Frank Turner AMA

I once heard you ask the sound guys to raise your guitar just a little bit, just an angel's cunt hair. Exactly how much is an angels cunt hair?

Haha, oh lord I need to watch my mouth sometimes. A very small amount.

When am I playing harmonica with you again? (It's Ben...)

Hahah hello Ben. How about at SXSW?

Hi Frank,

Two questions:

1) From your songs ("Sons of Liberty"), as well as from others who have had conversations with you, I've gathered that you are a political libertarian. Yet, certain songs from both your past ("Thatcher") and more recent works ("Glory Hallelujah") have had a decided communitarian theme to them; some might argue that these values are mutually incompatible. I was wondering if you could speak to how you feel those themes intersect in your work.

2) I believe you did a show in San Francisco recently with Micah Schnabel from Two Cow Garage opening, and you've done some things in the past with his label (Suburban Home). I was wondering how that show went and if you had any more Suburban Home-related artist collaborations planned for the future. I know you share a fan base with those artists, particularly amongst the so-called Illuminati (as you call it). Yeah, we're everywhere.

Thanks for the AMA!

Hi there. Answers. 1. Interesting question. Firstly, I don't think that individualism / libertarianism necessarily excludes communal activity; it just excludes non-voluntary communitarianism. To me it's kind of like the difference between sex and rape - consent makes a world of difference. I should also add that my outlook on politics has shifted somewhat since I started writing songs. That's not to disown things I've said in the past so much, but at the same time I reserve the right to mature in my views between the ages of 23 and 30 (like everyone else!). 2. Micah's ace as are the Suburban Home lot. The show was fun. I guess I dont have anything specific in the pipeline but I'd like to play with a lot of SH artists soon, especially Tim Barry.

I should also add that my outlook on politics has shifted somewhat since I started writing songs.

Do you still get drunk and dream of taking to the barricades?

Sure, but it's been a while since I did it, or thought about it when I was sober.

1. What's your biggest pet peeve during a show?
2. What's the most outrageous thing to happen to you while on stage?
3. What's your favorite country to play in?
4. Who is your favorite author? Favorite work of theirs?

1. people who talk loudly and stand at the front. No one has any obligation to give a shit about what I do, but if you don't, don't stand right in front of me, it's nonsensical as well as rude.
2. uhm, I had to fight a hippy once, that was odd. I also punched myself in the balls by accident onstage at a festival once. That was bad.
3. England, Germany or America. Boring but true.
4. Catch-22 is probably my favourite book. I also love Douglas Coupland.

Are you or are you not disappeared?

As of right now I guess I'd say not.

OK everyone, three hours in and I'm beat. Thanks for the questions, I hope the answers were satisfactory. See you all anon.

Certified guy who's not too cool to air-harmonica, here.

Every time I've seen you perform live, you prefaced "Prufrock" by saying "This is a song about everything." Can you be more specific?

Thanks for everything.

Haha, that's just kind of a little joke with myself. I'm very proud of that song, it says a lot of stuff I wanted to say, and outlines something of an approach to life I can get behind.

What's it like having Brian Fallon as a personal friend?

I need to know how this feels. Tell us, Frank.

Uh, it's very nice. He's a lovely guy, very genuine and honest character.

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AJJ are total sweethearts, much love for them as people, and obviously musically they're awesome as well. Yeah it's a shame about R/L this year, but I'll be back!

Hi Frank, I look forward to seeing you on the 13th of April in London and my friend coming with me (well, he sorta dragged me along with him :P) has asked me to ask you the following:

• Why did you write 'Glory Hallelujah'?
• How much of your work is true? Do you embellish much, or at all?
• What happened at the start of 'Wessex Boy'?

GH... well, I came up with the chorus a long time ago and kind of set it aside as provocative but not much more. Jay (Beans On Toast) heard me playing it and insisted that I finish the song - not because he necessarily agreed with it, but because he thought it was an important idea to be expanded upon. Thereafter I spent ages working on the words, trying to make sure all the subtleties of my opinion were in there. Truth - Mostly all of it is true, or at least alludes to true occasions. I'm not very good with fiction. Wessex boy, haha, well, I was just being an idiot and forgot how to count briefly. The take was good so we thought we'd keep it. I like it when records aren't 100% polished / perfect.

