Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.05.2012, Page 2

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 5 — 2012
Editorial | Anna Andersen
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently paid Iceland an official visit, along with his 100-strong entourage. He hung out at
Harpa, looked at Gullfoss and Geysir and generally seemed to be having a chill time of it. He and his team also met
extensively with the Icelandic government, which resulted in the signing of six agreements that could have a profound
impact on Iceland's future. This of course has some folks worriedly asking "What is it they want from little old us? Is there an
ulterior motive?" We of course have no idea. So we thought we'd investigate... P22
MUSIC
Of Monsters And
WOW! OVER
100,000 COPIES
SOLD! HOLY EFF!
ESPIONAGE
Not so exciting when
it's directed at you,
huh?
COFFEE
...in Iceland is far
superior to your puny
home planet's watery
slop. Accept this!
TRAVEL
We explore a
small volcanic
island
LITERATURE
What's so
great about
Nordic crime
fiction?
Issue 5 • 2012 • May 4 - 17
Cover by:
Döðlur / Hrefna Sigurðardóttir
The mighty Muck spent the last two years making
their latest album, ‘SLAVES,’ which was released
a couple of months ago. Muck break some new
ground on this record, which is their second long-
player. ‘SLAVES features explosive punk melodies on
top of scraping guitar riffs. This coupled with some
choice early hardcore sounds and the two singers’
guttural shouting ensures the album is a unique
piece, a must for any fan of rock or hxc. If you’ve yet
pick up their album, go get a taster www.grapevine.
is, where you can score a free download of the
excellent, all-over-the-place fifth track, “CIRCLES.”
While you’re listening, you can flip to page 36 of this
very issue to read an interview with the band. Fancy
that!
Muck - “Circles”
TRACK OF THE ISSUE
Download the FREE track at www.grapevine.is
TRACK OF
THE ISSUE
Download your
free track at
grapevine.is
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 in ChiEf:
Haukur S Magnússon / haukur@grapevine.is
Managing Editor:
Anna Andersen / anna@grapevine.is
Editorial:
+354 540 3600 / editor@grapevine.is
advErtising:
+354 540 3605 / ads@grapevine.is
+354 40 3610
PublishEr:
Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson / hilmar@grapevine.is
+354 540 3601 / publisher@grapevine.is
Contributing WritErs:
Alfrún Gísladóttir
Neil Holdsworth
Ása Baldursdóttir
Ævar Örn Guðjónsson
Jón H. Hallgrímz
Gerður Jónsdóttir
Davíð Roach Gunnarsson
James Ashworth
Bob Cluness
Nathan Hall
Kári Túliníus
Quentin Bates
Nanna Árnadóttir
Birkir Fjalar Viðarsson
Clyde Bradford
Ásgeir H. Ingólfsson
Egill Helgason
Paul Fontaine
Marc Vincenz
Editorial intErns:
Lynn Klein / lynn@grapevine.is
Melanie Franz / melanie@grapevine.is
Sarah Pepin / sarah@grapevine.is
B.R. Neal / bess@grapevine.is
on-linE nEWs Editor
Paul Fontaine / paul@grapevine.is
art dirECtor:
Hörður Kristbjörnsson / hoddi@grapevine.is
dEsign:
Páll Hilmarsson / pallih@kaninka.net
PhotograPhErs:
Alísa Kalyanova / www. alisakalyanova.com
salEs dirECtor:
Aðalsteinn Jörundsson / adalsteinn@grapevine.is
Guðmundur Rúnar Svansson / grs@grapevine.is
Helgi Þór Harðarson / helgi@grapevine.is
distribution ManagEr:
distribution@grapevine.is
ProofrEadEr:
Jim Rice
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, Seyðis-
fjörður, 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’).
Comic | Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir
Every now and then Icelanders—and expats espe-
cially—complain about living on an island. The
produce can certainly get old in every sense of
the word, and then everything comes at an island
price—it’s not cheap to fill a tank of gas.
But imagine living somewhere so remote that
supply ships can only reach you two months of the
year. Grapevine photographer, Hvalreki, and I just
spent four days in Ittoqqortoormiit, East Green-
land where that’s the reality for its 475 residents.
Getting to this town isn’t easy, especially if
you’re coming all the way from somewhere like
China, but from Reykjavík it’s not too difficult: an
hour and forty-five minute f light from Reykjavík
to Kulusuk, another one from Kulusuk to Con-
stable Point, and then a short helicopter ride from
there to Ittoqqortoormiit.
That’s also how they get their goods when ship
supplies run out. Yep, they f ly in our wonderful
produce up to two times a week during the sum-
mer and once a week during the winter.
While such isolation could prove inconvenient
at times, it also has its benefits. There were no
gift shops selling stuffed animal polar bears or T-
shirts with tacky slogans in town and it was exhila-
rating to race around on snowmobiles through an
untouched glacial wonderland.
This got me thinking about how Iceland has
changed over the last decade. Only ten years ago
you could have called Iceland one of Europe’s best
kept secrets. It was exotic, untouched, foreign to
most people who might have been able to tell you
that Iceland is green and Greenland is icy or per-
haps that they knew Björk was Icelandic.
As Hvalreki put it, Iceland is becoming a bit
like “Greenland Light”—a diet version of spec-
tacular untouched, raw nature. Of course it’s still
possible to enjoy being alone in the world in the
remote West Fjords or in the middle of the high-
lands, but beautiful spots like Gullfoss might as
well be renamed Disneyland Falls.
But who knows what’ll happen in the coming
decade. Chinese businessman Huang Nubo was
not permitted to purchase Grímsstaðir á Fjöllum,
Anna’s 6th Editorial
Europe’s Ex-Best Kept Secret
This photo shows Anna in Greenland. You should go there.
30,639 hectares in east Iceland, but it turns out
that he’s going to rent it so there’s a good chance
that we’ll be getting that fancy resort and golf
course.
And the tourism industry seems keen on ex-
panding across the country, so let’s just hope we
don’t turn all of our natural beauty into accommo-
dation for tourists, and that we don’t destroy what
makes Iceland special. We should probably enjoy
our island and its unique qualities while we can.
Hot spring steam baths
Sauna
Geothermal baths
www.fontana.is