As a longtime resident of Los Angeles, I’ve experienced both the magic and the madness of this city. The memories I hold dear include Travis’ explosive debut concert at the Troubadour in 2000 and headlining the Universal Amphitheater the following year. But living here is another story.
At the age of fifty, Fran Healy, the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Travis, continues to embody the image of a rock star, despite moments when he may not feel like one.
As a movie lover, I’ve come across many musicians with striking appearances, but none quite like him. His neon-orange hair and hoop earring, paired with his wiry frame and monochromatic black outfit, make an unmistakable impression. Yet, when we meet, he greets me with a humble demeanor, rejecting the rock star label with a shy smile.
As a fan, I’d describe it this way: I’m drawn to the introspective world of Healy, the mastermind behind Travis’ music who prefers to let his songs shine rather than being in the limelight. His understated persona is captured perfectly on the cover of their latest album “L.A. Times.” This is their tenth full-length release, and it was produced by Tony Hoffer. The cover image showcases the nighttime Los Angeles skyline, with the downtown area bathed in an ethereal glow. Healy and his bandmates – Andy Dunlop on lead guitar, Dougie Payne on bass, and Neil Primrose on drums – are depicted standing in Victor Heights, surrounded by dimly lit streets, blending seamlessly into the shadows.
As a devoted cinema enthusiast, I’d like to share how artist Healy describes his preparation for live performances. He mentions that he has the ability to turn “it” on when needed. Regarding his distinctive hair color, Healy shares an old piece of advice that resonated with him: “Someone told me long ago, ‘Dress the part and embody it.’ I’m releasing a new record, which is significant for us, so I wanted a hair color that would captivate audiences onstage.”
Up until not long ago, Healy sported a mustache, beard, and kept his mainly gray hair tied in a ponytail. For many years, he spent significant time managing his hair. However, after the birth of his son Clay in 2006, his focus changed. Healy became fully committed to being a father and striving to be “the dad I never had,” as he puts it.
Healy was born in Stafford, England, but grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, following his parents’ separation. His father, who had mental health issues, was largely absent from his upbringing.
Healy acknowledges that his focus on his relationship with his son unintentionally affected the way he approached songwriting after his birth. Consequently, he admits that some of Travis’s records during this period didn’t meet his usual standards. “I was putting in minimal effort,” he says, looking back with the understanding that this lack of dedication is evident in the final product.
After Clay reached his late teenage years and turned 18 this year, Healy felt confident enough to allow him more freedom as a father. This extra time allowed Clay to focus more on his music, resulting in the 10 tracks on “L.A. Times.”
Using catchy tunes and raw emotion, “L.A. Times” brings back the powerful songwriting that made Travis famous in the U.K. during the late ’90s.
Title of the album, “L.A. Times,” combines artist Healy’s past experiences in Glasgow, where a news vendor loudly called out “Final Times” as he sold the evening edition, and his present life in Los Angeles, which he moved to with his wife Nora Kryst in 2017. Unfortunately, they later separated after being married for 23 years.
After saying goodbye to Ringan Ledwidge, Healy’s dear friend and dedicatee of “L.A. Times,” who passed away, Healy was left with deep thoughts as he worked on his new music. Surprisingly, despite the sadness and potential for negativity, Healy primarily chose to express joy and living in his songs instead of giving in to cynicism, regret, or fear.
On “Live It Again”‘s introspective ballad, “Live It All Again,” Healy expresses his deep regret for the ending of his marriage to Kryst. With raw emotion and strumming an acoustic guitar, he pays tribute to their past, which brought forth their sole child, acknowledging that through all the hardships, if given the chance, he would relive their shared history.
Recognizing the transience of existence, in the powerful ballad “Alive,” penned following Ledwidge’s cancer death, Healy urges himself to value good health and avoid getting bogged down by life’s trivialities. As he poignantly sings with his heartfelt and expressive voice, “Why fret about tomorrow when the path is already laid? … Let us not forget that we are still here living.”
In the spirit of making the most of every moment, Healy pays tribute to moving on from a harmful past on the lively “Gaslight” track. Similarly, on the soothing mid-tempo “Raze the Bar,” he honors the memory of the closed New York City watering hole, Black and White, and its proprietors. Healy bids farewell to the establishment in the song’s inspiring chorus, singing, “To a fresh start, goodbye to yesteryears. Here’s to what’s ahead, as long as it endures. Let’s raise a glass.”
At the bar, the friendly atmosphere is amplified by the addition of backup vocals from two of Healy’s well-known friends, Brandon Flowers of The Killers and Chris Martin of Coldplay. Chris Martin has even referred to himself as a “budget Fran Healy” and acknowledged Travis as the band that paved the way for his own group and others.
As a passionate moviegoer, I’d recount it this way: Back in the early ’90s, a Glaswegian band emerged on the music scene, christened Travis in honor of Harry Dean Stanton’s character, Travis Henderson, from Wim Wenders’ thought-provoking 1984 film “Paris, Texas.” They made their first appearance with an album called “Good Feeling,” which boasted a rocky edge and was released under the expert production of Steve Lillywhite – a renowned name in the industry, having worked with bands like U2 and Dave Matthews Band.
Two years ago, “The Man Who” by Travis marked a significant milestone for me as a fan. This melancholic and sweeping album became his commercial breakthrough, gracing the charts and earning Brit Awards. Nigel Godrich, known for his work with Radiohead and Beck, produced this chart-topping masterpiece. Together, we witnessed the birth of four massive hits: “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?,” “Driftwood,” “Turn,” and “Writing to Reach You.”
In the late ’90s, Healy looks back on an unforeseen rainstorm during the Glastonbury Festival, which he refers to as “the weather anomaly that turned things around” for the band, ultimately propelling them to fame.