Do you have to give John Cage any royalties for using 4'33" as the backing music on English Curse?

Hahaha, he hasn't called recently as far as I know...

• Which of your songs are you most proud of?
• What is the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you whilst on tour?

Most proud... tough question. Right now, Redemption and Balthazar spring to mind, but there are days when I think back through things I've done and remember, say, "My Kingdom For A Horse", which I'm very proud of.

Weirdness, well, that's a day to day event really. Greg, my photographer got rugby tackled and dryhumped by a total stranger from a car in Oakland the other day. That was odd.

My personal opinion is that Balthazar, Impresario is the best song you've ever written. It's both heartbreaking and inspiring. What made you leave it off the regular version of England Keep My Bones?

Tracklisting choice for albums is agonising, and I don't for a moment think that I always get it right. It's about balancing the feel of the record as a whole, getting a running order that flows, all that kind of thing. I do wake up in the night wondering about that one tho.

Thanks for the reply!

Follow up question: It's one of the few songs that you've written from someone else's perspective, does the fact that's it's fucking boss* make you want to write more song like that?

*This is a hilarious pun meaning both great, and in the style of Bruce. You're welcome.

Ha. It's certainly a style I'm experimenting with more as time goes by.

If you could curate a festival... what would it be called and who would headline out of any bands ever?... including disbanded and dead members.

Massive fan, cannot wait until Wembley :D

Tough one. The Band, Springsteen, The Kinks maybe... I could go on forever with this!

Also, Nirvana.

Big fan here! When can we expect a new album?

Recording this summer and hopefully releasing in January. Lots of new songs at the moment, very excited about em!

I read that you're planning to start up another hardcore band soon. Is there any truth to that, and if so how soon can we expect to see/hear something from the project?

The band is a real living thing now. We have about half an album written, another half to go. It's definitely a side project, so it doesn't have priority time-wise, but I'm hoping to get an album recorded before the end of the summer and out there. Tours to follow. It's me, Matt Nasir (sleeping souls) and Ben Dawson (Million Dead). Its pretty sick / heavy. It's fun playing that style of music again.

Have you found it hard adjusting your voice back to the hardcore style? I can't wait to hear the Frank Turner wail once again!

It was a little rough at first but I got back into the swing pretty quick.

What town has gotten the worse reaction to Glory Hallelujah?

I wouldn't say any one town has taken against it as such, more individual people. Interestingly I've had much more trouble from people in the UK than the USA. Take that, national stereotypes! It pains me slightly because I don't meant to offend with the song, merely to celebrate my point of view.

I really like Glory Hallelujah as a song. I also really like singing along at gigs - it gives me a comparable high/buzz to when I'm really into it singing in Latin about death on Good Friday at church or like...a really good worship hymn that doesn't make me cringe while I'm singing it.

I have discovered that I can't sing along to Glory Hallelujah. At all. I open my mouth and nothing comes out. I think my brain short-circuits at the paradox.

That's interesting, just because I kinda wanted it to be like a hymn. Someone came up to me at a show and said that by not singing along to that song they were making a quiet statement of their faith. I thought that was great.

Next UK tour? Aside from the Wembley show?

UK tour towards the end of this year. A big one.

Not the most original question but what’s your opinion about the music industry in relation to piracy?

It's complex. We're essentially in the middle of a restructuring of a business model. I'm reasonably optimistic that in a few years we will end up with a new structure in place that will be equitable for everyone, bands and fans alike. In the short term though I see people who work hard for the love of music getting screwed over by the very people who are the recipients of their toil, and that sucks.

I pirate some things to start, but make sure I buy tshirts and cds from the artists at the shows, so I'm not going through the record company. Does this method help at all or should I change up my theory?

Well, my record company are not my enemies - they're people I work with every day who help me do what I do...

Hey Frank huge fan here! Saw you in Columbus a few days ago and you rocked the place, seriously awesome show.

Anyways I just had a few questions for you

1)What is your most memorable show?

2)Was it hard for you to write Long Live The Queen? Did you get emotional while writing it or do you ever get emotional while playing it?

