Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.08.2008, Qupperneq 23

REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 10—2008 | 23
Laugavegi 36 Tel: 551 3524 Open Mon. - Fri 7.30 - 18.15. Saturday 7.30 -17.30. Sunday 8.30-17.00.
Luxury Surprise
from Ásgeir Sandholt
BOSTON
B A R - L A U G A V E G U R 2 8 B - 2 n d f l o o r
t e l . 5 1 7 7 8 1 6
o p e n 1 7 - 0 1 w e e k d a y s 1 7 - 0 3 w e e k e n d s
INTERvIEW By jaMeS crugnale — pHoto By gaS
Quirky Icelandic comedian Snorri Hergill Kristjánsson is here to conquer your
funny bone like a Viking capturing a village. Snorri Hergill is acclaimed for achiev-
ing second place in the stand-up competition, “Iceland’s Funniest Person,” and is
currently gearing up for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. He waxes
humorously on a number of assorted topics in his set – including Jude Law and
puffins(!) – while chiefly explaining the trials and tribulations of moving to the UK
and explaining his national identity to a perplexed London public. “The national
identity thing, you can’t help but think about it,” says Snorri. “The smallness of the
country is pressed upon you; it occupies my mind.”
As such, his Icelandic heritage plays a huge role in his performance concept.
He read up thoroughly on the nation’s history and named his set, Dog Day King,
after the nickname of Danish adventurer, Jørgen Jørgensen, who overthrew the
country for a few days in 1809. After giving his set such a badass name, he jokingly
says the next thing he needs to do now is “get skinny jeans and a hipster haircut.”
When asked if it’s difficult to connect with such a wide range of people from
multiple countries, he says: “I think stand-up is all about thinking fast. It doesn’t
really matter where you’re from. If you can paint a picture in people’s minds of a
penguin on a tricycle, you’re going to make people laugh.”
At his July 7th performance, Snorri was successfully able to keep the diverse
nationalities in the room laughing in stitches. He is masterful in commanding the
stage with a deft skill for threading together a hilarious collection of seemingly
unrelated stories, yet at the same time keeps his material all in perspective and
relatable. Additionally, he has a knack for improv, playing off of unpredicted oc-
currences such as glasses breaking and phones going off during his set.
His noticeable skill can be attributed to his experience (he began way back
in 1993) and he’s taken his share of
hard knocks. As he notes, if you can
make it through stand-up comedy,
“you’re one tough bastard.” Even when
enduring some rough patches in his
work, he is so addicted to performing,
that he keeps coming back. “The dif-
ference between stand-up comedy and
cocaine is that you can stop doing co-
caine.”
The Dog Day King
Snorri Hergill Kristjansson warms up for this
year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Reykjavík
snorri hergill wants to make PeoPle laugh
WHO
Stand-up comedian Snorri Hergill
Kristjansson
WHEN:
Every Monday in July at 8pm
WHERE:
Organ, Hafnarstraeti 1-3