Swedish composer, lyricist, recording artist and actor, born on March 27, 1948 in Hedvig Eleonora, Stockholm, Uppland, and died on August 20, 2010 in Högalid, Stockholm, Södermanland.
By coincidence, Tom Zacharias studied at the same private school as the future Swedish king, [a9400993].
Tom spent a lot of time playing tennis and got a ranking as of the top elite junior tennis player in 1963. But he soon left the sports world embarking instead on the gloomy road of a struggling actor and
Lenny Bruce-esque performance artist, arrested for urinating on his audience at a posh performance space.
Tom became the first Swedish male pin-up boy when he posed for the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet in 1970, described as a 'hairy lion' with a 'charming smile' and 'virile charm'.
Zacharias graduated from [url=https://www.facebook.com/Calle.Flygare.Teaterskola]Calle Flygare Teaterskola[/url] in Stockholm. After that graduation, he worked with a cabaret. He also enjoyed attempting to sing opera and became involved in a couple of TV and film productions, generally cultivating his growing status as an eccentric outsider artist in Stockholm's nightclubs, frequented by the entertainment industry.
Eventually, he also secured a contract with the record label MNW to record a single. Unfortunately, the record turned out to be a commercial failure, with only a handful of copies ever sold. However, Tom was not discouraged and soon recorded his debut album, [r10179480], which was released in 1973. In this album, Tom presented himself as a seeker. The album featured many soft, poetic songs addressing themes of love, vulnerability, the roles humans play in society, and the idea of togetherness. The humor was intertwined with tenderness. Additionally, there were songs that explored the violence in Vietnam, the abundance of resources in global societies, the pursuit of wealth, and the wondrous achievements of technology that create superhumans. Tom Zacharias undertook all aspects of this project himself, writing the lyrics and music, singing, arranging, and performing on the album.
Tom Zacharias worked on the hypothesis
that provocation gives insight and that insight leads to change. That was his motto both as a musicians as well as an actor. And it was not only the public that was provoked but also his employers. He lost many jobs.
That was a philosophy that doesn’t make one any money. One also gets isolated and feels strongly out of society. Like an outcast, an unaccepted, a deviate. That in turn leads to feelings of being irritated and impatient. All this was mirrored in his albums.
Just as the [r6252266] LP was being released Tom got an offer by the businessman and inventor
Stefan Brydolf, who at time worked as an astrologer in Tallin, Estonia. He wanted Tom to write, perform and produce two records with new creative erotic rock and to write an erotic novel for him! The deal was struck on the spot with a handshake and Tom went home to start on the new project.
During the intensive weeks of writing Tom also succeeded in writing the lyrics and music for what was to become the legendary Belinda albums. The book Rebecka was quickly forgotten, but the albums became unexpected successes: [m365152] and [m1058838]. Most of the tracks were recorded live on the first take and the Belinda album was actually finished over night. This peculiar record got pressed right away with a sleeve featuring a photo of the guitarist [a1030546]’s girlfriend at the time, Karin, on the cover. The follow up
'Belindas Döttrar' (The Daughters of Belinda) was recorded approximately three months later. That recording was more planned and the musicians even got to rehearse a little before they went in to record. As with the first album, the recording session was done speedily and the whole project wrapped up in 2 to 3 days. On the
'Belindas Döttrar' album Tom was assisted by a lady from New York who went under the alias [a1030545] in the album credits. In reality this was [a2760121], a woman that Tom was hanging out with during the time.
The records were exclusively sold through advertisements in men's magazines and adult shops, rather than in conventional record stores. However, the sales performed exceptionally well, which fully engaged
Stefan Brydolf's business acumen.
So why not conquer the largest market of them all: North America. Certainly, Brydolf was familiar with some odd music from adult films, but there was surely nothing of this caliber. Tom was therefore asked to select the songs he deemed most suitable for this export. [a2760121] translated the lyrics into English, and they set off to the studio to dub the songs. They decided that there would be no limitations on the marketing of the new international Belinda album. They advertised in American magazines such as
Mayfair and Hustler Magazine, among many others. The prospective buyer was asked to send an envelope containing Swedish kronor to a postbox in Sweden. Disappointingly there was never any floods of money letters. So the English language Belinda album never got released and Toms international career never happened.
After this adventure Tom decided to record a children’s record, [r8312952]. The review copies were very welcomed by the press and it actually got awarded as the Swedish children’s record of the year. It would prove itself hard to sell the record however as
The Smurfs's records who had just hit Sweden were stiff competition. And as usually happened with Toms unfortunate productions, the record company, Mudist, folded and the taxman confiscated all copies of the album. Once again Toms record never really made it to the public.
This was the final impetus for Tom, who decided to abandon his artistic pursuits in favor of marriage and studies in religious history. However, it soon became evident that nothing could dampen Tom's inspiration, creative joy, and artistic mission. Once again, he began planning the production of a new album. He composed the lyrics in intense bursts of inspiration, which drove his neighbors to despair as he often woke them in the middle of the night. Subsequently, Tom moved from his apartment to a cottage in the countryside, where he dedicated three years to the development of his magnum opus
'Till Frukost' (For Breakfast). The record companies had felt it to be too literary for mainstream audiences. So, in a last desperate attempt to reach his public, Tom decided to do it himself.
As he usually did, he started inviting other artists to contribute to the album, [r8075515], people who’s work he appreciated. In the end, over 50 persons were involved in the project. Known and unknown singers, poets and even opera singers. Tom didn’t deny that he thought it grand to be the only male singer of the group. Everybody contributed without getting paid, even if they had to work all night long.
Musically, the album
'Till Frukost' (For Breakfast), which was finally released in 1984, contains rock, opera, and everything in between. It is somewhat avant-garde but features beautiful melodies. What could have developed into a typical singer-songwriter album instead grows into a prickly bush of strong emotions within us. The label on the record is adorned with a photograph of a naked woman who has placed a guitar between her parted legs. Tom sent out review copies, and they received partially positive criticism.
In 2004, the Belinda albums were re-released on a CD,
'Belinda's Songs', by Subliminal Sounds AB, including extra material with English lyrics, but omitting some of the coarser tracks. However, these were included on the LP release that Subliminal Sounds AB released in 2011
Tom Zacharias was, at the time of his death on August 20, 2010, registered in the Swedish population register in the Högalid parish in Stockholm. He is buried at
'Galärvarvskyrkogården' (The galley shipyard cemetery) on Djurgården in Stockholm.
