2 - the reykjavík grapevine - august 8th - august 21st, 2003 THE VIEW FROM THE INSIDE YEARNING TO BREATHE FREE THE PLIGHT OF 6 IMMIGRANTS IN ICELAND ICELAND AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD FLIRTING OR A FULL 8 TIME RELATIONSHIP? GAY PRIDE 10 AS MUCH FUN AS IT SOUNDS THE MAIN EVENT CULTURE NIGHT: WHAT´S GOING ON? 14 LETTERS: WHALES, GENETISTS, SPORTS: HOW TO PICK YOUR 4 GERMANS AND THE KKK 20 FAVORITE LOCAL FOOTBALL TEAM EDITORIAL: MONDAY MORNING EVENT: TEDDI, CARVING 5 COMING DOWN, THE TOURIST 21 OUT THE TRUTH FOOD: WHAT´S IT LIKE BEFORE IT NIGHTLIFE: BOOKS VS. BEER. A 12 COMES TO THE SUPERMARKET? 22 FOREGONE CONCLUSION? T3: HE´S BACK (JUST HAD TO SAY FROM THE UNDERGROUND: WILL 13 THAT), CINEMA LISTINGS 23 THE FREE THINKERS BE HEARD? MAP PUBS, COFFEE SHOPS AND ART: THE SIGURJÓN ÓLAFSSON 16 FOOD: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW 24 MUSEUM INTERVIEW: BEHIND THE EYES OF JUSTICE: ARE ICELAND´S LEADERS 19 THE ICELANDIC LOVE CORPORATION 26 WAR CRIMINALS? THE REYKJAVíK GRAPEVINE ISSUE FIVE, AUGUST 8TH - AUGUST 21ST 2003 Publisher: Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson Editor: Valur Gunnarsson Co-Editors: Jón Trausti Sigurðarson & John Boyce Production director & listings editor: Oddur Óskar Kjartansson Graphic design & Layout: Hörður Kristbjörnsson, ([email protected]) Advertising Directors: Jón Trausti & Hilmar Steinn Photographer: Aldís Pálsdóttir Proof reading: John Boyce & Ingunn Snædal Cover by: Aldís On cover: The Icelandic Love Corporation The Reykjavík Grapevine Printed by: Prentsmiðja Morgunblaðsins Blómvallagötu 2 101 Reykjavík # of Copies: 25.000 Phone numbers: We are always looking for new material. Be warned, however, that it Publisher: 898-9249 is the fi rm policy of the editor not to pay people for their work. Ads: 898-9249 / 869-7796 Grapevine is open to every form of opinion. The articles, however, Articles: 845-2152, Listings: 849-5611 do not always refl ect the opinion of the editorship. e-mail: [email protected] Photos: Aldís and Bára 2 - the reykjavík grapevine - august 8th - august 21st, 2003 4 - the reykjavík grapevine - august 8th - august 21st, 2003 august 8th - august 21st, 2003 - the reykjavík grapevine - 5 LETTERS Feel like bitching about the weather or the prices, need reassurance but your friends won´t talk to you, want to open your heart but even the drunks at your local bar won´t listen, just can´t stop raving about Grapevine or if there´s anything at all we can do for you, you´ve always got a sympathetic ear here in the letters column (especially for the latter). Please send your mail to [email protected], or just stick it in the mailbox addressed to: The Reykjavík Grapevine, Blómvallagata 2, 101 Reykjavík. Good Afternoon, Congratulations on an insightful and informative newspaper. A friend of mine recently returned from a hiking trip to your country. I just finished reading a copy of your newspaper, which he happened to pick up while he was there. I wish to ask a question and make a comment about a heading on one of the pictures on page 12, the “Culture” section of the paper. The pictures show a number of white clad figures with funny hats and clothes on their bodies performing various poses. The caption for the picture says, “The Ku Klux Klan practices its morning aerobics”. What I want to know is “do the performers actually call their group “The Ku Klux Klan”, and if they do, are they aware of the negative connotations that the name carries. My friend was quite excited about his trip and I hope to make a trip over in the A picture of the picture in question. Notice the absence of burning crosses, indicating that near future. this is not the Ku Klux Klan, contrary to popular belief. Ciao, A Curious Reader newspapers at newsstands on the Dear Grapevine: waterfront, or around the city anywhere. One hundred, five hundred, and a This is not, in fact, the KKK, mostly known Maybe in Boston, New York or up in thousand years ago, there were many for wearing sheets, burning crosses and St. Johns Newfoundland, but not here. more whales in the sea than now. Also, taking friendly black folks and hanging Good to read about what is going on there were many more fish in the sea them from trees, but the Other House Janseits der grosses leiches In Eisland. than now. The shortage of both today is a Street Theatre, mostly known for wearing (I know you guys can speak German) direct result of human beings harvesting sheets and entertaining passersby in both whales and fish at a greater rate Reykjavik during the summer, hence Terry Hillom than their populations could sustain. making hanging about in the