Recently I had the pleasure of being able to ask on of my idols, Frank Turner, some questions about his music, his touring and his choice of dog. Down below you can see what he had to say;

So, Frank, who would you say is your biggest influence in your music?

It's difficult to pick just one, but I suppose overall I'd say Springsteen - not just as a writer and a musician, but also as a performer.

You have your big milestone 2000th show coming up, how does that feel to know you've played so many shows?

It's a good feeling, it's a tangible record of having done something noticeable with my life so far, haha. It also makes me feel tired, thinking about it.

Hard question this one, are there any shows that have stood out to you as a favourite?

There are many, it's hard to pick individual ones per se. Touring has constituted the vast majority of my adult life, so in a way that's like asking if anything in my life has stood out; of course!

Positive Songs For Negative People is an amazing album, how do you manage to keep it so fresh every time?

Thank you. I try hard not to repeat myself, and to justify the process, not just to the record buying public, but also to myself. I work hard to push myself every time, growth and change are important for an artist, I think.

So your upcoming tour starts on the 27th, how do you prepare for such long haul tours?

I'm much more used to being on tour than being at home. Packing for the road takes me about 4 minutes these days, partly because I never fully unpack, at least according to my girlfriend. Being at home for long stretches requires more preparation, in a funny way.

Your Reading set this year is a big record, are there any other UK festivals you want to be hitting soon? Maybe an appearance at somewhere like Download?

We're just about starting to think about what I'm doing next summer. It's too early to say anything publicly but I'll be playing out somewhere no doubt.

England Keep My Bones is probably one of my favourite albums ever, do you have a favourite song on the album? What about a favourite song overall?

Thanks, I'm very proud of that record myself, it was a pretty magic time for me, writing and recording that one. My favourite song on that record, well, maybe Redemption, but the whole piece is special for me. Picking favourite songs is difficult, it's like asking someone to choose between their children, or so the saying goes. Right now I'm excited about some of the new stuff I'm working on.

What artists are you currently listening to at the moment? Got any albums that you can't seem to put down?

Lately I've been mainlining the new Every Time I Die record (which is brutal) and the Arkells, who we've been touring with, and who are remarkably brilliant, in my opinion.

Frank Turner Hard Core has become massive, how does it feel to be as big an artist as you are now?

I guess I try not to think about things in that way. I try to keep my head down and level, and to just work through things without thinking about how big or small my career is. I think that if I spent too much time contemplating that, I'd get lost somehow. I don't want to come across as ungrateful - it's a wonderful thing that a lot of people know and care about what I do. I just don't want that to change what I do.

Lastly, what's next for you after this tour?

We'll be touring Positive Songs For Negative People through til next summer I think, and then making another record, which I'm deep into writing at the moment.

Bonus: What's your favourite breed of dog?

Pug!

So there we have it, Pug. You can listen to the amazing Positive Songs for Negative People now on all good streaming services and in stores, I definitely recommend giving it a listen so you can see why I love this music so much. Do check out his upcoming tour with the dates below, it's clear than Frank really does want to make it a big one.

http://frank-turner.com/live-gigs/