FRE E Andri Snær Magnason Complete Mayoral Coverage Tattoos, Rock and Stephen Colbert And the Best Iceland Nightlife Guide in the World ISSUE 06 / 19MAY - 01JUNE 2006 ISSUE SIX: MAY 19 – JUNE 01 YEAR 4 Articles The Reykjavík Grapevine crew 06 The Immigrant Vote The Reykjavík Grapevine An Interview with Intercultural Centre Director Einar Skúlason Faxaskála, Faxaporti, Faxagötu 2 www.grapevine.is [email protected] 14 Grapevine Mayoral Election Guide Published by: Fröken ehf. 18 Stephen Colbert Reinvents the Bomb Editor: 540-3602 / [email protected] Advertising: 540-3605 / 868-8187 / [email protected] Marketing: 540-3603 / 869-7796 / [email protected] 20 Being Terrified Distribution: 540-3601 / 694-2538 / [email protected] Production: 540-3608 / 849-5611 / [email protected] A column by Þórdís Elva Þorvaldsdóttir Bachmann Listings: 540-3600 / 847-7335 / [email protected] Subscription: 540-3601 / 694-2538 / [email protected] 38 Tattoo City Publisher: Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson / [email protected] The Grapevine Discovers Another Per Capita Record Editor: Bart Cameron / [email protected] Marketing Director: Jón Trausti Sigurðarson / [email protected] Production Manager: Oddur Óskar Kjartansson / [email protected] Features Staff Journalists: Gunnar Hrafn Jónsson / [email protected] Paul Fontaine-Nikolov / [email protected] Sveinn Birkir Björnsson / [email protected] Welcome To My Nightmare 22 Columnist: Þórdís Elva Þorvaldsdóttir Bachmann / Discussing the Dreamland with Writer Andri Snær [email protected] Advertising Sales: Aðalsteinn Jörundsson / [email protected] Helgi Þór Harðarson / [email protected] Director of Photography: Guðmundur Freyr Vigfússon / Essentials [email protected] Photographers: Óskar Hallgrímsson / [email protected] Friðrik Tryggvason 12 Grapevine’s City Council Guide Art Director: Gunnar Þorvaldsson / [email protected] Designer: Björn Lárus Arnórsson 34 Purchases to Justify Existence Proofreader: Erika Wolfe Distribution: Sæmundur Þór 36 Dining, Eating and Grubbing On Cover: Andri Snær Magnason 44 Grapevine Guide to Gaming: Casual to Serious Printed by: Ísafoldarprentsmiðja ehf. # of ground copies: 30,101 Music & Nightlife We are always looking for articles. 42 French Kisses and Fucking Media People Send your submissions to : [email protected] Live Concert Review: Iggy Pop and the Stooges You may not like it, but at least it's not sponsored. Þú mátt vera lengur úti 48 Clear View of the Future (No articles in the Reykjavík Grapevine are pay-for articles. í 66° Norður. The opinions expressed are the writers’ own, not the advertisers’.) Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Finds a Voice Outside Reykjavík 50 Mind the Menacing Bumblebees Rock climbing in Hvalfjörður 52 Good Morning, Mr. Spencer Interview with rock n roll incarnate Jon Spencer of Heavy Trash 54 Öskjuhlíð to Gay.is The Grapevine follows the gay Iceland rumour mill www.66north.is 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. Seeking Foreigners Once upon a time, the Reykjavík Gunnar Hrafn Jónsson’s interview vine, which is essentially a symbol of Hello, dled this article. Very well written your leader. But I’ve had a long Grapevine was packed with Germans, with Intercultural Center Director immigration and foreigners, has been Regarding your undated article in and appreciated. Thank You! trip, could we stop at a Thai mas- Dutchmen, Finns, Canadians, and Einar Skúlason. Skúlason points out growing in power, prestige and staff. http://www.grapevine.is/undirflok- Thank you, Sarah Allen. Everyone sage place first?” the occasional American crank, all that foreigners should really be stand- With more money, we’ve reached kar.aspx?id=7 (REVERSING HIS- else can read our facts about Iceland joining together to voice our curiosi- ing up, especially after a private citizen out and found that foreigners don’t TORY, an interview with Salmann at our website, www.grapevine. Your boyfriend had no idea... ties about Iceland and to try to create paid for a Gallup Poll to see if Iceland- want to be anywhere near a vocal Timini, chairman of the Icelandic is, which hopes to overcome stereo- a community of foreigners interested ers were interested in a nationalist paper. The joke I get from writers or Muslim Association), I would like types perpetuated by guide books and He sounds like a keeper, marry in sticking around for the long haul. party. When the results came back educated people, which is less and to refer you to the following quote advertising. I might also point out the him. Scanning the pages of this issue of the that 30 per cent of Iceland was ready less amusing, is “I barely get my work from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ writings of our columnist Þórdís Elva Grapevine, I can’t help noting: we lost to ship people out, Skúlason