A Spaceman in Reykjavik

Will Carruthers, who cuts a dapper and rather pirate-like figure on the currently rainy and grey Reykjavik horizon, is a writer. He was also the bassist for Spacemen 3, Spiritualized and Spectrum, three bands who were probably the most influential rock outfits of the late 80's and early 90's. If in doubt, look them up and you will find that these bands have influenced anyone from Nirvana to My Bloody Valentine or basically any relevant rock band of the last two decades.

Carruthers, who is also a poet and writer, will be reading from his recently published Book of Jobs here in Reykjavik on Friday afternoon, a book where Iceland plays  a small but interesting part. 

Unglamorous jobs in an effort to survive

Based in Berlin, Carruthers, who has in the last few years performed with the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spectrum and the Dead Skeletons, has now published his second book, a beautiful hand-made oeuvre featuring a collection of short, strange and very amusing stories. "I have played music for all of my adult life, performing with Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, Spectrum, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dead Skeletons and many other bands that you may not have heard of," explains Carruthers. "Whilst pursuing my musical adventures I found myself doing many unglamorous jobs in an effort to survive. I wrote a book of short stories that describe some of these experiences."  

He tells me it probably would have been easier to just write about the usual stuff that people in bands seem to write about. "But I feel that the subjects of  soundchecks, tedious journeys, drugs and rock and roll have already been well covered in literature with varying degrees of interest. Have you read the Keith Richards book? It is surprisingly boring I think. I feel like there are too many books about the lifestyles of the rich and famous and their problems with maintaining the correct temperature in their swimming pools, so I though it might be more interesting to write a book about some of the ridiculous things I have done for money during the twenty five years I have attempted to make a living as a musician. Also, I never had problems maintaining the temperature of my swimming pool."

From drugs and rock and roll to badgers and giant turds

So, obviously there's a little bit of drugs and rock and roll in the book. "But you know," he explains, "That soon fades into cleaning toilets and spraying concrete onto walls, and then it goes back to being in a band, and then it goes back to decorating a house that smelled terribly of cat piss. It seemed more honest and entertaining somehow. " Amongst the other subjects of these dire but mirthful stories are a plutonium factory, badgers, playing the bass with three left hands, fireballs,  the northern lights, a giant turd (possibly belonging to Jimmy Page), Midland meat packers, sleeping under a hedge eating nuts and berries, poaching a thousand eggs, a very loud cow, a river of piss, Oasis at Knebworth, a winking fox and the ghost of Billie Holiday. 

Bookmaking is agreeable wintertime work

What makes the book into a rarity is that it's made entirely by hand. How did he come to make an entire book from scratch? "I learned to make books after an Icelandic wrestling injury. Myself and Orri, the drummer from Dead Skeletons, had decided to indulge in a little post Grappa "glíma", in Turin at the end of a tour. I kind of tore the ligaments in my knee on the final bout, so I couldn’t really go and work on the construction site for a while. I had a book of poetry written and I was wondering how I might try and sell that while wondering what I could possibly do with my time without being able to walk very far. I am pretty good with my hands, so I started searching YouTube for bookmaking videos. I found a video and learned from there really. I made the book presses and the spine clamps out of old Ikea furniture and stuff I found in the street. It took me two months to make the first book and after that I got a bit quicker. Then I just asked people on Facebook if they wanted to buy them and I put them in the post when they sent me money. This book was a continuation of that process. It has worked out pretty well and I find bookmaking to be agreeable work for the wintertime. I am getting too old to be busting my ass carrying bricks at the slaughterhouse."

Doubting the wisdom of his own ideas

Carruther's made his first venture into illustration with The Book of Jobs, something he tells me he finds quite embarassing. " I don’t feel like much of an artist, or a writer, or a musician really. I wanted to make the books look nice so I thought I better put some pictures in them. I had found a set of what I thought were old woodcarving tools in a second hand shop in Berlin, which on investigation,  turned out to be linoleum cutting tools, so I just had a go at that because I had the tools and I like to carve things sometimes. I bound the illustrations into the hard back books and the covers are also linoleum prints that I printed by hand in my kitchen. There are fourteen stamped lino cuts in every book. I also learned a little about paper marbling, so the covers for the hard backs are all hand marbled paper.  It took me ages. I was kind of doubting the wisdom of some of my own ideas towards the end of the process but then maybe that’s inevitable on any long job at some point."

