Writings and theories Helder performing with Apathy in his hometown of Pine Island, Minnesota While Helder was not at the top of his college class,  his teachers described him as a reasonably good, quiet and polite student, and at first there was confusion as to what the motivation for the bombings could be. Within the year prior to his arrest, Helder had become passionate about astral projection techniques and came to believe that death of the flesh and body is not the end of existence, as evidenced by the manifesto he sent to The Badger Herald of the University of Wisconsin–Madison at the beginning of the bombing spree. The essay also includes statements such as "I'm taking very drastic measure in attempt to provide this information to you... I will die/change in the end for this, but that's ok, hahaha paradise awaits! I'm dismissing a few individuals from reality, to change all of you for the better"Lagorio, Christine. "News Analysis: Newspapers receipt of shady mail a daily occurrence." The Badger Herald May 10, 2002 Musical background Prior to his bombing spree, Helder was a member of Apathy, a Rochester, Minnesota, three-piece grunge band. Although the band was successful only on a local scale, it recorded a CD named Sacks of People at the end of their first summer together, which they funded and released themselves.  When the news broke that Helder was the pipe bomber, the media made significant mention of his status as a musician. Many music critics scrambled to acquire copies of Apathy's CD, some of which were auctioned on eBay for as much as $200. Publicity and witness accounts News reports detailed family, friends, and acquaintances calling him normal and without a propensity to hurt people, disbelieving the bombings were an anti-government message. Though the same articles mentioned his roommate noting he had become obsessed with death and astral projection, and had begun telling them extended monologues about his new spiritual beliefs. Helder was notably a fan of Kurt Cobain; merchandise of Cobain and his band, Nirvana, decorated his room when he was arrested. A bandmate in Apathy remarked Helder had "an interesting style of singing" and would write much of the lyrics of the group's tracks, not having a full understanding of their meaning.
Writings and theories Helder performing with Apathy in his hometown of Pine Island, Minnesota Family, friends, and acquaintances referred to Helder as normal and without a propensity to hurt people, though in the same articles, his roommate noted he had become obsessed with death and astral projection, and had begun reciting extended monologues about his new spiritual beliefs to his friends. Helder was not at the top of his college class, but his teachers described him as a reasonably good, quiet and polite student, and at first there was confusion as to what the motivation for the bombings could be. Within the year prior to his arrest, Helder had become passionate about astral projection techniques and came to believe that death of the flesh and body is not the end of existence, as evidenced by the manifesto he sent to The Badger Herald of the University of Wisconsin–Madison at the beginning of the bombing spree. The essay also includes statements such as "I'm taking very drastic measure in attempt to provide this information to you... I will die/change in the end for this, but that's ok, hahaha paradise awaits! I'm dismissing a few individuals from reality, to change all of you for the better"Lagorio, Christine. "News Analysis: Newspapers receipt of shady mail a daily occurrence." The Badger Herald May 10, 2002 Musical background Prior to his bombing spree, Helder was a member of Apathy, a Rochester, Minnesota, three-piece grunge band. Although the band was successful only on a local scale, it recorded a CD named Sacks of People at the end of their first summer together, which they funded and released themselves. Helder, a fan of Kurt Cobain, had heavily decorated his dorm room with Nirvana posters and ephemera. A bandmate in Apathy remarked Helder had "an interesting style of singing" and would write much of the lyrics of the group's tracks, not having a full understanding of their meaning. When the news broke that Helder was the pipe bomber, the media made significant mention of his status as a musician. Many music critics scrambled to acquire copies of Apathy's CD, some of which were auctioned on eBay for as much as $200. 
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While Helder
Family, friends, and acquaintances referred to Helder as normal and without a propensity to hurt people, though in the same articles, his roommate noted he had become obsessed with death and astral projection, and had begun reciting extended monologues about his new spiritual beliefs to his friends. Helder
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but
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Helder, a fan of Kurt Cobain, had heavily decorated his dorm room with Nirvana posters and ephemera. A bandmate in Apathy remarked Helder had "an interesting style of singing" and would write much of the lyrics of the group's tracks, not having a full understanding of their meaning.
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Publicity and witness accounts News reports detailed family, friends, and acquaintances calling him normal and without a propensity to hurt people, disbelieving the bombings were an anti-government message. Though the same articles mentioned his roommate noting he had become obsessed with death and astral projection, and had begun telling them extended monologues about his new spiritual beliefs.
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Helder was notably a fan of Kurt Cobain; merchandise of Cobain and his band, Nirvana, decorated his room when he was arrested. A bandmate in Apathy remarked Helder had "an interesting style of singing" and would write much of the lyrics of the group's tracks, not having a full understanding of their meaning.