BANG Showbiz caught up with the musician after this week's Q Awards at London's Grosvenor House hotel where he was presenting Glen Campbell with the prestigious Q Legend prize.
Fran revealed his son's budding musical talents, how he is settling into life in Germany and coping with life on the road.
Q. So did you enjoy this year's Q Awards?
I haven't been to any awards shows for ages, but I had to come today for a very special reason. I have a lot of respect for Glen Campbell. He is a proper legend, he's like 72 and he's been in the business for something like 47 years now and he's still putting out records. Sometimes legend awards are a bit controversial because people disagree with who's getting it. But I think most people would agree that Glen actually is a living legend.
Q. Do you get to party much these days?
A. I would love to be able to misbehave but I've got to be more responsible now. I generally just have a couple of drinks and then hold back, because I've seen too many car crashes happen over the years. When you go out with other musicians and pop stars it's kind of like being back in the student union, with girls being sick down their lovely outfits and guys going, 'Are you looking at my girlfriend?' It's bizarre. I remember going to the BRIT Awards one year and it was like a big carnival backstage and it was awful, I've never seen so many people out of their minds in my life.
Q. Who is your musical hero?
A. My hero is Joni Mitchell, I think she's a legend. It's scandalous that artists like Joni and Kate Bush haven't been given more lifetime achievement awards and more recognition. These sorts of awards seem to be a bit of a boys club, it's like the girls aren't allowed in.
Q. Would you like to collaborate with any of your idols?
A. The only time I've collaborated with someone was with Graham Nash and it really made me realise that the older generation are just too good for our generation. The way they sing is just completely different, they've got this weird voice and I think it's because they didn't have monitors in those days, so it means they project in a certain way. You just can't, or don't, get voices like that anymore. But collaborations aren't really my thing.
Q. Do you think you and your contemporaries are more talented than the new bands coming through?
A. I don't think my generation is better than the new bands and singers coming through. The way I see music is like a big line of bands, holding hands all in a big line, you get your moment in the spotlight and then the spotlight moves to someone else, but you've all got that one thing in common which is trying to write 'that' song. And we're all trying to do it and it's great. More than anything it is crosstown traffic at the minute, there are loads of really, really talented groups around putting out albums both in Britain and in America too. It's exciting times
Q. So, how's the tour going?
A. The tour is going phenomenally well, it's great. It's just fantastic to be back on the road again, we've been off it for a very long time, we haven't done anything for about a year so it's just fun doing shows again. It's back to business for us now.
Q. Do you get nervous before a concert?
A. Not at all, it's more exciting because we've got our new stuff to play. The new songs are a little bit different so it's a challenge to figure out how it's going to settle into the set.
Q. You had a bit of a break didn't you?
A. Yeah, we stopped between 2004 and 2006 to go off and have babies and do normal things. But we went on a world tour last year and we just rolled off of that tour and into the studio to make our new record and it's out now, unsurprisingly!
Q. Do you still have a passion for touring?
A. I love being on tour it's where I feel I'm actually doing something, the studio is great, it's always good to be in the studio, even though it can be quite pressured sometimes, but when I play live I don't have a care in the world. You get to play and you get to be kids again.
Q. Are you still a kid at heart?
A. Definitely - both onstage and off stage. We're constantly just horsing around. I think generally in life when you meet people when they're 17, or when you meet someone and they're 12, you automatically act that way when you're with them. With us we all met when we were 16 and 17 so we act like stupid 17-year-olds.
Q. Who is the biggest kid in Travis?
A. I'm the biggest kid in the band. I can sometimes say some not very good things which I have to watch. But I can't tell you what they are because I'd go to jail.
Q. You're a father now, how has that changed you?
A. Becoming a dad hasn't really changed me as a person, what it has done is make me fall in love with this absolutely cool little guy, called Clay, who I miss like crazy when I'm away from him. But I think it would take a pretty major event to change me, I'm virtually unchangeable.
Q. Would you ever take Clay on tour with you?
A. No, I wouldn't take him away with us. I don't think being on tour is any place for a child to be, it's dangerous for a start. If the tour bus breaks then you're stuck in the middle of nowhere. My wife is cool with me leaving him, for a little while anyway.
Q. Does having a child limit how much you go on tour?
A. No, not all. You've got to do it, that's our job. Thankfully, he's used to it because ever since he was a baby I've been going away for periods of time. But it's good for him as well, I think. There was only one time when I was going away where he was standing there crying, 'Papa.' Which was completely gutting, I can't lie it was really hard. Afterwards, I was sat on the train thinking, 'Of f**k, what am I doing.' But it was only one time and he's been fine since that. He's used to it now.
