Vazelina Bilopphøggers (Vazelina Auto Wreckers) was a Norwegian pop and rock group, specializing in songs that borrow elements and chord progressions from classic songs (sometimes covering the songs outright), and crafting a mostly-original composition by adding bizarre humorous lyrics, which more often than not have little to no relation to a song's original lyrical content.
Their most famous and iconic lineup consisted of Viggo Sandvik (vocals), Eldar Vågan (guitarist and principal songwriter), Rune Endal (bass), Jan Einar Johnsen (organ, saxophone, backing vocals), and Arnulf Paulsen (drums), affectionately known as "Høggern" ("The Wrecker/Chopper"). The group was named after Paulsen's actual auto wrecking yard, which was in turn, according to legend, named after a Hispanic translation of the title of the film Grease.
They were one of Norway's most beloved and prolific acts, having more or less continually performed for forty years, and have branched out into television, comics, video games, and more. In 2019, they announced a farewell concert for 2020 that was postponed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and was finally performed in October 2022.
Discography:
- 24 timers service (1980)
- Slitin i knea (1981)
- Blå lys (1982)
- På tur (1983)
- Fem fyrer med ved (1984)
- Musikk tel arbe' (1986)
- Gå for gull (1987)
- Tempo (1989)
- Full behandling (1990)
- 11 år uten kvinnfolk (1992)
- Rock-a-Doodle (1994)
- Hææærli' på toppen ta væla (1997)
- Hjulkalender (2000)
- Bensin på bålet (2007)
Tropes associated with Vazelina Bilopphøggers:
- Author Appeal: Rock 'n' roll, liquor, cars, Gjøvik, and sports. And wrecking cars, naturally!
- Band Toon: Several products, including albums and yes, comic books, feature the band members in heavily stylized cartoon form, courtesy of illustrator Tommy Sydsæter.
- Big Fun: "Aagot Stang" is a hugely overweight lady who, according to the narrator, clocks in at an eighth of a ton and looks a bit like an elephant... but the song about her is an upbeat, fact-paced song which heaps tons of praise upon her because she's always kind and helpful, and always just plain fun to be around.
- Call-Back: "Borghild" features both a lyrical and musical reference to their first single, "Gi meg fri i kveld".
- Car Song: Oh yeah; on the verge of Author Appeal. After all, these are genuine auto wreckers we're talking about.
- Celebrity Endorsement: For years they have served as spokesmen for potatoes and its derivative byproducts, even recording several commercial songs. Another well-remembered commercial would be for Grandiosa pizza, to which the brand owes no small debt for its near-ubiquity. The commercial is still running every December, despite the band's lineup having changed in the meantime, and even after the band broke up.
- Chocolate Baby: "Soul Shakin' Babe", possibly conceived when the wife was alone at a Spanish holiday resort. The band being what it is, the situation is treated with humor rather than drama.
- Concept Album: 11 år uten kvinnfolk to some extent. Also, "Gå for gull", in the sense that most of the songs are about sports.
- The Cover Changes the Gender: All over the place.
- The Cover Changes the Meaning: Oh boy, where to begin... well, for one, "Blålys" ("Blue Moon") is about losing one's license due to drunk driving.
- Christmas Songs: The soundtrack for Vazelina Hjulkalender. Most notably, "Hematt til jul" is regarded as a modern Norwegian christmas classic.
- Doo-Wop Progression: Oh yes, more than a few. The album Blå lys is almost a concept album in this regard.
- Downer Ending:
- In "Feil side ta Mjøsa", the narrator ends up losing both his farm and his wife (she leaves him for the butcher who came to take away his sick cow).
- In "Konstant i Opel", the narrator buys a car he can't afford, fails to pay his debts and ends up abandoned by everyone.
- Drunk Driver: "Blålys" is about this. He is stopped by the police and claims that he "only drinks water", despite visible inebriation.
