Turkey Andersen (Photo credit: Full Van Fun and Turkey Andersen)
For months when we listened to Sirius XM KidsPlaceLive, we’d hear “If a sandwich was a pillow then the bread would be the pillowcase. . .” But as soon as the song began, it would end, and we always missed the name of this witty troubadour. Shortly after launching Full Van Fun, we got an email from Turkey Andersen wishing us luck on our new site and suggesting we check out his music. We thought Turkey Andersen? Who is this person? So, we checked out his Bandcamp page and as the first song began “If a sandwich was a pillow . . .” we knew! Turkey Andersen is a clever and sentimental singer songwriter whose debut self-titled “Turkey Andersen” EP is one of our favorite family albums of 2015.
For this #8isEnoughQuestions interview, each of the following questions was written by one of our Full Van Fun family members and answered directly by Turkey Andersen. Enjoy!
1) What inspired you to start writing and performing “Kindie” music?
“I don’t really think of my songs as specifically for kids. Instead, I think of it as NOT specifically for adults. Being able to remove the cynicism and over-thinking that a lot of adult music requires makes everything so much more fun” . . . is what I would say if I knew what I was talking about. But in reality, these are just the songs that I naturally write.
Turkey Andersen at the mic (Photo credit: Turkey Andersen)
2) If it snowed on Halloween would you a) play in the snow with your costume on or b) sit inside and frown the entire night?
I’d like to think that I’d go outside to play. But, what if my costume was a snowman? Then if I went outside and played in the snow, I’d get snow all over my snow. Now my costume is wearing a costume. That’s too many costumes! Help! To make things even more confusing, what if I went out trick-or-treating dressed as someone who sat inside and frowned all night? Would people still give me candy or would they just tell me I should go outside and play? This question is too hard.
3) What was the first song you ever wrote?
The first Turkey Andersen song was called “Why In The World Do There Have To Be Bees?”. I still like it. I bet it’ll show up on one of my albums in the future.
Is what all the little kids sing.
“How in the world could we possibly need
These things that just fly around and sting?”
Of course the song goes on to explain the great things about bees. But it also laments their stingyness.
4) Do you ever dance funny?
It might look funny. But it’s completely serious.
5) I was thinking of traveling back to the frontier days. What do you think I should wear?
Number one: Make sure you have your Time Travel Belt.
Number two: I would suggest something cowboy-like. Maybe a hat and boots. I’d avoid anything with Velcro. And don’t pull out your cell phone!
Turkey out west (Photo credit: Full Van Fun and Turkey Andersen)
6) How big of a Turkey do you get for Thanksgiving?
Zoinks! I’ll stick with the mashed potatoes and corn and rolls and veggies and salad and sweet potatoes and pies. Thank you. It’s a dangerous time of year for me. I am not a turkey, but some people aren’t too smart.
Turkey Andersen with a turkey (Photo credit: Whiffletree Farm, Full Van Fun, and Turkey Andersen)
7) What is the most remarkable thing that you’ve ever done?
One time, I wrote 13 thank you notes. I needed 13 envelopes so I could mail them. I reached into a box of envelopes and pulled out a stack. When I was just about to finish stuffing all my notes, I discovered that I pulled out exactly 13! EXACTLY 13!!
[Editor’s Note: this question was inspired by a song written and performed by Turkey’s friend – Henning Ohlenbusch]
8) Where is my car?
OK, just stop looking around frantically for a second. Now think. When was the time you remember having your car and where were you? Also, is it a real car or is it a toy car? If it’s a toy car, the cat might have hid it under the sofa. If it’s a real car you might have left it at the car wash after you ran away screaming because you got scared by the “brush monster”.
Turkey Andersen on the way to the car wash (Photo credit: Full Van Fun and Turkey Andersen)
Thank you Turkey Andersen for an excellent #8isEnoughQuestions interview! Don’t miss our previous interviews with Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis, Bryan Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe, Play Date, Recess Monkey, Andrew and Polly, Tim Kubart, and stay tuned for the our next interview!
