Bubbi Morthens

Bubbi Morthens (full name Ásbjörn Kristinsson Morthens; born 6 June 1956)[1] is an Icelandic singer and songwriter.[2] Aside from a lengthy solo career, he has been a member of such Icelandic bands as Utangarðsmenn and Egó.[3]

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is a family name, but this person is referred to by the given name Bubbi.

Bubbi Morthens
Bubbi Morthens
Background information
Birth name	Ásbjörn Kristinsson Morthens
Born	(1956-06-06) 6 June 1956
Origin	Reykjavík, Iceland
Genres	Rock, blues, reggae
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica
Years active	1979–present
Labels	Iðunnn, Steinar, Safarí, Gramm, Mistlur, Geisli, Skífan, Mál Og Menning, Sena, Blindsker
Associated acts	GCD, MX-21, Das Kapital, Utangarðsmenn, Egó
Website	Official homepage

Bubbi Morthens, Laugardalsvöllur, Iceland (2007)

Personal life

Bubbi was born in Reykjavík to a Danish mother and a half-Norwegian father.[3] Bubbi is a common nickname for Ásbjörn.

He developed a strong addiction to cocaine and alcohol in his youth,[4] later in life he became an advocate for sobriety and addiction prevention.[4] In 2018 he published the poetry book Rof about the sexual abuse he was a victim of as a child.[5]

In 1973 (at the age of 17), Bubbi became a migrant worker.[3]

In 2004, the documentary Blindsker about the life of Bubbi was released.[6]

In 2020, a musical based on the life of Bubbi, named Níu líf ("Nine Lives") was shown in Reykjavík City Theatre.[7]

Career

Bubbi recorded his first solo album in 1979,[1] a blend of rock, blues and reggae, and published it the following year as Ísbjarnarblús.

In Utangarðsmenn

His first important band was Utangarðsmenn (The Outsiders),[1] a punk band that led the new wave movement in Iceland. The band was formed with Michael D. Pollock (Mickey Dean), Daniel Pollock (Dirty Dan), drummer Magnús Stefánsson and bassist Rúnar Erlingsson. Utangarðsmenn gained renown in Iceland by means of extensive press coverage and several gigs, including three at Laugardalshöll, Iceland's biggest sports arena, where one of the gigs they performed was as supporting band for The Clash. Bubbi left the band after the fourth album, Í Upphafi Skyldi Endinn Skoða in 1981, and the others continued the band with the new name "Bodies".

In Egó

At that time, Bubbi and his brother, Bergþór, were joined by bassist Þorleifur Guðjónsson, and formed the band Egó. The band had their first tour in Reykjavík when Magnús Stefánsson and Tómas Magnús Tómasson replaced departing original band members. The band's debut album, Breyttir Tímar, released 1 April 1982, became one of the best-selling albums in Icelandic music history, climbing to second place on the Icelandic album chart, and staying in the top ten for 19 weeks. During the promotional tour for the album in Iceland, Þorleifur left the band and was replaced by Rúnar Erlingsson.

Egó followed up with Í Mynd the same year and it was considered better than the previous album. With this release, Egó toured Scandinavia, where Magnús decided to leave the band and was replaced by Jökull Úlfsson, and the band was extended once more with the addition of Gunnar Rafnsson on keyboards.

Internal conflicts led the band to break up but, having signed a contract under which they were obliged to release another album, they did not split up until after releasing their final work in 1984. Bubbi left Iceland and the musicians continued along different paths. In 2001, Egó reunited to release a compilation under the title of Frá upphafi til enda.

In Das Kapital

Later in 1984, Bubbi returned to Iceland and formed a rock and roll band called Das Kapital and released an album called Lili Marlene; the band broke up afterwards.

Solo

In 1985, he signed with Swedish record label Mistlur, and released Frelsi til Sölu (Freedom for Sale) which brought further commercial success. Dögun (Dawning), was released in 1987, and became a smash success. Bubbi's popularity was finally established in 1990 with the release of Sögur af Landi, which received good reviews.

In MX-21

Towards 1987 Bubbi joined guitarist Þorsteinn Magnússon (former member of Þeyr), Jakob Smári Magnússon (former bassist of Tappi Tíkarrass), drummer Halldór Lárusson and keyboardist Tómas Magnús Tómasson to form a new group called MX-21. The band collaborated with Megas and Sykurmolarnir (later known as The Sugarcubes) on Skytturnar, the soundtrack to the film directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson.

