Frank Turner // PROJECTILES, PASSPORTS & THE ART OF CONNECTING
From life on the road to songwriting, changing opinions, internet rabbit holes and one particularly chaotic journey across Eastern Europe, Frank Turner joins Beyond Noise for a candid look at the experiences that have shaped him both on and off stage.
You've lived through a pretty dramatic shift in the way people discover and consume music. What do you think musicians today have gained from the internet, and what have they lost?
FrankFirst of all, the internet exists and there's not much we can do about that — a lot of people spend time imagining a music structure without it, which seems like a waste of energy to me.
FrankThere are pluses and minuses. The good thing is that it has democratised distribution; anyone can get a song onto Spotify with ease these days, or Bandcamp or whatever, and it becomes instantly, globally available. That's very different from how it used to be, and it has eliminated a lot of the choke points that industry figures used to have.
FrankThe downside is that it has destroyed attention spans and devalued music. You get what you pay for in life, and people currently don't pay for recorded music; they're also drowning in information 24/7 — not just music — and it becomes very hard to capture people's attention for longer than a day or two, which is very frustrating and disheartening at times.
What's the most ‘this could only happen on tour’ story you have that you're actually allowed to tell?
FrankI mean, I have hundreds to choose from, and I put a pile of them in the book I wrote about touring...!
FrankOff the top of my head, the time I had to get from Estonia to Lithuania for a show in a day, and got waylaid by drug searches, lost passports, broken down cars, corrupt border agents, an actual car accident (collision with a deer), more corrupt cops, a DIY tow-job 200 miles in the wrong direction (to the wrong country), the festival getting cancelled anyway because of a stabbing, and finally a bus journey to the next show...
FrankThat was quite a day.
What's an opinion about music that you held passionately in your twenties that you'd now argue against?
FrankGood question.
FrankI guess I used to believe that artists who didn't write their own material were somehow less worthy. I've thankfully ditched that idea as I've grown up.
FrankIt discounts Elvis, Sinatra, Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, on and on. Dumb idea.
What's something you've learned about yourself from being onstage that you don't think you could have learned anywhere else?
FrankI've learned a lot onstage; how much of it I could not have learned anywhere else is an interesting question.
FrankI've learned how to communicate with an audience, is the most obvious thing. I've learned that, on a good night, I can ad-lib what I have to say quite effectively.
FrankI've learned that I have a higher pain threshold than I thought I did.
What's something you've become softer about with age, and something you've become much less tolerant of?
FrankI think I've become softer, or perhaps more tolerant, about politics. It's kind of unfashionable to say, but the specifics of the arguments that people have tend to fade completely with time.
FrankAll that gets left is how you treated people. I wish I'd known that when I was younger.
FrankI've become less tolerant of entitlement in general, I think. It's an unattractive thing.
When you're writing now, are you still trying to understand yourself, or have you reached the point where you're mostly trying to understand everyone else?
FrankWriting has always been a bit of both for me.
FrankI don't think anyone ever fully understands themselves, but you do make some progress over time.
You've played rooms of 50 people and rooms of tens of thousands. What's something a tiny audience can give you that a massive one never can?
FrankThe difference in show sizes matters less than some people — including a younger me — think.
FrankYou're still trying to play well and connect. It's easier to do the latter in small venues actually.
FrankBut to answer your question — projectiles.
What's the most ridiculous thing you've ever learned about yourself from reading what people have written about you online?
FrankI don't think I ever learned about myself reading online.
FrankI've been amused by some bullshit, ludicrous rumours / misconceptions or whatever over the years. But I don't often read about myself online if I can avoid it, it seems like an unhealthy thing to do.
The Quickfire Round
Vinyl or streaming?
FrankI'd love to be cool and say vinyl, and I do have vinyl, but normally it's streaming, especially when I'm on the road.
Early set or closing set?
FrankDepends — show? Festival? — but generally I'd say closing set.
Favourite takeaway?
FrankThere's a great (genuine) Greek place round the corner from where I live.
Festival or venue show?
FrankBoth have their merits, but I'll choose venue on balance.
The last song you listened to?
FrankHaha, funnily enough it was ‘Sweating Bullets’ by Megadeth. Terrible band.
One artist everyone should know about?
FrankMicah Schnabel.
A song you wish you'd written?
FrankSo many to choose from, but off the top of my head, ‘Lean On Me’ by Bill Withers.
Best £20 you've ever spent?
FrankI bought a super shit cheap guitar in Delhi when I was there in my early 20s, and wrote most of my first album on it. Probably less than £20 actually.
Worst advice you've ever been given?
Frank‘Snort this, you'll feel good.’
Last thing you Googled?
Frank‘Hardcore bands from Buffalo NY.’
A hill you'd die on?
FrankElvis was the king of rock'n'roll.
What's one thing your fans would never guess about you?
FrankVery many things, I think. I have more books than records at home.
The miles, rooms and audiences may change, but Frank keeps circling back to connection: play well, treat people properly and stay willing to ditch the opinions that no longer hold up. Just keep an eye out for projectiles — and perhaps keep your passport somewhere safe.
Where to find Frank Turner
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