UNLIKELY IDOLS Sigur Rós in Iraq Ísafjörður’s Music Festival Ambivalence Towards Prostitution Complete Reykjavík Listings, Guides and Maps ISSUE 05 / 05MAY - 18MAY 2006 ISSUE THREE: MAY 5 – MAY 18 YEAR 5 Articles The Reykjavík Grapevine crew 06 Read between the ‘( )’ The Reykjavík Grapevine Faxaskála, Faxaporti, Faxagötu 2 14 Those People Aren’t That Simple www.grapevine.is [email protected] An Interview with Halla Gunnarsdóttir Published by: Fröken ehf. 16 Turning Tricks for Movie Tix Editor: 540-3602 / [email protected] Advertising: 540-3605 / 868-8187 / [email protected] Marketing: 540-3603 / 869-7796 / [email protected] Distribution: 540-3601 / 694-2538 / [email protected] Features Production: 540-3608 / 849-5611 / [email protected] Listings: 540-3600 / 847-7335 / [email protected] Subscription: 540-3601 / 694-2538 / [email protected] 18 The Melting Pot in a Cold, Cold Place Ísafjörður’s Aldrei Fór Ég Suður Festival Publisher: Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson / [email protected] Editor: Bart Cameron / [email protected] Marketing Director: Jón Trausti Sigurðarson / [email protected] Production Manager: Oddur Óskar Kjartansson / ssentials [email protected] E Staff Journalists: Gunnar Hrafn Jónsson / [email protected] Paul Fontaine-Nikolov / [email protected] 12 Grapevine’s Government Guide Sveinn Birkir Björnsson / [email protected] Columnist: Þórdís Elva Þorvaldsdóttir Bachmann / 30 The Best Place to Buy a Xylophone [email protected] Advertising Sales: Aðalsteinn Jörundsson / [email protected] Hljóðheimurinn Sangitamaya Helgi Þór Harðarson / [email protected] Director of Photography: Guðmundur Freyr Vigfússon / Welcome to Arnarstapi á Snæfellsnesi 31 Purchases That Justify Existence [email protected] Photographer: Óskar Hallgrímsson / [email protected] - the official home of chilly mornings. 32 Dining, Eating and Grubbing Art Director: Gunnar Þorvaldsson / [email protected] Proofreader: Erika Wolfe Population 37. Distribution: Sæmundur Þór Music & Nightlife Cover Photo by: Gúndi Make up / Hair / Styling : Sóley Ástudóttir 34 Happy Trumps Cool Model : Davíð The Wedding Present and Singapore Sling at Grand Rokk Printed by: Ísafoldarprentsmiðja ehf. # of ground copies: 30,101 36 The Quota on Bagpipe Salsa: Infinite Rite of Spring festival review We are always looking for articles. 38 Only the Voice is Childlike Send your submissions to : [email protected] An Interview with the Conservatory Escapee Queen of the iPod, Joanna Newsom You may not like it, but at least it's not sponsored. (No articles in the Reykjavík Grapevine are pay-for articles. Outside Reykjavík The opinions expressed are the writers’ own, not the advertisers’.) 39 Kingdom of the Frown SOUR GRAPES EDITORIALS Complaints, criticism, suggestions, praise, money, anything at all: Contact [email protected] or send your mail to: The Reykjavík Grapevine, Faxagata 2, Faxaskála við Faxaport, 101 Reykjavík. Minnesotans and Sex In my home, we had two things that we didn’t by Sinclair Lewis. That book, by the way, brought In the back of this paper, you can read about Hi Bart, effect on us. Here, the leadership is excoriating you for daring to bring up in mixed company: Minnesotans and sex. Lewis a Nobel Prize for Literature, and it got the Keillor and A Prairie Home Companion. In the Your website is really interesting working hard to ensure rights for say that they would possibly be Actually, we had a few other topics that were off attention of an aspiring writer in Iceland, the No- front of the paper, it is my pleasure to present an and to be honest allowed my brain gays and straights, provided they jealous of Brain Police’s rhythm the menu too: politics, religion, affection, love, bel Laureate Halldór Laxness, who corresponded entirely different Minnesota voice, that of a young to survive up in the highlands aren’t immigrants – yes, if you are an section. While I agree that that is a food, my father’s bleeding gum disease and the girl with Lewis as he wrote his own takes on social writer from Mankato, Minnesota. I am particular- for three long years. I’ve never immigrant under 24, your marriage completely hyperbolic assertion (I’m who appeared fortnightly at our window dressed in criticism, scathing works possessed of a bit more ly proud to have Bronson Lemer’s piece about Iraq understood why you don’t publish does not grant you any rights or actually a big fan of the Brain Police, a sailor’s suit claiming to be my sister, but I believe beauty than Lewis could muster. and Sigur Rós opening this paper – the humanity work advertisements (those from privileges. We know of one case where a but come on...), his junior-high- that in avoiding Minnesotans and sex, we were The only other