Articles in Features & Interviews:

19.3.2010

Fashion Distraction

These are some designed, fashionable times we’re living in. Everyone seems to be looking their absolute best these days, what with all the haircuts and the shiny clothes and various accessories and trinkets people are decorating themselves with.
It hasn’t always been this way, though. If you browse through photo albums or newspapers from the last century, the first thing you’ll notice is how cheesy and uncool – sometimes plain ugly – everyone looks. But not anymore. Our correspondents from the fashion world – Sruli Recht, Ásta Kristjánsdóttir, Rúnar Ómarsson, Mundi and Bára Hólmgeirsdóttir – are some of the best
16.3.2010

RFF Will Also Bring Some Noise

Are you dirt poor or ugly as hell? Body all weird and bulging all over the place? Fashion make you feel all insecure and incompetent? Don’t worry—you can still get down and participate at Reykjavík Fashion Festival, as it has a most excellent music programme that ought to satisfy even the most fashion challenged amongst us! The electro-heavy programme is packed with exciting acts to float your boat for the duration of the festival, especially if you’re into dancing and fucking various ailments away.
16.3.2010

Reykjavík Finally Gets The Fashion Festival It Deserves

Remember the Iceland Fashion Week scandal of last year? Try to forget it. It was awful. Instead, spend your memory and set your sights on the forthcoming Reykjavík Fashion Festival, a cool new initiative by a group of local fashion designers and industry players. Conceived of as a platform to raise unity within and awareness of the Icelandic fashion industry, it will showcase the works of 22 of Iceland’s most exciting labels and designers.
16.3.2010

Iceland’s Designers March On

DesignMarch is happening again. Last year's event was a great success and good times were had by all—the programme was large in scale and ambition and was well carried out by all accounts. This year’s program—a smattering of which may be viewed below—looks to be of the same calibre. We are pretty excited about the forthcoming bash: it means lounging around 101 for a weekend, scooping up hors d’ouevres and free wine and taking in some of the best Icelandic designers have to offer. We called up DesignMarch MD Halla Helgadóttir and got her to spill the beans.
11.3.2010

Davíð Oddsson On The Warpath

Oddsson has always been quite fascinating, and even to this day he remains somewhat of a mystery. A real biography of the man could be quite a read.
9.3.2010

Iceland’s Post-Crash Sale – 30% OFF!*

Tourists have been flocking to Iceland in greater numbers ever since October 2008 when Iceland’s economy crashed and its currency came tumbling down with it.
16.2.2010

To The Rescue!

It’s 5:45am, Saturday morning. The aftermath of a night of partying is apparent while passing the streets of downtown Reykjavík. A young man who seems to have lost his coat struggles to cross the street, finds his way to the nearest doorway and proceeds to vomit. We observe this, and we move on without offering our help. We are on a mission: to cover a day in the life of Rescue Team Hafnarfjörður, one of 99 rescue teams currently operating in Iceland.
12.2.2010

High Hopes

In December, Iceland joined over 190 nations for the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The two-week summit, blasted a failure by many, returned environmental issues to the international spotlight, but ended without a binding agreement on global greenhouse gas emission reductions.
8.2.2010

Iceland And Its Founding Myths: Isolation or openness

The founding myth of Iceland goes something like this: A bunch of hardy people from the West coast of Norway escaped the terror—and high taxes—of a king called Harald the Fairhaired.
22.1.2010

From Exploding Range Rovers to Knitted Mittens?

‘Iceland is no longer a country. It is a hedge fund.’
—Man from the IMF supposedly speaking to Michael Lewis, Vanity Fair, March 2009. During this past year it seemed every international journalist in the world had a gripe with Iceland.
18.1.2010

2K9 Round Up Bonanza Extravaganza Madness!

As 2009 drew to a close, Grapevine flipped through its stuffed contacts list and sent out a bunch of e-mails, made a bunch of calls, to people we thought could provide us with an interesting take on 2009—what they learned, what happened, why, when, where and how? And how!
18.1.2010

Iceland's Year in Politics

This past year in Iceland has probably been most memorable on the political front. The usual stories that get us international headlines—whaling, music, anything about green energy—all took a back seat to the January Revolution.
15.1.2010

Professor Hannes Hólmsteinn Gissurarson On 2009

One of the Grapevine’s most locally discussed features of 2009 was our interview with Political Science professor and Independence Party ideologue/Davíð Oddsson advocate Hannes Hólmsteinn Gissurarson.
14.1.2010

The Year In Brief

January will be most memorable for the protests in front of Alþingi that raged on Austurvöllur throughout the month, as Icelanders furious at the collapse of the banks demanded that the coalition of the conservative Independence Party and the Social Democrats step down.
8.1.2010

Cleaning Up The Mess

Noted political and social commentator Egill Helgason has hosted Iceland’s main political debate Show, Silfur Egils (now showing on RÚV, alongside his literary program Kiljan) for many years. Through his shows and his blog on local news aggregator Eyjan.is, he is undoubtedly a major influence on Icelandic discourse and is known for his sharp, often hard-hitting analyses of current affairs – especially in the aftermath of October 2008’s economic collapse. 
22.12.2009

