{"id":12446,"date":"2012-10-05T07:56:50","date_gmt":"2012-10-04T21:56:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/?p=12446"},"modified":"2012-10-05T07:56:50","modified_gmt":"2012-10-04T21:56:50","slug":"frank-turner-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maytherockbewithyou.com\/mtrbwy\/2012\/10\/frank-turner-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Frank Turner"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n<\/a>\u201cIt\u2019s supposed to have a communal atmosphere, I\u2019m not going to turn up and play music to a bunch of heads staring at me and then just have a disconnect, I just want everyone to be involved you know?\u00a0 It\u2019s a party I want everyone to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve never heard of Frank Turner, now\u2019s a perfect time to start, well you should\u2019ve started earlier, but you can be forgiven for that by checking out his new release \u2018Last Minutes and Lost Evenings\u2019 which will give you a prefect introduction and catch up to the work of this amazing folk rock singer \/ songwriter \/ performer. Wowing audiences and listeners by the droves, it won\u2019t be long before Frank Turner is a household name and with his recent appearance at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, he\u2019s well on the way\u2026<\/p>\n

We chatted to Frank Turner about his music, his live show, tattoos, his ever growing Australian fan base, and performance at the Olympics opening ceremony plus more\u2026<\/p>\n

You\u2019re about to release a nice little package of \u2018Last Minutes and Lost Evenings\u2019 what was the idea of releasing this album \/ DVD at this time?<\/strong>
\nWell basically the last record I did \u2018England Keep My Bones\u2019 has been more successful by some distance than the others and the guys at Epitaph decided that for people outside the UK that we should release a primer, like a cliff notes, you know what I mean?\u00a0 So the idea for the record is like the headlines of the others, and hopefully people who are new to the party can buy that record and will be all set.<\/p>\n

How did you go about choosing what would make it on to this release of essentials and rarities?<\/strong>
\nIt was harder to do than I thought it was going to be, because of what people who listen to me like and what I like is not always the same list, but in the end it kind of just focusses like a set list and it all just came together.<\/p>\n

So basically it\u2019s a live show but just the recorded versions?<\/strong>
\nYeah right, totally, so that people who come to my shows have got \u2018England Keep My Bones\u2019 and want to know what other songs I\u2019m going to be likely to play, here it is you know, here\u2019s the list.<\/p>\n

Watching your DVD live at Wembley Arena, I had goose bumps looking at the crowd and how into it they were, I mean, how was that experience for you up on stage?<\/strong>
\nIt was amazing, I mean the actual gig to be honest kind of went by in a flash because there was so much kind of build up to it, but it was great, it went really well and it was amazing there was 12,000 people there, you can\u2019t really argue with that kind of thing.<\/p>\n

You are heading back to play Byron Bay Bluesfest next year, seems you can\u2019t stay away at the moment, how have Australian audiences grow and attach to you over your past few visits?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s been great, I\u2019ve been over three times and each time there\u2019s been more people coming to the shows and it took me a long time to get the same number of people to come and see me in the UK that came out on the last Australian run that I did, so it makes me feel very friendly towards Australia, you know what I mean?\u00a0 It\u2019s been great, to be honest, the very first time I came out in 2010 with Chuck Ragan I was kind of expecting to be a complete unknown and the very first song that I played in Australia and the very first song I played in Brisbane, about half the crowd were singing along with the words and I was very pleasantly surprised by that and in fact I think I stopped and said \u201cWho the fuck are you guys?\u00a0 Where did you come from?\u201d it was like I was on candid camera.<\/p>\n

For those that may not have seen a Frank Turner show before down here, can you give us five words that would explain a Frank Turner show?<\/strong>
\nFive words\u2026 High, energy, participation, event\u2026 man\u2026 (laughs), I ran out of words.\u00a0 I did it in four, how about that?\u00a0 It\u2019s supposed to have a communal atmosphere, I\u2019m not going to turn up and play music to a bunch of heads staring at me and then just have a disconnect, I just want everyone to be involved you know?\u00a0 It\u2019s a party I want everyone to be a part of.<\/p>\n

