Words by

John Rogers

@jhnrgrs

The US Presidential primary season is currently a hot topic in international news, including here in the small, remote, but nevertheless internet-connected isle of Iceland.

And whilst short-fingered vulgarian Donald Trump has been grabbing many headlines with his hateful racist nonsense and offensive, xenophobic fear-mongering, it’s the Democratic race that’s more tense. We at Grapevine are, of course, completely unbiased in the contest. Indeed, corporate proxy #WhichHillary Clinton is looking in good shape against Vermont Senator and people’s champion, #FEELTHEBERN Sanders (despite, somehow, Hillary being the subject of various investigations for her hi-jinks, some more valid than others.)

With all that in mind, we thought we’d call up a few Icelanders and ask them a simple question: “Do you feel the Bern?”

Is Berndsen, 80s-inspired pop genius, feeling the Bern?
GV: “Hello Berndsen. Are you feeling the Bern?”
B: “Oh, hell yes, I love the the Bern.”
VERDICT: BERNDSEN IS BERNING.

Is Fannar Örn Karlsson, the drummer of Börn, feeling the Bern?
GV: “Sæll Fannar. So: do you feel the Bern?”
FÖK: “Haha! Oh, uh, no!”
GV: “Not even a little Berning sensation?”
FÖK: “No!”
GV: “The drummer of Börn doesn’t feel the Bern?”
F: “No!”
VERDICT: THE DRUMMER OF BÖRN IS UNBERNABLE.

Is Bergsson (or, Sigrún Skaftadóttir, manager of the Bergsson cafe and DJ, pictured above left) feeling the Bern?
GV: “Sigrún……… do you feel the Bern?”
SS: “Do I feel the burn? Of summer? I don’t know, what are you talking about?”
GV: “Well, the question is… do you feel the Bern?”
SS: “I… I don’t know…”
GV: “The Bern!”
SS: “Is that the question? What are you asking me?”
GV: “Bernie Sanders.”
SS: “Ah! Yes! Him! Oh, yes. But it’s very hard for me!”
GV: “Yeah? Why’s that?”
SS: “I’m a Bernie Sanders supporter, but I’m also a really big feminist, and my dream is for a female POTUS, but Hillary Clinton isn’t the right woman for that. So yeah, I would say I’m a Sanders person. If I was voting in the States, I’d vote for him.”
VERDICT: SIGRÚN FEELS THE BERN, AND THINKS ABOUT IT A LOT.

Is Birgitta Jónsdóttir, Pirate Party MP & poetician, feeling the Bern?
GV: “So, Birgitta… are you feeling the Bern?”
BJ: “… the burn?”
GV: “Yes. Are you feeling the Bern?”
BJ: “Not… not really. The burn? No… why?”
GV: “The Bern. Bernie Sanders.”
BJ: “FEELING THE BERN! YES! I’m feeling the Bern. I’m Berning up actually. I’m feeling the Bern, and you know what? We need to Bern the Drumpf.”
VERDICT: BIRGITTA IS BERNING UP.

Is Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, President of Iceland, feeling the Bern?
GV: “Hello, sir. Do feel the Bern?”
ÓRG: “Do I… what?”
GV: “The Bern sir. Do you feel it?”
ÓRG: “The… burn?”
GV: “Bernie, sir. Bernie Sanders. The Bern.”
ÓRG: “Oh, U.S. politics! I follow it, of course, but I don’t participate.”
VERDICT: UNCONFIRMED / POTENTIALLY BERNING INSIDE.

FINAL VERDICT: ICELAND IS TOTALLY FEELING THE BERN.

Additional reporting by Gabríel Benjamin.