He is a 67-year-old Danish rock musician who caused a media frenzy last week when he compared the Danish troops with the Nazi occupation force during a TV interview on DR.

So who is this guy?
Larsen, most often seen with a flat cap and cigarette hanging out of his mouth, is a legend within the Danish music industry, having sold almost 3 million records throughout his career. That’s no small feat considering Denmark’s population is only 5.5 million.

And what did he say in this interview?
Larsen compared the Danish troops in Afghanistan to the Nazi occupation of Denmark during the Second World War. Obviously, this hasn’t gone down too well with many politicos. A spokesperson for the opposition party Venstre called Larsen a “political fool”. (But not before calling him a “fabulous singer”. Everybody loves ‘Jutlandia’!)

He might just have a point …
This isn’t the first time Larsen has dabbled in political disparagement … or Nazi comparisons for that matter. In 2008, he spent hundreds of thousands of (his own) kroner on a campaign to protest against the newly-introduced anti-smoking laws that banned people from smoking in bars and restaurants, claiming it infringed on people’s freedom of choice. The campaign slogan read: “Congratulations on the smoking ban – health makes you free,” which was a play on words on the concentration camp slogan ‘arbeit macht frei’.

So he’s a sensitive guy!
Obviously! Larsen has previously said he doesn’t believe second-hand smoke is dangerous, or that those working in bars or restaurants should have any trouble with people smoking inside. He claims never to have met a bartender who doesn’t smoke. We can add well-read and open-minded to the list too then!