Iceland review - 2019, Page 25

23
Iceland Review
Using your voice
While Bubbi is probably the best-known musician in
Iceland, he’s never been one to court his audience,
instead unabashedly reflecting and criticising Icelandic
society. One example is his 1984 song Strákarnir á
Borginni (The Boys at the Borg Club), about homophobia,
which was rampant in Iceland at the time. “I was playing
at clubs and I saw it happening right in front of me. They
were beaten, they were spit on, they were
banned from entering clubs. That’s why I
wrote that song. And I remember it wasn’t
popular. People were like ‘What are you
doing?’”
“I have always sung about how I see the
world and Iceland. Sometimes it hasn’t
been popular, but it’s always been very
important to me to not keep quiet. Iceland
isn’t big. And in such a small society, the
danger is that you don’t dare to take a
stance because you’re afraid your neigh-
bour will disagree. It’s very important to
reflect society and criticise and dare to do
so. I have six children. I want to be able to
say to them before I die: ‘I didn’t stay silent.
I took a stance. I fought.’ So they know that
it matters.”
Rainbow Street
His upcoming album Regnbogastræti
(Rainbow Street) is no exception. The first
single Velkomin (Welcome) is about refu-
gees. “There’s a situation arising in Iceland
which reflects the situation across Europe
– massive nationalism, almost fascism.
There’s a growing belief that foreigners
are somehow bad, that refugees are bad,
and there are people who are profiting
from that. It is incredibly important to
dare to step forward and dare to say that’s
not the way things are. That we have to
welcome refugees, without hesitation. We
must show love and sympathy and social
consciousness. Iceland is absolutely big
enough to welcome people and give them
opportunities and give their children
opportunities. That view is not very popu-
lar among a large group of people. But it’s
incredibly important that it’s heard.”
Bubbi is also working on a poetry book
called Velkomin, on the same subject. Yet
music, he says, has a particular advantage
when it comes to getting through to others.
“If you, for example, go on the Internet and write ‘Hey,
let’s stop buying plastic, let’s use electric cars,’ there’s
always a group of people that comes screeching. You
never manage to have a conversation. It’s a lot easier