#jon gnarr

Sounds like the Mayor of Reykjavik, Iceland in 2010, Jón Gnarr.

Here's the hilarious true story of a stand up comic, running for mayor, to stick it to the man, and he won, and he did a damn good job lol

Here's his book about it (he also has several other books on amazon as well) Gnarr, How I Became the Mayor of a Large City in Iceland

Tipps für den nächsten Island-Trip

Jean ist Editor bei Jen Reviews. Jean ist bei ihrer Recherche auf meinen Blog-Beitrag zu Jon Gnarr’s »Indianer-Buch« gestoßen:  http://schwab.nextcircus.de/indianer-und-pirat/

Jean hat gerade einen Leitfaden fertiggestellt, der detailliert, aktuell und umfassend über die 100 besten Dinge in Island berichtet. Der Leitfaden enthält alternative, praktische und…

Mayor of Reykjavik, Iceland, getting ready for the Gay Pride Parade. Via frnak.

Theories are clever things. In politics there are a lot of theories that make perfect sense: socialism, with its classless society, equality, and fraternity; or liberalism, which wants to give everyone enough leeway to work freely. Even in education and culture, there are smart ideas. And in the different religions. But unfortunately there is something to which no theory is immune: human weakness. Immaturity is one weakness. Selfishness another. Greed. No matter what ideology you hold to, sooner or later greed and selfishness get in the way, especially when it comes to human encounters.

6

A society in which you don't need any rules, because everyone is so kind and mature and intelligent? No, I don't think so.

8

All Icelanders go swimming. It's one of the undisputed advantages of this country that just about anywhere you go has a marvelously well-equipped swimming pool nearby.

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If actual socialism has really found a niche anywhere in Iceland, it's in the swimming pools. In the pools, it's just like in the phone book, everyone's the same.

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To understand Iceland, you have to go to the pool. It's the swimming pools that forge us into a nation, more than anything else I think.

15

... You never know what to expect. That's why, unlike the other Scandinavians, we Icelanders have never made much headway in the winter sports. The only sport we're really good at is chess. After all, indoors you can hunker down at the chessboard all year round.

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In my youthful innocence I often thought that the world would definitely be more peaceful and beautiful if people would just leave politics alone.

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Most lessons are spent cramming students with knowledge that they have never specifically requested. Yet this is what's being sold to them as a prerequisite for any success in life.

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So what do you do when you have to choosr between two options, both of which are equally bad? You invent a third.

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You don't need to be a politician to have the right to participate in political life.

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We're so focused exclusively on success that we've forgotten how to enjoy things. And that's understandable. We live in an extremely success-oriented society. ... But success has its price. That price, in part, is joy in life.

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If we want to change politics, we need to change this entire frame of mind, to rethink what is really required to be a politician. ... We must make our politics more interesting, exciting and cool, so that everyone will feel like getting involved.

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When it came to unemployment, I suggested opening a Disneyland in Reykjavik.

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But of course I'm not a politician. I just got involved in politics.

“We should have this huge statue of Björk at the harbor like the Statue of Liberty and instead of a torch she would be having a microphone and she would shout out some information about Reykjavik in three different languages and she would be revolving, you know? And also there would be lights. Her eyes would shoot lights on interesting tourist spots in Reykjavik.”

**

Ever wondered who makes sure that all Icelandic surnames sound the same? It’s the Icelandic Naming Commission, that’s who. 

Our author Jon Gnarr just found a way around them: moving to Texas. Now he can finally use the name he’s always wanted!

USA!

USA!

USA!