Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.02.2011, Side 2

2
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 2 — 2011
Editorial | Haukur S. Magnússon
The Reykjavík GRapevine
Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík
www.grapevine.is
grapevine@grapevine.is
Published by Fröken ehf.
www.froken.is
Member of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association
www.saf.is
Printed by Landsprent ehf. in 25.000 copies.
Editor:
Haukur S Magnússon / haukur@grapevine.is
Journalist:
Anna Andersen / anna@grapevine.is
Editorial:
+354 540 3600 / editor@grapevine.is
advErtising:
+354 540 3605 / ads@grapevine.is
PublishEr:
Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson / hilmar@grapevine.is
+354 540 3601 / publisher@grapevine.is
Contributing WritErs:
Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir
Sam Knight
Dr. Gunni
Markús Þór Andrésson
Valur Gunnarsson
Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl
Bob Cluness
Egill Helgason
Nathan Hall
Magnús Sveinn Helgason
Madeilene T.
Paul Fontaine-Nikolov
James Crugnale
Bogi Bjarnason
Birkir Fjalar Viðarsson
Eiríkur Kristjánsson
Editorial intErns:
Alda Kravec / alda@grapevine.is
Sindri Eldon / sindri@grapevine.is
Steve Ganey / steve@grapevine.is
on-linE nEWs Editor
Paul Nikolov / paul@grapevine.is
art dirECtor:
Hörður Kristbjörnsson / hoddi@grapevine.is
dEsign:
Páll Hilmarsson / pallih@kaninka.net
PhotograPhEr:
Hörður Sveinsson / hordursveinsson.com
salEs dirECtor:
Aðalsteinn Jörundsson / adalsteinn@grapevine.is
Guðmundur Rúnar Svansson / grs@grapevine.is
distribution:
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ProofrEadEr:
Jim Rice
PrEss rElEasEs:
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gEnEral inquiriEs:
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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 Octo-
ber. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced
in whole or in part without the written permission
of the publishers. The Reykjavík Grapevine is dis-
tributed around Reykjavík, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir,
Seyðisfjörður, Borgarnes, 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 Reykjavík Grapevine are pay-for
articles. The opinions expressed are the writers’
own, not the advertisers’).
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO LIFE, TRAVEL & ENTERTAINMENT IN ICELAND
www.grapevine.is
DAIRY
Skyr gets Siggi'dWhat will we do
without Havarí?
#CABLEGATE
Greatest hits...
MUSIC
The Sugarcubes:
did they world dominate
or die?
TRAVEL
Snowboarding,
glacier hiking: NICE!
SHOPPING
IN THE ISSUE Issue 2 • 2011 • February 4 - March 10 2011 COMPLETE CITY LISTINGS - INSIDE!+
WIKILEAKS IS NOT THE POINT!
The info-wars have
begun, and Iceland
is begging to be the
legislative
battleground.

