Where Music Meets Travel: An Interview with Frank Turner

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Today on GoAbroad we bring you an interview with a musician who possesses a passion for travel.

Frank Turner, a folk/punk musician, (if his genre was describable in so many words,) hails from Hampshire, England, and is a one of a kind artist for his time. This is most notably due to his genuine and vested interest in maintaining the notion that there isn’t a real a divide between “rock stars” and “fans,” but rather there are those who play music, and happen to make a living out of the passion, then there are those who appreciate the music, and not to say you can’t be both, but the point is that in the end we’re all just people.

It doesn’t take a long listen to his music, to discover Frank’s appreciation for other countries, cultures and the learning of great life lessons through travel. So he inspired a theme about music and travel, as they really go hand in hand in many ways.

His work ethic is tireless, having already played well over 1000 shows and now working on the “next 1000 more,” as he notes in his song “The Road.” His performance schedule is always in action and yet he still manages to communicate with friends and thousands of fans directly through email, Twitter and Facebook, as well as keep everyone feeling involved, with postings on Instagram. Reaching Frank for the interview was as straight forward as shooting him an email.

1. If you could describe your relationship with travel in five words, what would they be?

It’s cheesy to say, but “Rolling stones gather no moss”. Or to put it slightly longer, and to quote the late great Townes Van Zandt, “Living on the road will keep you free and clean”. Being in new places every day and meeting new people, seeing and experiencing new things, it keeps life vital, interesting and worthwhile, for me.

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2. You have a demanding and international schedule. Do you ever struggle with spending so much time away from home, friends and family? How do you deal with it?

I’ve been doing this reasonably constantly for a long, long time now, so I’m settled into a pattern of existence and a network of relationships that can survive the strain, for the most part. It’s not that easy, I miss a lot of weddings, birthdays and funerals – but the people I care about are understanding of the way I am. Stuff like Facebook also helps a lot, haha.

3. You sing about the prospect of settling down one day, back in England. Are there any other countries you have visited where you could see yourself living for a while? What did you like about the lifestyle or culture there?

I am a huge fan of America, particularly the south and the west. I like the free, rugged nature of it all. America is an endlessly fascinating place to me, it always surprises me. I could see myself living there for a time, I suppose, though for the time being the idea of settling anywhere still brings out conflicting feelings for me. I also love Berlin and Paris, incidentally.

4. What are your feelings on education? You invested time in school, but ended up taking a different route. What do you think about the concept of gaining education through abroad opportunities?

I think education is vital, probably the only political issue that really matters – if everyone could get the best possible education, we could solve most of our other problems, I suspect. I was very lucky in my education, and though I haven’t strictly followed a path that makes use of it, I’m hugely grateful, and I think it helps me every day. I’ve also learned an awful lot travelling the world, of course, but the foundational stuff I learned at school is a great bedrock.

5. What is one value or lesson which you think can only be learned through experiences traveling or “on the road?”

Self-reliance. Existing without a safety net. I think it’s a hugely important thing to learn.

6. In what country or cultural situation have you felt most outside of your comfort zone?

China and Russia were both a little more off the beaten path for me, not least because of the language barriers. I had some hairy moments in Moscow for sure. But all life-affirming in the end!

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Clik here to view.7. You make an effort to learn a bit of the language when you go to a country that is not primarily English speaking. How would you respond to someone who says “It’s not necessary to learn the language of a country you are visiting, because English is the universal language now…”?

Well, there’s an element of truth to that, but for me it’s more about respect. Bands that play the UK speak in English as a matter of course, so it seems to me to be nothing more than basic good manners to try, at least a little bit, to return the favour. Plus it’s a cool way of interacting with people from a different part of the world. I wish I spoke more languages properly.

8. You cover a serious amount of ground and travel to many places, but it’s still travel for work. With limited time to spend in so many different places, is there any one thing you try to do while you are abroad, to really engage with/experience the culture of wherever you are?

I try to engage with the people. The cliché about touring – that you travel the world to see dressing rooms and car parks – rings pretty true, but misses out the point that you can hang out with people from all over the world, with different ideas, viewpoints, ideals, beliefs, aspirations or whatever. Of course it’s still limited by what I do for a living, but I like to think that my take on the world has been broadened by the friends that I’ve made.

9. The largest obstacle for anyone aiming to get abroad is funding, but there are a lot of options available in this age. You show support for some online crowd-funding causes through your Twitter channel. What do you think is the secret to a successful online campaign, what catches your eye and interest?

There’s probably a ton of different tips and tricks to get involved in on this subject, but I wouldn’t be the best person to ask – I try to help out friends and those people whose music I enjoy, but I haven’t actually ever done that kind of thing myself. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but at the end of the day I feel like the basic fact of good music will shine through eventually.

10. Is there any question you have never been asked in an interview, which you would have liked the opportunity to answer?

I’ve been asked an awful lot of weird and wonderful things in my time, so most bases are covered. There are some pretty obscurantist literary jokes in some of my lyrics that most people don’t seem to notice, but such is life.

Thanks for chatting with GoAbroad, Frank! Have questions for Frank Turner? Share them with us in the comments below!

**This post is brought to you in part by this month’s GoAbroad Blog partner, KCP International! Looking to study and improve your Japanese abroad? Be sure to check out KCP’s programs in Tokyo!