Star struck tourist gawping at Northern Lights

There's plenty of narrative that takes place in Iceland. So what's the Iceland connection and how did he come here in the first place? "The book itself is a series of short stories arranged in chronological order and at the end of each story is part of present tense narrative that I wrote on my first visit to Iceland in 2012 to rehearse with Dead Skeletons before our live debut in Athens. At the end of the book the past tense stories and the Icelandic narrative meet up in the not too distant past in Berlin. I was feeling really optimistic when I was here for the first time, so I think I kind of come over as a star struck tourist gawping at the Northern lights and getting all gushy over lava fields and mysterious natural phenomena. I thought the optimism of the Icelandic writing worked to offset some of the fairly grim stories about trying to scratch up a living in the Midlands of Britain." Carruthers says that Iceland agrees with him and that he likes the people very much. "I have lived in Berlin for seven years and I have ended up with some very good Icelandic friends that I met after I was first introduced to Nonni Dead (Jón Sæmundur Auðarsson) through my work with the Brian Jonestown Massacre  and my friendship with Anton Newcombe, Everything else just fell weirdly into place after that."

A break from playing ridiculously loud music

So of all the jobs featured in the book, which one was the weirdest? "They were all weird in their own ways. Maybe my idea of weird and your idea of weird are different. Some things freak me out that don’t bother most people and some things don’t bother me that freak other people out. Weirdness is subjective." As for his return to playing regularly with a band, Carruthers explains he's taking a bit of a break from playing ferociously loud music due to tinnitus. "I guess after making people deaf for so long it is fair enough. I had a busy couple of years playing live music and touring a year or so back and maybe I was gently reminded of some of the inevitabilities of physics and age. I go out and play bass now and again if the band and the place interest me but I am not really “in” a band. I do miss it though it nearly drives me bananas whenever I do it." 

Played ATP Iceland to dedicated lunatics

Carruthers, has however played in Iceland once, at ATP at Ásbrú with the Dead Skeletons a couple of years ago. "It was when almost everyone had gone home after Nick Cave.  We somehow managed a lively moshpit of dedicated lunatics despite the late hour. I’d love to play in Reykjavik someday. Two beers, a sandwich and a settee for the night and I’m anybody’s, I’ll come and sing peculiar folk songs and spout incomprehensible poetry on your stage if you’ll have me." He adds that he might sing a song or two, quietly, at the book reading which takes place tomorrow, Friday at the 12Tónar music store in the city centre at six'o'clock sharp. 

"I’ll read a bit from the book, maybe confuse people with poetry, and sing a song if it seems appropriate. I have four softback books and some linocuts and prints I made that will be for sale on the night. Books are too heavy to bring out on the road with me, but at least people will be able to see them and decide whether or not I can actually make a decent book or not. If anybody wants to buy one I can send them one in the post from Berlin when I get back there. I have twenty more hardback books to make out of the signed and numbered edition of a hundred. I am going to leave a book at 12 Tonar, so if anyone wants to read it they can go in there, have a coffee, listen to some music, and see what gibberish I have been spouting."

Next focus is on sex and heartbreak

So, does Carruthers have any  recommendations for our readers on his favourite spots in Reykjavik or Iceland? "I have a special soft spot for Jörmundur Ingi’s treasure trove of fine clothing and wisdom on Laugavegur 25, which is also near to Jón Sæmundur’s Dead gallery, but If you want to know what is going on in Reykjavik you should totally check out the puffin shops and the cranes. They are amazing. I eat hot dogs at Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur and  at the Chuck Norris grill if I am going out for dinner, but mostly I like to stay beside Lake Þingvallavatn and cook pony burgers with my friends while we do a bit of gentle dragon spotting."

And last, but not least,  is there another book on the horizon? "The next book will be mainly concerned with sex and heartbreak,  because I have perhaps reached an age where I have little appetite for either."

For enquiries and orders contact  williebcarruthers@gmail.com or the Book of Jobs Facebook page HERE.

 The book reading takes place at 12Tónar, Skólavörðustígur 15, 101 Reykjavík. 

A Book of Jobs is a collection of short stories and is entirely made by hand, with illustrations by Carruthers. Photo: Will Carruthers