I did notice on the Wembley DVD in the last song the whole crowd sat down and then jumped up during the song, that must be crazy to be a part of something like that?<\/strong>
\nYeah, that whole sitting down, jumping up thing was started by the Germans. We were at a German festival and they all sat down, I didn\u2019t know what they were doing, I honestly thought they were actually staging a protest because they didn\u2019t like it and I got quite depressed and then I realised they were actually doing a coordinated dance move without being instructed to do so.\u00a0 So that says everything you need to know about the Germans.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"\"<\/a>You\u2019ve managed to take folk music and rock and punk the shit out of it, how did you come up with what essentially would become the Frank Turner sound?<\/strong>
\nWell I think the thing about it was that it wasn\u2019t contrived, you know what I mean?\u00a0 I didn\u2019t sit down and try and figure out what it\u2019d sound like, it\u2019s just what happens when I sit down and try and write good songs.\u00a0 I listen to a lot of punk music, I listen to a lot of rock and roll, I listen to a lot of folk music and country music as well and somewhere in the kind of cement grinder in the middle of it all out comes what I do.<\/p>\n

What do you think it is about your music that people relate to?<\/strong>
\nAgain, that\u2019s kind of the million dollar question.\u00a0 If I could narrow that down and write a guide book on the subject then I would and I\u2019d make millions (laughs), but to be honest I try and not be analytical about what I do for a living because it kind of isn\u2019t broken you know what I mean?\u00a0 I worry if I picked it apart it might kind of lost something in the process.<\/p>\n

When you look back over the last couple of years, was there a moment when things clicked and you sat back and said \u2018Holy shit, how did this happen?\u2019<\/strong>
\nYeah, I have that kind of thought several times a week to be honest with you. I spent years playing to nobody and being like most kids who were in to rock and roll, dreaming about being successful and being able to tour around the world and play with different people and get to record records and that sort of thing.\u00a0 That\u2019s what I now do for a living, which is my normal day to do, and about 50% of the time I\u2019m used to it, its normal and its fine, then the other half of the time I spend pinching myself and going \u2018Fucking Hell.\u201d\u00a0 I don\u2019t particularly remember particularly selling myself to the devil, but I might have done when I was drunk.<\/p>\n

Being signed to a label like Epitaph, what does that mean for you?<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s a fantastic thing to be a part of, and this is in no way to downgrade what they do now as I still think they\u2019re an amazing label, but when I was a teenage I\u2019d go out to record stores and buy stuff that had Epitaph written on it, even if I had no idea who the band was, because that was the label that put out all the bands that I love.\u00a0 So to be on the label and it was a personal singing by Brett as well, it was an amazing thing to be a part of.<\/p>\n

Have you met anyone who\u2019s come out as a fan that you\u2019ve been surprised by as you wouldn\u2019t have expected they\u2019d be?<\/strong>
\nYeah, I\u2019m now about to colossally name drop, so forgive me for this, but it was your question (laughs).\u00a0 I recently got asked to play at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games because Danny Boyle is a fan and he was organising the opening ceremony and we basically got the phone call saying Danny Boyle wants to have a meeting and we went \u201cWhat?\u00a0 What the fuck?\u201d and we, being me and my manager went and had a meeting and he\u2019s just an uber fan, like a proper slightly scary stalker fan who kind of knows all my B-sides and all kinds of different versions and all this sort of thing and it was kind of \u201cUm\u2026 OK\u2026\u201d so yeah, that was pretty weird.<\/p>\n

How was playing the opening ceremony, was it just a surreal moment?<\/strong>
\nYeah it was very odd, I mean it was obviously very good to do, and even my kind of callous, dead and blackened heart flickered for a moment when being asked to be a part of the Olympic Games opening ceremony.\u00a0 As an actual gig it was very surreal to be playing on a fake hill to a fake field where there was real sheep and horses, so it was odd, but very good to a part of.<\/p>\n

