Trust me, you don't want to know

Caligola is an underground network of creative people which offer their talents to an entire thing. Why did you decide to join? 

Gustaf: An old friend of ours called Daniel had a graffiti exhibition in New York. During this time we finished producing our record 'Give Me Fire' there and we met him. That's when he told us about this network. We really liked the idea of a free creative collaboration. To be able to riot ourselves under the name Caligola.

Björn: When we were younger we did a lot with Daniel. We hung a lot with Tattoo - and graffiti artists and also with painters. During this time those were the only creative people in Sweden. All the others were…

Gustaf: Death Metal..

Björn: or criminals or idiots or boring nerds. (laughs). Yes it took a while until people met in garages to make music. One designed the posters, another texted the music, the next organized a show. That's how it works with Caligola as well.

Meaning that the product Caligola was created by Caligola members - from designing the artwork until creating the sound?

Björn: Yes exactly. The video, the homepage, the music, the organization - everything is produced by Caligola. But many Caligola artists are anonymous and don't show their faces.

Gustaf: Björn and I, we are officially part of the network because we're successful in a commercial way. But street artists and graffiti artists can't do that because they also do illegal things. Caligola is nothing you talk about - unless you get asked about it.

Sounds like a secret society..

Gustaf: Exactly! There are millions of things in the world which escape from our knowledge and once they appear on the surface they seem strange and mysterious. In the video to the single we illustrated Caligola as sect to play with the mysterious image.

Björn: In the song 'Sting Of Battle' it's about a fight which you have with yourself every day. Between your inner demons and your environment. 

I am sorry if I have to say it like that but the masks, the cloaks, the mysterious, the anarchical and the idea of an anonymous mass remind me a little of the system of 'Anonymous'. Not the ideology but the manner..

Gustaf: Anonymous have good reasons to act in hiding. There are many urban artists in Caligola and not everyone is sticking to the law. That's why they can't say openly that they're a part of the network. The cloaks make it possible for them to stand on stage with us without revealing who they are.

Björn: At the same time it's a symbol for equality - Regardless which culture they belong to or which skin color they have. We're a unity. 

  

How can one become a member of Caligola? Do I just go somewhere, fill in an application form or how does this work?

Gustaf: No, it doesn't work like prostitution where you just go to someone to pay for love. Not that I have something against prostitution it's a hard job. In addition we have many prostitutes amongst Caligola..(laughs).

For real?

Gustaf: Yes, for real. We have bus drivers, pilots, politicians, drug dealers..in our society art lives in many different ways. I don't judge the artists, I just judge their art. If you join Caligola you don't pay but get love instead. It works like when you meet a girl. It's a give and take and if it happens you enter a relationship. So if you inspire someone and through this a person creates something which again inspires you you built up a relationship. It's so simple - everyone can be a part of it.

The Caligola spoke's man Mr Wollter said in an official video that it's about the entire thing and not about someone's ego. I imagine this to be difficult especially for artists who are used to being in the limelight..

Gustaf: That's the toughest part for everyone involved- no matter if you're famous or not. If you're a solo artist you have to have the focus on yourself and your ego to establish yourself. But the more people join the more you need to take back your own ego. This is not Mando DIao! This is not a vision of Björn and me. We're just slaves..no that was not correct now (everyone laughs). We're not slaves! We put ourselves into service of a higher thing. You can call it like that.

Björn: Exactly we contribute the thing we can do best and that are live shows, singing and song writing. And an interview from time to time (smiles).

Why did you call your record 'Back To Earth'?

Gustaf: The earth stands for something good, something safe. A feeling of home. People always try to present themselves nicely but being nice would be the total horror for art. You can't ignore your demons when you're an artist. You have to let them out, you have to confront yourself with them to create good art. 'Back To Earth' stands for being authentic and for taking care of your core. 

What kind of demons slumber inside of you?

Björn: Trust me, you don't want to know (laughs).

Gustaf: I sing a lot about it. For some reason sex is still off limits in Indie music. It's forbidden to sing about your sexual feelings so they sing about things like: 'You've got beautiful hair' and so on..It's more casual with Caligola.