Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.09.2009, Síða 2

2
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 14 — 2009
Cover Photo:
Baldur Kristjánsson
www.baldurkristjans.is
On Cover:
Old Grapevine covers
Printed by Landsprent ehf. in 25.000 copies.
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík
www.grapevine.is
grapevine@grapevine.is
Published by Fröken ehf.
Editorial:
+354 540 3600 / editor@grapevine.is
Advertising:
+354 540 3605 / ads@grapevine.is
Publisher:
+354 540 3601 / publisher@grapevine.is
Publisher:
Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson
hilmar@grapevine.is
Editor:
Haukur S Magnússon
haukur@grapevine.is
Journalist:
Catharine Fulton / catharine@grapevine.is
Contributing Writers:
Florian Zühlke / f lorian@grapevine.is
Sindri Eldon
Marc Vincenz / mysticmarc@gmail.com
Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl
Dr. Gunni
Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir
Bart Cameron
Sveinn Birkir Björnsson
Valur Gunnarsson
Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
Oddur Óskar Kjartansson
Irina Domurath
Birkir Fjalar Viðarsson
Joe Shooman
Food Editor:
Sari Peltonen
Editorial Interns:
Rebecca Louder / rlouder@grapevine.is
Louise Petersson / louise@grapevine.is
On-line News Editor
Paul Nikolov
paulnikolov@grapevine.is
Art Director:
Hörður Kristbjörnsson
hoddi@grapevine.is
Design:
Jóhannes Kjartansson
layout@grapevine.is
Photographer:
Julia Staples / juliastaples.com
Marketing Director:
Jón Trausti Sigurðarson
jontrausti@grapevine.is
Sales Director:
Aðalsteinn Jörundsson
adalsteinn@grapevine.is
Guðmundur Rúnar Svansson
grs@grapevine.is
Distribution:
distribution@grapevine.is
Proofreader:
Jim Rice
Press releases:
listings@grapevine.is
Submissions inquiries:
editor@grapevine.is
Subscription inquiries:
+354 540 3605 / subscribe@grapevine.is
General inquiries: grapevine@grapevine.is
Founders:
Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson,
Hörður Kristbjörnsson,
Jón Trausti Sigurðarson,
Oddur Óskar Kjartansson,
Valur Gunnarsson
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. The Reykjavík Grapevine
is distributed around Reykjavík, Akureyri,
Egilsstaðir, Selfoss, Kef lavík, Ísafjörður and
at key locations along road #1, and all major
tourist attractions and tourist information
centres in the country.
You may not like it, but at least it's not
sponsored. (No articles in the Rey-
kjavík Grapevine are pay-for articles.
The opinions expressed are the writers’
own, not the advertisers’).
So check this out: we decided to go all out
in an unprecedented fit self-serving, self-
congratulating narcissism this issue.
There is reason to, we feel, as this is the
Grapevine’s 101st issue! Yes, that’s right:
your usual gang of idiots has managed to
pull through for over a hundred issues
over the last six years (not counting the
Airwaves specials, of which there are
12 thus far), and we feel that is plenty
of reason to give ourselves and everyone
that has contributed to making the
Grapevine what it is a big ol’ pat on the
back. Plenty of reason to celebrate. And
boast.
Throughout this issue, you will find
the cover of every single issue we’ve
made, accompanied by stories and
anecdotes from the people that made
those issues (sorta like special features
on a DVD).
Former editors Valur Gunnarsson
and Sveinn Birkir Björnsson contributed
stories for every issue they made
(and what juicy stories many of them
are), while the trio of myself along
with founders Jón Trausti and Oddur
Kjartansson tried to fill in for legendary
GV editor Bart Cameron, as he is
currently busy touring the US with his
awesome band Foghorns and wasn’t in a
position to share his thoughts (check out
Foghorns great new LP, A Diamond As
Big As The Motel 6).
Reading through the stories not only
sheds light on the Grapevine’s short
history, it also manages to reflect the past
six years in Iceland: every major event and
issue – along with plentiful samplings of
the local discourse – is represented in
the Grapevine’s back catalogue; within
its total of 4.644 pages, 2.206 articles (by
over 300 writers of varying ability), 943
reviews and 109 comix.
