Iceland review - 2019, Qupperneq 22

20
Iceland Review
“I’m not necessarily talking about my music, I’m
talking about the burning issues,” Bubbi Morthens
tells me, as we sit in a bakery in the town of
Mosfellsbær. Though we’re here to talk about his
career, he steers the conversation through topics like
refugees, populism, and climate change. For nearly
40 years, Bubbi (a nickname for Ásbjörn), has made a
career in music by speaking his mind, and he’s never
been at a loss for words.
Since the release of his debut album Ísbjarnarblús
(Polar Bear Blues) in 1979, Bubbi has changed the
course of Icelandic music many times over, both as a
solo artist and member of renowned bands such as
Utangarðsmenn and Egó. While his musical style has
pulled from folk, rock, punk, reggae, and other tradi-
tions, its central characteristic has always been pow-
erful lyrics. These lyrics, which have always unflinch-
ingly criticised Icelandic society, have led many to see
the songwriter as a voice of the people. Bubbi is quick
to point out, however, that “the people” don’t always
agree with what he has to say – yet that may be the very
fact that has kept his music relevant for four decades.
Escaping into music
Music first caught Bubbi’s attention as an outlet
during his difficult childhood. “My mother is Danish.
When the German occupation ended in Denmark, she
decided to travel the world. Her first stop was Iceland,
where she met my dad. He was a bohemian and a
painter, and a very difficult man. They often fall for the
bad boys,” he jokes.
Poverty, alcoholism, and abuse coloured Bubbi’s
early life. Nevertheless, he tells me, “My childhood
overall was wonderful. It was sort of twofold. My dad
was a huge nature lover, and we always spent sum-
mers in the countryside. He was very musical and his
brother [Haukur Morthens] was a very famous singer
in Iceland. There was a lot of music in my mother’s
family, too.” His mother also introduced him to lit-
erature when he was just a boy. “I read Shakespeare
like other kids read comic books, at the age of eight
or nine. I was reading Russian authors and French
authors, great Icelandic authors. I lived in the world of
books: that was my escape from my worries.”
When Bubbi was given his first guitar at the age
of eight, he found another outlet from the troubles
of real life. His synaesthesia made the world of music
irresistibly vivid. “I see everything in colour – letters,
names, and musical notes. So, I disappeared into that
world. I did very little other than read books and listen
to music.” When The Beatles appeared, their music
gripped the young boy, who suddenly knew exactly
what he wanted to do in life. “I’m eight years old and I
think ‘This is what I’m going to do.’ And it didn’t mat-
ter what was put in front of me or what kind of troubles
I had, I always knew that I would be a musician.”
“I WAS RE-
B O R N .
T H A T ’ S
WHEN I
F I N A L L Y
FELT THAT
I WASN’T
A LOSER,
I WASN’T
S T U P I D .