I found an interview and I wanted to share it.Originally it is in Turkish but I tried to translate as much as I could.So if there are any grammer mistakes,please forgive me!And don't imagine Fran saying those words.(don't imagine his voice)I tried,it is ridiculous!Here's the original link : http://rastgelenotlar.tumblr.com/post/7407351887/travisle-berlinde
I wait in a cross street of Mitte,Berlin to meet him.Someone calls from my back:"Hey,Alper!".I turn around to look at him.This is Fran Healy,lead singer of Travis.
"Look,this is my mum" he introduces a smiling woman.I remember that we had the same scene few years ago in Besiktas,Istanbul.Fran was out from his hotel,looking for something to eat after the Istanbul gig.By chance,we were trying to eat something too and again he called from my back "Hey,Alper!".This time we're at Auguststrasse,very close to his house.We sit in one of his favourite places,Keyser Soze.While being surprised by how he recognized me,he thanks me for coming and says he is so happy to see me.Of course I came!This is the lead singer of a band that sold millions of albums,but some people are really humble.We order our drinks,two Berliner Pilsner and start talking.
You live in Berlin for about three years.Why did you move here?
Our son was only 2 years old when we decided to move here.Children grow up much faster in London.They go to school at age 4.It is good in one perspective but I believe crawling before walking.Both physically and mentally.We thought our kid could do it in Berlin.Clay does not have to go to school until he's 6.He will have time to play games and gain his self-confidence in his own body.Our main reason to be here is our son.
You spend some part of your life in London and New York but your real home is Berlin.What is so alluring here?
I love Berlin for many reasons and reasons became more and more since I moved here.Berlin is a city on its own.There has been so many fights in the history of this place so that nothing's left to fight for.It makes Berlin peaceful and calm.The wall was here,Second World War was here.But in London you face a serious pressure.People have to work hard to pay the rents.You can make more money with less working here.That remains you some quality time.
But you don't actually need to make money...
I was so lucky.My band was successful.I could buy a house in Berlin.Sometimes I feel like I've won a lottery.But I'm coming from a poor family.I never forget this and know how lucky I am.
Do you feel away from the band members or Travis because they live in different cities?
No.You're with them on tour.Doesn't matter where you are after the tour is over.You can go to Mars.The doors are closed,everyone says goodbye and goes to his own life for some time.Of course some bands are not like that.They live like a commune.We were like that too but at some point you have to keep your life seperate from work.In the beginning there was only the band but now it is different.
Is that the reason you're not doing anything together lately?
Not exactly.But I think you should spend some time for yourself.You can have a incredibly succesful career in a pop band but then you can't have a life.You're not a superhero.You should take a break and have a normal life too.You can't have both.In these days being a dad makes me so happy too.
How did being a dad change your life?
It makes me happy because I never had a father.Being a dad is also kind of having a dad.I think my mom did the right thing with breaking up with my father because it is a nightmare for a kid to grow up in an environment like that.
When your father died,didn't you feel sorry that you didn't spend more time with him?
He died 5 years ago.It is actually sad.But I gave up on him so long ago.Some kids are given a gold bullion by their families and they pass it to their own children.Mostly it falls on the ground and gets dirty but it doesn't matter.But some kids are given a piece of shit and they don't think much while they pass it to their children because they are used to it.They don't think it is weird.I don't want to treat my kid like that.
At the end of last year you made a solo album.Is there a specific reason for the timing?
Because I was sated with always doing the same thing.About everything,about the press,we all agreed to do something different.Actually I wrote and sang in the same way but I was more free because it was a solo.
How did the other band members react to this solo album?
We were making our first rehearsal for Travis after the album was out.Nobody said anything.They didn't mention they like or hate it.I think they are ignoring it.But the point is we started from where we left.
You've been together for so long but your music didn't change significantly.At least not as much as Radiohead's.Is this deliberate?
I personally don't think Radiohead's journey is something I can undertake.Because whenever I look at Thom Yorke,I see an uncomfortable person under his skin.He so much wants to be "cool" and struggles for it.I think "being cool" is being yourself,having confidence under your own skin.
What about your music?
