Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.03.2014, Blaðsíða 2

TRACK OF THE ISSUE
American “Dust Bowl Troubadour” Woody
Guthrie wrote “Way Over Yonder In The Mi-
nor Key” during his most productive years in
the ‘40s on Coney Island’s Mermaid Avenue.
It wasn’t until the late ‘90s, however, that the
song was first recorded by singer-songwriter
Billy Bragg. Just Another Snake Cult’s lo-fi cov-
er takes the track in an entirely new direction,
replacing Billy’s acoustic guitar, Hammond
organ and cheerful folk theme with a cello,
synth and intimate indie vibe. The thoughtful
rendition coupled with singer Þórir’s eccentric
vocals certainly make the chorus “there ain’t
nobody that can sing like me” ring truer than
ever before. We encourage readers to check
out JASC’s album release concert for ‘Cupid
Makes A Fool Of Me’ at KEX Hostel on March
15—said album earned the band a nomina-
tion for local paper DV’s 2013 Culture Awards.
“Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key”
Just Another Snake Cult
Download NOW at www.grapevine.is
2The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 3 — 2014
Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík
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Published by Fröken ehf.
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Editor In Chief:
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Editor:
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Editorial | Anna Andersen
ICELAND IS FEELING PRETTY INSULAR
Anna’s 38th Editorial
Come this time of year Icelandic house-
holds start receiving glossy catalogues in
the mail with package deals to sunny des-
tinations like Crete and Benidorm. It’s all
the same: page after page of hotels with
swimming pools that are a stone’s throw
away from the beach. After all, what else
could you want from a vacation when you
spend most of your life trapped on a cold
island?
The truth is Iceland has felt particularly
insular this last month, but it has more to
do with the public discourse than it does
with the fact that we are, geographically
speaking, pretty isolated over here in the
middle of the North Atlantic. Going back
on their campaign promise, the govern-
ment announced plans to cancel Iceland’s
EU accession talks without consulting the
nation via referendum (read more on page
12). As if breaking promises wasn’t bad
enough, some of what our ministers and
members of parliament have uttered in the
ensuing discussion has been downright
embarrassing.

For starters, MP Vigdís Hauksdóttir claimed
on the Icelandic TV programme ‘Mín
skoðun’ (“My Opinion”) that Europe is cur-
rently in the grip of famine and that Malta is
not a sovereign nation, comparing it to the
Westman Islands where 4,000 or so Iceland-
ers live. When the magazine ‘Kvennablaðið’
(“The Women's Paper”) compiled these
gaffes into an article called ‘Viskubrunnur
Vigdísar’ ("Vigdís' Fountain of Wisdom"),
Vigdís took to her Facebook page to pub-
licly encourage a cosmetics company to
pull its advertisements. Similarly confused
about how freedom of the press works,
Minister for Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi
Sveinsson said that, due to perceived bias
in EU reporting, he will no longer grant Ice-
land’s state broadcasting service interviews
unless he is permitted to set the terms—as
if that were a thing outside of, I don’t know,
North Korea (more on page 8).
An escape from Iceland does indeed
sound pretty appealing these days, but
I’m not sure if a simple sunny destination
is the answer. I recently stumbled across an
interview with Iceland’s aforementioned
Minister for Foreign Affairs in which he was
asked, “If you could jump on a plane and go
anywhere, where would you go?” and he
answered, “to the sun in Benidorm with the
family.” Is it too presumptuous to suggest
that he and perhaps others in government
start soaking up something more than the
sun when they go abroad?
Now turn to page 14 to read our feature
interview with Vigdís Finnbogadóttir (not
Hauksdóttir), Iceland’s former president
and the world’s first democratically elected
female head of state. At the age of 83, she
has a thing or two to say about Icelandic
discourse.
On The Cover: Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
Photographer: Ari Magg
www.arimagg.com
Make-Up: Frida Maria
Contributing Writers:
Alex Baumhardt
Alice Demurtas
Atli Þór Fanndal
Björn Teitsson
Bob Cluness
Bogi Bjarnason
Catharine Fulton
Helgi Hrafn Guðmundsson
John Rogers
Kári Tulinis
Óskar Bragi Stefánsson
Sari Peltonen
Journalist:
Larissa Kyzer / larissa@grapevine.is
Journalist & Listings Editor
Tómas Gabríel Benjamin / gabriel@grapevine.is
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Fred Q. Labelle / fred@grapevine.is
Jonathan Pattishall / jonathan@grapevine.is
Laura Clark / laura@grapevine.is
Yasmin Nowak / yasmin@grapevine.is
Art Director:
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Design:
Hrefna Sigurðardóttir / hrefna@dodlur.is
Photographers:
Nanna Dís / www.nannadis.com
Matthew Eisman / http://www.mattheweisman.com
Alísa Kalyanova / www. alisakalyanova.com
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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 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, Seyðisfjörður, Borgarnes, Keflavík, Ísafjörður and at key
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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