CLASS

TRAVEL
18
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 16 — 2015
Gerri Griswold’s
Sordid Affair
With Iceland
UNCOVERED!
Words
Rebecca Scott Lord
Photo
Art Bicnik
If you happen to find yourself in Winchester, Connecticut at
just the right time this month, you can observe some bona
fide Icelandic horses grazing below the autumnal foliage
as you chew on a strip of authentic harðfiskur while taking
in the sounds of some of Iceland’s premier musicians. Yes,
Winchester, Connecticut. Of all places. Why would Icelandic
horses, harðfiskur and musicians converge upon Winchester,
Connecticut? Who is responsible for this surprising
turn of events? Why, it’s none other than noted traffic anchor,
wildlife rehabilitator, nature conservation advocate, erstwhile
travel guide, “bat lady” and total badass Geraldine “Gerri”
Griswold. The horses, harðfiskur and musicians are all making
the trip to rural Connecticut so they can join Gerri for her
annual Iceland-celebrating party, which she calls Iceland Affair
and is happening for the sixth time this year.
That name is apt, too, because Gerri’s
relationship with Iceland is as sincere
and intense as any romantic dalliance.
That fateful layover
Gerri says she first came to Iceland in
2002 on a layover. She promptly fell in
love, she tells me, and hasn't been able
to stay away since. As we make ourselves
comfortable to talk at Tíu dropar,
I learn that she is on her 39th trip to the
country. Since 2002.
An avid wildlife conservator, Gerri
"What is this
weird woman
doing, taking
this little country
and plunking it
in the middle of
nowhere?"
works part time as such, dedicating
most of her efforts to bats. She says her
affinity for issues of nature and sustainability
is one of the reasons why she
loves Iceland so much, and perhaps why
she wanted to bring some of what she
experienced here back to New England,
to share with friends and family.
"I decided to take my little passion for
this country and turn it into a Saturday
programme at White Memorial Conservation
Center, where I work. I just called
it an ‘Affair with Iceland,’” Gerri says, recounting
her party’s humble beginnings.
“It started off small—I screened a couple
of videos, one on the gyrfalcon, and one
on the 1996 Grímsvötn eruption, along
with a travelogue. I also served some
hot dogs, which I had hoisted over from
Reykjavík. By the end, everyone kept
asking, ‘Well, what are you doing next
year?’"
Folks seemed to like it, so she
kept going.
Elves, flora, fauna, hot dogs
As the party has grown in prominence
and popularity, the programme has
mushroomed. During the daylight part
of the feast, you can take in talks from
numerous experts, often specially imported,
who present on various topics.
Step outside, and you can mingle with
Icelandic horses, goats, sheepdogs,
and observe a live presentation of a
gyrfalcon.
This year’s speakers include Hidden
People/elf expert Ragnhildur Jónsdóttir,
ICE-SAR volunteer Svanur Sævar
Lárusson, arctic fox expert Ester Rut
Unnsteinsdóttir, geologist and meterologist
Tom Alena (presenting the works
of aurora borealis photographer Olgeir
Andrésson), and Icelandic flora and fauna
illustrator Jón Baldur Hlíðberg. After
learning all kinds of fascinating Icelandrelated
stuff, attendees are welcome to
visit the food section to taste all the classics
(hot dogs, smoked and dried fish,
butter, chocolate, skyr, and the ever-sofresh
Icelandic water), and the vendors'
booths, where all kinds of North American
Iceland enthusiasts (they come from
all over the continent!) offer stuff like
Icelandic sweaters, jewelry, and other
miscellany for a small fee.
More Hidden People
After a long day of learning, grubbing
and hobnobbing, the Iceland Affair
peaks with the event’s closing concert:
the Fire and Ice Music Festival, featuring
inspired performances from specially
imported Icelandic music greats.
The first musician to make the trek
was folkie Svavar Knútur, who performed
at the second Iceland Affair and
has been coming back ever since. "Svavar
is the reason Iceland Affair and the
Fire and Ice Music Festival happen. If he
had said no to my wacky idea of bringing
him to Connecticut to perform at my
party back when, we certainly wouldn't
be sitting here today," says Gerri. She
tells me how the singer/songwriter has
been a pivotal part of the event almost
since the beginning, his continued support,
infectious enthusiasm and joy providing
constant inspiration.
She also credits him with convincing
other musicians to take the chance and
travel across the Atlantic to be a part of
her tribute to their home country. Many
have heeded the call, with folks like
Myrra Rós, Björn Thoroddsen, sóley and
Kristjana Stefánsdóttir making the trek
to appear alongside Svavar and Lay Low,
who are regulars at the affair.
"Every person at Fire and Ice has
some sort of investment in Iceland.
Whether they’ve just travelled there, or
are a follower of the music, there's an
energy in that hall because the music
is so good, so world class, and the vibe
is so intense. It's gotta be the Hidden
People. Maybe I was brought up here to
bring Iceland back to the United States."
