Mr Scruff, aka Andy Carthy, is one of those individuals whose interest lies almost exclusively in music. Happily based in Manchester, traveling abroad for no more than a month at a time to keep up his long-established residency at Music Box, he constantly feeds off the creatives who flow through his English city, enjoying the simple things in life; like hanging out with friends.
I was excited about speaking to Mr Scruff but I never expected the guy who described himself to me as “forgetful, enthusiastic and obsessive” to be so likeably quick witted and sarcastic. Reflecting on his background, Andy says things would probably have turned out quite differently for him had he not grown up in the UK. “You are a product of your environment. I listened to a lot of local radio when I was growing up. I think there’s a rich cultural mix [in England]. There’s a very unique mix [of styles] and that’s something that appeals to me.” I ask Andy if Manchester is still the place to be for music and he replies, “yeah definitely, in terms of creativity. It does attract a lot of creative people.”
And it’s no secret that Andy is a pretty creative guy himself. His animations are a regular feature at his shows, and a visit to his website gives a glimpse of his talent. Andy defines his drawings as “something to accompany the music. I’m not bringing them to Australia this time. Womad said no and Fina is in a big glass dome. This time it’s me fitting in with someone else.” Would he take the animations a step further and say, turn them into a film? “Not really. They’re kind of a cheeky side thing. I don’t want to exploit the visuals. That would take so much time. I’m kind of slow with my music anyway!”
Slow maybe, but he’s built up a huge, dedicated fan base, particularly in Manchester where he still does his monthly gig at Music Box after seven years. So what does he do if he is traveling overseas? “I just make sure that I don’t travel for more than a month!” he laughs. “It’s really good, I really enjoy it. When you travel a lot you have to introduce yourself musically. It’s like when you meet new people and you have to ask ‘what’s your name? What do you do?’ And when you go back to a place it’s like carrying on with a conversation. I wouldn’t stop that for anything. There are lots of regulars but there are always new people coming through. It’s good not to be too comfortable. You have to be careful not to disappear up your own ass!”
So in the seven years that he’s been playing at Music Box, and in his musical history, has he seen a change in the UK music scene? “Everywhere changes all the time,” he muses. “Lots of things go in cycles. There’s stuff coming and going, and new artists always emerging. All the specialist scenes are still carrying on.” And does he consider himself to belong to one of these ‘scenes’? “Generally no. I’m very lucky to be able to pick up from different styles.”
He says he “probably has thousands of different influences”, but names two main ones – John Peel and Afrika Bambaataa. “I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if it wasn’t for John Peel. Afrika Bambaataa’s contribution to hip hop is priceless. They’re both DJs and both people very much after my own heart.” What about who he’s listening to at the moment? “Gary Marx – Gathering Dust is great. I relax to folk and I’m listening to the new 4hero album. That’s all off the top of my head. It’s still early here!” Despite this he doesn’t have an iPod. “I listen to music all the time so I enjoy silence when I travel.”
But music is his passion, and he admits that in his spare time he does “as little as possible. I don’t have any hobbies like stamp collecting or anything,” he jokes sarcastically. “I’m pretty busy. When I come to Melbourne I’ll have a few days to sit on the beach or catch up with friends.” He’s a big fan of Melbourne too, remarking; “I feel really comfortable there. There are great places to eat, good record shops and a lot of similar people [to Manchester]. I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’ve got a few friends there so I’ll hang out with them and take over their house!”
Finally, what can fans expect for 2007? “I’m not entirely sure yet. There should be a new album in Autumn [September/October] and a few cheeky singles before that. I’ll just beaver away at it. I’ve been very busy. I’m going to be road-testing [new singles] at gigs.”
Be sure to catch Mr Scruff when he touches down in Australia for DJ sets this month:
Mar 9 – Womadelaide, Adelaide
Mar 10 – Womadelaide, Adelaide
Mar 11 – Playground Weekender, Sydney
Mar 23 – Federation Square, Melbourne
Mar 24 – Federation Square, Melbourne