Did you get to meet Paul McCartney?<\/strong>
\nI did not get to meet Paul McCartney.\u00a0 I did have a glass of champagne with Dizzee Rascal which was great as he had no idea who he was, I just ran up to him and said \u201cHey mate\u201d and he went \u201cUm, hello\u201d, then we had a glass of champagne together, looked awkward and walked off (laughs).<\/p>\n

So, are you currently working on new material for an album?<\/strong>
\nYes, I\u2019m going to be in the studio next month making a new album which is scheduled for release actually comes around the time of Byron Bay Bluesfest.<\/p>\n

Can we then expect to hear some new stuff when you\u2019re here?<\/strong>
\nYeah definitely, we\u2019ve got lots and lots, actually we\u2019ve got way too much material, I\u2019m in the middle of the agonizing process of whittling down as far as songs, we started with 25 and I\u2019ve got to get down to 12, it\u2019s killing me, but yes, definitely there will be new stuff when I come down.<\/p>\n

You could release a double album, make it a kick ass gatefold LP\u2026<\/strong>
\nAhhhh but that\u2019s the kiss of death, double albums are the kiss of death, only The Beatles pulled it off and since then bands have fallen in to the trap of thinking they could do it too.\u00a0 Not even The Smashing Pumpkins could pull off a double album.<\/p>\n

So could there be any chance of some side shows around Australia while you\u2019re here?<\/strong>
\nYeah man, yeah, we are working on stuff, we\u2019re going to do sideshows I don\u2019t have the exact details worked out just yet.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve also got your side project Mongol Horde in the works, can we expect to hear a release from you guys or is this just a bit of fun?<\/strong>
\nWell it\u2019s a bit of both, I want to record an album and put it out and do some more touring with it, but it\u2019s something that is definitely second tier priority.\u00a0 It has to happen in down time from my day job of which there is not much\u2026<\/p>\n

Over the years you\u2019ve supported and opened for bands like Greenday and The Gaslight Anthem, have you seen what you do and your fan base grow from these experiences?<\/strong>
\nYeah definitely, opening for other bands has been the way I spread the word about what I do and I\u2019m very grateful to the bands who take me out on the road, especially Gaslight, I spent pretty much an entire year out on the road with those guys.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been very good to me and my career.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve noticed that a lot of your fans via your facebook and website have Frank Turner tattoos, how do you feel when people do that?<\/strong>
\nWell initially I was kind of a little taken back by it and I didn\u2019t really know what to think about it, I mean I\u2019ve got a bunch of band tattoos on me, but I think the thing that kind of I find it difficult to be comfortable with, I don\u2019t want to sit around going \u201cYes! People think the same way about my music as I do Black Flag\u201d or whatever. That statement still blows me away and I don\u2019t want to be blas\u00e9 about that kind of thing but I\u2019m in to tattoos and I\u2019m in to tattoo culture and I like collecting and celebrating that and glad that people get what I do.<\/p>\n

Out of interest, what was the tatt you got on the Wembley show DVD in between the encore?<\/strong>
\nI just got the date of the show, as I have a tattoo already that says Wembley already and the date of when I played at the stadium with Greenday, so I decided to get the date of the Wembley Arena show added to it.<\/p>\n

Lastly, do you have a closing message for your Australian fans?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m coming back soon and come and say hi when you\u2019re at a show and we\u2019ll hang out.<\/p>\n

Essential Information<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n

From:<\/strong> Winchester, England<\/p>\n

Band members: <\/strong>Frank Turner – (Live band: The Sleeping Souls. Nigel Powell, Ben Lloyd, Tarrant Anderson, Matt Nasir)<\/p>\n

Website:<\/strong> www.frank-turner.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Latest release:<\/strong> Last Minutes and Lost Evenings (October 5 \u2013 Epitaph Records)<\/p>\n\n

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