Every issue from our catalogue may
be downloaded from our website, www.
grapevine.is, so if any of the stories you
read in this issue arouses your interest
in learning more: be our guest and
download that stuff.
Combined, we’ve managed to print
2.947.050 issues that when put together
ought to weigh around 70 tonnes (us, the
dedicated environmentalists). These are
some scary numbers right there.
Anyway, enough about us. Let’s
talk about you, constant reader and/or
picker-upper. And you, our first time
browser through-er. And you, thinker-
about-submitting-an-article-or-a-comic-
or-some-other-material-er. We ought to
thank you guys for being there, for your
letters, phone calls and submissions –
for your praise and for your scathing
criticism. Thank you thank you thank
you.
Here’s to a hundred more.
It is a pleasure to look back as we celebrate
this milestone in our publication’s short
history. One hundred issues of the
Reykjavík Grapevine behind us – the
101st out on the streets and in your
hands, dear reader. By your holding this
copy, at least one of our major goals is
already accomplished, doubly so if you
are a tourist or a new Icelander.
Us at the Grapevine can look back
upon some great times we’ve had
making these 100 issues, times that were
spawned with a simple idea seven years
ago and were first made corporeal when
Grapevine no. 1 hit the streets in 2003.
Taking a simple idea and realizing it,
nurturing it and helping it grow so it may
reach its potential – it is an indescribable
process, and a vastly rewarding one.
We have in our every one of our 101
issues strived to create a publication
that reflects and sheds some light
on our society and community, and
we have strived to retain a certain
credibility throughout. It is our belief
that maintaining a credible and fiercely
independent editorial policy is pivotal
in running a magazine like ours – the
moment we let in an outside influence
on what we write and why, we have failed
our duty of ambition of a trustworthy
platform for our community and
representing it in an unbiased manner.
At this milestone, I would like to
especially thank everyone that has
worked with us in one way or the other
through the years – the number of people
who have contributed to the making
of our 101 issues thus far reaches the
hundreds, if not thousands. There is
some immensely unselfish work behind
every issue single issue we have released,
many people have given up a lot of their
sleep and sanity to ensure we meet
deadline and come out with the finest
possible product at each time.
There are also hundreds of businesses
out there, in Reykjavík and Iceland, that
have believed in our purpose, our MO
and the need for having a strong media
outlet that focuses on serving tourists
and new Icelanders. It is because of
their advertising that we have been able
to keep the Grapevine
going for all these
years, their faith in the
magazine – and, often,
their patience for our
independent editorial
policies and reviews.
The Reykjavík Grape-
vine is here to stay. We
will do everything in our
power to ensure readers
and advertisers a good
publication, one that
participates in its society
and, perhaps, affects it in a
positive way.
Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson
Publisher
Editorial | Haukur S Magnússon
Haukur’s 14th Editorial!
CELEBRATE - The Grapevine Has A Hundred Issues (and counting)!
Publisher’s Address
This issue, our 101st, was a real toughie to pull off. Our designer had envisioned some crazy sculpture project for the cover that
we had to abandon at the last minute because the logistics were just plain impossible to manage. However, we managed to
pull off this nice graphic at the very last moment – it’s meant to celebrate a hundred Grapevines. HSM
Tel +354 577 60 50
www.sixt.is
Alright. This is an occasion. Brace yourselves:
GusGus’ new LP is out this Monday! We
haven’t heard the whole thing yet, but the first
single, Add This Song, absolutely kicks our
ass to oblivion. What a great song! And what
a great thing it is that you can now download
it off our website so you can hear for yourself!
Last time GusGus released an album we put
them on our cover. While our current cover
is busy, Gusgus’ status as one of Iceland’s
most seminal acts is firmly set in place, and a
new Gusgus album is always an occasion to
celebrate. So check out the track right now,
so you may dance into your weekend.
GusGus
Add This Song (Radio Edit)

gusgus
Download the track of the issue ADD
THIS SONG at www.grapevine.is
TRACK OF
THE ISSUE
Download your
free copy at
grapevine.is
MUSIC
&
NIGHT
LIFE