Interview Halldor Mar musician
Interview Halldor Mar musician (Halldór Már) is an interview by the Spanish writer in Iceland Jordi Pujolá, with the support of Icelandic Mountain Guides (10% discount using promo code ESCRITOR2018, press link to see all you can do in Iceland)
Read the whole interview in Spanish (link) www.escritorislandia.com
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Halldór Már successful Icelandic musician and TV showman in Barcelona
Iceland is a remarkable country in many fields (art, sports, tourism…) taking into account its little population (only 335.000 men)
Halldór would like to promote the Icelandic on the same way, looking for Icelandic foreign speakers in some other countries
And Icelanders are proud of their reputation. But it´s a pity many Icelanders don´t know any thing about talented Halldór Már yet
«Still there are people in Spain who get Iceland with Finland mixed up»
More interviews about the project Iceland Spain and Catalonia here: La Contra Islandia (read more interviews)
Interview Halldor Mar musician
Halldor Mar Stefánsson was born in Reykjavik, he went to Spain in 1993 to learn classical guitar with the master Alex Arnaldur Arnarson Garrobé and didn´t go back anymore because he found a girl
«I have never been so cold in Iceland as in Barcelona»
When the songwriter arrived in Spain, he didn´t speak any Spanish or Catalan, but he learnt it by reading, watching TV and listening to the radio (Toni Soler, Buenafuente, Albert Pla…). Now he speaks both almost as a local. Icelanders have a difficult language and they are good at learning some new ones
Interview Halldor Mar Katalonski
Second of May 2018
The fame has not changed him too, he is a nice guy and a great musician wherever he plays either in an Irish pub or on the Stage of Barcelona La Mercè concerts
¿What do Spaniards or Catalans usually ask you about Iceland?
He is tall, slim, wears jeans and chequered shirts and laughs all the time, probably because his Icelandic good vibes (the ones he reveals on his book). He plays guitar and sings alternative folk pop rock
«The first album of Sigur Rós changed my way of understanding music»
I met Halldór Már in La Mercé 2017, local party of Barcelona, the city´s guest was Reykjavik and he performed 3 concerts, he did it very well and is going to play again in 2018; afterwards I visited his new music school (cooperative of musicians) in Sant Gervasi, a nice place with good atmosphere (Ars Viva, Via Agusta 108). He also came to visit me in Reykjavik, his father lives in Fossvogur as well
Halldor Mar in love with Barcelona
- ¿Why do you like so much Barcelona?
It´s very well located, you have the sea, the mountains… The weather is good and it´s a cultural city, this is important
- ¿Do you think you will come back to Iceland?
Well, why not? but I think my Spanish wife won´t be as please as me, she likes living in a big city, moving around by public transportation, you know. At the moment, going on vacations it´s enough
- ¿What do you miss from Iceland?
I miss the family, friends, the food (I love hangikjöt!), the midnight sun in summer and northern lights in winter
An uncommon master on classical guitar
It´s not usual to a classical guitar master to perform in Irish pubs or private parties; however, Halldór Már did it and because of his bravery a cool hunter saw him when he was singing the habanera La bella Lola in English and asked him to sing on the famous TV advertisement of Cerveza Damm with the former Barça football player Cesc Fábregas. So he first recorded the album Winds and later on Records, Catalan anthems in Catalan and English
«I only put one song of each Catalan author, 11 in total; it was hard to choice them because the wide range of Catalan songs»
A project Catalonia Iceland
Halldor Mar´s project is to show the world Catalan songs. The aim of this blog www.escritorislandia.com is to put in contact Spanish Catalan and Icelandic culture. He is an Icelandic man in Catalonia and I am a Catalan man in Iceland. Besides that, he was the guitarist in my wedding (2008) in the City Hall of Barcelona Consell de Cent (Pça. Sant Jaume)
The book of Halldor Mar
We have many things in common, he actually wrote a book as well (The world according Halldór, Bridge). I strongly recommend it. It´s a sort of biography and self help book where he explains his philosophy of life:
- Don´t go against the stream
- Open minding
- Look for the other´s comfort
Halldor Mar the artist
Halldor Mar is a storyteller from the Sagas (look at his long hear, his beard, his reddish colour…). I love the song of his TV show:
«There are not strangers, only friends you haven´t met yet»
Katalonski Halldor Mar the success of a TV show
And now Halldor Mar is presenting Katalonski (it means Catalan in Polish), a show on TV3 (the national Catalan TV channel) with a lot of audience
Halldor Mar travels with his guitar looking for people who learnt the Catalan in other countries (most of them have never been in Catalonia) and this fact changed their lives. Many times Halldór sings their favourite songs with them at the end of the show
The idea is great. Halldór would like to promote the Icelandic on the same way, looking for Icelandic foreign speakers in some other countries
- ¿How do you like being famous in Barcelona?
«It´s just good. Not problem at all. Sometimes it´s a bit strange when people who I don´t know call me by my name; but in general, Catalans, like Icelanders, respect for privacy». «Besides that, it´s a blessing to get a decent salary from music. Musicians usually don´t earn much money and have to work many hours from bar to bar»
Topics about Iceland
- ¿What do Spaniards or Catalans usually ask you about Iceland?
«They say: I went to Iceland last year or I´m going next month; some say Finland instead of Iceland. Or they say: So cold! and then I reply: it´s cool, not cold. But I have never feel so cold in Iceland as in Barcelona, it´s because the humidity, you know. Besides that, in Iceland houses are warm and you stare at the snow from the window»
12000 people in the world speak Catalan and they are no Catalans, let´s do the same with Icelandic, the famous language of Sagas
To learn Catalan on the net:
Albums solo (available Spotify)
- Records (Catalan and English)
- Winds
- Simple
Albums with Wiggum (rock band)
- La Guerra Mundial (2013)
- Sintón Nisón estima a Nifú Nifá (2010)
Secret Solstice Iceland
Secret Solstice invited me with my photographer Leana Clothier to write an article about the music festival and I asked Halldór Már for advice
He recommends:
Jet Black Joe, Högni (he doesn´t know anything about him but admits they are almost identical), Stuðmenn, Agent Fresco, Gus Gus, Ham…
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós was not playing, however he said they changed his concept of music with the first album (the voice is on the same level as the instruments, shoe gazers style)
I love Sigur Rós as well. I saw them in Razzmatazz Barcelona in 2003 when they were not famous yet, I almost touched them with my hand
On the 26th September Halldór Már plays guitar and sings in Casino de Barcelona. Don´t miss it
More info of Halldór Már on his website (link)
Novels by Jordi Pujolá en FNAC, Casa del Libro, Amazon, Bóksala Studenta (Universidad de Islandia)… press link
Interview Halldor Mar musician (Halldór Már) is an interview by the Spanish writer in Iceland Jordi Pujolá, with the support of Iceland Rovers and Icelandic Mountain Guides