I'm resurrecting this thread because I just finished reading an "unauthorized biography" on Yngwie, written by a Swedish journalist who followed him throughout his whole career.
If anyone on this forum has any memory of me, then it seems very unlike me to read anything related to the infamous Swedish meatball, but I've always had a passing intrigue in the guy and found him to be sort of an attractive novelty.
Anyway, I blazed through the ebook in 3 days, and....I'm SHOCKED.
I knew Yngwie was an arrogant prick and an ass clown at times, that he was a control freak, that he was insufferable...but I had no idea it was this bad. Some parts I read with my eyes wide and my jaw dropped. I can't fucking believe this guy! The shit he got away with and that he did! Some of it is so unbelievable and outrageous, like a really over-the-top soap opera...but it can't be embellished, because all of the stories of the interviewees (ex-vocalists, musicians, techs, friends, school teachers, girlfriends, wives) are so consistent and in line with each other. Even if only 75% of it is credible (I believe every word personally), it's still a baffling, jaw-dropping read.
It all makes sense. His otherworldly, borderline supernatural, abuse of alcohol, cocaine, and junk food was matched only by his inability to function as a basic human being--on a level that I can only describe as profound. Even death and destruction followed him throughout his career, on small scales and large scales. The fat bastard did everything short of murdering someone, and he came extremely close to doing that on several occasions, too.
There's the typical rock star diva behavior, and then there's the Yngwie rock star diva behavior. Let me tell you: It's on a level that you can't imagine until you read this book.
Other than his blatantly bad upbringing as a child, several theories passed through my mind as I tried to pinpoint the source of his insanity, all related to mental illnesses, of course: autism, psychotic depression, bipolar disorder, sociopathy, narcissistic personality disorder, multiple personality disorder, some kind of personality disorder. I even considered schizophrenia for a moment.
I'm dead serious. This guy's life would make for an incredible documentary or case study for a wide audience. He is the rock star archetype, but I mean that in the worst way possible. Pure darkness follows this guy wherever he goes, despite his talent.
Even if you've never had even the slightest interest in Eengwee, I highly recommend this book. It's an astonishing aggregation of insight into arguably one of the most self-destructive and dysfunctional people ever, let alone rock stars.
https://www.amazon.com/As-Above-Below-Unauthorized-Biography-ebook/dp/B00COUA2VG/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398040448&sr=1-3&keywords=yngwie+malmsteen
Topic: The Yngwie Malmsteen Thread v. He's Better Than You and He Knows It (Read 26702 times)