The Growlersworld Interviews

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The Growlersworld Interviews is an ongoing quest, bringing you closer to successful and creative people in all walks of life.

Rawle Austin presents...

A conversation with Lee Travers - Sailing his way to Musical Endeavours

Lee Travers has a wide array of interests including playing the French Horn, sailing and he's a big fan of Formula 1 Grand Prix. I spoke to him to find out more. Rawle Austin: Can you introduce yourself to Growlersworld.com readers? Lee Travers: Yep. I work at the Court Funds Office (CFO) though currently working for a joined office, the Official Solicitor and Public Trustee (OSPT) in their Finance department. I am currently training to be an Accountant.

Previously I studied the French Horn at Trinity College of Music.

RA: You have a passion for F1 Grand Prix. How and when did this get started?

LT: My Dad has been a mechanic all of his life so there has been a motoring thread running through the family all our life. As long as I can remember we’ve always watched the Grand Prix.

My earliest vivid memory is the heartache as Nigel Mansell’s tyre spectacularly gave up nearing the end of the Australian Grand Prix screaming down the straight at Adelaide in “Red 5”, his Williams in 1986.

Had he finished he would have won the Championship but his close rival Alain Prost got it for MacLaren. RA: What attracts you to the sport? LT: Primarily, it’s the sites and sounds, the smells, the atmosphere. I remember the first time I went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, a hill climb event. We were queuing in traffic for a while on this hot summer’s day out in the country and you could hear the sound of (I think) Group B Rally Cars (Metro 6R4, Peugeot 205 T16, Ford RS200 etc.) running up the track. It echoed round the countryside like a calling to me. Beautiful moment. Motoring in general is a funny thing because on the face of it, it seems quite brutal.

But its actually such a pinnacle of refinement.

It astounds me the things that have been developed and the unreachable skill and talent that has gone into produce a car with such little tolerances and that will almost defy physics (F1 cars produce enough downforce to hold themselves to a ceiling at top speed) and then get that car round a track almost flat out time and time again for the best part for 1.5hours.

And yet something so finally tuned can be so reliable – an interesting fact that the distance Michael Schumacher drove between the last time his engine blew (Japan ’06) and the time before would be equivalent to twice round the world! Incredible reliability from Ferrari.

RA: Who’s your favourite driver and why?

LT: Of my time, I think it has to be Michael Schumacher. And that’s not some glory-hunting “I love Man U, now I love Chelsea” type answer. Michael would look into the racing much deeper than any other driver at the time.

As well as driver’s skill, he would, for example, evaluate the track on the driver’s parade rather than concentrating on waving to the crowd.

Combined with Ross Brawn he planned the whole season’s strategy as well as the tactics of the race or the operational side of driving. He basically won his first championships in ’94 and ’95 on fuel stops, because they took advantage of what they could mean to the race. The car wasn’t as good as the Williams I don’t think and Damon Hill was a comparable competitor but they missed the opportunity and paid the price for it. And a lot of English people remembered him as the guy that tussled with the “favoured Brit” at the time.

He served some time on driver safety for some of his actions, and also represented the Driver’s Association with David Coulthard (DC), which concentrated on driver safety amongst other things.

He was a competitor and looked into everything for the extra edge over the competition. Critics said that when he “stalled” in Monaco ’06 qualifying, alledgedly to spoil Alonso’s quick lap, it was deliberate and he was cheating.

My jury’s out on whether he did do it or just had a problem with the car – I’ll never know because I wasn’t in the cockpit with him – but everyone knows, and most said, that Flavio Briatori (the team boss of Renault, who criticised MS so much for trying to cheat against his driver, Alonso), would have praised him for being merely competitive had he been flying the French colours.

Of course, when it came to the race, he overtook Rubens Barrichello at the finish line because Rubens had backed off thinking it was all over. Schoolboy error!

Over the last couple of years, in-cockpit footage has showed Michael adjusting the Brake-Balance and Differential on the way round the track.

These are settings concerned with the transfer of braking and power, respectively, between the individual wheels and are adjustable through dials on the Steering Wheel.

Drivers tweak them if they’re not happy with the set-up of the car, but Michael was actively changing them regularly on the different parts of the lap to get round certain corners quicker. That really does take it to the next step. RA: What do you think about A1 Grand Prix? LT: To be honest, I’ve only watched a couple of bits – not having Sky Sports. I don’t think its in the same league and it was kind of spun to be a real competitor to F1.

