# Maximum Achievement and a Fart in a Jar *10 February 2026 · newsletter no. 4* ([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/2026-02-10 Hámarks Árangur og Prump í Krukku|Hámarks Árangur og Prump í Krukku]]* ![[myndir/Fréttir/2026-02-10 Hámarks Árangur 0 - Á sviði.jpg]] ## Hassle "Sometimes there's so much to do that you can't do anything," Geirmundur Valtýsson, the king of swing, is supposed to have said. January came and went and I simply didn't manage to write to you. I got stuck in bookkeeping, answered a backlog of emails, wrote, played and got lost in all kinds of hassle. ![[myndir/Fréttir/2026-02-10 Hámarks Árangur 1 - Grænn hattur.jpg]] ## Maximum Achievement When I was about twenty I read the book *Maximum Achievement* by Brian Tracy. It teaches you to set goals, believe in them — and then everything comes true. I was filled with inspiration and wrote down: - Finish an album - Find a record label - Tour the world - Turn this hobby into a job I saw it all so clearly and understood it to mean that I just had to "finish an album" — then the world would take care of the rest. I went to London for a two-year course in sound engineering to tackle my lack of skills, and made my first album alongside the studies. When it was done I felt I'd held up my end of the deal. Now it was the world's turn. ![[myndir/Fréttir/2026-02-10 Hámarks Árangur 2 - Graffití.jpg]] ## A fart in a jar I bought stamps, envelopes and ten CDs to send to my favourite record labels in Britain, hoping they'd fight over me. But first I burned a disc for my favourite musician at the time — Matthew Herbert. I wrote him a long love letter and put the disc in with it. Then I set about crafting the packages for the labels. When I was burning the very last disc the computer threw an error and the disc was ruined. It was meant for Twisted Nerve in Manchester. I sat there gutted, then looked over into the kitchen and saw a mayonnaise jar I'd just washed up. I had an idea. I did have a spare envelope and a stamp — I might as well throw in a joke. I sent them the jar and a little letter: > "I was going to send you my new album but the disc got ruined and I can't afford a new one until next month. But I have an envelope and a stamp, so I decided to send you this jar that I farted in. If you like the smell, I can send you the music next month." Then I went to the post office with ten envelopes, certain the labels would fight over me. A week passed. Nothing happened. Then I got a message from Twisted Nerve in Manchester. They said they were so taken with the fart that whatever I sent them would go on a compilation they were putting together. That song came out, but I think they liked the fart more than the song, since I never heard from them again. The other eight labels never replied. Matthew Herbert, on the other hand, replied to the love letter. He invited me for dinner and we became friends. ![[myndir/Lonely Mountain umslag.jpg|320]] *[[Lonely Mountain (album)|Lonely Mountain]] (2003) – the album that went in the envelopes* There I sat, just past twenty, feeling Brian Tracy's theories of success had betrayed me. I'd done everything "right" but the forces of the universe weren't taking the ball, and nobody wanted to release the album. I had another look at Brian's book and saw I'd misunderstood the message. It didn't promise gold and green forests — it was an encouragement to change your mindset and step into the unknown. In hindsight I was only just starting – just getting going. The album came out. I found a small label. I toured the world — not in five-star hotels, but in homestays and whatever was cheapest. Three years later I could pay myself a wage for the first time. Happy February! – Mugison > [!note]- Plugs – as they were in the letter > **Looking for ideas** – I turn 50 this year and I'm looking for ideas on how to celebrate it! What comes to mind? %% Þýðing á Fréttir/2026-02-10 Hámarks Árangur og Prump í Krukku.md í rödd Mugison, Claude 23. okt 2026. Mugison les yfir. %%