Einar Örn Benediktsson
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Einar Örn Benediktsson (born October 29, 1962) is a popular music singer and trumpet player from Iceland who has worked with Björk and The Sugarcubes.
As a vocalist for The Sugarcubes, Einar was the subject of some controversy. Some critics scorned him for his bizarre spoken-word rants and discordant singing, which often overshadowed Björk's more popular vocalizations. Others, however, defending his contributions as an essential component of the group's free-spirited anarchic ethos.
After the breakup of The Sugarcubes in 1992, Einar wrote a newspaper column "Close Encounter" ("about daily life in Reykjavík"), plugged records for Bad Taste and worked as a bartender. Music went on the backburner: "I was discovering other things, like family life. I wanted to make music a hobby again."
He recorded with Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson (HÖH) in 1992: "We were great friends who decided to make music for the hell of it, and it turned into a record" (Frostbite, on One Little Indian). He also worked in concert promotion (two Björk shows, The Prodigy, Fugees and Massive Attack) and co-founded Reykjavík's first cybercafe The Siberia Cafe: 'We were too early. Those who knew what it was all about preferred to do their Internet hacking at home."
Worked for the Reykjavík Arts Festival before moving back to London in late 1997 to set up OLI's Web sites: "I saw this gap, which I could fill. It's always good to get a new perspective."
He's recording again, with Hilmar Örn and Sugarcubes drummer Siggi, as Grindverk. "It's dance music for people who cannot dance. It'll probably be instrumental too. It's not because people have criticised me, I just don't think I've written anything I want to sing." Grindverk released one record for FatCatRecords [1] called Gesundheit Von K.
As for a more permanent band, "I'm waiting to see if the occasion arises. The Sugarcubes wasn't scripted, remember. Of course, I'm older but I would treat the occasion with the same passion!"
In December 2003 Einar Örn released his first solo record called Ghostigital, which in turn has now become his new musical project. The record has received positive critical acclaim.
[edit] Sexuality
His sexuality has been the subject of some confusion. In 1989, media reports announced that Einar and his (male) Sugarcubes bandmate Bragi Ólafsson had entered into a civil union agreement in Denmark, which was widely reported as the first gay marriage in pop music history. However, neither man has given any further indication that they identify as anything but heterosexual.
According to the book Lobster or Fame, a profile of the Sugarcubes published in 2002, the confusion arose when the band's record company misunderstood a casual comment about how Einar and Bragi's friendship would be the perfect basis for a marriage, and issued a congratulatory press release without actually bothering to confirm whether any marriage had actually taken place.
