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THE 2ND ANNUAL
ICELANDIC TATTOO AND ROCK FESTIVAL

by Chuck B.
From the August 2007 issue of PRICK Magazine.



Getting to go to the first annual Icelandic Tattoo and Rock Festival last year was an out of the blue, random act of God's grace. Going to the second annual Icelandic Tattoo and Rock Festival was a deeply anticipated, dream come true. The first time I experienced Iceland it was a whirlwind trip that only lasted a few days. Of those days, too many were wasted on flight delays and the actual travel time. This trip I decided to take more time and explore all that is Iceland.




Ossur and his wife Linda along with Dave Greninger once again put on an event that was nothing but first class. Shortly after getting acclimated to the time in Reykjavik, on the Thursday before the fest kicked off, I met up with the American artists that were working the show. Ossur set us up in a very well appointed apartment and left us like excited kids in a candy store to explore a bit before a very busy Friday.

We set off to the waterfront to soak in the majesty of Iceland.The huge mountains and dark blue water is a perfect backdrop to a city that looks and feels more like a resort or perfectly planned community. There are only 300,000 people on the entire island of Iceland and for the most part these islanders are smart, good-looking, and cool. Iceland is one of the most expensive places to live on the planet.Why? Because it’s worth it! Reykjavik has the best aspects of the US and Europe combined, with its pristine and utterly pure environment. The ancient Viking spirit and blood line remains untainted among the people, and they are proud of it. We made our way back into the heart of the city and visited a couple of shops including Svirrir's House of Pain Tattoo, and made plans to explore some of the countryside Friday Morning.

Friday morning (after some "light" partying Thursday night) we drove off with quite possibly the craziest couple in all of Iceland, Svirrir and Dillah.We went across the narrow winding roads of rural Iceland to the continental divide and original House of Parliament meeting place. It was an amazing sight. It was sort of a mini Grand Canyon but more Lord of the Rings looking.After a few minutes of gazing we raced off like criminals on the run back to the city to set up for the show.

The festival kicked off and the artists settled into their booths.Tattoo enthusiasts and the general public began to file in at a good pace.The day grew more intense after a few live radio interviews with the artists hit the airwaves on the local rock station 97X.The buzz in the room grew louder by the moment.The enthusiasm of the tattoo collectors in Iceland is like none I have ever seen before.There seems to be a sort of cultural renaissance taking place in Reykjavik. The whole Icelandic hip scene is very arts driven, so people are getting large pieces and letting the artists be artists. Friday, the tattoo artists produced a ton of killer work, and everyone seemed pleased with the turnout.The fest closed at midnight and it was time to cut loose a little more.The nightlife in Reykjavik is world class and the locals take the party very seriously. Since it doesn't get dark in the summer the good times come to an end in the extremely A.M. hours.




Making it to the fest on time Saturday proved to be a bit more difficult than I expected and the day was even busier than I expected. The machines never stopped running and the appointments never stopped booking up. All the Icelandic artists in attendance were creating masterpiece after masterpiece, and they worked together as if they were in an art guild workshop. There were several Icelandic pride types of tattoos done by the local artists as well as a few from the Americans. Saturday ended with a bunch of aching wrists and backs. The tattooing never stopped, the awesome Icelandic hospitality never subsided and the party kept rolling throughout the entire weekend at Bar 11, the best and only real rock 'n' roll bar of Reykjavik. Sunday the artists were so booked up they had to keep tattooing after the show was over for a few days out of the local tattoo studios.

As if the amazing tattoo festival was not enough to blow my mind, I took a few more days to explore the coastline. My crazy cousins from N.C. came along for the party this year as well, so after a game of midnight golf on the tip of Reykjavik we set out on our cross country journey. The sights and landscapes of Iceland are breathtaking and extreme: beautiful waterfalls hundreds of feet tall, massive white water rivers, and glacier runoffs. Ancient lava fields from the world's largest lava flow ever recorded stretch as far as the eye can see up to massive rock cliffs and peaks. We saw black sand beaches, lava rock beaches, salt pillars and caves straight out of a movie.




The final leg of our road trip took us to the Glacier itself where we watched school bus size, crystal blue icebergs break off and slide into the ocean. On the way back to Reykjavik we stopped by a geyser the likes of Old Faithful and drove through miles of rolling hills and farms filled with sheep and horses. It was truly Zen-like.Then it was back to the uber-sheik city of Reykjavik for one last party. It was a truly amazing adventure. I can’t even put into words how awesome everyone is that was involved in putting this festival together. I can't wait until next year's fest. It is already lining up to be even bigger and better.