sun doing Skipper If the “balance theory,” which is to be nothing much more enjoyable for all. The Littlejohns Island, Maine, Marine Lobster used to justify restarting the hunt on reason for the title was something we in Fishing boat, “Das Boot.” whales, were valid (that is, less predation Iceland like to refer to as a “djók.” PS. Say Hallo to our Viking Buddy, results in more prey, suggesting that “Hagar Der Schrecklich!! For US. fewer whales means more fish, and Hello guys, more whales means fewer fish), then First of all congratulations on your paper And a Heil Rumsfeld to you too, Mein the centuries’ long decline of whales it is funny, in English and free... Herr. Contrary to popular belief, should have resulted in a centuries’ Three great things. Grapevine does not speak German, long increase in fish populations. Alas, I work in Decode Genetics and there having slept its way through most of the fish declined as well, and from the are approxiately fifty foreigners with the secondary school. However, this will same cause, overfishing by humans. If company. At the moment we receive probably be remedied on Culture Night, the “balance theory” were valid, and if Icelandic newspapers. As a foreigner, I as the Goethe Zentrum are teaching we want more fish in the sea (in order look at just 3 items in an Icelandic paper German in 20 minutes, after which the to kill more of them), we should reduce ; pictures, ads and weather Forecast country will no doubt speak German the effects of their main predator. Human I have stop looking at the TV guide fluently and it will replace English as the beings should be taking fewer fish from since I do not care to watch Innlit-Útlit language proliferating in Icelandic. Until the sea than they now are. Talk about or Icelandic weddings on TV. The “Deep then, Auf Wiedersehn. being between a rock and a hard place. Pool” is ok, as I can watch how young Cheers, people look for fame... Dear TRG, Bert Murray So, since we need an English This morning rain was pouring down and newspaper and you are here to save 20m/s winds, but it was still an exciting Actually, there were probably fewer the UNIVERSE and at the same time adventure to distribute the Grapevine. whales in the sea 100 years ago due my brain, can we please have 50 Sat. Sun and Monday. Monday is an to too much hunting. Of course human copies at the office. important day to have the ferry stocked, harvesting has led to a long term decline Good luck guys and girls... because it will be FULL and a lot of in both fish and whale population. What people will need pillows to sleep on and the balance theory points out is that if Thank you very much. It is good to know places to throw up, that is a great thing the main predator, us, concentrates that the boys at DeCode watch the about the Grapevine, you can use them exclusively on one species and not the Deep Pool. With the miracle of modern for a lot of things......just a little joke other, on fish while leaving the whales science, one day we might all look like poking fun at the drunks. alone, then the result can only be them. Now that would be saving the Best Regards, that there will be too little fish to feed Universe. Michael Parks both whales and humans. Nature, of course, has a solution to this problem. Gentlemen, Our circulation department in the It´s called famine. But we, as at least The Grapevine is an excellent and Westman Islands seems to have been semi-intelligent creatures, cannot accept informative newspaper about Iceland, its busy preparing for the coming onslaught. famine as a viable option, any more than culture and its people! The plan was to get them out before all we can accept it as a way to deal with Unfortunately for Americans of hell broke loose. We hope they made it overpopulation in, say, Africa (although Scandinavian and German heritage, you back to the mainland safely. this in effect might seem to be the cannot find German or Scandinavian case). WULFFMORGENTHALER see more at www.wulffmorgenthaler.com 4 - the reykjavík grapevine - august 8th - august 21st, 2003 august 8th - august 21st, 2003 - the reykjavík grapevine - 5 FROM THE EDITOR MONDAY MORNING COMING DOWN Monday morning after Verslunarmannahelgi. Something’s wrong. I sit up and my surroundings seem strangely familiar. At first glance, this does not seem to be a moss- covered hill somewhere in the middle of nowhere, or even an unknown tent. On closer inspection, it actually turns out to be my own room. I feel strange. There’s no headache, no dry throat. My body doesn’t ache all over. I attempt to gather my thoughts, and find I can actually remember the preceding day.