"Singin' Your Subway Blues”

Nick Turner: son, father, musician, songwriter, lover, scientist, sailor. An Englishman, an Aussie, a genuine guitar-carrying hitchhiking gypsy.

In this memoir, Nick takes us on an unforgettable road trip. Starting in his hometown of Nottingham in Thatcher’s Britian, he hitches his way from London to Paris, New York to San Diego and back again, busking a thousand street corners and subways.

Along the way you’ll meet the strange and wonderful characters that shaped this epic journey. They may seem larger than life , but - along with the highs and the heartbreaks, the booze and the drugs and of course the music - the trip is all real.

It’s a story about coming-of-age and finding your place, geographically and spiritually. So stick out your thumb, climb aboard and enjoy the ride!

You can buy the book at

New Edition Bookshop in Fremantle and

Crow Books In Victoria Park.

Or from Nick at live shows (Nick can sign it for you then!)

Alternatively it’s available online here, but shop local if you can!

Nick also has a live show that weaves readings with songs to capture the highs, humour and heartbreaks of the book.

Video Highlight of Singin’ Your Subway Blues Show. 

Love and Life in Paris

Video Highlight of Singin’ Your Subway Blues Show.

Making it in New Orleans

CONTACT us to book a live show or make an enquiry

Feedback on the show

What a great way to spend an evening. Nick has so many great stories to tell and sing about and he does it so well. I walked out at the end of the night still wanting more! A cracking night!

Ingrid van den Berghe, Managing Director, Luna Palace Cinemas Perth

Lovely show! Brought back lots of memories of being young and gormless and up for anything, looking at the road beckoning us ahead, doing dumb things and taking too long to learn from them, hoping the Guardian angel hasn’t taken the day off, dusting ourselves off and carrying on. Thanks for taking us along!

Steve Barnes, ex Artistic Director, Fairbridge Music Festival

Fabulous show Nick, a perfect balance between the music and the readings of your wonderful youthful shenanigans there were a timely reminder that taking risks leads to adventures!

Leanne Casellas, Publicist

Feedback on The Book

“Armed only with a guitar and a backpack full of youthful optimism, likeable rogue Nick Turner takes us on a lyrical journey alongside a gallery of artists, musicians and misfits, painting a thrilling picture of what it’s really like to throw caution to the wind!”

Bob Gordon, Rolling Stone, The Guardian, X-Press Magazine

“Hey Nick, I wanted to tell you know much I’m enjoying your book. The quality of the writing is amazing, such good character and plot development. I know it’s all real but I love the way you take us on the journey as if you are meeting the characters for the first time alongside you. Every time I pick it up I’m right back in the eighties, travelling in Europe and 21 again. Thank you so much for writing it!”

Keren, Fremantle, Australia

“I really enjoyed your book. Fantastic adventures, grippingly told, also evocatively and honestly covering some of the stuff about being young I’d maybe rather forget! Thanks for writing it!”

Dave, London, UK

About the Author

Nick Turner was born and raised in the UK, spending his early years moving around England, gaining and losing different accents as his dad changed jobs around the country as a museum curator. He received a scholarship to the poshest private school in Beford while living in social housing, providing him with a varied view of life at a young age. He got his first guitar when he was ten years old and taught himself to play.

Nick left the UK at the age of 26 and roamed the world for several years. He worked as a water engineer in New Zealand, Sydney, Perth and the northwest of Western Australia; sailed from Uruguay to Portugal on the square rigger Soren Larsen and hitchhiked back to the UK through Portugal, Spain and France, busking along the way. He has managed to juggle a successful career in the water industry with crewing on square riggers across oceans, all the while enjoying a wide range of musical adventures; busking across Europe and the USA, backpacking through the Himalayas with a mandolin, and performing in multiple bands, venues and music festivals over decades. Nick has recorded several albums of his own material and covers. Nick is now happily settled in the port city of Fremantle in Western Australia, the perfect place for a sailor musician to live. He remains a keen songwriter and sailor, performing regularly at local Freo venues, and sailing his yacht to Rottnest Island and other spots with his partner Lindy.

Playlist for the book

Listen to the songs that take you on Nick’s journey around England, to Paris and across the US, from New York to San Diego to New Orleans and back home again!

Playlist for the show

Listen to the songs that Nick and Jennifer perform in the show to tell the story!