3) Who have you been most inspired by in your unique style of music?

It's very hard for me to pick just one show out of all the ones I've played. Off the top of my head, the Christmas show I did in Camden in 2008 was a very special occasion. Actually so was my 1000th show. LLTQ, yeah, that was a tough one to write. Not least because I felt I had to get approval from Lex's family before playing the song out. I wrote most of it sat on a hill in Paris weirdly enough. There are days when it's tough to play, but I know Lex would heartily approve of it, so it's bearable. Inspired by lots of people. Springsteen and Henry Rollins are pillars for me.

Hi Frank!

Thanks for doing the AMA. I found your music several months ago through Spotify and have become a big fan (if I were the kind of person who made year-end lists of favorite albums, England Keep My Bones would have occupied the #1 slot with no other record really close on its heels).

My question is actually about Spotify -- I know a lot of independent artists aren't particularly thrilled with their business model, and I wonder what your experience has been/what you think about it. Obviously it helps me discover new music, but I confess I'm conflicted, especially when I realized that the 5,000 or so times I listened to "I Still Believe" netted you approximately a $.05.

Anyway, next time you're in DC I'll buy a ticket and a t-shirt. Thanks for the great music.

Actually I don't make any money from Spotify; the revenue streams are directed to a small group of labels, which doesn't include mine. That said, it is a cool conduit for music, like a personalised radio station. I suppose it can evolve into something equitable at some point.

First off thanks for taking the time to do this! Questions:

• What is your favorite American venue/city to play?

• Your current favorite / least favorite song to play.

• Favorite Beer?

• Lastly, when are you coming back to Pittsburgh? ಠ_ಠ

Favourite US city is probaby Austin TX, though it's tough to choose. I like playing new songs, it's fun to give new ideas an airing in front of an audience. Beer? Not fussy, but I like cheap shitty beer like PBR actually, haha. Pittsburgh, in the fall I think.

What will you be doing on the 12th - 14th of July this year?

I think I'm in the studio but I'm not sure off the top of my head. Why?

How awesome are Tom Gabel and the Against me lads in real life?

Very awesome, especially Andrew. I did the whole tour with them and only drunkenly fan-boyed Tom once. He was very gracious about it.

Is music really your substitute for love?

Some days, sure.

You were AMAZING at the House of Blues last night. (I was that awkward guy with glasses who mentioned reddit.) Anyways, a few questions:

• What's your favorite city you've played at?

• Obviously a lot of crazy shit can happen at concerts. Does anything in particular stick out in your mind?

• I've enjoyed your music videos quite a bit, and was wondering which one you found the most fun / memorable to shoot?

• What do you and the band do to pass the time on tour (besides music-related things)?

Favourite city in the world... Boring, but I suppose I'll have to say London. Always have a good time there. Crazy shit, sure. I once had to fight a hippy onstage during a song. True story. It as in Cornwall. Music videos, well, I guess the Try This At Home video was the most fun - we had a totally different idea planned, and then everything fell apart at the last minute. The whole thing - concept, plan, everything - was put together in about half an hour. I was amazed that so many people turned up on a weekday afternoon. It was a lot of fun. Passing time, well, I read a lot, and right now I furiously type answers to questions, haha! I do an awful lot of admin work during the day. It is not, alas, all playing songs and getting hammered.

Hi I have no idea who you are. Which song are you most proud of? I'll listen to that to get to know you.

I'd start with "I Still Believe"

How does it feel missing out on Leeds/Reading 2012? It'll be strange not seeing you there this year!

Yeah I'm a little sad about it, but then I don't think anyone has ever done 5 years in a row before. The organisers basically said they needed to give me a year off so I can come back next year.

When can we hear an official E.P. of your spin off band In It For The Tank? It would be a pleasure to aid buying you and Barbs a tank. And perhaps get some more songs about stuff that matters, like "Hot Chicks & Bacon Sandwiches"

Haha, well, In It For The Tank was never a 100% seriously thing (no really). Barbs isn't working on my crew any more, alas, so I doubt anything is coming all that soon, sorry.

Frank! What's your favorite kind of sandwich?