books my parents had two cop- of his short article, and what his piece says about employment services for instance) man was deported away from his wife caliber reaction/argument/comments like many polite Midwesterners. ies of were the King James Bible – the neighbours the possibilities of the imagination, the possibili- translated into English. Is there any and barred from entering the Schengen are in no way keeping with the So it makes sense that when I was offered the gave it regularly in the blind hope that it would ties for art to deeply and personally affect people reason? Valerio area of Europe – which is also not in general high-brow, discerning, and helm of an alternative magazine, the third issue I bring religion, goodliness, or something resem- across the globe is remarkable. America – for three years. tempered community that are Rush would publish would be devoted to the sex lives bling decency to our home, or “den of sin”, as the For those of you who could not care less about Valerio, Still, Icelanders are protected, fans. It seems to me more likely that of Icelanders, and by the eighth, we started with Racine Journal Times described it – and Garrison Minnesotans with imaginations, we continue I’m glad we could help. To all of those somewhat. this person was arguing on behalf the Minnesota jokes. The Reykjavík Grapevine, Keillor’s first novel, Lake Wobegon Days. to present the best English-language Reykjavík Bart Cameron, Editor people working in the highlands on the I’m guessing the people of the clergy, of some other four-lettered band. of course, has a Duluth correspondent, Andy As we go to print, a few Icelanders have listings in the world, along with handy maps. We dam project, we offer you our support, men and women, know their sacred Korn, perhaps? Saur (who recently realised that his name means heard of Keillor and his classic radio programme also have our first feature from music critic Sindri though, of course, most of the staff is texts. If they don’t, I’m sure they’ll That being said, I do take “shit” in Icelandic), who tells us about his exploits A Prairie Home Companion, a weekly radio Eldon, and, as an added bonus, we have a whole saddened by the effect of your work. be wowed by your extremely cursory umbrage with your characterization making Viking ships out of grocery bags. Isolated show dedicated to storytelling, folk music and lot of Icelandic writers with sex on the brain. Yes, As for our advertisements: while reading. In fact, I’m forwarding this of Rush as “a fat-ass Canadian Led as Iceland is, most locals feel they are closer to the the imagination, as it is coming to Reykjavík for as it happens, on the one year anniversary of our we are read by many Icelanders, we on to the Vatican. It’s so mind-bending Zeppelin cover band”. I’ll dismiss centre of the action in whatever field than Min- a broadcast. But not too many people understand sex issue, we’ve got even more sex, but this time typically stick with tourist advertising. and brilliant. King Solomon, who the fat-ass comment as simply a nesotans would be. Even growing up in Iowa and the impact of the show, or of Keillor’s other work from writers who were told to do things like write As a service, though, we’d like to publish would have thought of using the Old knee-jerk comeback to his equally Wisconsin I felt bad for Minnesotans, or bad for as the Minnesota man of letters, a man who made concert reviews and talk about shopping. Sex, sex, job listings. Unfortunately, they simply Testament to randomly assault religious immature rants. As for the more laughing at them. a modest northern state into something you want sex, sex, sex. don’t come our way. Never. We have ideas and subvert what seems, to all substantive point that they’re a poor- The thing is, we had amazing material in to joke about, because the punch line reminds you So there you have it, sex and Minnesotans. In never been told of a job vacancy for a those silly people who dedicate their man’s Led Zeppelin, well, that’s just mocking Minnesotans. On our bookshelves – the of something that you kind of want to get off your one free publication. May God help us all. foreigner. lives to it, to be a somewhat complicated plain ignorant. While it’s true they real ones, not the swinging ones that concealed my chest. The humour, in other words, is often a dead Perhaps this will change if problem? were considerably influenced by Led dad’s pretty things – we had multiple editions of match for the effect that Laxness had, or for the foreigners start owning their own Yes, black and white is best. Zeppelin (and who in their right Main Street, a scathing critique of Minnesota life crueller Icelandic jabs. companies in Iceland.