Reykjavík Grapevine - 28.05.2004, Síða 20

20 the reykjavík grapevine
As I purchased my litre of Becks
(a mere apéritif ) and an extra box
of smokes (ammunition for a long
night) and walked down to meet this
evenings´ team, I wondered exactly
how this ´Nightlife Friend´ was
going to be. I imagined a sort of Ice-
landic Keith Richards, all barroom
pallor and bloodshot eyes, skull ring
and pirate bandana included. Help-
ing foreigners jam in a city known
for its nightlife has to take its toll. I
expected a Reykjavík vampire.
9 o´clock
Answering the door at Jón Kari´s
Laugavegur apartment was a rather
clean cut, bespectacled man in his
late thirties wearing an NYPD T-
shirt. He introduced himself as Jón
Kári. Vampire he was not; I could
have easily taken him for a business
man. Or a marketing degree holder,
a respected professional of some
kind. He introduced me around.
The Americans, who I´ll call James,
John and Bill (partly out of respect
for their privacy, and also because
I can´t recall their names), were
all from Chicago. James and John
were both in the field of finance and
invest-
ment, and
looked it.
Bill, who happened to be wheel-
chair-bound, was the District At-
torney for the State of Illinois. Not
at all the calibre of folks I´m used
to getting pissed with. Curious, I
pulled up a chair, opened my beer
and listened.
As the crew from Chicago went over
the drunken details of the previous
nights amusements (´Are those twins
going downtown tonight?´...´One
is, the other can´t get a babysitter´),
Jón Kári played the gracious host,
pouring beers and cocktails, selecting
the music, and making call after
call arranging the nights activities.
While he topped off my second
pint, he explained that though the
Reykjavík Nightlife Friend was only
four months old as a business, he had
been doing exactly this type of thing
for years, for free. He explained
that while he worked for Icelandair,
visiting business people would be
referred to him to show them the
most popular places to drink, dance,
and so on; a sort of nocturnal urban
tourguide. He decided to take his
hobby and make it
his profession. Soon after, Jón Kári´s
batphone rang. There was a birthday
party in progress somewhere in
Reykjavík that we were, if not invited
to, not specifically not-invited to,
either. The night was just about to
jump off.
11 o´clock
We found ourselves in an expansive
warehouse on the west side of Reyk-
javík. The party, winding down by
the time we got there, was still fairly
full of people. I immediately grabbed
myself a healthy dose of free wine,
and set about checking the place out.
As I inspected the premises, I no-
ticed candles, altar-like installations
and pictures of bearded individu-
als looking decidedly guru-esque.
People were walking about in occult
costume. I wondered just what the
hell was going on here.
Then I met the birthday girls´ sister.
We introduced ourselves.
STÍNA: Hi, my names Stína
(gesturing to a woman walking
passed dressed, well…like a witch)
and we´re all witches (she starts to
laugh).
ME: Hi, my name´s
Padraig (gestur- ing
to my countrymen as they chat-
ted up girls at the party). We´re all
Americans.
I was quite excited to learn this
particular birthday party was in fact
a witch-type birthday party. I waited
eagerly for a Dionysian orgy to break
out, or a blood-spattered invocation
of the Horned God, anything. I kept
asking people when ´the witch stuff´
would start. Unfortunately, there
would be no occult rites that night.
Unless shakin yo ass to ´Daddy
Cool´counts.
At one point in the night Jón Kári
grabbed me by the arm and said
I had to go out on the balcony. I
stepped outside, parted the crowd,
and witnessed ex-Icelandic Par-
liamentary man and convicted
embezzler Árni Johnsen strumming
a guitar and leading the group of
witches and friends-of-witches in
a spirited version of ´Ó, María mig
langar heim´, or ‘ O María I want
to go home.’ Kinda nice, com-
ing from an ex-convict. I tried to
explain the significance of this little
scene to one of my fellow Ameri-
cans, saying it was a bit like Marion
Barry (ex-mayor of Wash. D.C. and
champion crack smoker) showing up
at your party and singing ´Big Rock
Candy Mountain´. They still weren´t
sufficiently impressed. I sat on the
railing, lit a smoke and joined in the
song. Sometimes real life is more
surreal than fiction.
2 o´clock
At some point it was decided that
we should move the festivities to
Thorvaldsen, a popular bar in the
town square. We arrived just after
nearly 60 people had begun lining up
to get in. I resigned myself to a good
half hour wait. I had not counted on
the extent of the Nightlife Friend’s
mysterious powers. Jón Kári went
and had a brief chat with the door-
man and, like magic, we moved to
the head of the line and right inside.
Evidently, when you jam with the
Nightlife Friend, you get treated like
a minor celebrity.
