Einar Örn Benediktsson
| Einar Örn Benediktsson | |
|---|---|
Einar Örn
|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Einar Örn Benediktsson |
| Born |
29 October 1962 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Origin | Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Genres | Punk, anarcho-punk, alternative rock, electro, electronica, experimental music |
| Instruments | Trumpet, vocals |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Associated acts | Purrkur Pillnikk, KUKL, The Sugarcubes, Ghostigital, Damon Albarn, Björk |
| Einar Örn Benediktsson | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Reykjavík, Iceland City Council | |
|
In office May 2010 – June 2014 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
29 October 1962 Reykjavík, Iceland |
| Political party | Best Party |
| Alma mater | Polytechnic of Central London (B.A., 1986) |
| Occupation | musician |
Einar Örn Benediktsson (born 29 October 1962), often billed as Einar Örn, is an Icelandic popular music singer, trumpet player and politician best known as a former member of the Sugarcubes and a current member of Ghostigital. Between 2010 and 2014, he served as a member of the Reykjavík City Council.
Einar has been described as the first punk in Iceland. He claims he became interested in punk rock after reading about Johnny Rotten vomiting on an aeroplane and listening to John Peel on his mother's car radio. Einar spent the summer of 1977 in London, where his father worked. Through this, he was able to make contacts enabling the Reykjavík arts festival to book The Clash in 1980.
In the early 1980s, Einar was the lead singer of the short-lived punk group Purrkur Pillnikk. After Purrkur Pillnikk's demise, in 1983 Einar became a member of the anarcho-punk KUKL along with the already notable Icelandic singer Björk Guðmundsdóttir. During this period, whilst studying media at the Polytechnic of Central London (now the University of Westminster) he got in touch with several punk groups such as Flux of Pink Indians and the anarchist band Crass. This eventually led to the release of KUKL's two studio albums, 1984's The Eye and 1986's Holidays in Europe, on Crass' in-house label Crass Records.
In June 1986, Smekkleysa SM or Bad Taste SM ltd was formed by a group of friends which included Einar, Björk, Sigtryggur, Einar Melax from KUKL, Bragi Ólafsson and Friðrik Erlingsson from Purrkur Pillnikk, Þór Eldon, Ólafur Engilberts and Sjón from the surrealist group Medúsa and lastly Ásmundur Jónsson from Gramm Records. Out of this group the Sugarcubes were formed, with Einar sharing vocal duties with Björk. While with the Sugarcubes, some critics scorned him for his bizarre spoken-word rants and discordant singing, which often overshadowed Björk's more popular vocalizations. Others, however, defended his contributions as an essential component of the group's free-spirited, chaotic ethos. Einar remained with the Sugarcubes until the band's breakup in 1992.
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