Holiday Opening Hours

Since there is a small chance that some of you reading this are tourists stranded in Iceland over the Holidays, and since pretty much all of Iceland shuts down during said Holidays, we decided to compile a little list for you, detailing what’s actually open during the season, and when.
18.12.2009

The Encyclopaedia of Icelandic Holidays

The A-Ö of the Icelandic holiday season!
16.12.2009

The Original Christmas

Most of the Western world is about to celebrate a festival that’s usually referred to as Christmas (or “jól” in Icelandic). “Christmas” was originally known as the winter solstice festival. It always been an important heathen celebration and is indeed much older than Christianity. In Iceland, heathendom is still very much alive.
16.12.2009

Dirty Holidaze

It’s no secret that December is the darkest and spookiest month. It is by far also the booziest.
16.12.2009

The Bewitching Hours Before Christmas

Just the other day, Ingimundur the electrician told me he has regular contact with a vegetable vendor who lived in 1732 during the bubonic plague in London. Þorvaldur the mechanic explained that he has lived over two hundred lives, including: a Dutchman for the East India Company and an Italian monk-scribe during the fourteenth century.
16.12.2009

The Case of the Missing Ambassador

Without a sitting ambassador the halls of the US Embassy in Reykjavík aren’t as glamorous as they once were; the light doesn’t reflect as brilliantly off the windows and even the guard’s smile seems a bit wan.
14.12.2009

Our Murderous Fences

In twenty years, Iceland has granted four persons asylum—out of 500 applicants. Under ten percent of asylum claims are solved with a residence permit for humanitarian reasons. The rest are declined. In comparison, Denmark solves 45% of its claims by providing asylum or residence permit.

14.12.2009

It's Not What You Can Do about the Crisis, but What the Crisis Can Do for You

Utter the words "Icelandic Forest" in a crowd of Icelanders and you’re sure to hear a chuckle, a resigned, self-deprecating remark, or even one of the country’s oldest jokes: "What do you do if you get lost in an Icelandic forest?" - "Stand up." 
14.12.2009

How to Conduct Your Icelandic Christmas

Even though most Western nations are by all accounts becoming more mind-numbingly culturally uniform by the minute, there are still some vast regional differences as to how we go about living our lives and the various customs and traditions that entails.
14.12.2009

Who's Got The Power?

While gender equality is progressing within Nordic politics, one problem that has not been solved is the lack of women in top positions within business and industry.
8.12.2009

A Window into Iceland´s Soul

On November 14th, a total of 1.231 Icelanders gathered in the cavernous Laugardalshöll stadium, munched on snúðar and chatted over round tables, each one marked off by a white balloon.
26.11.2009

SADland

Imagine a morning in the middle of December. Your alarm clock goes off, beckoning you to get out of bed and get your ass to work. You pull up the blinds hoping the morning light will wash over you and perk you up. Except it’s pitch black out there, and it will remain so, all fucking day long.
24.11.2009

Fresh Stock

Say, have y’all noticed how many new stores have sprouted from the soil over the last few months? Who woulda thunk we would get such a great retail harvest during this economic drought!
20.11.2009

Iceland’s Greatest Spy: The Real James Bond

You’ve seen him in the movies. Most famously, he has been played by Sean Connery, Roger Moore and lately Daniel Craig. There he appears as Bond, James Bond.
17.11.2009

Refilling 101

Up until a year ago, Reykjavík was in the throes of a serious building boom. Projects all over town planned to tear down the old and put in new shopping malls and high-rises.
12.11.2009

Special Prosecutor

Ólafur Hauksson, the Special Prosecutor in charge of investigating the financial crimes that helped bring Iceland’s banking system to its knees, has said that his office is making progress in its inquiry, though it still faces challenges in its quest to bring criminal bankers to justice.
11.11.2009

Inflated Crowns

We are a pod of putrid beached whales.
6.11.2009

Machine Gun Democracy

You sing the blues, the Dublin-agreement-international-fingerprint-database-I-have-no-passport-got-no-job-got-no-home-and-they-won’t-let-me-unite-with-my-family-blues.
6.11.2009

Bringing Nour Home

By the time Helena came home from wiring the money, another 70.000 ISK had been raised.
2.11.2009

Is Icelandic Media Being Held Hostage By Its Owners?

Everyone knows it. The smallness of Iceland leads to almost everything being contaminated by personal connections and considerations. Of course, the same goes for the nation’s media—it’s affected.
29.10.2009

Blame Canada?

One by one men in suits of varying shades of grey approached the podium in the pit of the Reykjavík City Hall. One by one they pleaded their cases while Reykjavík’s esteemed mayor—the fourth in two years—Ms. Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir looked on appearing disinterested in what appeared to be solely a formality.
28.10.2009

The Surprising Pleasures Of The North Atlantic

Forget hot springs and hot tubs—it’s time to highlight a slightly more daunting Icelandic activity. It’s time for some sea swimming action.
27.10.2009

Radio To The Other Side: In search of the Real McCoy

‘People fail to notice what they do when awake, just as they forget what they do while asleep.’
14.10.2009

Load Up On Guns, Bring Your Friends

Designer Sruli Recht and writer/illustrator Megan Herbert recently opened a cool new store, Vopnabúrið (‘The Armoury’) down by the Reykjavík harbour. There, they spend their days working on their respective creations amidst selling Sruli’s “arsenal of non-products and the illustrated topo-graphic narratives of Megan Herbert,” as their website states.
14.10.2009

Strong Women with a Noble Cause

We all know the reigning gender stereotype on this little island: the men are the strongest in the world and the women are the most beautiful. Well, it’s about time for a role reversal.
12.10.2009

Win A Date With Frímann Frímannsson!