Solo

By the early 1990s, Bubbi was planning to record a Spanish-language album; this work was consolidated with the release of Von (Hope), which was recorded in Cuba with the band Sierra Maestra. In 1993, Bubbi moved towards a mellower country music style with the release of Lífið er Ljúft (Life is Good), and in 1994 experimented with rap music in the album 3 Heimar (3 Worlds).

In G.C.D.

In the 1990s, Bubbi joined Rúnar Júlíusson to form a rock band called G.C.D. He recorded a tribute album for his beloved crooner uncle, Haukur Morthens, and a spoken word album of original poetry in 1996. In 1998, Arfur (Heritage), an album featuring traditional Icelandic rhymes and ballads, was released.

Discography

With Utangarðsmenn, (1980–1981)

EPs

• 1980 – Ha ha ha (Rækjureggae) (Steinar)
• 1981 – 45 RPM (Steinar)

Albums

• 1980 – Geislavirkir (Steinar)
• 1981 – Í Upphafi Skyldi Endinn Skoða (Steinar), compilation release
• 1994 – Utangarðsmenn (Japís), Live
• 2000 – Fuglinn Er Floginn (Skífan), compilation release

Collaborations

• 1981 – Flugur (Steinar) Icelandic compilation
• 1981 – Gæðapopp (???), Icelandic compilation
• 1981 – Northern Lights Playhouse (Fálkinn), Icelandic compilation
• 1982 – Næst á Dagskrá (Steinar), Icelandic compilation
• 1985 – Með Lögum Skal Land Byggja (Steinar), Icelandic compilation
• 1998 – Nælur (Spor) compilation

Discography of Egó

Discography of Egó (1982–1984, 2001, 2009–present):

Albums

• 1982 – Breyttir Tímar (Steinar)
• 1982 – Í Mynd (Steinar)
• 1984 – Egó (Steinar)
• 2001 – Frá upphafi til enda (Skífan), compilation release
• 2009 – 6. október (Sena)

Singles

• 2009 – "Kannski Varð Bylting Vorið 2009" (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2009 – "Í Hjarta Mér" (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2009 – "Fallegi Lúserinn Minn" (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2009 – "Ástin Ert Þú Á Litinn" (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2009 – "Engill Ræður För" (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2014 – "Ég fyrirgef þér allt"

Featuring on film

• 1982 – Rokk í Reykjavík (Íslenska kvikmyndasamsteypan), documentary directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson
• 2004 – Blindsker

Discography of Das Kapital

Album

• 1984 – Lili Marlene (Gramm)

Featuring

• 1987 – Geyser – Anthology of the Icelandic Independent Music Scene of the Eighties (Enigma Records), Icelandic compilation

Discography of MX-21

Singles

• 1987 – Skapar Fegurðin Hamingju? (Gramm)

Discography of Bubbi and Megas

Album

• 1988 – Bláir Draumar (Gramm)

Discography of G.C.D.

Albums

• 1991 – G.C.D. (Steinar)
• 1993 – Svefnvana (Skífan)
• 1995 – Teika (Skífan)
• 2002 – Mýrdalssandur (Skífan), compilation release

Discography of Bubbi Morthens and Björn Jr. Friðbjörnsson

Singles

• 2008 – "Ég Er Kominn Heim" (Sena), Only released on the internet

Featuring

• 2008 – Pottþétt 46 (Sena)

Discography of Bubbi Morthens and Björgvin Halldórsson

Singles

• 2013 – "Það er gott að elska" (from the Duet 3 album)

