Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.01.2006, Síða 20
/// Three bands, three costume changes. I bet that was
fun.
– It was hectic. Schizophrenic.
/// Rass is known for being a political band, yet you
didn’t make any political statements during Rass’
performance.
– That’s true. We avoided this for two reasons. Number
one, we wanted to end on a jolly note, in keeping with
the festival setting. That’s why we did “Congratulations.”
Number two, we wanted to avoid preaching between
songs. We prefer to keep the politics within the songs
and not shout about them between songs. That kind of
behaviour gets on our nerves, frankly.
/// Do you think this was the most significant musical
event you’ve ever taken part in?
– In many ways, yes. It was a big concert, a successful
concert, and the crowd enjoyed themselves from start to
finish. And seeing such a blend of musicians get together
to convey this message was refreshing, too.
/// Do you think the message got across?
– Yes. Even if the only message we managed to deliver
to the government is that there are people who care
about this issue, this does a lot. [Minister of Industry]
Valgerður Sverrisdóttir softened her views the day after
the concert.
/// Do you find that convincing, or do you think it’s
more PR?
– Well, yeah, it is PR. But at least it’s acknowledging
these views. Sadly, that hasn’t always been the case.
Usually, they just dismiss any criticism.
/// Were you surprised to see international acts like
Damon Albarn so interested in this issue?
– No, not really. These friends of Iceland are involved
in what’s going on here, and they seem to have an
engaged relationship with the country. In many ways,
they’re maybe more in tune with the situation than the
Icelanders.
/// How so?
– Maybe because our world view is so narrow. One thing
I can tell you that did surprise me, though, was all the
star treatment these big names got. But every time they
got media attention, they used the opportunity to talk
about this issue, which I thought was admirable.
/// Was this concert a one-off, or do you think it will
get the ball rolling again regarding this issue?
– I think it will energise people to try things again.
The concert itself might be a one-off, but the artists all
enjoyed themselves. Most importantly, this showed that
when something is well thought out, it can work.
Jolly Protest Rocker
Interview with Óttarr Proppé, vocalist for
Ham, Rass and Dr. Spock
by Paul F. Nikolov
07|01|2006
In August 2004, the Reykjavík
Grapevine brought you the story
of farmer Guðmundur Ármanns-
son at Vað near Egilsstaðir. At the
time, Guðmundur was in a dispute
with the National Power Company,
Landsvirkjun, over the rights to build
an access road through his land, for
power lines to deliver electricity from
Kárahnjúkar to the aluminium smelt-
er in Reyðarfjörður. Guðmundur was
having none of it. Later Guðmundur
allowed a group of demonstrators to
camp out on his land and conduct
their operations from there, after the
group had been chased off of their
original camping site near Kárahn-
júkar. The Reykjavík Grapevine spoke
to Guðmundur to get an update on
his dealings with Landsvirkjun.
/// So, what has happened since we
last spoke to you?
– Not much. Landsvirkjun decided
to go a different route. I refused to
give them permission to go through
my land and that was that.
/// What about the surrounding
farmers?
– Well, the farmer at Eyrarteigur
decided to call it quits. The power
line was being built 100 meters from
his house and he decided that living
so close to a power line that big was
not a viable option.
/// At first the farmer at Eyrarteigur
was only being offered 1,200,000
ISK as settlement for the use of his
land, was that the final outcome?
– I believe he managed to get about
the worth of the house from Lands-
virkjun. He moved to Akureyri.
/// Has the attitude among the
locals changed in any way?
– People are worried about the
economic outcome in the long run.
There is a lot of money in traffic, but
most of it does not belong to us. We
are just borrowing it. People worry
about economic downturn that is
going to follow once the construction
is over.
/// How was your experience having
a demonstration camp living on
your land?
– It was very good. Everyone was very
polite and considerate. I would never
have trusted a group of Icelanders of
this size to camp out on my land.
/// Do you believe that a concert
like this will raise awareness of the
issue?
– It does a great deal, without ques-
tion. I think it is a very respectable
enterprise. I think that the dispute
over Kárahnjúkar is going to help
others in their fight to preserve areas
that Landsvirkjun wants to go after.
I believe that eventually Kárahnjúkar
is going to be a monument to stupid-
ity and short-sightedness.
The Insurgent Farmer
by Sveinn Birkir Björnsson
S Í M E N N T U N
Innritun fer fram á Grensásvegi 16A, í síma 580 1800 e›a á heimasí›unni www.mimir.is
Íslenska fyrir útlendinga
Icelandic for foreigners
Kennt á öllum stigum. Kennsla hefst 16. janúar.
All levels of classes. New courses will start January 16th.
Registration is at Mímir-símenntun,
Grensásvegur 16A, tel: 580 1800
or website: mimir.is
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