Y’all know him, y’all love him. Here’s your chance to win a four-day date Reykjavík’s premier scenester, the hipster y’all love to love, the one, the only, the  incomparable FRÍMANN FRÍMANNSSON!
12.10.2009

Steering Revolution

Late-night Laugavegur revellers may be forgiven for walking in ignorance past the two green parking spots located near the intersection of Ingólfsstræti. Designated as an electric car refilling station, the set-up is, for the most part, symbolic—on a recent visit, neither of the cars parked in the spots were hybrids (much less electric) and the charging post had been peppered with graffiti.
12.10.2009

Tacky, Awesome Crap

Souvenirs are an essential part of any good (or bad) travelling experience. From the smallest token taken from nature (like that pebble in your pocket—or are you just happy to see me?) to extravagant spontaneous purchases, they seem to be absolutely indispensable to a holiday.
6.10.2009

Milos Forman's Masterclass

Milos Forman is sitting at café Hressó, just about the only bar in Reykjavík where one can still sit and smoke.
6.10.2009

Stakes Is High

Gambling has been a touchy subject in Iceland over the years, especially when it involves cards being dealt, small and big blinds.
1.10.2009

It’s Back to School Time!

A new season is upon us. The summer months that have treated us so well have now bid us adieu, as have the tourists and the long, bright days. Temperatures are cooler, nights are longer, vacations are over and school has reconvened.
29.9.2009

The Party on Top Of the World

Brace yourself for the Eve Online Fanfest where Icelandic gaming company CCP opens its doors to hundreds of players and entertainment press from around the world.
29.9.2009

Dirty Deeds Bought Dirt Cheap?

Reykjavík City Council approved the sale of 32 percent of Reykjanes-based geothermal energy plant HS Orka to Canadian-come-Swedish company Magma Energy on September 16th in front of a group of protestors, who grew more rowdy as the meeting went on.
28.9.2009

Final Count Down

Without a number you're nobody. Potheads have 420, Satanists claim 666 and now a group of environmentalists have some digits of their own: 350.
28.9.2009

Dr. Gunni Lists Iceland

There’s not a lot to know about Iceland, right? It’s a small island. Not a lot of folks there. And its ‘city’ of Reykjavík is smaller still. You ought to get a good run through of the whole thing with fifteen minutes or so of Googletime.
26.9.2009

Documentaries to Change the World

The Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival is held annually in Greece every spring, and has gradually become one of the most important documentary film festivals out there in its eleven years of existence.
25.9.2009

Sex Crimes In Iceland

Sexual violence seems to be somewhat of an epidemic in Iceland. The fact of the matter is that, aside from Greenland, Iceland holds the record for sex crimes in the Nordic countries.
23.9.2009

“There is life with HIV”

There are 158 HIV positive men and women and 23 persons diagnosed with AIDS living in Iceland right now. Thirty-seven people in Iceland have died of the virus.
23.9.2009

Radio To The Other Side: In search of the Real McCoy

“What stays inside you all your life, but leaves only when you’re dead?” ‘What is this? A riddle?’
21.9.2009

Skin and bones

These past few years Scandinavians have been busy re-examining their history on screen.
18.9.2009

Passion For The Bean

Kaffismiðja Íslands is Reykjavík’s Mecca for coffee enthusiasts. September 16–19, they will be bringing home the cream of the international crop as they co-host the Nordic Barista Championships.
18.9.2009

Rounding Up the Musical Herds

After one of the most creatively prolific summers Reykjavík has seen in ages, we are now approaching fall festival madness. There’s a brand spanking new concert series on the menu
17.9.2009

That First Year Of Grapevines

The first publication date was to set on June 6. Needless to say, by June 3rd, the set deadline day for that first issue, we really had nothing
17.9.2009

The Editors Speak

My career as editor of Grapevine ended the way it started, being shouted at by ancient men with grey beards.
17.9.2009

Reflecting on The Grapevine’s First 100 Issues

The Reykjavík Grapevine has for some reason managed to stay in business for over six years and a hundred issues now. This is interesting for several reasons.
16.9.2009

Why We Aren’t Really Covering That Whole “Iceland Fashion Week Fiasco” Now But Might At Some Point

Apparently, something called Iceland Fashion Week was supposed to happen in Reykjanesbær last weekend.
15.9.2009

The Grapevine Helps You Immigrate To Iceland!