Q. Have you got him a guitar yet?
A. I have actually, I sent this video clip to my mum of him holding this little red kiddie guitar, he looked so cute. I think I'm going to dub some wild Stevie Vai guitar solo over the top of it and send it to my mum. I'll say, 'Look mum he's really coming along!' He's only two-and-a-half so he can't play anything on it yet, he just stands with it making noises. He's very interested in what I'm doing, so he's always looking at me and copying me. I'm going to groom him so when I retire I can just give him my guitar and let him get on with it. I want Travis to be like a family business, like a butchers or something.
Q. What sort of music does he like?
A. It's really embarrassing actually because he won't listen to anything else but our stuff. I'm like, 'Come on mate, listen to this.' I put on the new Keane record the other day and only played about three seconds of it, and he said, 'No, album.' Which is what he calls Travis' stuff. Then I tried to play him a classic Stevie Wonder song, and he said, 'Nah, off. I want album on.' Even when I play him our old stuff which he's never heard, he instantly knows it's my voice. He always says, 'Papa, it's you.'
Q. Is he bilingual then? Because I know your wife is German.
A. It's really interesting because he speaks both languages at once. He speaks English and German all squished together.
Q. How's your German?
A. My German? Scheiße! (German for s**t). See, I know one word at least! I've got these tapes, these useless tapes. You know the ones, 'Learn German without books.' It's not going that well but I'm trying. I've been hitting my wife with some words, and it takes her by surprise. She says things to me like, 'How did you know that? And why are you being so polite?' Because they teach you all the polite phrases, so if you go there on holiday you can get by. But I'm rubbish with languages I wish I was better but I'm not.
Q. How have you settled into life in Germany?
A. The great thing about being in a band is that you can live anywhere. You're always living out of suitcases for most of the time anyway. For about 70 per cent of the time you're with three guys, for the rest of it, it's family time.
Q. How will you make sure you're son knows his Scottish roots?
A. Well, he's got a little Scottish accent which has obviously rubbed off from me. But my mum still lives in Scotland, in Glasgow, and we go and visit a lot. He can point to Glasgow on the map, which is great, and when he goes to sleep we play the Bay City Rollers on a really low level to ingrain Scotland into his brain.
Q. Do you ever see your bandmates when you're not on tour?
A. No way! You don't want to hang around with the band when you're off - that's the last thing you want to do. You want to be with the people that you have created. Listen to me, I've created! Well I've created one person anyway.
Q. Do you plan to create anymore children?
A. I don't know if I've got it in me. I think I do, but we'll have to wait and see. But when you have a child it's just such an amazing thing. He's such a wonderful little kid.
A. I don't know if I've got it in me. I think I do, but we'll have to wait and see. But when you have a child it's just such an amazing thing. He's such a wonderful little kid.
Fran, when you have your first baby you love him/her so much you think, "There is no way I could ever love another child as much as this one. No other child could be so cute, so brilliant, so wonderfully sweet as this one."
But when the second comes along, it's like you're just given more love to pass along. And the second one is just as cute and just as brilliant and just as sweet; but in his/her own unique way.
A. I don't know if I've got it in me. I think I do, but we'll have to wait and see. But when you have a child it's just such an amazing thing. He's such a wonderful little kid.
Fran, when you have your first baby you love him/her so much you think, "There is no way I could ever love another child as much as this one. No other child could be so cute, so brilliant, so wonderfully sweet as this one."
But when the second comes along, it's like you're just given more love to pass along. And the second one is just as cute and just as brilliant and just as sweet; but in his/her own unique way.
Awwwwwwww! That was so cute! I love the "No album" bit! haha! The kid's got good taste! :D
hahaha, I laugh too with "no, album" thing... I understand him, I can hear Travis again and again... and he gots the singer... erm... so... Clay can get his own little concerts for himself... lucky him!!!
I liked the family business bit, nice idea!
I know it's been voiced before that the Travis children could have their own band, but perhaps continuing Travis?
RE:He's very interested in what I'm doing, so he's always looking at me and copying me. I'm going to groom him so when I retire I can just give him my guitar and let him get on with it. I want Travis to be like a family business, like a butchers or something.
that made me smile..awWW Fran wanting Travis to be like a family business and letting clay get on with their music.
that would be interesting=D
akanksha wrote:
He's such a wonderful little kid.
Clay sounds like he's one adorable wise little kid=)and Fran's such a lovely dad=D
ThANX for posting akanksha.Enjoyed reading the whole interview!
RE:He's very interested in what I'm doing, so he's always looking at me and copying me. I'm going to groom him so when I retire I can just give him my guitar and let him get on with it. I want Travis to be like a family business, like a butchers or something.
that made me smile..awWW Fran wanting Travis to be like a family business and letting clay get on with their music.
that would be interesting=D
That would be cool.
I think the relationship between Clay and his father is lovely!
the older generation are just too good for our generation. The way they sing is just completely different, they've got this weird voice and I think it's because they didn't have monitors in those days, so it means they project in a certain way. You just can't, or don't, get voices like that anymore. [/i]
Couldn't agree more.
Thanks for posting this great article.
