# Rebirth and a Time Machine *3 November 2025 · newsletter no. 2* ([click here](https://0cd21327.sibforms.com/serve/MUIFAAH2QonpZQ48zXHF4DZlSw7tfdCh2Yn7Abw35VOpmVnB34Zll0VBz_RPJES6OxBjHbVxYLoABj0dmO98-MQk1wLlt9Bk5TyC9TB8EnwQPapmZreacsJZwcsDULHQtmFQ5XJaflCG7i81JmIVRfoseqOYRYyP-hblCaur_3aBfW7a3uGvEtblKowZYpYOICetVm_s6xxyoFN4) if you'd like to be on the mailing list and get a letter 3–6 times a year) *Íslenska: [[Fréttir/2025-11-03 Endurfæðing og Tímavél|Endurfæðing og Tímavél]]* ![[myndir/Fréttir/2025-11-03 Endurfæðing 0 - Haus.jpg]] ## From Breiðholt out to Hrísey I was up north last week celebrating the 100th anniversary of the school at Laugar in Reykjadalur. I was there for two years, 1992–1994 — 10th grade and my first year of upper secondary. Walking around the place was like stepping into a time machine; so much came back that I'd forgotten. When I was finishing 9th grade at Hólabrekkuskóli in Breiðholt, my mum and dad told me we were moving north — out to the island of Hrísey. Dad had been working there for a few years, flying back and forth, but now we were to join him so he wouldn't have to travel so much. I told them I'd rather kill myself than leave my friends in Breiðholt. In the end we reached an agreement: we'd give it a try. Hrísey was buzzing with life, full of great kids my age and lots of strange and wonderful people on the island. Soon I was working at the Gíró fish-freezing plant, from morning till late at night. Money started raining into my bank account — I've never been that rich, before or since. ![[myndir/Fréttir/2025-11-03 Endurfæðing 1 - 14 ára.jpg]] *Me at 14* ## Rebirth Until then I'd been a real sports kid — swimming most days of the week, messing about with my friends after school. But when nobody was watching, I'd sometimes write a few words on a piece of paper and stare at them until they took on a new meaning — a bit like spinning round fast and stopping suddenly, just to enjoy being dizzy. There was also a poet from Skagafjörður working at the freezing plant, [[Kjartan Hallur|Kjartan H. Grét]]. He often sat with a book or scribbled something during breaks, and while we worked and chatted I realised he also loved it when words make you dizzy with wonder. For days afterwards I couldn't stop asking myself: Could it be that I'm an artist? How do I find out? Is it like love, or the sex drive? Or is it a muscle you have to train, like in swimming? Maybe it's just a disease I've caught from staring so hard at the words. Is there a cure? There was only one way to find out — try it. But I knew I'd need help. One evening I wandered over to Kjartan and told him I wanted to stop being a sports kid and try being an artist. Could he guide me? He was all for it and told me to go to the library and pick a book, and then we'd talk about it. I chose *World Light* (Heimsljós) by Halldór Laxness. I'd never finished a book before, but that one ate me alive. There was a poor wretch like me who lived for that feeling of letting himself go dizzy with wonder. ![[myndir/Fréttir/2025-11-03 Endurfæðing 2 - Heimsljós.jpg|360]] ## Laugar I quit all sports and tried as hard as I could to learn the artist's basics from Kjartan that summer. The most important thing is to love the search — to look for ideas as if they're lost and need help getting into the world. In the autumn I went off to Laugar, completely reborn: out of the tracksuit and into a sheepskin coat. Instead of swimming I grew long hair and learned to smoke — all in the name of art! ![[myndir/Fréttir/2025-11-03 Endurfæðing 3 - Laugar.jpg|348]] At Laugar I found my shelf — being a pop musician. There I could mix so many art forms: music, poetry, visual art, theatre, comedy and mischief. The perfect blend for me. Now, 30 years later, I met myself in some of the teenagers at the school today — so imaginative, funny and fun, so fearless towards the world. I drove away with a heart full of warmth and loaded with inspiration. > [!note]- Plugs – as they were in the letter > **Me and the [[Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands|Symphony]]** – Just this once with the biggest band in the country. I wholeheartedly recommend you come. %% Þýðing á Fréttir/2025-11-03 Endurfæðing og Tímavél.md í rödd Mugison, Claude 23. okt 2026. Mugison les yfir. %%