So, you’ve decided to immigrate to Iceland? Congratulations! Please respond to this brief questionnaire to assess your eligibility for a permanent residence permit:
14.9.2009

Paint-Splashing Activists Come Forward

A wave of militant activism has washed over Reykjavík in the past of months. Enraged by the fact that the Icelandic public inherited the debts caused by prominent businessmen, some activists have decided it’s payback time.
4.9.2009

Scenes From Menningarnótt

At the Grapevine, we love us some culture and arts and music and poetry and literature and waffles and intoxication and vomiting and drunken stumbling. So naturally, we are quite fond of Menningarnótt.
3.9.2009

SLASH, KILL, BLOOD, GUTS, LOVE, AWESOME

Finally! The first Icelandic slasher flick! Icelandic films have hitherto been characterized by bleak and gloomy stories of depressed Icelanders trying out every option available to turn tails from their down-in-the-dumps existence: There’s been a lot of drama, a lot of drinking, and a lot of sex.
3.9.2009

Advanced Retrön & Dragons

RETRÖN is a strange animal. Loved by hipsters and metalheads alike, there's much to be said about this unique band.
2.9.2009

Radio To The Other Side: In search of the Real McCoy

A word of warning: This one could end up being a real mind-bender. Hold on to your seats.
2.9.2009

Purging Some Past At The Reykjavík International Literary Festival

Finnish-Estonian writer Sofi Oksanen will read at the Reykjavík International Literary Festival this September. Her latest novel, Purge, was Finland’s bestselling book last year and the translation rights have been sold to 23 countries.
1.9.2009

Doing it For Themselves

Students of the University of Reykjavík have been doing good by their peers.
1.9.2009

Dance Party!

Iceland is well known for boasting an impressive art community of every sort and for every walk of life, and dance is no exception. Although the size of the dance community is directly proportional to the size of the country,
31.8.2009

The Architect of the Collapse?

Political science professor Hannes Hólmsteinn Gissurarson is a peculiar fellow. An ardent follower of the free market teachings of F.A. von Hayek and Milton Friedman, he is often referred to as the Independence Party’s chief ideologue and has been credited with laying down the lines for the massive de-regulation and privatisation process Iceland underwent during the past two decades.
31.8.2009

You'll Have (Had) A Gay Ol' Time!

“I’m the first openly gay, fully licensed ship captain in Iceland!” Einar Örn Einarsson announced over the ship’s loud PA system while welcoming everybody aboard. The Elding Queer Cruise burst into a chorus of cheers and a roaring wave of applause.
20.8.2009

Optimistic, Hopeless, Content

Relentlessly experimental electro/pop/whatever outfit múm are arguably one of Iceland’s most successful musical exports to date. Since forming in 1997, the band has released five successful, highly influential LPs and toured the world extensively, consistently adding to their cache of friends and fans each time around.
20.8.2009

Optimistic, Hopeless, Content

Relentlessly experimental electro/pop/whatever outfit múm are arguably one of Iceland’s most successful musical exports to date. Since forming in 1997, the band has released five successful, highly influential LPs and toured the world extensively, consistently adding to their cache of friends and fans each time around.
19.8.2009

The Oldest Profession

May 6, 2009. 12:28 pm. It’s humiliating, being solicited for sex. The range of emotions felt is broad; each and every one verging on crushing the psyche and effectively scrambling any attempt at rationalising what happened—angry, embarrassed, insulted, humiliated, disgusted, objectified, belittled, broken, nauseous.
19.8.2009

Exodus

Something childlike deep within their eyes, reminded me
of faces in the crowd from before the fall of the Berlin Wall;
18.8.2009

Raw in Reykjavík

What? Raw food is a diet consisting of foods that have not been heated over 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit). The most popular version is based on fruits, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, seeds, grains and weeds, while others also make room for animal products.
18.8.2009

Faceless Bureaucracy Or Benevolent Uncle?

The 1957 Treaty of Rome, the rock on which the EU is built, states that there should be a common policy for fisheries. That’s fundamental, so don’t kid yourselves that there are any exceptions to the rule.

17.8.2009

Politics, Culture and Driving in Circles

“People are very private here. You need a local to gain their trust,” Piitaaraq explained in an attempt to quell my disappointment upon being shunned by a dozen individual locals I had attempted to speak with. “You need a man – I’m the man.”
17.8.2009

Exploring the Grey Area

American playwright Paula Vogel was in Reykjavík recently attending a performance of her Pulitzer Prize winning play “How I Learned to Drive,” which showed at Borgarleikhús throughout May.
5.8.2009

Will Iceland Swing Itself Out Of The Economic Depression?

Somewhat fittingly, the dance of the big depression years, the Lindy hop, has finally made it to Iceland. This month, Arctic Lindy Exchange, the first swing festival of Iceland
5.8.2009

Power To The Artists!

Some time ago, rumours started going around town that a nifty new company was preparing to unleash the dawn of a new era in Internet based music distribution.
5.8.2009

A Gap In Iceland's Literary Landscape

Sources claim that Forlagið, Iceland’s largest publishing house, is looking for a chick lit author. Apparently there is a gap in the Icelandic literary landscape that they are looking to fill.
5.8.2009

Movin' On Up

On any given day in the summer, walking the streets of Reykjavík can turn in to an international affair.
5.8.2009

Into The Great Foggy Hangover

On my first day at Eistnaflug, I experienced the reliable Skítur, the talented youths in Plastic Gods and the ho-hum hardcore of Actress, as well as discovering that if you keep beer at the very back of a Ford Focus, it remains relatively cool, even with sunlight pouring through the windows.
5.8.2009

Seyðisfjörður Reveals Its Private Parts

After the Króna reached a new low – vamping up a settlement-style quarantine that imprisoned penniless and puzzled Icelanders in the process – it has proven to be an unavoidable activity during the summer to attend some of the heaps of hyped-up festivals going on in rural villages in Iceland.
5.8.2009

Radio To The Other Side: In search of the Real McCoy

"What are you smiling about?" asks Kristbjörg, pouring a cup of jasmine tea infused with a few drops of ‘Bliss’ essence: (number 39) the wild flower Valerian.
5.8.2009

Dress Code Rvk: Cutie Pies, Etc. Run Amok

The way Icelanders dress is, let’s say, somehow different. Everyone seems to be more... fashionable than elsewhere. After some observation and research, it becomes clear that there indeed is an “Icelandic look,” a dress code. And it has something – if not everything – to do with The Icelandic Soul. And Bubbi.
31.7.2009

Get Up - Stand Up!

