunkter med referanser til et imponerende omfangsrikt kildemateriale. Dette vil glede alle som liker harde fakta bedre enn spekulativ synsing.
  11. Kroglund, Andrew P. (10 November 2022). "Thomas Seltzer med sterk analyse av et USA i krise". Vårt Land (in Norwegian). Retrieved 13 November 2022. Seltzer lykkes med å veve det personlige inn i en bredere kulturell analyse av et samfunn i oppløsning
  12. "Han har skrevet en lattervekkende og lærerik bok som det er liten grunn til å stole på". www.aftenposten.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 11 November 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  13. Nøkkelopplysninger fra Enhetsregisteret (in Norwegian)
  14. SKOGRAND, Trine Høklie Jonassen, Pål Nordseth, MERETE (19 April 2011). "- Det gikk sport i å se hvor langt man kunne gå". dagbladet.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 13 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.