Marmite.

Will you ever play "Thatcher Fucked The Kids" live again? Also, what are you feelings on anarchism?

Probably not, alas. That song threw me in the way of a scene that I didn't much like - it was like dipping my toe in the world of being a protest singer, and it's not for me. Anarchism, well, I had a lot of love for it when I was younger, and the first principles that drove me in that direction remain true to me, but I don't think it has much practical application as a political philosophy.

When you write a song, where do you start? Do you plan out what you're going to write, or just start writing? What comes first, lyrics or music?

... and how long do you reckon it will be until your next album?

Things just kind of arrive in bits and bobs, I don't have a method or a structure really. Every now and again I sit down and try and marshal all the splinters into something resembling a song. Rubbish answer I know, but it's the truth! New album in January, hopefully.

There is quite a difference between your solo releases and Million Dead. What artists influenced your change in style and continue to influence your music?

I had something of an epiphany in my early 20s. After years of listening to just noisy hardcore, I got introduced to the Johnny Cash American Recordings series, and also Springsteen's Nebraska. Those records opened my eyes to a whole new way of being intense that didn't necessarily involve screaming and taking your shirt off. These days, well, I listen to as much as I can. I have a lot of great musicians as friends, so I absorb a lot from listening to what, say, Chuck Ragan or Tim Barry are up to. Dr Dog and Mewithoutyou are also recent obsessions of mine.

How did it feel to walk out onto the main stage at Reading? From my point of view it was pretty cool to see you on the main stage after all those years in various tents. Not that there’s anything wrong with tents, the ‘secret’ set in the Lock Up was something special. Cheers and here's to many more shows in tents and main stages alike.

It felt ace. My first proper gig was Reading 1995. I ran in and saw Beck playing pretty much the same slot we had (time-wise). That feeling of completing the circle was pretty unbeatable.

What would your 'six word memoir' be?

Played often, played hard, had fun.

Hello there. First off, I'll just go ahead and thank you for writing great music and putting on some of the best live shows I've ever seen. About a year and a half ago, you did an amazing acoustic set at a burrito shop in Colorado. That was a great time drinking margaritas all day and listening to an amazing set. My question is will we ever get to hear The Ballad of Steve again =D?

Thanks for the kind words. Sure, I love that song, it comes out every now and again. Played it in Germany once, that didn't go so well, I don't think they had any idea what I was talking about, haha.

We're only here to talk about my new film, right?

You're now my favourite person.

What's your favourite song:
1) That you wrote
2) That you've covered
3) That you have neither written or covered

You always seem to be having a great time in your music videos, which was the best one to film?

1. hard to pick one, but I suppose "redemption" is special for me.
2. I love the songs I cover (that's why I cover them!)... Loudon Wainwright's "motel blues" is pretty great.
3. pretty much anything by the Weakerthans. Music videos, Try This At Home was fun, mentioned it somewhere else here a moment ago?

In the song "Love Ire And Song" you say "Let's be 1905, but not 1917" what does this mean?

obviously not Frank, but:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_of_1905

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Revolution

It was for this reference that I got into Frank's lyrical abilities. Brilliant but surprisingly subtle image.

Thank you. Yeah it's Russian Revolutions.

Any idea if you headlining a tour in the United States within the next year?

Yup, Ill be back in the fall for a long headline tour.

Which city has had the craziest crowd?

Tough question... Actually I think the South in the USA is doing well on that score. NOLA last night was bonkers, and the headline show we did in Atlanta last year was off the scale.

What can you tell us about your new hardcore band? (beyond that they will surely melt our faces off)

Answered this somewhere else just now... have a look? Trying to get through all this as fast as I can! ha.

Hey Frank! Thanks for always answering my emails. Do you like cushions or are they clutter to you? Do you intend to come back to smaller places (Derby, Notts etc) after your headline Wembley show?

Cushions, um, don't have a strong opinion on that one. UK tour later in the year.

What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

I don't believe in guilty pleasures. If I enjoy something, I enjoy it.

Who have you enjoyed touring with the most? As both a support and as your supports?