It was a Saturday much like any other in Greenwich Village, New York. Business as usual on a balmy night in June.
28.7.2009

Before Björk There Was...

It has always been an Icelander’s greatest dream to be accepted by big city folk.
27.7.2009

Tales from the cab side...

Tonight, as opposed to those covered in previous columns, is wrapped in a cloak of boredom and meagre turnover.
24.7.2009

Sunlit Halls

Eistnaflug (translated ‘Flight of the Testicles’, ‘TestFest’, or, worst of all, ‘Flight of the Testes’) is a metal festival held annually in the small eastern Icelandic fishing port of Neskaupstaður.
21.7.2009

Asylum Seekers In Norway

Our arrival on a Saturday afternoon at a reception centre for asylum seekers on the outskirts of Trondheim, Norway’s third largest city, is met with mixed reactions.
20.7.2009

"Criminal" Immigration Officials Still At Large

In recent months, the treatment of refugees in Iceland and the failure of the authorities to uphold the domestic and international refugee law has finally come under some scrutiny.
20.7.2009

"My Ka-róna"

Money, money, money is certainly funny, or in Iceland’s world at least. The local currency – known as the króna – has a fluctuating exchange rate that tends to differ on a weekly basis; up and down, stronger and weaker, fuller and bleaker. Mostly down, weaker and bleaker, as of late. But you get the idea.

20.7.2009

Where is the Icelandic Aristotle?

Iceland only seems to be large enough to accommodate one, or at best two, points of view at a time. While our Scandinavian cousins were busy inventing model societies that stood somewhere between the two extremes of American Capitalism and Soviet Communism, and achieved a wide consensus among their populations in doing so, Iceland was deeply divided between left and right.
17.7.2009

Radio To The Other Side: In search of the Real McCoy

Believers come in all shapes and forms and, mostly, they lead quite unsurprising, even mundane lives. For some, talking with the dead, a hidden being, or sharing life-light with the Cosmos, is as ordinary as driving a car to work or taking a stroll down Laugavegur.
8.7.2009

Things They Like About Reykjavík

While compiling our BEST OF REYKJAVÍK list, we consulted with a large group of people from all around town. Some of them were very detailed in their preferences, and some of what they like about our fair city is very likely some of what you’ll like about it, once you try it out for yourself.
8.7.2009

A Letter From Iceland, pt.2

I resume my pleading to your institute in my own noble and dignified way...
8.7.2009

Your Essential Guide: The Best of Reykjavík 2009

We love the great city of Reykjavík. We really do. In fact, we love it so much, we named our paper after it – and most of us choose to live here for extended periods at a time. It really is an excellent little city, all things considered. Of course it’s lacking in many things a city will need. Decent public transport, actual neighbourhoods, a variety of ethnic eateries, clubs for late night partying on weekdays and about a million people, to name but a few. But we still swear by it, and if you’re reading this, chances are you do too.
6.7.2009

Remembering The King of Pop: "Rest in Peace, Icarus!"

3.7.2009

On why there are so many cats in downtown Reykjavík

101 Reykjavík is crawling with cats. So we asked: why?
25.6.2009

Too Cute To Eat?

Working at a seafood restaurant in Reykjavík has taught me one thing: a lot of tourists (and, for some reason, especially American ones) shudder at the thought of eating puffin. The reason? Puffins are cute, and should therefore not be eaten.
24.6.2009

A Letter From Iceland

Although this letter might, admittedly, seem a bit strange to you when you commence reading, I assure you that its content will become crystal clear on completion, and I am absolutely certain that you and your institute will understand my point of view when everything is taken into account: politics, history, metaphysics and the essence of literature.
23.6.2009

Fishy Tales

According to genetic scientist Einar Árnason at the University of Reykjavík, unless there are significant changes in Icelandic fishing practices, cod stocks could plummet within ten years.
22.6.2009

AIDS in Iceland

So, we discovered a couple of issues back that Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, and the like are hilarious little STI’s – especially if you generally enjoy burning sensations when you pee and open, oozing sores all over your most delicate of anatomical regions. Oh wait, that’s not hilarious at all and it’s decidedly disturbing if you enjoy such symptoms. Seriously.
19.6.2009

Broke, Busted, Disgusted

How ICESAVE fell apart, and why the current deal with the British and Dutch will never work.
19.6.2009

Radio To The Other Side: In Search of the Real McCoy

Ever wondered what upside down coffee cups are doing cooking on the radiator? If you’re Icelandic, you probably already know. If not, remember stories of gypsies reading tealeaves?
19.6.2009

