Reykjavík Grapevine - des. 2020, Blaðsíða 22

Reykjavík Grapevine - des. 2020, Blaðsíða 22
Iceland On The World’s Bi!!est Comedy Sta!e Pardon our editor-in-chief’s take on Ari Eldjárn’s first Netflix stand-up special Words: Valur Grettisson Photo: Hör!ur Sveinsson I’m just going to say it and I know that this might result in the stand- up community in Iceland (and maybe one eccentric historian) disowning me—and maybe I de- serve that—but here goes: Icelan- dic stand-up has been a goddamn tragedy throughout the years. But don’t despair, there is one man working hard to get us on the world map. This is, of course, Ari Eldjárn, who just premiered his first Netflix special, ‘Pardon My Icelandic.’ Iceland comedy history in 30 seconds Stand-up comedy in Iceland has more or less been an odd slap- stick situation throughout the years from Ómar Ragnarsson, who just danced while reciting rhymes like he was strung out on amphetamines, to Spaugstofan, who made tacky political jokes that were more like a series of dad jokes than commentary, to the boozy Radíus bræ!ur, who gave us intellectual humour under heavy influence from Monty Python and booze, to finally Fóstbræ!ur, the surreal comedy group lead by our former mayor, Jón Gnarr, that was also under the heavy influence of Monty Python. Imperialists… am I right? But Ari Eldjárn is different. His comedy—rather than going for niche Icelandic political jabs or Monty Python-inspired rabble—is more about Scandinavian stereo- types in general. He made head- lines as the first Icelandic comedi- an to get his own Netflix stand-up special, and while cynical read- ers might say everyone and their grandmothers get Netflix stand- up specials nowadays, we want to state that Iceland does have a population of 360,000 people, so one of them g e t t i n g a specia l i s l i k e 4 0 0 N e t f l i x - specials per capita com- pared to the U.K. Now it seems pret- ty big right? So let ’s talk about ‘ P a r d o n My Icelandic’. Ari’s warm and friendly comedy translates pretty well to the worldwide screen. His humour, which in this special revolves around Scandinavian quirks, brilliantly nails Iceland’s Scandi neighbours, like the robot- ic emotionlessness of the Finns and the unbearable tone shift at the end of every sentence in Nor- wegian. Most importantly though, he unveils what most of the world has somehow missed, which is that Danish people are an absolutely insufferable bunch of pompous softies that speak the most hid- eous language in the world. But, you know, imperialists, right? With his observations, Ari un- veils the characteristic funny-but- extremely-petty national soul of Icelanders, which is usually lost in most of the cutesy international media attention the country gets. We could be imperialists too But to be critical, Ari’s stand-up is not perfect. In the middle of the one-hour long special, he does seem to lose track for a moment though he does later regain his vigour. The part about how Dan- ish people make up strange jokes about Iceland is perhaps too niche for an international crowd. And nobody in Iceland cares about Himmelbjerget anymore. That mountain is more of a tragedy than a joke. B u t o v e r a l l , Ari’s show reminds us that he is truly the comedy k ing of Iceland and he sails his first spe- cial pretty safely to harbour. A little too safely, actually, and that could be a criti- cism in itself, but who can blame him for playing it safe on the biggest stage in the world? He does give one hope that comedy in Iceland does not only have a bright future, but that it could actually conquer the world! Which is also a weird quirk in Icelanders; we are the world’s smallest imperialist-wan- nabes. You can run with that in your next show, Ari. Find today's events in Iceland! Download our free listings app - APPENING on the Apple and Android stores Film Now that's what I call Blue Steel™ “Danish people are an absolutely insuf- ferable bunch of pompous softies who speak the most hideous language in the world.” - Editor-in-Chief of the RVK Grapevine THE SWEETEST CENTURY Since opening our bakery in 1920, we have constantly pushed the boundaries of tradi- tional Icelandic baking methods. Find us in the heart of Reykjavík serving piping hot, fresh pastries made from scratch, every morning from seven-thirty AM. Not a sweet tooth? That’s OK. Come by for a savory brunch or taste one of our homemade sodas or craft beers. Laugavegur 36, 101 Reykjavík www.sandholt.is EST. 1920

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