booked permit stamped without making any West_Bank (Wikipedia). Þorvaldsdóttir Bachmann as an excel- But be warned, danger lurks else- our foreigners. a series of meetings for foreigners to waves.” Prior to 1967, there was no lent source for challenging stereotypes. where... I know the foreigners are there, or voice their complaints. This is something to think about full-fledged university in the West at least some are there. In fact, I even I believe Skúlason’s heart is in the this Election Day. For tourists, Bank. There were a few lesser In case your boyfriend is walking know the foreigners are reading our right place, but, as a foreigner, in the welcome to a seat of democracy and Bart Cameron, Editor institutions of higher education; for RE: Happy Hookers down a street and a girl on a corner paper, as they email regularly, and our weeks after this Gallup Poll, I sure as a progressive country that is going example, An-Najah, which started I’m glad Ms. Þórdís is OK with calls out to him, “Hey handsome, pick up rates are doing well. shit wasn’t going to congregate with through an awkward transition. For as an elementary school in 1918, prostitution. Living in a country want to have a good time?” She’s The question is, why aren’t other foreigners, just as, in the weeks immigrants, please consider voting became a community college in like Iceland - with a low incidence not looking to go to the ballgame. foreigners writing in the Reykjavík after Toshiki Toma, priest for foreign- or getting involved in the discus- 1963. As the Jordanian government of poverty and a relatively inex- And if your boyfriend is surfing the Grapevine? On the one hand, we are ers, received a death threat, I was a sion—maybe by writing for us, maybe did not allow the establishment of pensive drug treatment system net, let him know there have been political and we don’t pay well. But little edgy. Come to think of it, in the by getting over to the Intercultural such universities in the West Bank, - it’s no surprise that her notions of cases of people finding pornogra- we never paid well and we were always last year there was also an extended Centre, maybe by sponsoring a Gallup it was necessary for Palestinian prostitution are her cherry-picked phy without even trying. Shocking political—though we used to stick to campaign to deport “professional Poll. For Icelanders, thank you for students to travel abroad to places examples of people who gleefully but true. one side more than we now do. And protestors” who came from abroad, supporting us and joining our team, such as Jordan, Lebanon, or Europe sell themselves for movie tickets or Harry then, we’re not any less popular, we there has been constant coverage of but, please, take a look around. Immi- to obtain their undergraduate and airplane flights. Detroit have constant applications for writers foreigners and drug trade, including grants made the Grapevine and a few graduate-level degrees. After the Þórdís should maybe take a trip to and staff, they just all happen to be coverage of Eastern European mafias other cultural institutions here, and region was captured by Israel in the west Philadelphia, or New Delhi, Oh shit. No you didn’t. No you didn’t. Icelandic. in a popular local newspaper. now those key members of Icelandic Six-Day War, several educational or East Los Angeles, or just about The answers to where the foreign- It’s a mixed bag. As the ground society are disappearing. That should institutions expanded into full- any other major city in the world ers went became apparent as I read has gotten more hostile, the Grape- tell you something. fledged undergraduate institutions, where you’ll find both a high Dear Editor, while others opened up as entirely incidence of poverty and poor drug I wish to apply through you to new universities. In all, no less than treatment resources. For poor wom- publish my name and address in 7 Universities were commissioned en, especially poor women who are your most popular newspaper for in the West Bank since 1967 addicted to drugs, their options are me. I have to state that I am a real So Sue Me This is in stark contrast to your very few in such cities. I can assure African who wants Pen Friends ‘The Nanny State’ is a British turn Alþingi mightn’t be smart. To make actually been convicted for talking article, and reflects on the author’s that they’re not happy to be turning from your country so that we may of phrase, used to describe the gen- correct decisions they think other nonsense in Iceland, the unspoken tendencies (to slander Israel) or lack to prostitution. For her to assert share ideas and know each other’s eral tendency of people in power to people need the wisdom of govern- understanding being that most of of professionalism (in not checking that “those who trade sex for money culture, etc.