Girls Just Wanna Have RIGHTS

June 19, 1915. Icelandic women had struggled for years, pleading their case for suffrage, pleading their case for some semblance of equality. Two years after the bill was put forth by Alþingi it was finally ratified by the Danish King. Women in Iceland had the right to vote – well kind of. Widowed and married women had been allowed to vote since the early 1900s, mainly due to the fact that a lack of a man in the cases of landowning women made them sort of ‘social men’ in terms of their role.
11.6.2009

Radio To The Other Side

Ever wondered what upside down coffee cups are doing cooking on the radiator? If you’re Icelandic, you probably already know. If not, remember stories of gypsies reading tealeaves? Since most of us don’t use tealeaves anymore, we reach for the next best thing—the dregs of filter coffee. Icelandic housewives will tell you it’s just a bit of malarkey. But believe me, there’s real methodology to it—apparently each dribble is just like a reading line on a palm. Once, not so long ago, there was no TV and no Internet; it comforted you through the long winter, and foretold the early arrival of a brighter, warmer spring.
10.6.2009

A Is For Anarchy

“I don’t like being interviewed,” said Njáll with a sceptical air about his furrowed brow.
Shit, I thought. This isn’t going to be easy.
He let out a long, slow sigh, looking toward the group of young people who moments earlier had refused to speak with me, referring me instead to the young man who was himself now on the verge of refusal. “Fine. I have a few minutes.”

8.6.2009

A Friendly Clash of Cultures

The Dalai Lama´s visit to the University of Iceland on June 2 revealed to me how different the Western and Eastern cultures are, their approaches to politics and people...
5.6.2009

When You Open With Blasphemous Orgasms

It goes like this: I get an email from “Mugi Mugison” saying that the Icelandic pop star is in Seattle, and that we need to meet for “bears.”
5.6.2009

Icelandic Banks: Sold to Party Friends

There has been a lot of talk lately about the privatization of the Icelandic banks at the dawn of the century. It is said that the buyers did not have any experience in the banking business, and that better offers from more experienced candidates were turned down. This leads us to wonder: will there finally be a public investigation about the responsibility of politicians in the crash of the banking system, or will this scandal just be swept under the rug once more, as per usual?
28.5.2009

Laying Off Iceland?

Oodles of our well-appreciated expats are finding themselves in a god-awful situation these days. As our economy plunges farther and farther down the drain by the day, their jobs (if any) are continually yielding humbler paychecks and if they’d been so lucky to have established a home or anything of the sort, mortgage payments have reached an absurd height. To tell you the truth, I’d contemplate escaping this devil’s island if I were in that position, but that resort can also be troublesome – the price of tickets outta here has increased in direct correlation with the decline of the Króna – so you could really be stuck in an evil limbo.

27.5.2009

To Be or Not to Be

Iceland's natural beauty is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There’s far more here than meets the eye. Scratch the surface, and you may just discover something entirely unexpected.
26.5.2009

The Commies Are A-Coming

Iceland’s problems are not the result of inefficiency. Nor are they result of unethical behaviour. They cannot be traced back to the instability of the króna, to Davíð Oddsson’s erratic behaviour, or to Geir Haarde’s mishandling of telephone conversations with Alistair Darling. The Icelandic problems – yes, all of them – are failures that result from the system that governs the world: capitalism.
25.5.2009

The Awesome Absurdity of Being

SO, WE GOT THIS PRESS RELEASE THE OTHER DAY.
REAL OFFICIAL LOOKING.
“Reykjavík, Iceland, March 13, 2009: The official Icelandic representation at the 53rd International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia will feature RAGNAR KJARTANSSON, a self-described incurable romantic, whose multifaceted artistic practice is rooted in a tradition of acting and performance with an existential and absurdist sensibility that can be linked to artists ranging from Caspar David Friedrich to Gilbert and George. Kjartansson’s exhibition for Venice, entitled The End, will feature a tableau vivant of the artist and his model that will last for the entire six-months of the Biennale, along with a monumental video and music installation. It will be presented in the Palazzo Michiel dal Brusà, a 14th-century palazzo on the Grand Canal near the Rialto, which has served as the Icelandic Pavilion since 2007.”
25.5.2009

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

“It is better that I kill myself than to be killed when sent back,” says Medhi, a 50 year-old refugee from Iran. He has now been waiting for answers from Icelandic authorities about whether he will be granted the status of a refugee for more than four years. Giving up on waiting, he went on a hunger strike. It was not until the 28th day that the authorities gave in and granted him a six-month work permit. What happens after that, he doesn’t know, but he is happy: finally providing for himself and the family he left behind. “It can drive you crazy waiting like this, year after year – sleeping, eating, sleeping – not knowing what they’re going to do with you.”
11.5.2009

David Lynch Answers Grapevine Questions On TM

As you probably know by now, Grapevine cover-star (and awesome director) David Lynch ventured to Iceland this month to preach the gospel of Transcendental Meditation and announce a nationwide project to bring “enlightenment, prosperity and peace to the people of Iceland.” We were of course intrigued by all this, and set up an interview with the man who’s self-portrait graces the cover of our latest issue.
11.5.2009

