Dear Jón Gnarr,

Are you for real? If so, I’m feeling better about politics already. My friend Pam’s older brother just got back from Iceland where he spent a few months sitting in hot springs and putting together an art show of his paintings of exotic birds in foreign climates. He went there to paint pictures of snowy owls in the Bahamas and toucans in Antarctica. Weird. I think he also joined a band. He plays the electric accordian and spoons and a computer. Anyway, when he got back last week he told us all about you, the newest mayor of Reykjavik.

Up until now, I only knew a few things about Iceland.

1) Bjork

2) It looks like Mars

3) Most everyone there is related to a pagan Norseman

4) Swarming with Lutherans

So when I heard about you, I was so intrigued. Let me get this straight. You are a comedian, ex-punk rocker and you left school when you were 16. You founded the Best Party as a satirical political party promising voters free towels, free access to swimming pools for anyone under 18, a Disneyland at the airport and a Polar Bear display for the zoo. Your platform also states: “Listen more to women and old people: This bunch gets listened to far too little. It’s as if everyone thinks they are just complaining or something. We’re going to change that.”

You directed and starred in a music video to launch your party which includes lines like: “No more concrete and steel messing up our brains” and “Tell the squatters in charge that it’s time to leave” and “The blathering loons should be given a home in the city zoo.”  You ran for mayor and you won. Bravo.

Now here you are. Since June 2010 you have been the Mayor of Reykjavik, home to a third of Iceland’s population. This is amazing, funny and encouraging all at the same time. This also makes me think that I might have a political future too. I look at people like Nancy Pelosi and Hilary Clinton and, while I am all for their sense of public service, I just don’t look, talk or act anything like a regular lady politician. Is it possible to serve people and just, you know, be yourself? For example, could I wear my second-hand sweaters and dye my hair and wear funky jewelry and still be taken seriously? Could I dress up like a blackbird and roam around the streets of Little Rock demanding an answer to why so many of them dropped dead from the sky in some pre-apocalyptic curse? I guess I wouldn’t have to resort to stunts like that if I actually had some power.

I like your idea of appointing your friends to your cabinet. If they’re really your friends, they won’t lie to you or tell you any silly nonsense. If they are honest, nice people it’s probably a great situation. I would love to appoint my friend Elliot to fix the national budget. He is so good at math and he never cheats.

Anyway, I would like to visit Iceland someday. This is in spite of the fact that I recently saw a show where Anthony Bourdain explores what kind of food you guys like there. Well, we’ll work around that.

Anyway, congratulations. I hope you have fun and make a difference in the four years that you have. Who knows, maybe it’ll be eight. Eight would be even better.

Always,

Capra

P.S. I looked everywhere for an address for you and all I could find was this e-mail address, so I’ll send it there:  borgarstjori@reykjavik.is

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