The new lord mayor of Portsmouth in the UK took an unconventional approach to his inauguration ceremony, using the Metallica song “Eye of the Beholder” as his walk-in music.
It was certainly a scene at the Portsmouth Guildhall on Tuesday (May 16th) when Lord Mayor Tom Coles walked to the podium with the …And Justice for All track blaring. The contrast of the ceremony’s pomp and circumstance with the rather brutal thrash number is sketch-comedy levels of absurd.
Coles eccentricities didn’t stop there. During his speech, the new lord mayor recited a passage in the Star Trek language Klingon, garnering smiles from his colleagues. As for his motivations for the playing the metal song and speaking Klingon, Coles simply told the BBC that he went “with what he liked”.
“It went down well with the audience, I had a really good feedback,” he said, adding that he was “a big heavy metal fan.”
Specifically talking about his use of of “Eye of the Beholder,” Coles explained, “It’s a good song to walk in to. It’s got a little build-up and then it’s got a good beat, it’s a great song.”
Someone needs to make sure the new lord mayor gets VIP passes to Metallica’s ongoing “M72” world tour. The trek just kicked off and will run into 2024, and you can get tickets to the band’s upcoming concerts here.
Below you can watch the BBC clip of the lord mayor walking in to Metallica’s “Eye of the Beholder.”