Reykjavík Grapevine - 25.07.2003, Blaðsíða 13

- the reykjavík grapevine -12 july 25th - august 7th, 2003 - the reykjavík grapevine - 13july 25th - august 7th, 2003
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
SOME ICELANDERS WHO TRIED AND
FAILED TO CONQUER THE WORLD
The Sagas often take pains in
pointing out how well received
Icelanders were at the courts of
kings and chieftains. It seems
Icelanders have always measured
themselves by how foreigners perceive
them, and no one can really be sure
whether anything is truly good until
they’ve been praised by people abroad.
No one in this country was actually sure
Björk could sing until she started getting
praised by the British music press. No
one was even sure Halldór Laxness
could write until the Swedes took a liking
to him and sent him home with a prize.
For some merely asking tourists the ever
popular “how do you like Iceland” will not
suffice, and every so often you see
an interview with some local celebrity
on vacation in London or New York,
apparently on the verge of world fame,
who then comes home again in time for
Christmas and the escapade is never
mentioned again. Before the days of
Björk, several attempted and all failed.
These are but a few:
Bubbi Morthens was first spotted
in 1980, when his debut album
Ísbjarnarblús came out, chock full of
anthems for fishing industry employees.
Fronted a series of rock groups such as
Utangarðsmenn (The Outsiders), Ego
and Das Kapital, and made a memorable
appearance in the Rock in Reykjavík
concert film. Went to America to
become world famous, was offered the
part of Thor in some Z-film on condition
that he did steroids, opted for cocaine
instead, came home and went through
the inevitable drug bender/rehab/mellow
album about wife cycle. Lost his hair,
become born again,
and did a number
of commercials,
including ones for
Visa, Hagkaup and
B&T car dealership.
Currently hosts a
boxing program on
Sýn TV channel.
B j ö r g v i n
Halldórsson was a
massive pop star/
sex symbol in the
late 60´s and early
70´s. Such mania
did he inspire that
teenage girls were
known to break their
teeth attempting to
imitate his adorable
front tooth dental
gap. Made his first stab at world fame
with Change, who appeared on British
television dressed like the Bay City
Rollers. Were since called the girls
from Iceland by the few who had heard
of them at all. But Björgvin (Bo as he is
affectionately known), undaunted, made
another stab at world fame when
he participated in Eurovision on
behalf of the nation in 1995.
Tragically, he failed to win
and currently voices over
coming attractions
commercials on Channel
2.
Herbert Guðmundsson
had been a ships cook
and
record
store employee
before going
to Hollywood in
search of fame
and fortune.
Neither was found,
so he returned
to Iceland and
joined the band
Kan, which soon
became the
biggest live draw
of the West Fjords.
They released the
album Í ræktinni
(At the Gym) in 1984, and scored a hit
with Megi sá draumur. He released the
album Dawn of the Human Revolution
as a solo artist the following year, and
the song Can’t Walk Away became a
Christmas hit.
H a v i n g
c o n q u e r e d
Iceland, he
went back
to Hollywood
in 1993 to
record a
video for a
song of the
same name
he had written
there on his
previous outing,
turning pain into
poetry. Currently
runs the ice cream
store Stikkfrí (Síðumúli 35)
and works as a travelling book
salesman, but his fan club, The
HG Club, is still going strong, churning
out T-Shirts and badges and even
organising a mini festival at Laugarvatn.
Rúnar Júlíusson was in the mid-sixties
the king of the Iceland scene. He was
bass player and vocalist in the country’s
most popular band, Hljómar (Chords),
played in the national football team
and dated Miss Iceland. But too much
is never enough, and he went on to
attempt world domination, renaming the
band Thor´s Hammer for international
consumption. Despite dressing up as
Vikings on occasion, world domination
remained out of reach, so he returned
home to participate in various other
classic rock groups, most notably
Trúbrot (Broken Faith). Still lives in his
native Keflavík, is married to former
Miss Iceland, and plays in a band with
his two sons. Applied for the job of bass
player with the Rolling Stones when Bill
Wyman left in the mid nineties. Was
turned down. Managed to have the last
laugh of sorts, as the Thor´s Hammer
material has become a much sought
after collectors item in Japan, and has
since been rereleased on CD.
Vladur