In Limbo

Last September, the Grapevine reported on the situation of asylum seekers living in the Fit Hostel in Njarðvík. At that time, their living quarters had just been raided by 58 police officers, and their private property and money was confiscated. Matters have not since improved, as evidenced by a letter published in the previous issue of the Grapevine from Nour Al-din Alazzawi, a 19-year old Iraqi refugee fighting his looming deportation. Numerous refugees continue to reside in the Fit Hostel for months, even years, at a time awaiting decisions to be made regarding their residence statuses.
8.5.2009

Don’t Thank Icelanders For Iceland

The documentary Dreamland was premiered in Reykjavík last month to great fanfare. Aiming to shock the nation out of a stupor that’s already claimed a lot of the unspoilt nature those of us working in the field of tourism are constantly trying to sell to the rest of the world, the film provides a unique and enlightening viewpoint on the last two decades of Icelandic history and what they have meant in a greater context. It is indeed a must-see; even if you won’t agree with its message, the important issues at hand surely deserve your consideration.

8.5.2009

Our Big, Important David Lynch Interview

It was a rather amusing spectacle that played out in Háskólabíó last Saturday. Arriving late to the scene, I witnessed most of Reykjavík’s hipsters and, well, pretty much most of Reykjavík standing around in the movie theatre’s hallway, gazing intently at a television screen where a tall, grey-haired man waxed ecstatic on the benefits of Transcendental Meditation. It was a surreal scene, one well worthy of the speaker in question: award winning, revered director David Lynch.

8.5.2009

Transcendental Meditation: Do it Right and You Might Even Fly!

Nothing beats relaxation and down time, and when such time is trademarked by a global corporation it must be the most superior rest period ever. Such is the case with Transcendental Meditation™, also known as TM™, a licensed trademark of the Maharishi Foundation, Ltd., which in turn is named for the late brainchild behind TM, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The Maharishi introduced the meditation technique globally in 1958, teaching his followers the benefits of achieving deep restfulness through sitting quietly with eyes shut, repeating a personal sound mantra for twenty minutes twice daily. TM also claims to improve mind, body and relationships; reduce stress and high blood pressure, as verified by a number of reputable publications; and work toward achieving world-peace.
8.5.2009

Monsters and Mythical Beings: Grýla

Fittingly enough, the unlucky thirteenth instalment in our Hugleikur Dagsson illustrated series of Iceland’s monsters and mythical beings is about an evil old ogress called Grýla. Mostly known nowadays as the mother of the thirteen Yuletide lads, the lady has a dark, evil, dark past. Of eating children. Kids, she eats.
Grýla has successfully scared Icelandic children into being good for centuries, and with good reason: if you are a kid, and you are not “good,” the woman will eat you. Quite literally. Eat you. Boil you alive. Gnaw on your bristle. Suck the skin off your bones. Lick your fat off her fingers. Keep a serving of your thighs in a Tupperware container in her freezer. Chomp on your tasty buttocks, Jeffrey Dahmer-style. She. Eats. Children. 
8.5.2009

Where is the Icelandic Solon?

Sólon Íslandus, whose real name was Sölvi Helgason, was an Icelandic 19th Century drifter and painter who was arrested for vagrancy and sent to Copenhagen in chains. He is immortalized in a novel by Davíð Stefánsson, as well as with the downtown bar that bears his (assumed) name.
8.5.2009

Smartly Promiscuous in Reykjavík

There are two key draws to Reykjavík if the all-knowing Internet is to be believed: parties and promiscuity. Visitors to the city spew out paragraphs on their debauched nights and well-known travel resources like “Rough Guide” assert that Reykjavík has earned its “reputation for hedonistic revelry.” Reykjavík aside, Iceland as a whole has been ranked as one of the most promiscuous countries in the world, with natives first getting-it-on at 15-years-old and carving an average of 13 notches on their well-worn bedposts.
8.5.2009

The Other Unemployed

As the government struggles to come to terms with Iceland's economic crisis, daily life for immigrants in Iceland has invisibly, silently been turning upside down
3.4.2009

Lost in Berlin

Composer Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir is certainly one of the most prominent Icelandic artists to emerge in a long time. Raised in a musical environment, she has been writing and performing music since the tender age of thirteen.
3.4.2009

Monsters and Mythical Beings: Nábuxur

This twelfth instalment in our Hugleikur Dagsson illustrated series of Iceland’s monsters and mythical beings (or are they...?) uncovers a fashionable and lucrative garment entitled nábuxur (also: “nábrók” and “finnabrækur”).
3.4.2009

The End of Neo-Liberal Neverland

'How to succeed in Modern Business: Lessons from the Icelandic Voyage' is the title of an address given by Iceland’s president Ólafur R. Grímsson to British business leaders in London’s Walbrook Club in 2005. In his lecture, the President enumerated 13 national characteristics to explain 'our’, that is Icelanders’, ‘success' in finance
6.3.2009

Icelands 1000 Years: The Road From and to Serfdom

“Those who are considered chieftains in this country are foolishly susceptible to prayer, drink and bribery, but still the simple and poor common people believe them and are duped.”
Sound familiar?
6.3.2009

Grapevine Exposes Sordid "Music Trip" to 'scandinavia's sodom'

