WHAT'S the reaction to Positive Songs For Negative people been like and how do you feel about the record six months on from its release?
It's been generally great. I have, in the UK, long ceased to be the kind of underground artist that journalists can champion, which sometimes means they try and stick the knife in instead.
But in the court of opinion that is live shows and sales, people have been enthusiastic. I'm also partly just relieved that I'm on my sixth album and people still give a s***. That's rare these days.
Did recording the album in Nashville have any discernible effect on the music?
Nashville itself didn't; we went there because I wanted to work with Butch Walker, and that's where his studio is. Butch certainly had an impact on the process, a hugely beneficial one.
The song Silent Key was partly inspired by the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, what got you thinking about that at the time of writing?
It's been a note in my notebook for some time now to try and write something about it. The whole scene is poetic and tragic, I'm fascinated by Christa MacAuliffe (the first US civilian selected to go into space who died on the doomed Shuttle).
It was difficult to pitch right; I wanted the song to be respectful of the person who died. But it's one of my favourite songs I've written.
Who came up with the idea for the video for The Next Storm with you and Ultimate Fighting Championship star CM Punk was it fun to make and are you a big UFCfan?
I can't claim to be a fan, I don't know much about it, but Ben Morse, who makes a lot of my videos, is.
He got wind of the fact that Punk was a fan and contacted him to ask if he'd be up for a video, and he said yes. He's a charming guy – and he was gentle with me.
What about the Josephine vid in which you are drenched in black goo – was that you indulging your childhood TV viewer dreams of being 'gunged'?
Haha, not specifically. It was the director's idea. I was actually really hungover on the shoot and it was a pretty miserable day for me, but I love the end result.
You'll be releasing a new EP soon, what's the latest on it and what can we expect from it?
There are four previously unreleased songs – three of which are writing leftovers from the Positive Songs sessions – and one cover, a song by Flanders & Swann. It's a continuation of the vibe from the album.
Last year you published a book of tour memoirs The Road Beneath My Feet, how did you find the writing process, what's the reaction been like and did you enjoy the book tour and Q&As?
Writing the book was a much more difficult thing than I had anticipated, which was humbling for me, in a good way. I learned a lot about myself and my abilities, and I'm very proud of the end product.
The reaction has been great. I wanted to write a book that actually gave people a feel of what the road is like. It seems like I succeeded on that. The tour was really interesting, we got into some deep discussions and I played some songs that haven't had an outing in years.
In 2012, you formed the punk rock trio Mongol Horde with your former Million Dead colleague Ben Dawson: was that 'return to noise' as much fun as you hoped it would be and are there any plans to do anything else together?
MH was wonderful, an itch scratched. We have recently started kicking some ideas around for another record, it's something all three of us would like to do again. I couldn't tell you when that will be though, not for a while I suspect.
You were DJing in London on New Year's, what was the 'big tune' of the night?
I DJ a fair bit these days – it's a fun way to pay the bills. I open with Queen.
Who meant more to you, David Bowie or Lemmy?
While I hugely respect both, I've never been an active fan of Bowie's music. I do own some Motorhead records though.
What are you looking forward to most in 2016?
The road. Which is fortunate, as there's little else in my calendar.
:: Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Thursday February 11, The Limelight, Belfast.
