Turner’s humor cuts to the heart of loneliness and the quest for a permanent love. The connections between the two are deeper than one might imagine, and maybe really are only imagined by Turner. He explicitly compares Shakespeare’s lover Romeo with the sexual explorer and lead singer of the rock group Kiss on “Wherefore Art Thou Gene Simmons”. He tells parents not to be too kind to their kids or else they grow up to sing about the terrible things the parents did. He also has a strong sense of humor that leavens his messages, whether he’s prodding one to move or pleading for affection, with attitude. Better friendships are made on the parquet than the barricades. It can move people to action of a different sort. Despite Turner’s punk politics and pleas laden with heartache, he knows the guitar in his hand is more than a weapon against fascism. Like they’re the only ones that you know.Īnd what are these four little words? “I Want to Dance” (the song which these suggestions are from). Turner knows that he’s writing music, not poetry. He’s infectious and engages the listener on a primal level, even if one disagrees with what he’s saying. Turner’s voice goes from a whisper to a scream to get himself and his band pumped up. He’s clear and direct, even when he gets sensitive, as in “Plain Sailing Weather” where he admits “I’ve fucked up every little goddamn thing.” Turner has said Tape Deck Heart is a break-up album, and almost every song is about loss, especially the more Bruce Springsteen cum Replacement-like rockers such as “Losing Day”, “The Way I Tend to Be” and “We Shall Not Overcome”. Turner writes brawny songs in plain language. It makes for some really strong, anthemic music. He wants to fight battles of good versus evil, heroes versus villains, where there is a strong sense of morality. What songs such as this show is that Turner is a romantic. Now tattoos are for old people and Turner thinks “There’s not so many jobs that I can get these days / With these marks all over my hands.” I can’t think of any, off hand. Baby boom demographics have changed the zeitgeist. I think the last time must have been 1967 (circa the Who’s “Tattoo”). There was a time when getting a tattoo was a rebellious act. He even wrote a song about them, simply called “Tattoo”. He’s a former punk now folk rocker with a hard edge, a winning smile, and tattoos all over his body - including his hands. Apparently, this is so they can fit in better at the nursing home or because it won’t fade or cause regret when they get older. The most recent trend in the skin trade is granny tats, women over 60 years old (such as Susan Sarandon) getting their first tattoo. Click the audio link to hear more of their conversation.I heard on the radio that one out of every six baby boomers has a tattoo. office that also included an acoustic Tiny Desk Concert, Frank Turner spoke with Weekend Edition Sunday host Rachel Martin about his music, performing at the London Olympics and attending the same school as Prince William. a song about being at the bottom of the barrel and trying to kind of get out of there, somehow." "I've tried writing fiction in songs and I'm rubbish at it I find it very difficult to find anything meaningful to say if I'm making it up. "I write autobiographically," Turner says. He's got a new album, released this spring, called Tape Deck Heart - and the lead single, "Recovery," is about as confessional as they come. In a review for his last album, NME magazine described British singer-songwriter Frank Turner as "the people's prince of punk poetry." But Turner's lyrics can be quite personal as well. Frank Turner's new album is Tape Deck Heart.īrantley Gutierrez/Courtesy of the artist
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