Reykjavík Grapevine - dec. 2020, Side 2

First 08: PROTEST = ARREST07: Hel, Half-Zombie Full-Sex Icon06: High On Highlands 11: SIGUR MF RÓS 18: Ultraflex Makes You Sweat26: #YuleLadHoliday
What will change in the new year? Well,
everything—or not so much. The whole
world connected for a moment over
the dreaded coronavirus. We saw what
leaders and nations are made of. And
what’s perhaps more important, we
were reminded of how united we are
at the end of the day. Scientists broke
records developing a vaccine within a
year. That’s no small feat for science or
humankind.
The pandemic exposed our worst and
our best at the same time. Icelanders
can be proud of their politicians, who
listened to top scientists when needed.
But we were also reminded of how
underfunded our healthcare system is.
Icelanders of my generation have been
raised up to believe it was the best in the
world. It is not. The reason is decades of
politicians underfunding the system in
hopes of privatising it bit by bit.
The pandemic is also a rude awaken-
ing to the fact that the whole world can
be flipped upside down in a matter of
weeks. Nothing stays the same forever.
It’s a simple sentence to write down, but
no one understands it fully until we’ve
been slapped across the face with it.
Soon, the hope is that the virus will
seem like a distant dream. That every-
thing and everyone will get back on
their feet. That tourism will come back.
That we will be able to visit our loved
ones when we want. And that the econ-
omy will bloom.
It will be easy to put this behind us
and keep on going like nothing ever
happened. But this is when the real
work starts. We have to reorganize how
we are doing things. Global warming is
still on the rise. The gap between the
rich and the poor is still growing. And
the importance of good health care that
can take care of our brothers and sisters
can’t be underestimated. This our wake
up call. And from what I have seen and
read and experienced myself in this
pandemic, I’m more optimistic than
pessimistic. Let’s wake up, do the work
and make a better world in memory of
those that have died from COVID-19.
Merry Christmas and happy new
year. Thank you all for reading our
magazine and supporting the Reykjavík
Grapevine.

Valur Grettisson
Editor-in-chief
New Year Di!erent Mankind
Megan Massey is
an award-winning
QWOC poet from
Bedford, England. She
writes about women,
magic, and the Indian
diaspora. She recently
graduated from the
University of London
with a BA in Creative
Writing. She is cur-
rently in law school.
Hannah Jane Cohen is
based out of Iceland
by way of New York.
She's known for her
love of Willa Ford,
David Foster Wallace,
and other such
"intellectuals." Her
visionary work is
known for expand-
ing the definitions of
emotion, introspec-
tion, and above all
else, taste. Hannah is
also the current Drag
King of Iceland, HANS.
Poll" is a hard-work-
ing journalist by day
and an enthusiastic
ball-catcher by
night. A four-year-old
dachshund mix with
an IQ of a five-year-
old human, Poll! has
been the o"cial
Chief Of Morale at
the Grapevine for
eight months and is
a regular contribu-
tor to the Grape-
vine Newscast on
YouTube. Woof.
Iona Rangeley-Wilson
is an English gradu-
ate from the UK. She
writes children’s
books, but has de-
cided to also go into
journalism on the
absolutely minuscule
o#-chance that her
first book doesn’t
immediately turn
her into a multimil-
lionaire. Her hobbies
include getting up
late and indulging in
illusions of grandeur.
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
is our Art Director.
He's responsible for
the design of the
magazine and the
cover photography.
When he's not work-
ing here, he DJs as
Terrordisco, hosts
the Funk$átturinn
radio show, or sits at
a table in a Laugarda-
lur café, drinking
copious amounts of
co#ee and thinking
about fonts.
Art Bicnick is an
international man
of mystery. He
moves like a shadow
through the subcul-
tures and soirees
of Reykjavík, never
still, o%en ghosting
the scene in a pu#
of blue smoke—the
exhaust fumes of the
elusive, well-travelled
Bicnick Mini.
Andie Sophia Fontaine
has lived in Iceland
since 1999 and has
been reporting since
2003. They were the
first foreign-born
member of the
Icelandic Parliament,
an experience they
recommend for
anyone who wants
to experience a
workplace where
colleagues work tire-
lessly to undermine
each other.
Jess Distill is a
musician, artist and
wannabe writer from
St. Albans, England. As
a long time lover of
Iceland, and recent
copywriting diploma
graduate, Jess came
to the Grapevine to
expand her writing
portfolio whilst see-
ing if she could hack
it as an Icelandic
resident.
Valur Grettisson is
an award-winning
journalist, author
and playwright. He
has been writing for
Icelandic media since
2005. He was also a
theatre critic and
one of the hosts of
the cultural program,
'Djöflaeyjan' at RÚV.
Valur is not to be
confused with the
dreadful football club
that bears the same
name.
EDITORIAL
31: ICE CAVES!!!1!
28: COVID-Christmas
Buffets
30: Holiday-Scopes
COVER PHOTO:
The cover image is a
home-brewed homage
to a faint memory
of what mid-century
scandinavian film
posters looked like.
Based on stills from
the Odins Raven Magic
concert recording in
Paris, 2008.
Photocollage by
Sveinbjörn Pálsson.
Find us:
#intotheglacier
www.intotheglacier.is
Daily departures from
Húsafell, Reykjavík and !ingvellir National Park
Experience
the amazing
Langjökull
glacier tunnels