Ginourmous Highs and the Lowest Declines, Tim Bergling aka Avicii I’m Tim

The influence of the sinister music industry, narcotics and being manipulated by others was too much for Tim Bergling, aka Avicii, in the end. ‘Avicii I’m Tim’ is a stark reminder of what fame can to do to people

Avicii manipulated Avicii Im Tim is a start reminder of what fame can do to people

I found this documentary about Tim Bergling Aka Avicii being manipulated on Netflix. The documentary about him, Tim Bergling aka Avicii, is both thrilling, fabulous and hopeful and you should watch it. It shows that the lifestyle of being a good musician can hurt people and put unnecessary pressure on an individual.

Tim Bergling aka Avicii was a DJ / songwriter / musician when dance music was king

I remember trying to hang onto the coattails of what the kids were listening to, but alas, I was in my mid-40s when he came about as a musician, so he passed me by.

Don’t worry; I would never try to get ‘down with the kids’ and talk to them about it conversationally, and I only listened to it privately on my Spotify account. But I liked it quietly.

The documentary starts with the story of Tim Bergling, who used to make music on his computer, and he was a genius. at the start, he only made tunes for fun. However, he gradually improved, and soon, as he was to become, he had a real talent and it could be a career.

Tim Bergling aka Avicii unbelievable talent vs Mozart

His ability reminds me of a scene in the 1984 film Amadeus, a film about Mozart and Salieri, the King’s court musician. Avicii’s skill is akin to Mozart’s. Mozart demonstrates his superiority in a scene where Salieri writes and plays him a welcome song at the film’s beginning.

Mozart hears Salieri’s music; he sits at the piano and immediately makes the same song a million times better. Tim, as he was at the time, was able to do this, though I accept this is what DJs do, though Avicii was close to a genius at it.

The Music Industry destroys Tim, but Avicii is still Tim.

The documentary shows his rise to fame and how the music industry can take people in, consume them, and ultimately destroy them. What was once a hobby for Tim became all-engrossing and ceased to be fun, and the supercool Avicii was blurring with the vulnerable Tim. Everyone wanted new material from him, and like Elton John at his lowest, the drugs were writing the song.

He became a highly successful world-conquering DJ. While on stage, he became Avicii; off stage, he was Tim. As he became more successful, the line between Avicii and Tim blurred. Tim was getting hurt, but the Avicii mask made the show go on.

Tim Bergling aka Avicci addiction to Opioids

Avicii in Charge Not Tim hence the headphones

He was supposedly a vulnerable man and thus able to interpret his soul into his music due to his vulnerability. As the stress became greater, he became more driven to work. He became addicted to American opioid painkillers. He had drive, but it ceased to be fun anymore and this was when Tim was getting out of breath and ceasing to be able to front Avicii.

The Painkillers filled him with angst, and the deadlines became immovable mountains. When he woke up, everything was stressful until he took the next painkiller. Between each PainKiller, he would attempt to lower his stress by working on impossible deadlines. A vicious circle.

Recovery, but ultimately, too late for Tim with Avicii leaving permanent scars

His friends and family reached Tim in time, and they put him through Rehab, and he quit being a DJ. He learnt the joys of meditation and other such coping strategies. He had made enough money to survive for the rest of his life. Music became pleasurable again, and he started a folk band.

Avicii had been banished from his soul, and Tim Bergling had returned. The guy who used to be anti-drugs. His alter ego Avicii had scarred himself in his heart, it seems.

Goodbye Tim Bergling without Avicii

A well-balanced and emotionally stable Tim decided he wanted to go to Oman to meditate. He could afford to, and it was seen as unsuspicious by his family.

Whilst in Oman, he committed suicide, and nobody knew quite why in an immediate sense. Maybe the music industry had milked Tim’s vulnerability for maybe too long. Too many people-pleasing, greedy record executives had put too much pressure on Tim.

Avicii was strong and decadent, Tim was needed to create the music, and Tim couldn’t cope. To paraphrase his friend. Tims emotions and vulnerability is what made Avicii strong. Avicii was merely a mask.

The story of Tim Bergling aka Avicii, what did I think?

The footage of Tim/Avicii, as an innocent-looking 17-year-old, rising to fame and then gradually falling, is very sad. You cannot help but feel for him. The documentary makes sure you do.

Also, seeing the Dance music culture that I was not into as a younger man fills me with regret. I never took a single ‘e’ in my life. The happy, upbeat nature of it suits my temperament, I think.

To paraphrase Swimming Paul, in his single ‘VHS’, the DJ’s ability to manipulate a dancefloor is quite outstanding, and learning to interpret the audience’s mood is a skill that fills me with wonder. Tim could fill up stadiums, he was also great in the studio in creating new music.

Currently, I am listening to Swimming Paul on Spotify and @DJLauraLoo on TikTok. Both in their own way make work easier and less troublesome.

Though I would not have been dancing to Avicii, he is too young for my Dance Music generation, FatBoySlim and Oakenfold are more mine.

I was far too ‘Don’t Do Drugs Kids!’ at that time, apart from a couple of months of solid hash, two amphetamines and one acid tab, which I regretted instantly.

Anyway, it was a great watch, and I am no saint, but the music had maybe taken Tim’s vulnerability to earn money. I don’t know the exact age at which Avicii died. Still, some notable figures, such as Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain, all passed away at relatively young ages due to various reasons related to emotional or psychological vulnerabilities that were undertreated.

Fin.