A fortnight ago, the Grapevine hitched a ride with cover stars Retro Stefson, Ólafur Arnalds and Hjaltalín as they made their way to Oslo, Norway. Their mission: to perform at the annual by:Larm Nordic showcase festival and charm the socks off Scandinavian booking agents, talent buyers and journalists.
6.3.2009

The Immediate Future Looks Pretty Grim

Economist Gylfi Magnússon warned against the dangers of the Icelandic economy before the crisis. He mans the post of Minister of Business Affairs, courtesy of Iceland’s new minority government. He also is a Professor of Economics at the University of Iceland, and holds a Ph.D. from Yale and a Master’s degree in Philosophy. “There were a lot of mistakes made and warning signs ignored,” he says. “The debts will rise and the banks’ size need to be controlled, but Iceland has the resources to surmount the problems.”
13.2.2009

Monsters and Mythical Beings – Tilberi

This eleventh instalment in our Hugleikur Dagsson illustrated series of Iceland’s monsters and mythical beings (or are they?) tells of the Tilberi. And boy, is that one fucked up being
6.2.2009

What The Fuck Did I Ever Do To You?!?


On the eve of Monday January 19, I strolled the fifty meters or so that separate my home from that of my friend (and former Grapevine editor) Sveinn Birkir Björnsson.

6.2.2009

What can I vote for?



You can vote for parties not individuals. Here is a list of the current Icelandic political parties with a short description of each one:



6.2.2009

The Republic of Iceland FAQ

The Icelandic government, led by the Independence Party and Social Democrat Alliance, imploded last month after a year and a half in power. A new minority coalition formed by the Left-Green Party and Social Dems, supported by the Progressive Party, was formed on February 1. These are some interesting times: this is the first time in eighteen years that the Independence Party is out of government, and this is the first time in around thirty that Iceland is ruled by a minority coalition.




6.2.2009

Iceland's Rainbow Revolution

By early afternoon on January 20th 2009, it was obvious that it was going to be a historic day. Just how the day, and the ones that followed, would unfold was not yet clear. When the dust had settled, a whole generation of Icelanders – and perhaps the country itself – had changed. For the better, and hopefully for good.
6.2.2009

Iceland's Rainbow Revolution

By early afternoon on January 20th 2009, it was obvious that it was going to be a historic day. Just how the day, and the ones that followed, would unfold was not yet clear. When the dust had settled, a whole generation of Icelanders – and perhaps the country itself – had changed. For the better, and hopefully for good.
6.2.2009

Police Story

I saw police officers pepperspraying innocent journalists just standing around with their cameras. A peace lovin’ friend got run over and bashed with a club.
26.1.2009

Things Falling Apart - Tuesday's Protest In Photos

Photographer Jóhann Þröstur Pálmason - AKA SvarTTrast - was present at Austurvöllur on the eve of Tuesday 20.01.2009. This is the fateful night as seen through his lens:
12.1.2009

Urban Warfare

In the dark and murky city centre on this Tuesday morning in late October, the streets were empty.
12.1.2009

Monsters And Mythical Beings X: The Hidden People

This tenth instalment in our illustrated series of Iceland’s monsters and mythical beings revolves around the Huldufólk, Hidden people.
9.1.2009

2008 Arts In 25 Minutes

The Grapevine's arts panel discussed 2008 arts Iceland over coffee at the Grapevine office, right before New Year's. The following is an transcript of their discourse.
9.1.2009

2008 Tourism and Travel in 20 Minutes

The Grapevine's tourism and travel panel discussed 2008 touring in Iceland over cups of coffee and cocoa at Kaffi Hressó, right before Christmas. The following is an transcript of their discourse.
9.1.2009

2008 Music in 18 Minutes

The Grapevine's music panel discussed 2008 music in Iceland over cups of coffee and cocoa at Kaffi Hressó, right before Christmas. The following is an transcript of their discourse.
9.1.2009

2008 Politics in 30 minutes

The Grapevine's political panel discussed 2008 politics in Iceland over cups of coffee and cocoa at Kaffi Hressó, right before Christmas. The following is an transcript of their discourse.
9.1.2009

The Grapevine Presents: 2K8 Round Table Round Up Bonanza Extravaganza Madness!

So this is the New Year. Aught nine. Seems pretty dark and rainy thus far, but then again most Icelandic years start out that way. And given the present situation, all the cold, rainy darkness seems to fit in perfectly with the sentiment of the times, which amounts to a sort of unknowing dread for what waits ‘round the corner for little old Iceland.
10.12.2008

It's the Innovation. Stupid!

Hjálmar Gíslason is a computer programmer who has launched four start-up companies in the last 11 years, and some of them have even been successful.
4.12.2008

Involuntary treason

Páll Skúlason is professor of philosophy at the University of Iceland, and former Rector at the same institution. A Grapevine reporter sat down with Páll to discuss the philosophical sides of the current economic crisis, and to investigate if the current economic bankruptcy was perhaps preceded by a moral bankruptcy.
4.12.2008

The day we started fighting back

"We will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”
6.11.2008

Can He Save Us, Too?

Barack Obama’s call for change resonates as deeply in Europe as it does in the US. The new leader of the Free World is seen as a unifying symbol, capable of rebuilding the bridges that the Bush administration burned down in the last eight years. Hope has been restored. 
19.10.2008