Full schedule
inside
Transparency
Indeed, the so-called info-wars are raging, and Iceland is getting a piece of the action. Learn the story of
Iceland's tryst with WikiLeaks and their love-child, the Icelandic Modern Media Initiative, whose plan to
make the country into a transparency and information haven might put us back on the map. PAGE 10
Illustration:
Hristbjörnsson - this.is/trendy
Comic | Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir
A regular day at Grapevine HQ entails lots of trying
to keep folks happy, at least trying to avoid angering
them. See, Reykjavík is a pretty vibrant city, and there
are lots of people staging lots of events that all need
and deserve our attention/promotion, to ensure all you
readers out there know about them and perhaps attend
them.
So we get anywhere between ten and fifty emails
every day asking our help publicising an art show or
concert or theatre performance or new puffin shop or
whatever. This is fine; this is why where here: to serve
Iceland’s amazing community of artists, performers
and entrepreneurs, and to ensure you know about all
the cool stuff that they’re doing. We strive to serve our
purpose, and we strive to provide equal exposure to ev-
eryone out there—although we do seem to favour some
of the work being done by our friends and/or relatives,
as is the style in Iceland (c’mon, that was a joke. Light-
en up!).
In any case, I was working on something or other
the other day when I got one of those emails. This one
was from ‘concert hall and conference centre’ Harpa’s
recently appointed PR representative, enquiring wheth-
er we wouldn’t like to publicise the house a bit, as it was
opening soon and all. “Sure,” I responded, “maybe a bit
closer to when it opens this spring, though, as we are
running a really short issue in February.”
She replied saying that was fine, but it would be
cool getting something on our website at least. Maybe
we could write something about The New York Times
travel section naming it a ‘MUST SEE’ attraction
when they dubbed Iceland one of their ‘41 Places To
Go In 2011’ article (who travels to 41 places in a year,
though?). She attached a link to the piece in question.
I got a little excited. New York Times has a gigan-
tic readership, and it’s a pretty cool newspaper. Maybe
them pointing to Iceland as a cool place to visit will
mean more tourists visiting, which means more adver-
tising, which translates to more pages per issue for us
to write about everyone that’s staging events in Reykja-
vík, which means fewer angry glares from artists and
event promoters when I go out drinking.
So I clicked through and scrolled down the page
(we’re number four, after Santiago, Chile; San Juan
Islands, Washington and Koh Samui, Thailand). I am
not easily offended, especially on behalf of my nation
(in fact, I quite enjoy offending my nation given the
chance), but their headline offended me. It said:
4. Iceland
Where a country’s hardships are a visitor’s gain
The opening paragraph read: “Iceland’s economic
crash has had an upside, at least for tourists. After the
devaluation of the krona that followed the country’s
2008 financial crisis, the breathtakingly beautiful is-
land is a lot more affordable, meaning that a hotel room
that was $200 before the crash might cost $130 now.”
I was sorta outraged. “HOW DARE THEY?” I
thought as I ground my jaws. “Are we enduring mass
unemployment and severely painful cutbacks to essen-
tials like healthcare, education and welfare [not to men-
tion the most joyless, soul-killing discourse known to
humankind] all so some fancy New York Times reader
can save $70 on his or her hotel room? Fuck you, New
York Times travel section. Fuck you very much!”
I relaxed a little. “Why would anyone revel in large
groups of people’s disadvantaged position anyway, just
because it benefits them financially? There’s some-
thing awfully wrong and distasteful about that mode
of thinking. Shouldn’t they at least pretend to be down
about it?” I mumbled to myself.
Filled with righteous indignation, I angrily closed
the tab on my browser and clicked through to a link
someone posted had posted on Facebook. “APPLE’S
CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY”, the link said, and it
took me to a story about workers at the FOXCONN fac-
tory in Shenzhen, China, and how they suffer abuse,
injury and insane work hours so we can save money on
sexy designer electronics.
I read about the inhumane conditions at the factory
where my MacBook and iPod were made by workers as
young as 12-years old. And even though I had known
all about conditions at factories in places like China
and India—where most of our non-digestible consum-
er goods are manufactured—for a long time, I still died
a little inside.
My mind raced, and suddenly I recalled all the
disposable clothes I have bought at places like H&M
through the years. Items that I damn well know are
made by disadvantaged people under horrifying condi-
tions, items that I still bought because I feel like I can
never afford anything and 2.000 ISK for a pair of jeans
is just such a great price!
I thought about every article I ever read in Icelan-
dic media recommending some far off destination or
other because it was cheap, because they are poor, be-
cause they are undergoing (or live in a constant state of)
‘hardship’.
And I thought: “Sorry for judging you, New York
Times travel section. I guess most of us deserve a big
ol’ FUCK YOU.”
Present company included.
FUCK YOU, NEW YORK TIMES TRAVEL SECTION

Sin Fang Bous used to be the solo vehicle for Sea-
bear’s Sindri Már. It still is, except now it’s called Sin
Fang (which is a cooler name anyway). Now, don’t
worry, the music is still really, really good. You read-
ers may confirm this by hopping on over to www.
grapevine.is and downloading ‘Always Everything’,
this issue’s TRACK OF THE ISSUE.
The track comes from Sin Fang’s forthcoming album,
‘Summer Echoes’ (to be released on March 4 via
Morr Music/Kimi Records). It is a fine display of why
so many people have fallen for Sin Fang’s sound. It is
adventurous, yet curiously conservative. It is heart-
felt, yet distant. A whispered scream, if you will. We
look forward to the full-length, and so should you.
www.myspace.com/sinfangbous
Sin Fang: Always Everything
TRACK OF THE ISSUE
Download the FREE track at www.grapevine.is
TRACK OF
THE ISSUE
Download your
free track at
grapevine.is
SOME WWW.GRAPEVINE.IS EXCLUSIVES
‘Cuz we can’t possibly fit all this awesome stuff on
our pages
-What is Crealism?
Interview with Luis de Miranda, father of the ‘Creal-
ism’ movement.
-Jónsi GOES LIVE
- show review
-Apparat Organ Quartet release bash
– show review
-Marc Vincenz examines Iceland in the interna-
tional media
-Ryan Parteka tackles Reykjavík’s weird traffic
culture
-Explorer extraordinaire Louis Philippe-Lonke
interviewed in depth
-More BEST OF #CABLEGATE
-LOTS OF NEWS
-LOTS OF HOT TIPS
-LOTS OF EVERYTHING ELSE
But not really. More like: fuck all of us.
Haukur’s 36th Editorial
Medieval Manuscripts – eddas and sagas
the ancient vellums on display
iceland :: FilM – Berlin – copenhagen – reykjavík
icelandic Filmmaking 1904-2008
cHild OF HOpe – Youth and Jón sigurðsson
tribute to the leader of the independence Movement
exHiBitiOns - guided tOurs
caFeteria - culture sHOp
the culture House – Þjóðmenningarhúsið
National Centre for Cultural Heritage
Hverfisgata 15 · 101 Reykjavík (City Centre)
Tel: 545 1400 · www.thjodmenning.is
Open daily between 11 am and 5 pm
Free guided tour of THe Medieval Manu­
sCRipTs exhibition Mon and Fri at 3 pm.