Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.06.2018, Side 8

The Paralympics are the sister sport-
ing event to the Olympics where
high-level athletes with physical disa-
bilities can show their stuff. It’s an
intense competition. Seriously, try and
watch para ice hockey without being
like, holy shit this is extraordinary.
Iceland has won 61 Paralympics
medals, all at the Summer Games. These
include fourteen gold, thirteen silver,
and thirty-four bronze. This places
Iceland as the forty-seventh place on the
all-time Paralympic Games medal table.
We love you, Jón
Iceland’s last medal came at the 2012
Summer Paralympics in London. There,
Jón Margeir Sverrisson smited the
competition, winning gold in the Men’s
200m Freestyle S14—the S14 denotes
the type of disability. After winning, Jón
was quoted as saying, “I wanted to win
gold for my love.” Yes, in one day, Jón
managed to win a gold medal and melt
the hearts of men and women across the
world. His love, fellow athlete Stefanía
Daney Guðmundsdóttir, is very lucky.
Unfortunately, Jón did not defend
his title at the 2016 iteration, finish-
ing in fourth just a second behind
Australian Daniel Fox. That said, we
are 99% sure someone in the game
cheated and are starting an online
petition as we speak for a rematch.
The Grapevine has your back, Jón. But
the swimmer is not too fussed —he’s
currently training for an Iron Man.
Hilmar! Hilmar!
Quizzically, Iceland has never medaled
at the Winter Paralympic Games,
despite being a cold island with ample
ice and snow. Hey—the countries name
is literally Ice-land. It makes no sense.
In the 2018 Winter Paralympics in
Pyeongchang, South Korea, Iceland
sent one participant, Hilmar Snær
Örvarsson, who competed in Slalom
and Giant Slalom. For you non-skiers,
that’s that sport where people hurl
themselves down a mountain and try to
glide between poles. It’s dangerous af.
Hilmar finished in seventh. Though
he failed to medal, it’s important
to remember that Jennifer Hudson
finished seventh on American Idol and
look at her now. She has since won an
Oscar. You did us proud, Hilmar.
Words:Hannah
Jane Cohen
Photo: Adobe
WHAT HAVE WE WON?
Paralympics
Domination
The Viking blood smites all
8 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 09 — 2018
LÓABORATORIUM
Fja
nd
ak
or
ni
ð
First
An Icelander winning stuff, yesterday
WORD OF
THE ISSUE
Listen, watch & more tracks:
gpv.is/play
Teitur Magnusson -
Hverra Manna?
Probably the most
chill musician in
Iceland, Teitur
Magnússon is back
with a new single. It’s
a characteristically
sunny and languid
pop track with
sonorous brass
parps, light flute
arrangements, and
a chorus perfect
for humming while
you wander through
grassy fields and
blooming flower
beds in the park.
An album entitled
‘Orna’ will follow this
summer. JR
Seint - Guð
Seint first caught
our attention with
the self-proclaimed
“post-apocalyptic
pop music” in May
2017. Their latest
offering, “Guð,” is an
about turn in theme:
it’s blissed-out,
dreamy electronic
pop with soft,
layered textures and
an insistent melody.
Look out for the new
album, ‘The World Is
Not Enough,’ soon. JR
Drullumall #1
This eclectic Spotify
compilation of
various lo-fi indie
sounds is the first
release from the
“post-dreifing” label
and collective. It’s a
fun listen, with DIY
electronic tracks,
jangly indie tunes,
and a generally
effervescent sense
of adventure.
Look out for the
collective’s festival,
‘Hatíðni,’ which
will take place in
Borgarfjörður this
July. JR
Kontinuum -
Two Moons
This track is one
long, relaxing exhale.
There is absolutely
no tension—the
smooth production
and the calm vocals
make this track the
perfect soundtrack
for watching the
sunrise after a
restless night.
This Icelandic take
on Katatonia is a
graceful, gloomy
break from our
stressful everyday
lives. PW
Omotrack - Hippo Trip
Dat bassline! It’s
like a drop of honey
slowly melting on
your tongue—if
honey could make
you dance. The
poppy chorus
explodes into the
song and the crowd
goes wild, or at least
that’s what I imagine
they would. A hippo
trip, indeed—a
hippo that blows
everybody’s minds
with its hyper-cool
dance moves. PW
Reykjavík Arts
Festival Playlist
This playlist is just
as diverse as the
programme of
the Reykjavík Arts
Festival. Ranging
from classical
pieces by the likes of
Daníel Bjarnason and
Jórunn Viðar to the
mesmerising, loop-
powered folk music
of Gaelynn Lea,
all the way to Ben
Frost’s minimalistic
and experimental
compositions. Tune
in to the art of
music. PW
THE
GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
The must-hear tracks of the issue
VISIT THE
WEIRD AND
WONDERFUL
WORLD OF
TULIPOP
The word of this issue
is fjandakornið. Author
Margaret Atwood once
pointed out that when it comes to a
culture’s swear words, “the worst ones
in any language are what they are most
afraid of”. In Iceland, nearly every swear
word has something to do with Satan,
and fjandakornið is no exception. This
literally means “the devil’s grain”, but
is, in fact, an expletive. And by that
we mean it’s the kind of expletive your
80-year-old devoutly Christian great
aunt would use. It’s not particularly
powerful when trying to express anger
or frustration, but you wouldn’t know
that if you’ve ever watched a film or
TV show with Icelandic subtitles. For
example, this word was once used to
translate the decidedly unchristian
“motherfucker” in the movie Sleepers.
Today, when spoken by anyone under
retirement age, it is either being used
ironically or when in the company of
small children. It’s a great example of
how expletives can lose their power
over time, and it’s for that reason that
fjandakornið is the word of the issue. PF