Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.10.2007, Page 2

02 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 16 2007 | Year 5 | October 05 – November 01
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Vesturgata 5, 101 Reykjavík
www.grapevine.is
grapevine@grapevine.is
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+354 540 3600 / editor@grapevine.is
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The Reykjavík Grapevine Staff
Publisher:
Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson
publisher@grapevine.is
Editor:
Sveinn Birkir Björnsson / birkir@grapevine.is
Assistant Editor:
Steinunn Jakobsdóttir / steinunn@grapevine.is
Editorial Intern:
Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir / vala@grapevine.is
Contributing Writer:
Ian Watson / www.ianwatson.org
Art Director:
Gunnar Þorvaldsson / gunni@grapevine.is
Photographer:
Gunnlaugur Arnar Sigurðsson
gulli@grapevine.is
Marketing Director:
Jón Trausti Sigurðarson / jontrausti@grapevine.is
Sales Director:
Aðalsteinn Jörundsson
adalsteinn@grapevine.is
Support Manager:
Oddur Óskar Kjartansson / oddur@grapevine.is
Distribution:
Samúel Bjarnason / samuel@grapevine.is
Proofreader:
Jim Rice
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The Reykjavík Grapevine is published 18 times
a year by Fröken ltd. Monthly from November
through April, and fortnightly from May til
October. Nothing in this magazine may be
reproduced in whole or in part without the
written permission of the publishers. Although
the magazine has endeavoured to ensure that
all information inside the magazine is correct,
prices and details may be subject to change. The
Reykjavík Grapevine can be found in Reykjavík,
Akureyri, Egilsstaðir, Selfoss, Keflavík, Ísafjörður,
Kárahnjúkar and at key locations around road
#1 and at all major tourist attractions and tourist
information centres.
You may not like it, but at least it's not spon-
sored. (No articles in the Reykjavík Grapevine
are pay-for articles. The opinions expressed are
the writers’ own, not the advertisers’).
Printed by Landsprent ehf. in 30.000 copies.
The Lonesome Traveller is Out and About • Going Vegan in Svið-land • Ragnar Kjartansson Finds God
Awakening the Couch Potatoes • Icelanders and their Elves • Sequences Art Festival
Issue 16 // Oct 5 - Nov 1 2007+ info. A Complete City Guide and Listings: Map, Dining, Music, Arts and Events
Airwaves Special
Mínus + Mr. Silla & Mongoose + Bloodgroup + Ben Frost + Þórir
On cover:
Mínus
Photos by:
GAS
Let’s keep this short and sweet. The Iceland Air-
waves festival is upon us. For us at the Grapevine,
this is pretty much like Christmas in October. By far,
the best weekend of the year. This issue, we bring
you some of the artists who will be playing this
years festival. Our resident Airwaves specialist gives
you a rundown of bands you should not miss. Don’t
forget to read the Grapevine Guide to the Airwaves
types. It might come in handy for you, especially if
you are a tourist.
I am sometimes asked about my editorial poli-
cies. I usually tell people that it is my goal to present
people with an image of Iceland the way I know it,
not the image that you are presented with in tour
guides and travel ads. Let’s get one thing straight.
Iceland has its set of problems, much like any other
nation. As a country, we battle pollution, poverty, and
injustice. More importantly, I do not know anyone
who eats rotten shark more than once a year, and I
don’t know anyone who claims to believe in elves.
Somehow the myth that Icelanders believe in elves,
every single one of us, has refused to die and this
bothers me to no end, especially since Icelanders
tend to perpetuate this myth themselves, every time
they talk to a foreign person. “Ah, but yes! Of course,
I believe in elves. Everyone in Iceland believes in
elves.” This is bullshit. In this issue I discuss the mat-
ter with professor of folkloristic, Terry Gunnell, who
recently surveyed Icelanders attitude towards elves
and other supernatural beings. Turns out that 8% of
the population believes in elves. Hardly an other-
worldly figure.
Spot perpetuating the myth!
Enjoy Airwaves.
From the Editor’s Chair
Articles
Elves in Cultural Vocabulary 06
Interview with professor Terry Gunnel
I am Going For a Cup of Coffee 08
Opinion by Viktor Banke
The Grapevine Guide to the Airwaves Personalities 08
Opinion by Sveinn Birkir Björnsson
Vegan Iceland? 10
The Difficulties of Being a Vegan in Iceland
Can We Do This Indefinately? 12
Interview with designer Olof Kolte
Airwaves Special 14
Interviews with Ben Frost, Bloodgroup, Þórir and Mr. Silla & Mongoose
Singing Painting at Nylo 20
Interview with artist Ragnar Kjartansson
Awakening the Couch Potatoes 21
Interview with filmmakers Áslaug Einarsdóttir and Garðar Stéfansson
A Buffet of Quality Icelandic Designs 28
Features
Mínus – Reinventing the Formula 16
Music & Nightlife
Of Men and Mongeese 18
Steintryggur, Mr. Silla & Mongoose, Pétur Ben and Gabriel Braun at Organ
Ganging Up 18
Royal Fortune and Benny Crespoís Gang at Organ
CD, Book and Film Reviews 19
Outside Reykjavík
Across the Country in 40 Days 22
Adventures of the Lonesome Traveller, Leg 2
info.
Listings B2
Food Reviews B10
Shopping B12
Iceland Airwaves: The Final Countdown B14
Sequences Real-time Art Festival B15
2557 CIN Grapevine jona 330 MBL.ai 10/3/07 12:07:01 PM