Ha, is this really Fakey P's? You guys would get a strong vote from me anytime. Revival is always a blast. Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo always bring the party (surprisingly, for nice folk girls). The Dropkicks are actually one of the nicest bands we've opened for, really cool people.

Hi Frank!! I know you're a history geek, so what's your favorite historic event or perriod??

Haha, right now I'm pretty interested in the old west (US in the 1860's-1890s). But it's hard to choose just one.

I saw you in Detroit your last time through and I sent you an email thanking you for an awesome show, which you responded to promptly. I was really impressed by that. How much time do you spend responding to fan feedback/mail?

Also, in Sons of Liberty when you go to the chorus are the chords

[F#] when they raise their hands up [B] our lives [E] to possess [B] [A]?

I played that at my Irish dancing show and those are the chords I used, but they don't seem 100%.

I spend a lot of time answering mail. The band refer to it as my Henry Rollins complex, which is fair I suppose, haha. It's important for me to be accessible.

SOL, the second chord is actually G#minor.

Would you ever consider restarting Million Dead? Or has that ship sailed?

Sailed, alas. I'm working on a hardcore project but it's just not really interesting to me, the idea of going backwards to MD. Sorry.

I really like the new songs, namely Polaroid Picture and Cowboy Chords. These were played really soon after EKMB was released, what's the plan with these? Would like to listen to them on something better than dodgy Youtube quality!

We'll be in the studio this summer making a new album, for release next January. Glad you like them.

Hi Frank,

Massive fan, been to see you three times and counting (hopefully!)

Do you really no longer believe the message of Love, Ire and Song? You claimed at a Dundee gig that it was something you felt when you were younger, but that you had grown up since then. This upset me, because Love, Ire and Song was my theme tune to the referendum. I hope you aren't really as disillusioned as you now claim to be!

P.S. Come to Scotland again soon!!

Um, that song is about being disillusioned, I'd say. It's about a last hurrah of something you used to hold close to your heart...

For the the Wembley show, can we expect some rarer songs to be played live to celebrate the momentous occasion?

We're working on the setlist now. It's a difficult one. There are a lot of things to consider. Hopefully it'll be to everyone's liking! I want to throw a few surprises in there for sure.

First off I want to say that I'm a huge fan, perhaps your biggest fan ever, and I'm super excited that you're doing this. I first heard of you after Poets of the Deed came out and I first saw you in 2009 in New Orleans when you were with the Revival Tour. Your performance blew me away; I've never seen someone perform with that much energy and passion before. It was astounding. I've been to two more of your shows since (including the one..last night? two nights ago? The one in NOLA) and I will continue to attend as many as possible in the future.

Onto my questions:

• It seems like your music style is shifting slightly away from punk and into more of a folk-sounding style. Do you think this is because you're just getting older or is it a conscious effort?

• In Nashville, Tennessee, you state "I've been to Texas state, I didn't think it was all that fucking great" Please take this back. Unless you were talking about the college, Texas State University, in which case that's fine.

And the obligatory:

• Can I expect you to play Baton Rouge any time soon? It stinks having to drive an hour and a half to see you.

and

• Will you marry me?

Hi there. I try not to think analytically about my music when I'm writing, that would (to me) be a little contrived; I just try to write what I consider to be good songs, and let them go in whatever direction they choose to go in. I totally, unreservedly take that back, haha. I wrote that lyric when I'd been to Texas for 2 days and had a shitty time at SXSW with Million Dead. It's now one of my favourite places in the world. Baton Rouge, in all honesty I don't know if we have a plan for that, but I have a huge US headline tour in the fall coming up. I'm not the marrying kind alas.

Any chance of some small intimate joiners shows again ever?

When I first heard your music I missed a show at the joiners the same evening about 5 years ago.

Also, was very jealous of your US show with La Dispute. Greatest line up ever.

I guess it's possible, sure; the problem is that if I do a show at the joiners, 95% of the people who want to come won't get in. I feel I have a duty to play in such a way as to not exclude people, if you see what I mean.

Alright. I have several questions..

What’s your favorite part of the us?

What’s your favorite Hold Steady album?

What is one arena band you’d love to see play live?

Favorite cheap American beer?

How’s the love life?

