Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.12.2014, Page 2

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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1 — 2011
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
Editor:
Anna Andersen / anna@grapevine.is
Journalist:
John Rogers / john@grapevine.is
Journalist & Listings editor
Gabríel Benjamin / gabriel@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:
A.M. Finnson
Atli Bollason
Bogi Bjarnason
Chris D’Alessandro
Davíð Roach
Dr. Gunni
Gabrielle Motola
Haukur Már Helgason
Kári Tulinius
Magnús Sveinn Helgason
Nathan Hall
Óli Dóri
Parker Yamasaki
Ragnar Egilsson
Snorri Örn Rafnsson
Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir

Editorial Interns:
Elín Rós / elin@grapevine.is
Melissa Coci / melissa@grapevine.is
Saskia Vallendar / saskia@grapevine.is
Tom Doyle / tom@grapevine.is
Art Director:
Hörður Kristbjörnsson / hordur@dodlur.is
Layout:
Hrefna Sigurðardóttir
Photographers:
Anna Domnick
Atli Sigurðarson
GOLLI
Hörður Sveinsson / www.hordursveinsson.com
Markús Már Efraím
Matthew Eisman / www.mattheweisman.com
Spessi
Sales Director:
Aðalsteinn Jörundsson / adalsteinn@grapevine.is
Helgi Þór Harðarson / helgi@grapevine.is
Óskar Freyr Pétursson / oskar@grapevine.is
Distribution manager:
distribution@grapevine.is
Proofreader:
Mark Asch
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 repro-
duced 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 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’).
On the cover: Professor Goddur and
Reykjavík Chieftain Jörmundur Ingi
Photo: Baldur Kristjáns
(www.baldurkristjans.is)
Make up: Rakel Ásgeirsdóttir
Props: Dagur Benedikt Reynisson
Wardrobe: Hulda Halldóra
Tryggvadóttir
Special thanks to: Hjörtur Hjartarson,
Snorri Björnsson, Hókus Pókus,
the inhabitants of Óðinsgata 5 and
Óðinsgata 8b, Armar Vinnulyftur,
Daníel Gylfason, Sölmundur Ísak. And
our wonderful cover stars.
Editorial-in-chief | Haukur S. Magnússon
Healing Hands
In the above photograph, I am accompanied by one of
my favourite people in the world, Dr. Haukur S. Mag-
nússon, my paternal grandfather and my namesake (I
had to make sure not to get a doctorate degree, so folks
would be able to tell us apart). It was taken a couple
of Christmases ago, in-between bouts of us eating,
drinking and being merry. What a time we had.
Dr. Haukur is 82 years old. He became a doctor in
1961, and spent the brunt of his career working as a
General Practitioner, helping thousands of humans
overcome illness and injury. A healing hand.
His late wife, my beloved grandmother Erla,
worked as a nurse her whole life, helping thousands of
humans overcome illness and injury. A healing hand.
And their daughter, my aunt Jónína, currently
works as a nurse. Helping thousands of humans over-
come illness and injury. A healing hand.
---
Growing up, I would listen intently as they discussed
their work. It fascinated me. It still does. Stories of Dr.
Haukur’s early days serving as a GP in East Iceland,
when he would hike through mountains of snow,
dragging his medical kit behind him on a sleigh, re-
sponding to medical emergencies in remote villages.
My grandmother’s tales of purposing a soup ladle to
spoon tapeworm out of patients’ stomachs. My aunt’s
tales of Saturday night Emergency Room chaos.
I developed a great respect for our medical profes-
sionals as a child, and it has only grown in later years.
---
My grandparents were of the generation that built
up the healthcare system that we Icelanders have
often prided ourselves of. They did unselfish, often
thankless pioneer work for the benefit of their na-
tion. I imagine they were optimistic as they witnessed
various progresses in the field through the years, as
we devised ways of curing once-deadly diseases and
constructed an impressive healthcare network that
spread around the island.
My aunt Jónína has also spent her career as a nurse
doing unselfish, often thankless work. The difference,
perhaps, lies in the fact that she has been doing that
work at a time when it seems like the healthcare sys-
tem built by my grandparents’ generation had entered
a period of slow but sure disintegration, as funding
has stalled or been cut, as the infrastructure started
slowly rotting due to lack of interest from the officials
we elected to maintain it.
My aunt, the nurse, has often felt pressed to work
ludicrous amounts of overtime, not sleeping for days,
because there simply aren’t enough nurses to go
around. Because the pay isn’t attractive, because the
working conditions can border on abhorrent. Because
reasons.
As journalist Gabríel Benjamín’s illuminating fea-
ture reveals, Iceland’s healthcare system is teetering
on the brink of tragedy after years of governmental
neglect and austerity measures. While it paints a grim
picture of the situation, some of the people he spoke
to also provide a glimpse of hope that we may yet turn
things around.
This is heady, important stuff. Go read the feature.
Assume a position. Demand action.
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The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 18 — 2014
TRACK
OF THE
ISSUE
Reykjavík sextet Rökkurró have come
back to Earth since their last album, ‘Í an-
nan heim’ (“To Another World”) . Gone are
the hushed vocals and guitars that gave
that record its dreamy sheen, replaced
now with a more polished and earthy pop
sound, as may be heard in this issue’s free
track, "Blue Skies."
As well as the marked change in style,
the band have flipped from the Icelandic
language into English, suggesting they
may have their eyes set on broader, more
worldly horizons in the coming year. As
such, they are among the nineteen hand-
picked acts that will represent Iceland at
Dutch music industry shindig Eurosonic in
January, making a running start in 2015.
"This song was fucking hard to make,"
says Rökkurró bass-man Árni Þór Árnason.
"It was one of the first songs we wrote for
'Innra' but we kept going back and chang-
ing it. It almost didn't make the album be-
cause we couldn’t agree on what it should
sound like. But just before we finished re-
cording, we stripped it down to the bare
essentials, ruffed it up a bit, and ended up
with something everybody loved."
‘Innra’ is out now on 12 Tónar

× 2014
December 5 - January 8
Issue 18
YOUR FREE COPY THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO LIFE, TRAVEL & ENTERTAINMENT IN ICELAND
C hristmas is upon is once again. While a lot of things might seem pretty wrong with the
world right now, we feel the only sensible course
of action is to just kinda let it all go for a moment,
meet up with friends and family, and indulge in
some good, old-fashioned Holiday indulgence.
Eat, drink
& be merry
+ Complete Reykjavík Listings Lots of cool events Get the FREE Grapevine appsAppy Hour and CravingAvailable on the App store and on Android Market.
Comic | Hugleikur Dagsson
Blue Skies
Rökkuró
Innra
Download the FREE track at www.grapevine.is