Reykjavík Grapevine - 26.04.2019, Qupperneq 8

In 2006, Icelandic children’s show Lazy-
Town snatched up the BAFTA for Best
International Children’s Programme.
It was a surprise win that made the
Icelandic nation come together to sing
and do some aerobics. It was even
said that the devious, strong-chinned
villain Robbie Rotten—played by the
late great Stefán Karl Stefánsson—got
on his feet and cheered.
Scheming & winning
The show revolves around pink-haired
firecracker Stephanie and her BFF
superhero Sportacus, as they attempt
to make the residents of LazyTown
less lazy—hence the name of the show.
Every episode, the evil Robbie Rotten
does all he can to thwart their plans,
before eventually getting outwitted
by the duo somewhere around the
20-minute mark. But don’t worry—he
always thinks of a new scheme by the
next episode.
Full of Europop songs and choreo-
graphed dance numbers, the show
found an audience worldwide, with its
100+ episodes airing in over 180 coun-
tries. That said, it’s still pretty baffling
that a tiny show from Iceland about
eating vegetables and being social could
beat SpongeBob Squarepants. Guess
you do belong at Weenie Hut Junior, you
ripped-pants rectangle loser.
Get on your feet!
In an interview post-win, creator
Magnús Scheving—who also played
Sportacus—compared the victory to
winning the Olympics. “It has a posi-
tive influence on children,” he said of
the show. “[LazyTown] teaches chil-
dren a healthy lifestyle. Not just eating
healthy food, but being kind, doing well
in school, and going to bed early.”
Unfortunately, though the show was
nominated again in 2007 and 2008, it
lost to SpongeBob Squarepants and Yo
Gabba Gabba, respectively. So, while
Robbie Rotten was notoriously #1, we
can’t always be the best. But hey, we’re
definitely the healthiest.
LazyTown
Domination
Be healthy, stay hydrated and eat those veggies!
8 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 06— 2019
LÓABORATORIUM
The Lazytown BAFTA celebration party
Listen, watch & hear
more tracks:
gpv.is/play
Comfort Creature -
Pyramid Room Exit
Iceland-born,
Australia-based
Auður Zoëga—who
lists her hometown
as “Melbourne/
Kópavogur”—is
Comfort Creature.
Her “Pyramid
Room Exit” is a
compelling track
that takes several
unexpected sonic
swerves, including
digital distortion,
blunt synth sounds,
harp, piano, and
bewitching looped
vocals. Highly
promising. JR
TSS - High Tide Low
Tide
Released as a ltd.
10” vinyl for Record
Store Day, TSS’s ‘High
Tide Low Tide’ single-
handedly made us
care about that event
once more. The eight-
track EP is made of
the same dreamy,
summery, lo-fi
psychedelia that won
his debut LP ‘Moods’
a Grapevine Music
Award last January.
Find it at tssforu.
bandcamp.com. JR
Hildur Guðnadóttir -
Chernobyl
Renowned cellist,
composer and
experimenter Hildur
Guðnadóttir has
more than earned
her recent rise to
prominence. Her
solo music is often
dark and dense;
her soundtracks,
perhaps
necessarily,
contain more
stark contrasts
and bombast. Hear
her latest screen
work on HBO’s
new ‘Chernobyl’
docudrama. JR
Andy Svarthol -
Mörur
Brothers Egill
and Bjarki Hreinn
Viðarsson have
created an
intriguing debut
album that’s a
dizzying fusion of
genres, from synth-
pop, to noir indie,
to retro b-movie
scores. The sounds
are imaginatively
effects-laden and
layered, often with
a welcome element
of surprise. Get it
at andysvarthol.
