A guitar now called the Skelecaster — went viral after multiple news outlets picked it up in February 2021. The story, originally reported by outlets like CBC Radio’s As It Happens, HuffPost, and Guitar World, quickly spread across the internet and was translated into several languages.

Prince Midnight, who introduced his creation on Instagram, said the idea came from a deep desire to honor Uncle Filip, who tragically died in a motorcycle accident in Greece in 1996 at just 28. Filip’s skeleton had been donated to a medical school where it was used in anatomy classes for years. But when the school no longer needed the remains and Filip’s parents had passed, the responsibility of his bones fell to Midnight’s mother.

In keeping with their Greek Orthodox beliefs, cremation wasn’t an option. The family was left with two choices: continue paying for storage or purchase a burial plot. That’s when Midnight stepped in.

“She didn’t want to pay for that anymore. And then I was like, ‘I’ll take care of it,’” he told CBC.

After navigating red tape involving funeral homes and the U.S. State Department, he managed to have his uncle’s remains shipped to Florida. The idea to turn them into a guitar struck unexpectedly, inspired by a friend who builds custom instruments.

“It just popped into my head. I’m going to turn Uncle Fil into a guitar,” he said. “That is the best way to honor him. He would love that idea.”

Midnight, whose real name is believed to be Yaago Anax, remembers Filip as a metalhead who introduced him to the genre and even took him to shows as a kid. That connection helped guide the project, even though it didn’t sit well with everyone — especially his mother.

“At first, she said it was sacrilegious and the work of the devil — you know how moms are,” he told HuffPost.

But when asked whether Filip would rather “be in the ground or shredding,” she admitted: “Probably the guitar.”

Building the Skelecaster came with plenty of technical challenges. Midnight initially tried drilling into the vertebrae, which caused damage, prompting a rethink. Eventually, he welded a metal spine through the skeleton and attached it to parts of an old Fender Telecaster, adding red and blue wiring to mimic blood vessels.

“It’s not a typical guitar, so it’s got some quirks,” he admitted. “But sometimes the limitations we have with our tools are what make the products great.”

The guitar, while unconventional in form, can be played — albeit with some awkwardness due to the rib cage limiting movement. Still, the sound is heavier, and that suits Midnight just fine.

“I feel like Uncle Fil is not just here now figuratively; he’s here literally too,” he said. “I’m literally giving my Uncle Fil hugs while he’s figuratively with me, creating heavy metal riffs.”

As strange as it sounds, the internet largely embraced the story. It was picked up by major platforms like Metal Hammer, Complex, Consequence of Sound, and even featured in newspapers across many countries. Comedian Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords even tweeted about it.

And while some speculated the whole thing might be an elaborate hoax, the effort, detail, and even music released under the name Prince Midnight on platforms like Spotify suggest otherwise. Whether real or performance art, it’s undeniably… metal.

The Big Mad Morning Show