November new year

On Wednesday evening, after a full day of work, singing, and work again, I heeded a plea from a co-worker and headed downtown dressed in gala party attire. As I mentioned earlier this year, I work with a guy in a well-known Icelandic group, and last night they were shooting a video for a new years song. Everyone in the group had called their friends with the same request- wear sparkly clothes and come have some free beer.

So we all trailed into the plush Deco-style bar in the basement of the National Theater, where the band had already been at work rehearsing and taking holiday-themed photos. A makeup artist (I'm told she works with Bjork as well) was adding eyeshadow to various party guests, and my friend K did updos for several (including me). Tinsel-trimmed party hats appeared from somewhere, horns and those curly blow-things (what ARE these called? I don't even know how to find a picture of what I'm talking about) that I remember from parties as a kid.

After about 45 minutes of sitting around watching hairdos and eye makeup in process, we were all ushered into the "set" room where the band had been practicing their mime-singing after the photo shoot. Everyone was sprinkled liberally with confetti and streamers, and then the director stood on a chair to instruct in rapid Icelandic (I was the only non-Icelander in the whole room). The scene: 25 seconds to the new year at the best party ever and we love the band.

And indeed I did. They've got great presence even when not actually singing (we were hearing a pre-recorded performance), and it was rather fun and silly to be dancing around among balloons and confetti and streamers with horns and party hats on a Wednesday evening. We rang in the new year about six times in various takes with slightly different instructions, then it was a wrap. Everyone brushed off the confetti and then it was time to finish the beer and hang out.

I love the unexpected randomness of life here. I can spend the day working intensely, then go sing Bach, and then be a dancing extra in a music video. As I said before, part of it is the small-pond syndrome, and since Iceland's got everything a country has on this small scale, it's much easier to have your nose in a hundred different activities. I can't wait to see how the result comes out!