Today is our one year anniversary and Ana and I wanted to celebrate it by reposting the beautiful letter below that she wrote.
Many things have changed since last year. I'd dare to say that mostly everything. Our favourite band, the main reason why CLAT existed, is taking a break from each other, Fran is going solo (btw, I'd love to listen to that album some day :P), and I think that the spirit of CLAT desintegrated a bit after the end of the US tour last year (I won't go into details... it's too depressing!). Nevertheless, we are here to remember the ideals, the plans, boardie support and how crazy we are about this band. If we don't get the chance to see Travis live, we would do our best to finally organize a convention for all us Latin American and our supporters in the US and Europe. We LUV ya! And as Ana said: "So to speak, to summarize, I’m fucked and joyful, perhaps more the former than the last and also vice versa.”
Hell yeah!
These are the posters we posted last year:
Flat CLAT courtesy of Yuriko (alanistradi)
Flat CLAT in Dublin courtesy of Guiso:)
And I live with this thought by Helmer Camara:
When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality.
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[Letter to the band and the boardies]
Dear Diary (Fran, Andy, Dougie and Neil)
I’m writing these lines considerably late at night, some of the boardies may pay witness. Nobody should be allowed to write at this time but I think it’s when all logical reasoning and analysis ends. I can be completely honest. People, today’s the most perfect day for dancing and for singing!!
Well, do me a favor and try to answer these questions truthfully: who hasn’t found relief in three or four words sang by Fran in moments of heartache or loneliness? Who hasn’t found peace or a source to release tensions in three or four chords played by Andy and Dougie in moments of fear or impotence? Who hasn’t felt the blood pumping through the body at the beats of Neil’s drums?
I’m a 22 year-old girl with a dream…don’t worry, this is not a terminal patient asking for her last wish (and yeah, that was my go for an opening joke)…this is just an Uruguayan girl who was lucky enough to find an incredible group of people willing to read her stories of unfulfilled desires. They come from all over Latin America and have been kind enough to give me words of encouragement. Even when they weren’t meant directly at me, I felt the support of a community of loyal fans who share the memories of their Travis experience with such happiness and never doubted to wish me all the best in the pursuit of my first encounter, in front of a stage, with all of you five amazing musicians rocking your hearts out.
Here is my Travis story; I think you should hear it in order to comprehend the reasons behind our enterprise. Exactly ten years ago, my sister brought home The Man Who, I was 12, almost 13 and probably got a different meaning from the lyrics, but I felt the music as anyone who appreciates good music would do. Most didn’t go into much trouble and called it depressing. Dead wrong. I was discovering my new found interest in the English language, an interest that drove me to translate your lyrics, because I knew I wasn’t getting the full message and I had to find it out. Digging for answers, as a struggling teenager (in a little town, where little dreams are broken and words are seldom spoken) finally paid off. I kept coming across the right words; tons of mind-blowing phrases which would best describe or fit and help me deal with all of the thoughts that went through my mind at the time. That’s the thing about Travis, no matter who you are, where you are from or what’s your experience of the world, you can always count that you may turn to their music for answers or comfort, to feel good when the sun is shinning or to accept hard times as they come, because then, there’s always a tunnel at the end of the light and they’ve helped me to figure that much out.
I consider myself lucky to have been introduced to this band at that specific time in my life, they’ve come a long way and so have I.
I’ve been along for the ride almost silently. Until a month ago nobody knew how much they meant to me. Fortunately, I decided to register and posting here and there I ended up believing that nothing is impossible as long as you put up a fight against all odds.
I met Leticia and she told me the most unbelievable story, for crying out loud! Any fan from down here would love to make it his/her own. She got to attend a Travis gig in Newcastle having travelled all the way from Argentina and after hours and hours of waiting outside in the freezing cold, she got her reward, she met the lads. A precious moment she narrates with a big smile on her face (I can only imagine). It was her first time chatting with them, a moment she will never forget, nobody will ever take that experience away from her. It should be enough to say that firsts don’t come around for a second time.