We actually changed in time.Every album of ours has a different song.I remember sitting on a table when The Man Who was out.All newspapers were there.We were reading critics.It was horrible.It was like reading our death announcement.People liked it but critics didn't.Because it was different.Interestingly maybe we changed even more than Radiohead but we didn't shout it out.It is a bit about marketing.
Have you ever thought of leaving Travis?
I want to go on with Travis till the end of my life.I think bands should get old together.You should be able to follow how their music shaped.You should see them play differently.For instance I think R.E.M. should have stopped when their drummer left.Because the chemistry between them was over.They were writing their songs all together.Drummer Bill Berry had a big contribution.He even wrote Everybody Hurts.But of course everyone works in different ways.
What is the best song you've ever written?
Driftwood.It has wonderful lyrics.Nowadays there is a problem about writing a song.They make lyrics that could be about anything.OK but why don't you tell me what you mean and why you wrote it?
What kind of inspirations were there for Travis?
It was personally one of my favourite albums,Joni Mitchell's Blue.That's my inspiration for lyrics.But Oasis and Radiohead affected us too in 90's.I think we are right in between these two bands.I write about things I can't tell,usually feelings.So does Noel Gallagher and Thom Yorke.You never know what they meant in lyrics though.
How do you write a song?
All songs of Travis are mine.I write them.But sometimes I go to my basement studio bored.My studio that I hung a Monthy Pyhton poster last week.In the writing process my first trial is shitty.I feel so ashamed and think how can I let people listen to that?Second trial is worse than that.When I decide that I cannot do it and I'm out of energy,I push it one more time and that's the moment the song was born.Everyone has different ways to do that.
So,how do they write?
The vocalist of The Killers,Brandon Flowers is so weird.I remember being on a tour with them.The moment he shows off the stage,he sits down by his instruments and starts to write a song.Like a song machine.Chris Martin also has nothing but music in his life.But I can't be like that,I first need to look around and gather something.
You're going to play at Rock'n Coke Festival in Istanbul.What was the best festival you've ever attended?
I've never gone to a festival in my life.Because I've never had enough money.The first festival I went was T In The Park.We were playing there.After that we were in a festival always to play.
What was the best festival you've ever played at?
One of them was T In The Park.The Man Who was out.When we showed up on stage,I remembered the first time we were there.We were in between two comedians in a comedy tent.Our drummer had a broken leg,the show was a comedy itself.But we were so happy to have the tickets of course.Oasis was performing their first big show in Scotland that year.I remember that we couldn't get into their tent.Just 4 years later,we were playing in the same tent and the scene was incredible.2 years after that,we were the headline at Glastonbury.That was another memorable moment.
You've been to Istanbul before.What do you remember from your first gig?
I remember the boat trip a day ago before the show.We toured Bosphorus.That was quite distracting for me.The show itself was incredible too.Because we've been told to come to Istanbul for years.Whenever we tell our manager he said "sure,sure".
Really?
Yes.It is of course about money.People that do your job do not want to lose money.If doing a show in somewhere is not so important for a band member,then it does not happen.But I remember the people in Istanbul.They were so beautiful.You feel weird when you go somewhere the first time and get that reaction.That is exactly where you want to play.
Last question,what are you going to play in Istanbul?
I don't know.We have a setlist but we want to highlight the hits in Istanbul.We are so excited because we haven't played together for a long time.Because we didn't do anything together for a while.This is our excuse to get together.I'm sure we would wait another 6 months if it wasn't for this gig.So we got really excited when we heard we're going to play in Istanbul!
Thank you for translating. That was a very nice interview.
It must be difficult to have to choose, the moment a question is posed to you, how much personal information to reveal. Sometimes I'm surprised by how open Fran is in interviews.
It's funny that he said that because I thought the same thing. I kind of stopped listening after his last album.
"I want to go on with Travis till the end of my life.I think bands should get old together.You should be able to follow how their music shaped.You should see them play differently.For instance I think R.E.M. should have stopped when their drummer left.Because the chemistry between them was over.They were writing their songs all together.Drummer Bill Berry had a big contribution.He even wrote Everybody Hurts.But of course everyone works in different ways."