Circus barker!
As a whole, Iceland Affair offers a pretty
comprehensive taste for those who’ve
yet to make it over to the barren rock.
At the same time, Icelandic expats, West
Icelanders and dedicated Icelandophiles
get a warming reminder and a chance to
bond over their shared passion.
When asked what kind of people typically
patronize the party, Gerri laughs.
"It attracts the prize pigs who just want
free hot dogs. It attracts just curious
people. ‘What is this weird woman doing,
taking this little country and plunking
it in the middle of nowhere?' There
are a myriad of reasons people come."
In a sense, Gerri could be described
as a sort of ridiculously effective onewoman
tourist board. Because, by now,
plenty of folks have booked their first
trip to Iceland after partaking in the Affair,
developing an insatiable thirst for
more as a result of that first bite back
in Connecticut. Gerri reflects: "I've fallen
in love with the people, the nature, the
food, the culture, I've fallen in love with
all of it. I guess in a way I'm a circus
barker and I love sharing."
Dr. Gunni, age 50
What I Did
Last
Autumn
My Fall Foliage Tour
To Connecticut, USA
Last fall, I was fortunate enough to go on a fun trip to New
England. This is the story of that journey.
My trip was facilitated by a woman named Gerri Griswold.
Some people are more prolific than others. And Gerri
Griswold is certainly one of the hardest working folks you’ll
ever meet. I can attest this.
After her first visit to Iceland, Gerri seems to have grown
really rather obsessed with this barren rock. She’s returned
many, many times since, often bringing along a bunch of
folks who have purchased a trip to Iceland with her DIY
punk rock travel agency, Krummi Travel (The Krummi
motto: “No crybabies, cranks or panty waists allowed”) .
And some of those folks were turned on to the idea of visiting
Iceland through Iceland Affair, the incredibly ambitious
festival Gerri stages annually, to celebrate the island of her
affection.
Last year, I published a comprehensive English-language
book about the popular music of Iceland, ‘Blue Eyed
Pop’, the first of its kind (it’s still in print—find it at quality
bookstores and record shops everywhere). This eventually
resulted in me being invited to speak at Gerri’s festival, offering
a crash course in the history of Icelandic popular music.
I’ve always been fond of New England, so it was thrilling
to get to spend time there at the peak of fall, as the autumn
leaves fell and the environment was transformed by the
season’s beautiful colours.
Gerri is an adventurous woman, and she seems to have
more hours in the day than most people. She lives in the
countryside with her husband Eddie, who used to play bass
in a New Wave group called The M-80s. Eddie and I instantly
bonded over our mutual love for UK New Wave band
XTC, which happens to be our all-time favourite band ever.
One of the trips highlights was when I, Eddie and Snorri
Helgason took turns playing songs from Eddie's vast record
collection, challenging one another to guess the artist.
Gerri and Eddie’s country house (well, farm—they call it
“the Filthy Farm”) is full of life, home to all kinds of animals.
Thus, a big part of any visit is having some fun with the
resident beasts. The goats and the bats are fun, sure, but
we had the most fun with a pig called Abe R. Ham. Abe is a
really smart pig.
The 2014 edition of Gerri’s festival takes place in two
tiny towns in rural Connecticut. It kicked off with an all-day
celebration of everything Icelandic at Winchester’s Grange
Hall. The lawn in front of the hall was full of Icelandic horses
and sheepdogs you could pet or whatever, and on the inside
you could enjoy all kinds of lectures and sample Icelandic
culinary delicacies. I gave my pop talk to a room packed
with Iceland enthusiasts, and everything went okay. Later
on, I ate some dried fish and petted some Icelandic beasts,
which felt kind of odd in autumnal New England.
That evening, the festival’s accompanying concert went
down at Norfolk’s Infinity Hall. Gerri's handpicked artists included
Kristjana Stefáns, Myrra Rós, Lay Low, Björn Thoroddsen
and Snorri Helgason, all of whom were greeted very
enthusiastically by the ample crowd. As the night reached
a climax, I was brought on stage to do the first and, as of
yet, only North American performance of my super kiddie
pop hit “Prumpulagið” (“The Fart Song”). The hall
was full of people, the kind you see in intellectual
American movies about people who drive Volvos
and Saabs and are eternally working through some
sort of existential crisis (or maybe they’re getting
divorced or something).
Besides all the Gerri-related activities, we Icelanders
had great fun drinking and eating. There
are of course many exciting options for those interested
in drinking and eating in the USA, with ample
mouth-watering variations on offer. It was pretty
good, the drinking and the eating.
I guess I’ll have to write another book—about
Icelandic lava or something?—so they’ll invite me
back sometime in the future. Because there was a
lot of stuff there that I didn’t manage to eat or drink,
and I’d like to eat and drink that, and maybe hang
out with Abe R. Ham some more. What a great fellow,
that Abe.
Photo by HAX: Snorri Helgason and Abe R. Ham
having fun with Dr. Gunni