Long time readers of this blog will probably not be surprised to see more on Frank Turner here. The simple truth is that we love Frank Turner. We can't stop listening to Frank Turner. We are thinking of changing the name of our blog to...just kidding - but we do hope that you're just as excited as we are to catch up with the infamous Mr. Turner once again.
During Frank's last visit to Denver, I had the chance to grab a few moments of his time. He begins the interview by pulling out a bottle of whiskey and drinking from it. “I’m not trying to look rock ‘n roll. It’s good for my voice and I have to be on stage quite soon. I’m really not warmed up today.”
The simple fact is that Frank Turner doesn't have to try to look rock 'n roll - he is rock 'n roll, and that indefinable quality is undeniable in everything from his personality to his performance.
What is the reasoning behind the title Poetry of the Deed?
“Deed” rather than “dead” as every motherfucking DJ in the UK keeps saying on the radio. Do you know Mikhail Bakunin? He had this idea of “propaganda of the deed,” which is instead of writing pamphlets about how you feel the world should be, you should live by doing essentially. So in a way, it’s a nod to my sort of anarchist upbringing, which I’m pretty much completely disconnected from now. It is kind of vaguely serious as well. I’ll tell a story if I may. Last year on the Revival Tour, at the New York show, there was this English guy that had come down to see me play. I was chatting to him at the merch table afterwards and he was saying, “Oh you live this crazy, romantic, adventurous kind of life. I wish I could live that way,” and I said, “Well, you could. You just do. There’s no secret club. You don’t have to have a password. You just live that way.” We just sort of had this abstract conversation and at the end of the night there was a bunch of cabs waiting outside to take everyone from the tour over to Jesse Malin’s bar to hang out with the Gaslight Anthem, Alkaline Trio and all these guys. He was kind of hesitating to get into the cab and I turned to him and said, “This is it; this is the moment. You can get in the cab and stop fucking around or this is another missed occasion and you can go home thinking about what a crazy life I lead. The choice is entirely up to you.” He got in the cab, we went to the bar, he ended up getting laid and he met Matt Skiba, who is like his hero. So, I think he had a much better night. That’s the sort of thing I mean: instead of sitting around reading books by Kerouac and Baudelaire and whoever else, you can make that kind of life if you just choose it. That’s a big answer to one question.
Is there a track on the album that you’re particularly proud of above the others?
That’s like choosing a favorite child. It kind of varies week to week, really. I must admit that I’m really pleased with the title track, [“Poetry of the Deed,”] because I think that it hit the nail on the head lyrically with all the things I wanted to say. Also, it sounds like Dinosaur Jr. more than anything I ever did, which is good news. I was pleased with how the whole record came out. I had a ton more songs than that in my head and I’m going to possibly work on recording an album in a day-- just focus on guitar -- and get that out soon because I’ve got about twenty-five songs now that haven’t made it onto albums.
Frank Turner - Poetry of the Deed
How does it feel to get all the attention you’ve gotten for this album?
I always, with whatever I do, work quite hard at not being affected by that kind of thing and just kind of deal with it. It’s weird sometimes. Stuff like all the CNN shit was pretty surreal. The structure around me and how I do my business hasn’t changed since my first album. Well, it’s changed in the States but in the UK I’m working with the same people and we do things the same way. That kind of helps me feel grounded. I just try and take a healthy dose of being ninety-nine percent sure that this isn’t going to last so might as well fucking have fun with it while it’s there, rather than getting self absorbed about it.
Do you feel like this album had a theme for you?
Yeah, partly. I never sit down and write albums with a theme. Every time I look back and figure out what the theme was subconsciously, which I quite like. Like the first record I did, [Sleep Is for the Week], was not intended as such but ended up essentially being a snapshot of almost exactly a year of my life during which I went through some really shit times and came out feeling quite good about things. With this new album, actually the main thing that kicked off was a guy called Beans On Toast, an English folk singer. We were discussing the song “The Ballad of Me and My Friends,” and he actually started giving me shit about it. The implication of the song is that we can’t keep doing this and the question is “Why not?” He was like, “I’m fucking thirty and I’m a club promoter and a folk singer.” So first, “What else am I going to do?” Secondly, “Why should I have to do anything else here? Why should I chuck it in when I turn forty? No, fuck that!” It really kind of stumped me. He’s called Jay, hence a little nod to him in the first track on the album [“Live Fast, Die Old,”] “Me and you Jay, we’ll never retire” and that kind of kicks it all off. I guess it is parts of where I am in my life. You know, kind of having been out in this glorious, youthful burnout thing that wasn’t going to last. I find myself thinking of ways in which I can continue living the life that I’m proud of into my old age without being so defeatist about it, I guess.
What have you been listening to lately?
Apart from a lot of Bob Dylan (I’m having a major Bob Dylan phase right now), I have been listening to a lot of Look, Mexico, actually- the people I toured with the last time I was here. There’s a band in the UK called Crazy Arm who are fucking out of this world good. Those are my three records of choice right now.
Is there anything else you wanted to add?
I’m really excited about being in the States as much as I am right now. I’ve been here for a few tours in the past but it’s all been quite a low level do-it-yourself kind of thing. It’s just kind of gratifying and fun to know that I can come out here now and get in front of more people. Obviously, it’s great to be with my friends, the Gaslight Anthem, as well. It’s just a good feeling to be out on the road.
Frank Turner will be touring the U.S. with Flogging Molly this spring. You can see the dates in our sidebar or for a full list, go here.