Bubbi Morthens solo discography

Solo albums

• 1979 – Ísbjarnarblús (Bubbi/Iðunn)
• 1981 – Plágan (Steinar)
• 1983 – Fingraför (Steinar)
• 1983 – Línudans (Steinar), compilation release
• 1984 – Ný Spor (Safarí)
• 1985 – Kona (Gramm)
• 1986 – Blús fyrir Rikka (Gramm)
• 1987 – Frelsi til Sölu (Gramm)
• 1987 – Dögun (Gramm)
• 1988 – Serbian Flower (Mistlur)
• 1989 – Nóttin Langa (Geisli)
• 1990 – Fingraför (Steinar)
• 1990 – Sögur af Landi (Steinar)
• 1991 – Ég er (Steinar)
• 1992 – Von (Steinar)
• 1993 – Lífið er Ljúft (Skífan)
• 1994 – 3 Heimar (Skífan)
• 1995 – Í Skugga Morthens (Skífan)
• 1996 – Allar Áttir (Skífan)
• 1996 – Hvíta Hliðin á Svörtu (Mál & Menning)
• 1997 – Trúir Þú á Engla (Skífan)
• 1998 – Arfur (Skífan)
• 1999 – Sögur 1980–1990 (Íslenskir Tónar), compilation release
• 2000 – Bellman (Skífan)
• 2000 – Sögur 1990–2000 (Íslenskir Tónar), compilation release
• 2001 – Nýbúinn (Skífan)
• 2002 – Sól að Morgni (Skífan)
• 2003 – 1000 Kossa Nótt (Skífan)
• 2004 – Blindsker (Skífan), Soundtrack
• 2004 – Tvíburinn (Skífan)
• 2005 – Ást (Skífan)
• 2005 – Í 6 Skrefa Fjarlægð frá Paradís (Skífan)
• 2005 – Gleðileg Jól (Tolli/Bónus)
• 2006 – Bláir (Íslenskir Tónar)
• 2006 – Lögin Mín (Sena)
• 2006 – 06.06.06 (Sena)
• 2007 – Góð Verk 07 (Stafræn útgáfa fyrir iPod) (Sena/Apple), compilation release
• 2008 – Fjórir Naglar (Sena/Blindsker)
• 2008 – Bubbi og Stórsveit Reykjavíkur (Sena/Blindsker)
• 2010 – Sögur Af Ást, Landi og Þjóð 1980–2010 (Sena), compilation release, 3XCD+DVD
• 2011 – Ég Trúi Á Þig (Sena)
• 2012 – Þorpið (Sena)
• 2013 – Stormurinn (Sena)
• 2013 – Æsku minnar jól (Sena)
• 2015 – 18 konur (Tónlist.is) with Spaðadrottningarnar
• 2015 – Bubbi & Dimma (Prime Umboðsskrifstofa) with Dimma, live album
• 2016 – Minnismerki (Prime Umboðsskrifstofa) with Dimma, live album
• 2017 – Tungumál (Prime Umboðsskrifstofa)

Solo EPs

• 1988 – 56 (Gramm)
• 1989 – Hver er Næstur? (Geisli)
• 1999 – Mér Líkar Það (Íslenskir Tónar)

Solo singles

• 1988 – "Moon in the Gutter" (Mistlur); taken from the Mistlur LP Serbian Flower
• 2004 – "Nei Nei Nei – Tjáningarfrelsi" (Skífan)
• 2005 – "Þú" (Skífan); taken from Ást; only released on the internet
• 2005 – "Ástin Getur Aldrei Orðið Gömul Frétt", Taken from Í 6 Skrefa Fjarlægð Frá Paradís (Skífan); only released on the internet
• 2006 – "Grafir Og Bein" (Sena), Taken from Lögin Mín; only released on the internet
• 2007 – "Ísbjarnarblús (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2008 – "Ég Er Kominn Heim" with Björn Jr. Friðbjörnsson, (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2010 – "Sól" (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2011 – "Ísabella" (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2011 – "Blik Þinna Augna" (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2011 – "Háskaleikur" (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2012 – "Þorpið" with Mugison (Sena); only released on the internet
• 2013 – "Brosandi börn"
• 2013 – "Allt var það krónunni að kenna"
• 2013 – "Trúðu á ljósið"
• 2013 – "Hátíð í bæ"
• 2014 – "Ég fyrirgef þér allt"

Related bibliography

• Gestur Guðmundsson (1990). Rokksaga Íslands. Forlagið. ISBN 9979-53-015-4.

References

1. "Bubbi Morthens – English". Bubbi.is. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
2. "Bubbi Morthens". IMDb. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
3. "Bubbi Morthens". DV. 23 September 2004. p. 10.
4. "Ég er fæddur fíkill". www.mbl.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 10 May 2020.
5. "Ógæfan varð styrkur minn". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). 6 October 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
6. "Blindsker: Saga Bubba Morthens". Kvikmyndavefurinn (in Icelandic). Retrieved 10 May 2020.
7. "Bubbi um rettuna: „Auðvitað er þetta ritskoðun"". RÚV. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2020.