The US, I love Texas and the South, tho (at the risk of sounding sappy) I love it all. Hold Steady, tough one. I think if you swapped some of the Bsides in for album tracks on Stay Positive, that'd take it for me. Arena bands? I've never seen REM, that'd be cool, though obviously I think I've missed the boat on that one. Cheap American beer has to be PBR. My love life is like everyone else's... complicated. Ha.

Frank,

With the exception of england keep my bones i've pirated all of your other albums, i even converted the live at barfly gig to MP3 for my personal use. When i have the spare cash i will purchase them properly.

Do you forgive me? sidenote - i've also seen you play live four times, actually saw you play 3 times in one week before! (small local gig before twice at reading last year)

And following that, what are you views on music piracy?

There's a music piracy reply up there somewhere. I forgive you.

1) Do you prefer playing small venues with a few hundred people where it's more intimate or big venues like Wembley or when you did Leeds/Reading this year?

2) Can you please come to Leeds/York next time you're playing the UK

1. I don't have a preference really - I like shows with a good atmosphere. That's something that's more complicated than just the size of the room.
2. I'm sure I will be coming through before the end of this year.

So, how did you meet each of the Sleeping Souls?

Ben, Nigel and Tarrant play together in a band called Dive Dive. Years ago, just as Million Dead was falling apart, I was on tour crewing for a band called Reuben (who were ace, by the way, check them out) and DD were the openers. They blew me away, and then offered to help out if I ever needed musicians to play with. Matt, Nigel met him at a poker game actually and they became friends, and when we needed a new keys player, we gave him a call.

What's on your rider? I'm sure after so many gigs you must have decided on something interesting!

Saw you at your brixton show and coming again to wembley, thanks for everything!

Riders are pretty functional actually, just beer, whisky, water, food. I like to get a newspaper too. Is that interesting? probably not.

Will you ever play (or have you ever played) Million Dead songs with The Sleeping Souls, be it at a practice or at a show?

Also, just wanted to let you know that my wife and I used "The Fastest Way Back Home" as our wedding song and I helped Korean students learn English by using "English Curse".

We have done a reworking of "smiling at strangers on trains" a few times, but generally speaking it's not something that's very interesting to me. Also, those songs were written collectively with other people, I suspect it might feel like cheating somehow.

No really question, just wanted to share a photo I took of you in Richmond, VA the last time you where there: http://www.flickr.com/photos/corruptedlens/6192577044

Really loved your performance, you've got the best stage presence I've seen in a long time. Hoping that you're going to do a show in NC soon! Much respect, keep being awesome.

Cool pic. Man, my hair was short. Bad call! haha.

Wessex Boy is one of my favorite song of yours. Even though the lyrics are obviously specific to your hometown, I think the heart and soul of it reach well beyond. I know it reminds me of all the great times I had back in my hometown growing up. How awesome was it to make that video? Everyone in it seems to having a genuinely great time.

Also, I was fortunate to be able to see you in Edmonton at the Starlite Room in October, it was amazing, how awesome is it to come across the pond and see how your music has reached out to us over in the "Colonies"?

That video was a strange one to make, haha. I was in Arizona and we realised we had a deadline, so I farmed out the Winchester part to my friend Ben Morse, who was in the UK. I wasn't even in the country! Which was a shame, it made me a little homesick when I saw the rushes coming through. It's very gratifying to me to see people appreciating what I do so far away from home. It's a little surreal actually, but in a good way.

Hello Frank. You've recently uploaded lots of photos of people's tattoos onto your facebook page. How did you feel the first time you saw a tattoo inspired by your work on someone? Thank you :)

The first time I was pretty blown away by it. It took me a while to get comfortable with it actually. But then I have band-related tattoos that are important to me, so I understand the impulse. I guess it's just a little odd for me to think that people feel about my stuff the way I do about Black Flag or the Hold Steady or whatever.

I hope you play jetlag on the 18th at the wonderbar in nj. it wuld make my night!

Remind me on the night, shouldn't be a problem.

Hey Frank, You're playing a show this Sunday with Dropkick. Is there going to be any point in which you will have a meet and greet with any fans? I'm really looking forward to the show and didn't know if you'd be meeting the audience at all.

