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Thomas Seltzer (musician)

Thomas Seltzer (born 27 July 1969), also known by his stage name Happy-Tom, is a Norwegian-American musician and television presenter. He is best known as the bassist (formerly drummer) and chief songwriter of the rock band Turbonegro.

Thomas Seltzer
Seltzer performing live with Turbonegro in 2016
Born (1969-07-27) 27 July 1969 (age 55)
Hamar, Norway
CitizenshipUnited States
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • host
  • podcaster
Television
  • Trygdekontoret (2009)
  • UXA – Thomas Seltzers Amerika (2020–2022)
AwardsGullruten 2013, 2021
Musical career
Also known asHappy-Tom
GenresGlam punk, hard rock, punk rock, hardcore punk, black metal
Instrument(s)Bass, drums
Years active1989–1998, 2002–2010, 2011–present
Member ofTurbonegro, Scum

Early life

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Seltzer was born to an American father and a Norwegian mother in Hamar, Norway.[1] He grew up in Superior, Wisconsin, and relocated to Nesodden in Akershus, Norway, in 1975.[1] 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 was rejected due to Norwegian laws prohibiting multiple citizenships.[1] While growing up in Norway, Seltzer took up skateboarding, which at the time was deemed illegal by Norwegian authorities and forced him to smuggle in his board from England.[2]

Career

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Seltzer in 2011

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.

Seltzer's personal company is named Menneskekjøtt Engros, translating to Human Flesh Wholesale Inc.[4] The name was intended as a joke to see whether extreme names for businesses would be approved and he has since kept the name.[5] 'Flesh' has notably been referenced in the Turbonegro songs "Just Flesh" and "Sell Your Body (to the Night)".

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 Gullruten Award for Best Documentary Series in 2021.[6] The second season aired in 2022.[7]

In 2022, Seltzer published the book Amerikansk Karmageddon: Tanker om mitt fordømte fedreland, which translates to American Karmageddon: Thoughts about my damned fatherland.[8] The book addresses the same topic as the documentary series: the decline of the United States, but is told from an auto-biographical point of view with more informal language than most non-fiction books.[9][10] The book received mostly good reviews in the Norwegian press, with a notable exception in Aftenposten who called it untrustworthy and a "pop-intellectual bulldozer".[11][12][13][14]

Personal life

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Seltzer currently lives in Trondheim with his wife and two children.[3] Seltzer is a friend of Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes, and has interviewed the latter in connection with the band's performance in Paris in February 2016 following the attack on the Bataclan Theatre and for his documentary UXA.

Discography

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With Turbonegro

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Studio albums

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Live albums

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Compilation albums

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Seltzer nektet norsk statsborgerskap: – Regelverket er helt koko". www.vg.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). 16 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  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. ^ a b Klikk.no: Thomas Seltzer elsker livet som pappa – føler jeg har vunnet i livets lotto 11 September 2023 (in Norwegian)
  4. ^ Nøkkelopplysninger fra Enhetsregisteret (in Norwegian)
  5. ^ 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)
  6. ^ Fish, Personvern Design og kode: Big. "UXA – Thomas Seltzers Amerika | Gullruten" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  7. ^ UXA – Thomas Seltzers Amerika (in Norwegian Bokmål), retrieved 13 November 2022
  8. ^ Seltzer, Thomas (2022). Amerikansk Karmageddon: Tanker om mitt fordømte fedreland. Oslo: Forlaget oktober. ISBN 9788249526215.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Hjeltnes, Guri (10 November 2022). "Kraftprestasjon av Seltzer – Bokanmeldelse: "Amerikansk karmageddon"". www.vg.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  13. ^ 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
  14. ^ "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.
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