- Gargle Blaster: In "Drekk det opp (en enkel sang om brenn'vin)", Høgger'n forces Viggo to drink a disgusting cocktail that leaves him vomiting.
- Grand Theft Me: In "Sven Torsell", the ghost of the titular Swedish accordionist possesses Høgger'n, and it's implied the other band members are as well.
- Greatest Hits Album: A few, most notably Bedre hell' all medisin!, consisting of thirty-eight favorites and two new songs on two discs.
- Henpecked Husband: Viggo is presented as this in some songs. He recorded a few songs, skits and commercials together with comedienne Hege Schøyen who played his wife, and the marriage... isn't presented as very happy. The wife is referenced in a couple of the band's songs, such as in "11 år uten kvinnfolk," where Høgger'n is depressed because he hasn't had a date in 11 years, and Viggo tries to cheer him up, among other things by bringing up his own wife as an example of how being in a relationship isn't always all it's cracked up to be.
- Honest John's Dealership: In "Konstant i Opel" a sleazy car salesman sells the protagonist an overpriced old Opel, which ends up ruining him.
- Honor Before Reason: Parodied in "Dorull", where the main character chooses to leave the toilet without wiping his butt because there's no toilet paper available, and he can't bring himself to use the Elvis poster on the wall instead.
- Instrumentals: A regular inclusion on albums, particularly in the '80s.
- In the Style of: Songs that aren't blatant covers are often like this. "Surfbrett", for instance, borrows recognizable elements from at least three songs by The Beach Boys.
- Large Ham: Viggo Sandvik; accept no substitutes (The fans sure didn't!).
- Lyrical Dissonance: "På magan bak en sten", the most strangely soothing doo-wop ballad about spying on a woman sunbathing naked ever.
- One-Woman Song: "Borghild".
- Pizza Boy Special Delivery: Implied in "Harry Hoover", where the ladies "get so happy" when the vacuum salesman knocks the door, and receive "service" so they "go crazy" when they let him in with his "machine".
- Pop-Star Composer: For the Don Bluth film Rock-A-Doodle (they also provided voices), which does the film a whole lot of good by way of
Woolseyism. - Sgt. Pepper's Shout-Out: Hææærli' på toppen ta væla, with the boys dressed as sea captains and famous Norwegians pasted over the original celebrities' faces.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: See the picture up there? That's how they are all the time.
- Shout-Out: "Da var det schäferen beit"note . The titular German shepherd's name is Monkey.
- Sorry Ociffer: In "Blå lys", an inebriated Viggo is stopped in traffic. He claims that he "only drinks water", but the officer doesn't believe him and confiscates his driving licence.
- Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Høggern in the comics. You'd be hard-pressed to find a comic that didn't mainly revolve around him, and even in the comics that focused on the entire band he tended to be the most heavily involved in the plot. Eldar got a few moments as The Smart Guy and Johnsen as The Ditz, but weirdly enough Viggo (whom many fans considered to be The Face of the band) was Out of Focus for the most of the stories, and rarely got anything to do.
- Step Up to the Microphone: "Hei Paulsen" is a whole song about Viggo trying to get the reluctant Høggern to sing.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: All in all, Viggo is pretty damn similar to Bjørn Berg, whom he replaced.
- Tarzan: Jane hits on Eldar in "Tarzan Boogie", which pisses Tarzan off something awful.
- The Band Minus the Face: The post-Viggo line-up is regarded by some as this.
- Toilet Humor: "Dorull" — a song about a guy who has discovered too late that there's no toilet paper, and spends much of the song pondering whether he should wipe his butt with the Elvis poster that hangs on the wall. In the end he decides he doesn't have the heart to do that to Elvis, and leaves without wiping at all.
- Trrrilling Rrrs: Viggo does this... all the time. It's bound to become a bit of a distraction once you start paying attention to it.
- Youth Is Wasted on the Dumb: "Trynet på en dau mann" has the narrator going to a haunted museum, not caring about it because he's "17 years old and unkissed".
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Høggern in at least one televised sketch show.