I'll be working on the merch table, come say hello.

What was the first thing you learnt on guitar?

"Knocking on heaven's door" by Dylan (though at the time I thought it was GNR. The shame).

Hey Frank! You're a massive idol to me and I'd like to thank you for introducing me to the world of Folk Punk. It's magnificent! Here are my questions.

• How did you feel when the lyrics "invisible armour" were misinterpreted as "invisible llama" in the song Reasons Not To Be An Idiot?

• Coming back to Leicester, UK at any point? I missed the last gig!

Thanks for the AMA! FTHC!

That's a funny one with the lyrics. These days when we play that song I enunciate a bit more. Leicester, sure, hpefully this year.

Frank, any reflections on your shows in Israel in the Summer of 2010? The shows themselves, the controversy it caused and any plans to ever return?

Yes. I had an amazing time, it was hugely interesting to go there, and I definitely want to go back. The kids who invited me out were super-intense punk kids. Israel is a place where being a punk is still socially challenging, rather than just a lifestyle choice. I'd like to go to the West Bank as well, I was talking to some people about shows there, but it seems you can't do both in one trip, which is a shame.

Any progress on the Regina front? :)

Haha, not so much alas. Still holding a candle though.

Do you enjoy your time on stage as much as you seem to? I saw you at the Hammersmith Apollo last year and I have never seen anyone that seems to be enjoy themselves on stage as much as you do! Are you looking forward to playing Wembley Arena with Billy Bragg?

Absolutely. I hate it when you see bands who look like they don't want to be up there. This is the best fucking job in the world, I'm insanely fortunate to be where I am, so I'll enjoy it as much as I can. Very much looking forward to Wembley and playing with Billy again, sure.

Have you ever been to Farnham? It's sad but would excite me if you had, wouldn't blame you for never having been here though..

I grew up nearby, Winchester, so year I've been to Farnham a few times.

• What's your favorite Koo Koo Kangaroo song?

• What are your favorite and least favorite things about touring in America versus any other country?

• Did you ever consider giving up on your dreams?

Thanks for doing this.

Koo Koo, man, tough one. Probably the dinosaur one. Still working on a tour with them actually. America, I adore generally speaking. The culture, the landscape, the politics are all endlessly fascinating to me. Least favourite, uh, immigration people here are tough people to get past. The distances can be pretty killer sometimes. And I miss English newspapers. Giving up? I have done, sure, but for the moment I'm fortunate enough to be able to say that things are going pretty well, and I wouldn't want to complain about my station in life.

I've recently aquired tickets to the Joel Plaskett show in Edmonton on the 19th of April. How likely would it be to grab a beer with you fine gentleman afterwards? Also, what is your all time favourite artist or tune and why? PS - Love all your music.

I will most likely be working the merch table that night, so come say hello. Very hard to pick a favourite artist / tune, but one of my all time highs is "the night they drove old dixie down" by the band.

Do you think songwriting is something which can be practiced and refined in the same way as many other aspects of music, or is it much more innate than that?

Oh, there's definitely a craft to it that can be worked on. I spend a lot of my time analysing songs I like by other people, pulling them apart and seeing how they fit together from the inside. Obviously there's an element which is more innate, but there's a lot one can do to get better. I like to think I'm improving with practice, haha.

If you were stranded on an island and could only listen to 3 albums for the rest of your life what would they be?

Agonising question. Um... "The Last Waltz" by the Band (and others). "It's all crazy it's all false..." by Mewithoutyou. "August and everything after" by Counting Crows. And then I'd learn to swim and head for a record store on the mainland.

Hi Frank, massive fan here! Quite a lot of your songs talk about how awesome travel is, seeing the world, being free, it’s really inspiring…so to that end, I’m actually hitch-hiking across Europe for charity in a few weeks (‘The Road’ will definitely be the trip’s anthem!), I was just wondering what’s your favourite place you’ve travelled to? Love your music, Simon.

Hey Simon. Good luck with the trip, that sounds ace. The world is bigger than any of our imaginations or memories, so it's hard to choose. I like Eastern Europe a lot though, it's pretty fascinating being in Poland and suchlike.