Reykjavík Grapevine - 18.05.2018, Síða 8

Some people like kayaking. Some
opt for doing cartwheels. Others
enjoy badminton or throwing jave-
lins. Then, of course, there are those
select few who prefer to get their
adrenaline endorphins from picking
up things and immediately putting
them down. Enter the few, the fair,
the elite, the Icelandic strongmen.
Eskimo or Viking?
It’s well known worldwide that Icelan-
dic people are notoriously strong
and full of protein powder. Haven’t
you heard of that little character The
Mountain on that tiny TV show ‘Game
Of Thrones’? This hunky reputation
comes from the spectacular mito-
chondrion of two legends, Jón Páll
Sigmarsson and Magnús Ver Magnús-
son, both of whom won the World’s
Strongest Man four times each.
Jón Páll is a legend in the Icelan-
dic consciousness on the same level
as Arnold Schwarzenegger—without
the politics or ‘Kindergarten Cop’.
The blonde bombshell burst onto the
international strongmen scene in 1983
where he won silver in the competition
before finally being named the World’s
Strongest Man in 1984 and repeating
this carnage in 1986, 1988 and 1990.
Jón made the sport popular in Iceland,
regularly appearing on TV and in public
events with his bulging pecs present.
For many old Icelanders, including our
editor Valur, he was a childhood icon.
Jón Páll’s iconic presence comes
from his Bil l Clinton-levels of
charisma. He’s best known for a witty
response at a heckler who called him
an Eskimo. “I’m not an Eskimo! I’m
a Viking!” he screamed before lifting
a 500 kg carriage. If you’re confused,
don’t be, that was a common misun-
derstanding in those days. For the
record, Icelanders did not live in
igloos, they lived in huts made of dirt.
Eight golds
Magnús Ver Magnússon contin-
ued Iceland’s legendary status at the
competition, flexing his gold medal
in 1991, 1994, 1995, and 1996. This
secured Iceland’s status as the second-
best country in the world for strong-
men with eight gold medals, which
placed them just behind the United
States who has eleven. That said, Lance
Armstrong is from the US, so who
can really trust their sports tactics?
Update: After the time of this writ-
ing, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson won
the Strongest Man In The World.
But he has been in the shadow of
allegations of domestic violence
and we don’t fuck with that.
Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen
Photo:
TBA
WHAT HAVE WE WON?
World’s
Strongest Men
Pick stuff up, put it down, pick
stuff up, put it down
8 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 08 — 2018
LÓABORATORIUM
Gú
rk
ut
íð
First
Jón Páll is a legend in the Icelandic consciousness
WORD OF
THE ISSUE
Listen, watch & more tracks:
gpv.is/play
Snorri Hallgrímsson
- Still Live
Not to be confused
with folkie crooner
Snorri Helgason,
Snorri Hallgrímsson’s
“Still live” is a moody
and affecting
ambient wash. The
video is equally
evocative, featuring
shaky hand-held
video footage. Fans
of Sigur Rós might
enjoy this one. The
album, ‘Orbit,’ will
follow on June
15th. JR
Sturla Atlas ft.
Logi Pedro - No
Tomorrow
No tomorrow is
a collaboration
between the hip-hop
darlings of Iceland,
Sturla Atlas and Logi
Pedro. The song
is a smooth R’n’B
love song where
the boys fantasise
about a world with
no tomorrow. I guess
the apocalypse can
be romantic in a way
if you can’t wait to
get into bed with
your new girlfriend.
But the song is
short. Like the
future, I assume. VG
Sveimur - Dáinn
“Dáinn” is a lo-fi
journey with Sigur
Rós-like vocals that
floats through your
ears like a sailing
boat on a calm sea.
There are absolutely
no surprises in this
song which makes it
pleasant to listen to
whatever you might
be doing. There are,
however, lots of cute
high-pitched synth-
sounds. Could this
be the new wave of
Icelandic krútt? PW
Kiriyama Family -
Innocence (RMX)
Kiriyama Family
is well known for
pure amped-up
grooviness. Here,
their most famous
and soulful track
‘Innocence’ is given
an EDM makeover by
Milwaukee producer
Charley Cooks. It’s a
surprisingly fitting
collaboration—
perfect for the
dance floor or the
gym floor. Get your
blood flowing. HJC
Mio Dior - Þú og Ég
Mio Dior’s solo debut
is finally here. “Þú og
Ég” is a rollercoaster
of emotions, with
its haunting vocals,
and its mantra-
like bassline.
Accompanied by a
dramatic story in
the stunning music
video, Þú og Ég is a
breath of fresh air
and we can’t wait to
see and hear what’s
next from Mio Dior.
We’re waiting and
we’re ready. JW
Árstíðir - Entangled
The second song
from Árstíðir’s fifth
studio album spoils
the listener with a
stellar production,
poppy guitar
picking, smooth
percussion and
beautiful vocal
harmonies. This is
catchy, soft and easy
to listen to. Perfect
for a slow Sunday
morning. Their new
album, “Nivalis”,
will be out on June
22nd. PW
THE
GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
The must-hear tracks of the issue
VISIT THE
WEIRD AND
WONDERFUL
WORLD OF
TULIPOP
Gúrkutíð is that magical
time of year between June
and August, or January
and March, when nothing
notable happens and media
has no news to write about.
A lthough this phenom-
e n o n i s w e l l - k n o w n i n
Iceland, ‘The Cucumber Time’
(gúrka=cucumber) dates back to
the idle vacation days of German
merchants. When business was
low and nothing was happening,
in fact, European merchants had so
much free time that they’d put cucum-
bers to pickle for the next season.
Now, however, Gúrkutíð is marked
by pictures of cats on the front page
of Icelandic newspapers—so don’t
expect The Grapevine to embark
on a pickling venture, okay? PF