Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.11.2011, Page 28

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 17 — 2011
Ever get those days where you find
it difficult to get going, to start
something you know you'll enjoy
once you've just taken that first
step? Ever found you've lost sight
of what you enjoy in life and can't
remember how to go about finding
it again? I know, welcome to my
world... So what do you do? Phone
a friend? Ignore it and hope it'll
sort itself out? Start drinking? Bite
the bullet and go to therapy? How
about setting yourself a challenge
you have to rise to fulfil, to kick-
start your higher synapses again?
How about cycling round Iceland
for two months for charity?
There's nothing like making someone
a promise to get me going. So when
I said I'd be cycling 3000 kilometres
around Iceland for two months, sing-
ing for my supper every night, most
people thought I was nuts. Some knew
me a bit better and knew damn well I
was nuts, but secretly thought I'd man-
age it anyway. I'd come here last year
on a choir exchange with Kvennakór
Kópavogs (Kópavogur Ladies' Choir)
for a wonderful mad weekend of sing-
ing, sightseeing, drinking and laughter,
but I'd known since I was very young
that sometime I was going to explore
this strange, remote, exotic world for
myself. Many from Kvennakór had been
helped by Ljósið (one of the charities
I was supporting, a cancer support
centre in Reykjavik), so I'd be giving
something back too. But this was just
as much a trip for myself—to see a
world I'd spent hours reading, dream-
ing of; cycling, unsupported, for seven
weeks through mind-blowing, chal-
lenging landscapes—and to reawaken
something in me, to give me the boost
I needed.
Two months is a long time, and this
would be an expensive trip. I'd need
places to stay, equipment, food—LOT’S
of food. I'd be spending a lot of money
while not getting paid for anything. And
I thought again about Kvennakór. If I
was riding for charity—an Icelandic one
at that—people might put me up for the
night. What could I give them in return?
Bringing heavy, expensive presents
wasn't an option. How about singing
for them? A solo concert in return for
bed and board—could it work? Would
Kvennakór know enough people to get
me round? Maybe not, but their friends
might. And hey, if I needed a catchy
hook to get the media interested, Sin-
garoundiceland.com was it.
Now I know this idea won't work for
everyone. But one of the difference I've
found between Brits and Icelanders is
that they're far more ready to try new
things, take chances, and to welcome
people into their lives. There was only
one door I knocked on unannounced,
only one place I rang up out of the blue
to ask for a bed—my friends and their
friends were generally six steps ahead
of me and had rang ahead. I camped
for thirteen nights, hostelled for three,
stayed at eight guesthouses, and met
22 families. I still spent over 400.000
ISK on this trip, but Icelandic goodwill
for a good cause saved me an awful lot
of money.
I'm not going to talk about the jaw-
dropping scenery; others can give far
more detail than I. Suffice it to say,
though you'll see some incredible
sights round the ring-road, they're the
ones you already know about: Jökul-
sárlón, Mývatn, Goðafoss. But to see
the best of Iceland you need to get off
the beaten track: the Westfjords, East-
fjords, Snæfellsnes. You also need to
make friends with people who know the
places without the big billboard signs
for tourists—the most memorable place
I sang was in a secret hot pot in a rock
cave, for three hotel staff, by starlight.
Once-in-a-lifetime? Oh yes.
What has this all taught me? Talk
to people. They'll probably be fun and
friendly, and they might just know
something you don't. Take your time:
there's so much I still have to see, but
it's gonna have to wait 'til I come back.
And take a leaf out of the Icelanders'
sagas: work hard, play hard, but don't
take life too seriously or fix your plans
too firmly—you might just miss out on
something.
THANK YOU ICELAND: I was al-
ready a convert but I'm now carrying a
candle for you. Take care!
Music | Singing
Singing Around Iceland, Or How
To Make Friends With Icelanders
So far Daniel has raised around 600.000 ISK for Ljósið and Carers' Resource (which helps
people like his mum) and counting; one million ISK sounds like a nice round number. To
find out more about his trip, the charities he's supporting—or donate—all the links you
need are at www.singaroundiceland.com.
Words
Daniel Hutton
Photo
Hvalreki
At the Grill Market the seasons are in control of the menu
with all the freshest ingredients available - from the sea,
heaths, lakes, rivers and farms. In our cooking methods we go
for the origin of the ingredient and use fire, smoke, wood and
charcoal to achieve deep, rich, earthy flavors that we balance
out with freshness. The result is an unexpected cuisine where
Icelandic tradition and modern times come together.
Mon – Wed: 11:30-14:00, 17:00-22:30
Thurs – Fri: 11:30-14:00, 17:00-23:30
Sat: 17:00 – 23:30 | Sun:17:00-22:30
LÆKJARGATA 2A | 571 7777 | GRILLMARKADURINN.IS
Where
Mozart
meets Björk
• BJÖRK BIOPHILIA • THE ICELANDIC
OPERA • THE ICELAND SYMPHONY
ORCHESTRA • ÓLAFUR ARNALDS
• YOU ARE IN CONTROL • ELVIS
COSTELLO • FROSTRÓSIR
• UNDIRALDAN / UNDERCURRENT
Harpa and 12 Tónar biweekly concert series
www.harpa.is
WWW.ICELANDAIR.IS
Just a few of the events taking place
in Harpa this autumn. Guided tours of
the building are available daily. Visit
www.harpa.is for further information.
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How to beat those Saturday Morning blues—become your own one-man travelling circus
Music | Review
‘Útburður Umskiptingur’ is a cracking
opener: for nearly a minute you'll be
turning the volume up and up to try
and hear anything and then cursing the
couple next door for letting their baby
cry whilst you're trying to listen to some
art sonics, goddamnit. Hang on though,
that's the track. Or is it a sheep being
tortured? No matter. It's musique con-
crete and it's loopfully unsettling. And
anyway, sheep are shit and deserve it.
Retoría, meanwhile, sounds like
listening to your neighbours on the other
side, who are daleks, reciting Hitler's
speeches, and the title track features
Cybermen wandering around a muffled
grain silo only stopping to ejaculate ev-
ery so often until a pipe organ falls over
just before the end. ‘Lofun’ is a master-
work of ultra-minimalism, however, and
the spatial, plainsong-niffy wonkiness of
‘Húsið Andar’ is joyously delivered.
- JOE SHOOMAN
AMFJ
Bæn
www.gogoyoko.com/artist/AMFJ
Music, indeed, is made of noises.
May as well be these.