His most recent foray into the literary world has blindsided just about everyone, including himself. “It wasn’t until I was doing my book tour around London last week that it even occurred to me there was such a thing as a best sellers chart – I honestly never thought about it,” he says.
The Road Beneath My Feet,Turner’s brutally honest, yet beautifully eloquent, account of life on the road has become an unexpected overnight success. “Right now, my book is 15 copies off the #1 spot, which is wonderful and extremely annoying at the same time,” Turner smiles.
At face value, he’s a well-spoken and polite young man – dig a little deeper and you’ll find the heart of a rebel and a revolutionary. Turner is an outspoken campaigner for Dying with Dignity, an organisation that believes in greater choice and a more compassionate approach to the end of life. Most recently, Turner announced a call to arms in an open letter to England’s Cultural Secretary Sajid Javid, citing the need to implement the Agent of Change principle across the UK. The initiative has already been adopted in parts of Australia, ensuring that if the music venue is in place before the residential building, the residential building is responsible for paying for soundproofing. Likewise, if a new music venue opens in a residential area, the venue is responsible for the cost.
“As a musician, these places are where I honed my craft, learned my trade,” he says. “We do actually have to put some effort into ensuring these closures don’t continue.”
An online petition supporting Turner’s conviction has over 30,000 names and counting.
It seems Turner is methodically ticking off a to-do list, or as he puts it, his “nerd bucket list”. One item he can proudly cross off his list is winning the UK’s highest rating quiz show Mastermind. “I’d always dreamed of being on the show,” he says. “I chose Iron Maiden as my speciality subject – they were the first band I truly got into… I think I took it a little more seriously than the others – but I’m so glad I came away with the win.” Turner’s sixth studio album is due for release this winter, but it could’ve just as easily ended up on the cutting room floor. “I was in danger of falling down a rabbit hole. I was extremely frustrated about not being able to get it quite the way I wanted it to be.
“Butch Walker [Gin Wigmore, The Wombats, Hot Hot Heat] came in as producer and saved this record. The producer’s job is to get the sounds out of an artist and help them fulfil their vision, and Butch managed to drag me kicking and screaming to the right place,” he laughs.
Although Turner isn’t at liberty to disclose an exact release date or title as yet, he’s forthcoming about lyrical inspiration when writing the album.
“It’s all very well writing about my own failings, thoughts and fuck ups, but when I hear about artists who exploit others for their own ends, I find it philosophically troubling.
“Art is more interesting when it’s honest and raw, not compromised by fear – that’s what makes it worthwhile. I hope people want to listen. Honestly, the simple fact that I’m sitting on a beach on the other side of the world and I’m here to play guitar, is so incredible to me – I’m a very happy man.”
BY NATALIE ROGERS
