Reykjavík Grapevine - 10.02.2006, Blaðsíða 37

less casual than other things I am
doing, so I need to take that a little
more seriously. In a way maybe, that
needs to take priority.” Still, in the
same breath, he points out that his
passions shape his songwriting more
than his contracts: “But it comes in
waves. Right now, I am most into
writing songs for Gavin Portland,
but then I might fall into writing
songs for Hryðjuverk. Sometimes all
the bands are playing a lot, and then
it is hard to give one band prefer-
ence. Tonight, for instance, four
bands I play with have been asked
to play a gig. I think I’ll only do two
though.” [To the best of my knowl-
edge, Þórir played one solo show and
performed with two of his bands on
the night of the interview.]
This is a peculiar juxtaposition.
Þórir’s artistic vision might have
been inspired by Gotham’s second
famous citizen, Harvey Dent, as the
lo-fi and subdued sound of his solo
project stands as a polar opposite to
the full-frontal assault of hardcore
punk. Does Þórir himself consider
one personality more dominant than
the other?
“I try to define myself as little as
possible. I am a solo artist as well as
everything else. I could never stop
doing what I am doing as a solo
artist, as that is just what I do, but
I could never stop playing in bands
with my friends, as that is almost
the only other thing I do. That is
how my relationship with my friends
works. We play in bands, do gigs, do
something that relates to hardcore
punk. This is almost exclusively what
I do.”
Húsavík Hardcore
Historically, hardcore punk is strongly
related to a certain lifestyle. There
is an ideological creed involved,
with its own set of ethics and values
promoting health and responsibil-
ity. It’s not so much a musical genre
as it is a philosophy of self-reliance.
One element of the punk code is the
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) method, shun-
ning corporate sponsorship. Instead
of waiting for someone to organise
a show, the DIY approach suggests
you throw your own show, instead
of waiting for someone to publish
your record, publish your own record.
Those are the ethics of hardcore. “I
take that very seriously. Or maybe it
is not me taking it seriously, it is more
that it’s very much me, how I am.
It fits with how I want to do things,
and therefore I usually do things this
way. That is one of the main reasons
why I got into hardcore to begin
with. In hardcore punk, I found a
certain correlation with my own way
of thinking, my opinions on how to
run a band or make music and how
to do a show, more so than the other
way around. I’d been playing in bands
and putting on shows in Húsavík
before I started doing hardcore here
in Reykjavík, and that was all done in
the same way really.”
Hardcore punk is also strongly
associated with the so-called straight-
edge lifestyle. Being a straight edge
involves making a commitment to the
abstinence from tobacco, alcohol and
drugs. Originally, the straight-edge
lifestyle evolved from the practise of
marking under-aged kids at punk
shows with an X on their hand to
let bartenders know that they should
not be served alcohol. The X quickly
became a symbol of an ideological
stand against drugs and alcohol.
“I’ve always been a straight edge.
I guess that comes from living in a
small town, where all kids do is get
drunk and get into fights. If that’s
not something you are into, you
soon realise that maybe drinking is
not for you. I was 12 years old when
I decided never to drink or smoke.
I’ve stood by that promise so far.
Later, I got to know the straight-edge
philosophy through hardcore punk.
Then I realised that this was more
than just me being bitter towards the
world.” A splinter of the straight-edge
lifestyle has also diverged to include
abstinence from meat. “I am a veg-
etarian as well. I think I can state that
I was the only vegetarian in Húsavík.
People talked about me like I had
committed a terrible crime. People
thought I was going to die right away.
Someone told me when I was 15 and
had recently turned to vegetarianism
that I would be dead within three
years. I am not dead yet, but he is
probably anxiously waiting.”
As for the other political aspects of
this certain genre, Þórir says: “I think
I can safely say that I relate to most
of it. There are certain basics that
you find throughout hardcore punk,
this sort of humanistic approach. You
know, don’t be idiotic, don’t be judg-
mental of people for something that is
nobody else’s business and makes no
difference anyway. Don’t judge people
for how they are, but for what they
do. Or better yet, don’t judge people
at all.”
Next year promises to be just as
eventful as last year for Þórir. He has
big plans to tour and promote his
latest album next year. He has already
been lined up to play the distin-
guished South by Southwest festival
in Austin, Texas, March 10-19
(www.sxsw.com). There are also plans
for a tour with Fighting Shit through
Germany and the Netherlands, and
discussion is underway for a second
tour as well. Besides planning tours,
Þórir has also begun to work on his
next album. “I am about halfway done
writing it. The question is whether
it will be released in October like my
last two albums. Or maybe I’ll just
wait, give myself some time. I intend-
ed to give myself more time with the
last album, but then it was just ready
much earlier than I had expected, so I
just released it.” Despite short-chang-
ing himself for the time allocated for
his own project, he remains happy
with the results. “I think I put out a
very good record, that is all that mat-
ters to me.”
In light of his satisfaction with
his latest release, does he feel the
pressure of releasing a follow-up?
“No. This may sound arrogant, but
I just feel like the music I make is so
pleasing that I believe I’ll just make a
better album next time.”
– “When you are a nerd, you start from that premise. You look up the record labels to see
what else they have published, you look up bands that other bands refer to, and that is
how you work yourself backwards in time and to the sides.”
– “Someone told me when I was 15 and had recently turned to vegetarianism that I would
be dead within three years. I am not dead yet, but he is probably anxiously waiting.”
12 Tónar, The Reykjavík Grapevine, Grapevine.is, and RÁS 2 Present:
The First Annual Þórir Appreciation Week (March 1 – March 3, 2006)
Support Iceland’s favourite wunderkind before his South by Southwest debut. Listen to RÁS 2
for coverage, and log in to www.grapevine.is for a special Þórir podcast.
Wednesday, March 1 at the Cave,
Fighting Shit, My Summer as a Salvation
Soldier and Gavin Portland with guests
to be announced.
All ages. 500 ISK entry. Show starts at 8 pm.
Thursday, March 2 at Kaffi Vín,
Þórir.
All ages. Free. Show starts at 9 pm.
Friday, March 3 at 12 Tónar,
My Summer as a Salvation Soldier and
Death Metal Super Squad.
All ages. Free. Show starts at 5 pm.
Friday, March 3 at Grand Rokk,
My Summer as a Salvation Soldier,
Gavin Portland, Death Metal Super
Squad with guests Singapore Sling and
Jakobínarina.
500 ISK entry. Show starts at 11 pm.
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