bandcamp.com. JR
Pale Moon -
Dust of Days
The latest EP from
Pale Moon, a husband
and wife duo based in
Reykjavík, is a perfect
vignette of sounds
for the after work
wind down. The retro
70’s vibe of ‘Waiting
for the Sun’ is sure
to get you excited
for the long summer
days ahead. AU
Máni Orrason -
I Swear It’s True
Berlin-based Máni
makes decade (and
genre) skipping
pop songs with the
lightest dusting of
the Tame Impala-
influenced psych-
pop production
zeitgeist; but he
would seem just
as natural found
opening for Space
during Britpop, or
on the Karate Kid
soundtrack. JR
THE
GRAPEVINE
PLAYLIST
The must-hear tracks of the issue
Út
i a
ð
ak
a
JUST SAYINGS
So, you're out driving? That doesn't
sound so bad. Does it? Well, if you are
in Iceland, and someone says to you
that you are out driving (úti að aka)
they mean that you have absolutely no
goddamn idea what you are doing. The
saying is used all the time in Icelandic
rhetoric, often as harsh criticism of the
government or business leaders.
I can’t find where the saying origi-
nated from, or why it’s so negative to
be out driving. Perhaps it means that
cars are really bad for the environment
and you need to be an idiot to drive
aimlessly, but Icelanders love driving
aimlessly in their cars, so I have my
doubts. VG
WHAT HAVE
WE WON?
Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen
Photo:
Lazytown
First
This poem is just your classic tale of
human trafficking. Well, technically it’s
giant trafficking, but that doesn’t make
it any less shitty. It’s about Freyr, the
god of sunshine and fertility, sending
his servant Skírnir to basically kidnap
Gerður, a beautiful giantess, and force
her to have sex with him. Uncomfort-
ably enough, the poem is named after
the kidnapper instead of the victim!
Patriarchy is as patriarchy does, eh?
So one day Freyr is sitting around on
Óðinn’s throne. From there, he can see
into Giantworld and there he spots a
giantess just minding her own fucking
business. The thing is that she’s totally
hot, like a perfect 10. Maybe even a 16
if you count her height. So of course
Freyr falls in love and starts moping
like an angsty teenager. Like any caring
parent, Freyr’s father sends his servant
to ask his son what’s wrong.
“I saw a girl,” Freyr begins. “Her
arms are so shiny that no other woman
could ever please me! She is so beauti-
ful that no other woman –” But Skírnir
is already over it. “Okay, I get it,” he
says. “I’ll go get her if you shut the
hell up. But also give me your magic
horse and sword.” So then he flounces
all up into Giantland and asks some
dude, “Hey, man. How do I talk to that
giant babe?” The man is incredulous.
“Nobody talks to that giant babe, dude.
Forget it.”
Inside her castle, Gerður asks her
maid, “Dafuq is going on out there?”
When she learns it’s a visitor, she very
hospitably invites him in for a
drink. Skírnir gets right
down to business ,
offering her 11 golden
apples if she’ll sleep
with Freyr. Gerður
s a y s , “ I d o n’ t
fuck for apples
and also Freyr
is gross.” So he
offers her a ring, to
which she gives him
another hard pass. So
Skírnir’s natural next
step is, “I’ll cut your head
off if you don’t do what I say!”
When she refuses, he threatens to kill
her father instead but she cannot be
coerced.
So Skírnir whips out a magic
wand. “I curse you to do what I say,”
he begins. “You will go away forever
and feel alone always and beg for hell
and cry and starve and drink
nothing but goat piss and
everyone will hate you
and laugh at you and
you will always suffer
for this!” Defeated,
G e r ð u r n a m e s
the place to meet
Freyr to begin her
new life of eternal
suffering and lone-
liness. Skírnir rushes
home to celebrate their
successful abduction
with Freyr and everyone
lives happily ever after—except
for the woman. As usual.
Moral of the story: 1. Consent by
coercion is not consent. 2. Just leave
women alone.
The Matter of Skírnir
Words:
Grayson Del Faro
Photo:
Lóa
Hjálmtýsdóttir
In this series,
we illuminate
the individual
poems of the
Edda–that most
famous, epic
masterpiece
of Icelandic
literary
tradition–
with humour,
vulgarity
and modern
realness. If
you're still
confused,
Google 'Saga
Recap.'