In 1999, the up-and-coming band’s prospects seemed as radiant as the sun above as they performed at a renowned music festival in England. However, midway through their set, Healy sang “Where did the clear sky go / why is it raining so?” from their hit song “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?”. Ironically, the words came to life as the heavens grew cloudy and rain fell heavily.
Healy remembers the crowd looking disappointed as the weather changed. Furthermore, him and his bandmates felt dejected following their performance. “We believed we gave the poorest show ever,” he admits. “On our way back to Glasgow, we felt our music career was at an end.”
To my astonishment, I found myself on BBC Television during Travis’ performance at Glastonbury. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard my name announced over the airwaves,” I recall thinking. “And there were Jo Whiley and John Peel, two respected broadcasters, praising us as the standout act of the festival.”
After gaining more publicity, “Why Does It Always Rain on Me?” ranked as Travis’ first top 10 hit. Healy acknowledges the irony of this achievement, sharing how his former manager tried to prevent them from releasing it as a single. “Nobody is interested in a song about the rain,” he cautioned.
Healy was both elated and bewildered by Travis’ surprising success on the U.K. Albums Chart, which held the top spot for nine weeks in a row. Yet, the sudden rise to fame left him feeling uneasy, as if they were a small plane attempting to fly at an extremely high altitude, with parts coming loose.
By the year 2001, the limelight was taking a heavy toll on Healy. During a visit to see his mother, she voiced her worries about his mental well-being. The boundary between his work and personal life had grown increasingly indistinct, causing him to converse with his mother as if she were a journalist. The revelation hit him hard when he cried uncontrollably, recognizing that every word he spoke was weighed heavily in his mind as if it would be reported publicly.
He shares that his pivotal experience was partly triggered by giving numerous media interviews. Furthermore, it was significantly influenced by the startling transition from being utterly unknown, able to walk anonymously down the streets undisturbed, to becoming a celebrity, with people constantly gawking and whispering as they approached.
Healy found himself thankful for the disturbing experience that served as a wake-up call, pushing him to obtain therapeutic intervention. After undergoing a dozen hypnotherapy sessions, he made a full recovery and drew inspiration from this transformative period to create Travis’s 2003 album titled “12 Memories.”
In America, my admiration for Travis’ journey hasn’t been as filled with dramatic turns of events as it has been in the U.K. The band’s triumph in Britain never had an equal echo on this side of the Atlantic. However, Los Angeles presented a different narrative for Healy and the band. “There was something about L.A. that resonated with us,” he shares from my perspective. “We were this quirky bunch from Scotland, yet L.A. embraced us wholeheartedly. It was an enchanting affection between us and the city that remains unbroken to this day.”
He looks proud and smiles as he remembers Travis’ packed and celebrated debut concert at the iconic Troubadour in Los Angeles back in 2000. He finds it hard to believe when reflecting on his own performance at the Universal Amphitheater the next year, which was also a notable headlining event.
Living and performing in Los Angeles are two distinct experiences for Healy, who has previously resided in Glasgow, New York, London, and Berlin. While he enjoys the city’s warm climate, easy access to the ocean, art galleries, and restaurants, his encounters with certain challenges in Los Angeles have left him unsettled.
He shares a nerve-wracking experience of coming close to being carjacked and another harrowing encounter involving road rage. On top of that, there was an incident when he returned from a trip to find a stranger residing in his house. This intruder had broken in while Healy was away.
While narrating a heart-wrenching event, Healy’s feelings are evident. He describes witnessing a tragic accident in which a man was hit by a car. As they waited together for paramedics, the injured man, who was Black and homeless, expressed his concern about potential discrimination at the hospital. Tragically, Healy later discovered that the man did not survive.
A photo of the man that is saved to Healy’s phone is a haunting reminder.
During an afternoon stroll by Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, close to his studio, Healy was struck by a stark contrast. A vibrant yellow Lamborggini passed, driven by a man wearing costly aviator shades. As he rolled up the window next to him, his arm was adorned with pricey jewelry, while nearby, homeless people lived in makeshift encampments.
An influential moment inspired the title track “L.A. Times” for the album. This song, which concludes the record, starts with the evocative sounds of LAPD helicopter rotor blades and a siren, followed by music and then Healy’s voice. He expresses, “I survey my surroundings and all I perceive is pain and suffering mirrored in the 50 facets of this diamond ring.”
In this composition, Healy employs only spoken words for the vocals, with occasional “la-la” melodies added in the background. This innovative approach diverges from his usual melodic style and bears a stronger resemblance to hip-hop music. When attempting to write a melody, Healy instead gave way to an impassioned, free-flowing monologue about Los Angeles’ socioeconomic issues, climate change, and the constant danger of a devastating earthquake along the San Andreas Fault.
He expresses a strong desire to vent about the many things bothering him, saying, “I needed to blow off some steam and rant about my surroundings.” Later, he describes the relief he felt as if he had drained an abscess and released the built-up tension.
As a devoted cinema-goer, I eagerly anticipate the upcoming release of “L.A. Times” by Healy. In preparation for this exciting moment, he’s set to embark on an overseas tour to promote his new record. However, a pang of sadness crosses his face as he reflects on the current digital era, lamenting that physical album sales have dwindled. Yet, with a swift shake of his head, Healy regains his optimistic outlook. “I don’t mind,” he says with a smile. “Over the past four years, I’ve taken the time to recalibrate and refocus. I’ve retreated to my creative sanctuary, where I unearth beautiful melodies. And now, I have a record that I’m immensely proud of – one that I believe is among our finest works. I’ve done what I can; I continue to make music.”
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2024-07-18 20:34