This was the starting point of an idea which began to take shape after reading about the US tour. Wouldn’t it be astonishingly cool to have all Latin American fans together under one flag, that is to say, in one thread? Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could all share the anxiety of waiting for another Travis tour through South America? We should try and save money to travel somewhere near us to whatever shows Travis get in the future. Whether we are from Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay or Brazil, it doesn’t matter; we’d try to hold a gathering, reality check hasn’t got a saying as we make way into fulfilling our dreams and let loose our wildest fantasies.
I don’t want to save myself from living the full experience, don’t save yourselves either! Let’s keep these wheels turning, who know where the road may take us…If I’ve learnt anything from the Uruguayan poet, that’s it:
“Don’t save yourself; don’t be immobile on the edge of the road.
Don’t freeze the joy, don’t love with reluctance.
Don’t save yourself now or ever.
Don’t save yourself, don’t fill with calm,
And don’t reserve of the world just a calm place.
Don’t let fall your lids heavy as trials, don’t speak without lips.
Don’t fall asleep without sleepiness; don’t think of you without blood.
Don’t judge yourself without time.
But if in spite of everything you cannot avoid it
And you freeze the joy, and you love with reluctance,
And you save yourself now, and you are full with calm,
And you reserve of the world just a calm place,
And you let fall your lids heavy as trials, and you speak without lips,
And you fall asleep without sleepiness, and you think of yourself without blood,
And you judge yourself without time.
And you are immobile on the edge of the road,
And you save yourself,
Then,
don’t stay with me.”
The Latin American Convention of Travis Fans (Convención Latinoamericana de Traviseros - CLAT according to the acronym in Spanish) is hereby officially made public to all of you who wish to support us to join the cause. Because the world would be a much better place if we were lucky enough to have them here playing Ode to J Smith songs and all the classics.
Here is my first post in the American Boardies Convention thread. I don’t know why I’m using the vocabulary worthy of a politician’s mouth but it feels appropriate as I believe we have to join forces to make things happen and to hang in there when things don’t look so good…We’re taken over by the spirit of music. Travis brought us together so together we shall see Travis:
“Thanks a lot for the inspiration; this could have never been taken into serious consideration if it wasn't for your fantastic stories. I, personally, have high expectations, what can I lose by dreaming, right?
I wish we can live up to the standards of amazingness you've set up for us.
Here I translate more or less what I tried to convey in my "inaugural post":
‘I call upon the Travis community of fans, from the center itself of America to the coldest tip of the south, to unite!
In the “If you’re an Argentinian” thread an idea started to come to life, especially in the last few days, reading how the American Bordies were all enjoying the US tour. Yes, we’re feeling jealous. Yes, we refuse to sit around and do nothing about it.
Because there are many of us and apparently we have a long wait ahead before they come back to play live for us.
So, I can’t think of a better idea than to, herein, begin the organization of our very own Convention!
What do you think? Will it prove to be successful? Will the final goal be attained? That is to say, will the pages and pages of future planning see a factual outcome in the end? I certainly hope so, because I think that it can turn out to be the best concert of our lives.
Because in such little time I’ve exchanged a couple of words with really cool people and I don’t want this to die only in words, words are blown by the wind.
Time will tell but, in the meantime, what do you say if we let our wildest fantasies loose?
Is it possible for us, all the members of this community, from Mexico to the Strait of Magellan, to follow our beloved Scots if their next tour should come anywhere near us?’
Wish us luck, we need Travis to come back to South America!! (Our mental health is at stake, to say the least...).”
In the end, I’d like to quote Mario Benedetti once again, since he explains our mixed feelings, much better than I could ever do:
“I’m afraid of seeing you, I’ve got the need to see you, I’m hoping to see you, and I feel uneasy about seeing you.
I have willingness to find you, I’m worried about finding you, and I’ve got the certainty about finding you, poor reservations about finding you; I have the urgency to hear you; I feel happiness when hearing you, I’m lucky to hear you. And I’m afraid of hearing you.
So to speak, to summarize, I’m fucked and joyful, perhaps more the former than the last and also vice versa.”
Thanks for being on the other side, but let us never forget that we're all part of the same circle!!
Love and peace :)
Ana.
And now it's my turn (Leti) ; ) I want to thank Ana for her wonderful words and also to my patient and wonderful boyfriend who designed this great poster (with a little help from me). I love u!