Thorvaldsen was packed full of
elegant people getting, slowly but
surely, elegantly shit-faced. I grabbed
another pint, found a free bit of
wall to lean against and watched as
Jón Kári went into social overdrive.
He moved from group to group,
kissing cheeks and shaking hands
introducing and chatting with nearly
everyone in the bar.
It´s always a pleasure to witness a
professional at work...
Time passed, drinks were drained.
Toward the end of the night the
entire bar gathered at the dance floor
right by the exit. Everyone danced,
spilled drinks, enjoyed themselves
in inebriated good spirits. Even I
did my ´Monster Mash´. Teeth-
bared, lurching back and forth in
time to the beat. Well, almost. Its
the only dance I know. I noticed
however, that its not a dance known
at Thovaldsen, or particularly ap-
preciated. At 5 o´clock the exit doors
popped open, and we spilled, liter-
ally, out into the gathering dawn and
the town square.
One of my compatriots demanded
I use the phrase ´Worth its weight
in gold´ to describe the Reykjavík
Nightlife Friends services. And so I
have.
For more information on rates check
out the website at nightlifefriend.is.
NIGHTLIFEMUSICand
JAMMING WITH THE REYKJAVÍK
NIGHTLIFE FRIEND
by Padraig Mara
At seven o´clock on a Saturday evening I got the call. After a
few weeks of telephone tag and scheduling problems, I was finally
going on an excursion with Jón Kári, Chairman and CEO of Reyk-
javík Nightlife Friend. I was told he was taking out a group of
three Americans for their second night in a row of jam-
ming, and would I like to tag along? I kissed my wife
goodbye, saying I would be home early Sunday
morning, probably somewhat less than sober.
The spirit of journalism demanded it.
�����
Bar 11
Heiða og heiðingjarnir
The irrepressible Heiða, whose repertoire goes from pop punk to the Velvet Un-
derground, plays songs from her albums at one of Icelands premier rock venues.
The setting is small but intimate and the band rarely disappoints.
NIGHTLIFEMUSICand
Grand Rokk. June 3-6
Grand Rokk Arts Festival
Held at a chess/rock bar, this should offer events you´re not likely to see anywhere else,
including preview of a documentary film about horses, a short film competition with a
1st prize of 350.000ISK, rock band Lokbrá playing traditional Icelandic folk songs in
rock versions, cocktails, happenings, art exhibitions, short story contest and an auction
where both books and paintings will go to the highest bidding, look for details in the
listings.
Music and nightlife events usually start around
23:00, unless otherwise noted.
FRIDAY
MAY 28
Café 22
DJ Matti form X-ið radiostation
Dubliners
Rock band Atómstöðin play it loud!!
Dubliners
Troubadour Bjarni Tryggva does his best as a hu-
man Jukebox
Prikið
Band Búðarbandið play like they feel like.
Kapital
DJ Kered
Grand Rokk
Electro pop night: Funk Harmony Park, Tonic &
Conor
Miðbar
Troubadour Siggi, an Iclandic/Canadian drummer
plays his favorits with a guitar
Nasa
Band “Í svörtum fötum” or in english; “ men
wearing less clothes than you want them to”
play covers.
Gaukur á Stöng
Band Buff plays whatever, however and all over
Dillon
DJ Andrea Jóns plays rock classics
Hressingarskálinn
DJ Atli Skemmtanalögga
Hverfisbar
DJ Benni, plays a record
Felix
DJ Doktorinn
De Palace
DJ Extreme / Devious plays Psy-Trans music
Prikið
DJ Gísli Galdur
Kaffibarinn
DJ Kári
Sirkus
DJ Maggi Lego, 1/4 of GusGus
Nelly´s
DJ Nonni 900
Vegamót
DJ Rampage
Amsterdam
DJ Steini
Glaumbar
DJ Þór Bæring
Café Sólon
DJ Þröstur 3000
Thorvaldsen bar
DJ’s Daddi Disko & Hlynur Mastermix
Ari í Ögri
Troubadour duet Dralon play covers
SATURDAY
MAY 29
Café 22
DJ’s Palli & Biggi from band Maus, 1/4 of Grape-
vine will show up like usually, drunk
Dubliners
Rock band Atómstöðin play it loud!!
Grand Rokk
Band Blúsbyltan
Dubliners
Troubadour Bjarni Tryggva does his best as a hu-
man Jukebox
Kapital
DJ Galactica, Nýjasta Tækni og Vísindi
Miðbar
Troubadour Siggi, an Iclandic/Canadian drummer
plays his favorits with a guitar
LISTINGS : may 28 - june 10
NIGHTLIFEMUSICand