Its good to have a national-type competition though and I’ll always support any type of motorsport!

RA: You also like sailing. How and when did you get into it?

LT: This is a very recent thing. My mum and Step-dad have bought a 30’ Sloop (Sailing Yacht with one main Mast) and I went out on it last year. We didn’t do a lot but the feeling of it is so strange.

You see everything from a different perspective and feel quite detached. But I could also feel the epitome of camaraderie on a competitive boat and the co-ordination that needs to go into it.

It is an amazing thing, sailing – you are employing physics to harness the difference in the energy of the tide and the wind. Again, brilliant what people have come up with!

RA: Why do you like sailing?

LT: Its serene to a certain extent and yet it can get quite brutal when its “blowing a hooligan”.

There’s so much to do and you need to have your wits about you all the time – the tide, the wind (speed and direction), the area of the sails, you need to be thinking about all of these things at once and reading ahead all the time; and that’s just getting the thing to go where you want, let alone etiquette and the rules of the river etc.

One thing I really feel in touch with is the sense of teamwork that you need to have in order to sail a boat successfully. You almost need to be intuitive and know what everyone is thinking at the same time.

RA: How often do you sail? LT: Not very much at the moment – I’m in the throws of joining Erith Yacht Club and getting out in these little Sailing Dinghies to really learn the basics. There are qualifications that you can complete (Competent Crew, Day Skipper, Yachtmaster etc) and I’d like to get on to that eventually but I’m in no real hurry at the moment! I’ve got a few other things on my plate for the time being. RA: What has been your most memorable sailing trip? LT: We had a little jaunt from Erith down to Greenhithe for a spot of lunch – under the Dartford QE2 Bridge, which was actually quite belittling in its own way. It was freezing cold and was a bit rough on the way back but I loved every minute of it.

RA: Who inspires you in the sailing community and why?

LT: Anyone who can lose site of land and still navigate successfully! Yachtmaster courses teach you triangulation through the stars.

Ellen MacAurther and all these people who’ll go it alone round the world – nutters, the lot of them!

RA: You’re a keen musican and play the French horn. Why this instrument?

LT: I picked it out of a picture of the Orchestra when I was about 4 although I’m glad I did. It makes the most beautiful sound without a doubt.

It has so many colours and flavours of tone – when soft, it can be deeply mournful or can melt the coldest of hearts with beautiful lyrical melodies. Yet when loud and broad it is majestically triumphant or lip-stiffeningly regal.

If you want to know what I mean get the London Horn Sound CD, which is a collection of musical arrangements played by 32 of London’s top professional horn-players.

It is all I listen to at the moment, the music ranges from a medley of the Titanic soundtrack, through Caravan, to Bohemian Rhapsody and Tico-Tico. Amazing!

RA: How often do you play?

LT: Well, I’m just getting back into it now as it goes. I graduated from Trinity College of Music in 2002 and stopped there and then. I’d had enough of the whole scene and wanted to concentrate on other things. Up until then I’d been playing all of my life practically.

Now, four and a half years later and I’m just getting back into the swing of things. Practicing is not neighbour-friendly sometimes (especially the noises that I’m making at the moment!) so I can’t afford the time to do too much in the evenings but I’ll get there. Its amazing what you remember actually.

RA: What’s your ultimate ambition in playing this instrument?

LT: Where do you see it taking you? Well…a few years ago and I would have loved to play at the top of the profession; that’s what I was aiming for at least. Nowadays, its for the love of it.

Amateur stems from amore so, technically, amateurs are people who do something for the love of it. I’ve got my first gig coming up in March and I’m looking forward to it.

In some ways, I’m very envious of some of the people that I knew at the time I was in college because they are playing some really good gigs and with top Orchestras, but it’s a funny life and its only really for the very committed.

There is an amazing buzz sitting on a stage playing some really good music though.

RA: What advice would you give to someone who wants to start learning to play the French horn? LT: Be patient! It’s a hard instrument to play and you have to learn and build-up so much. Your embouchure (the shape of your mouth in contact with the mouthpiece) is a ball of muscle that needs building and developing in size, strength and memory also, this just takes time. You have to learn to hold the thing and learn the fingerings (which keys to press for which notes) too obviously, but keep the basics in place and the rest will come.

Learning any instrument takes commitment but it really does pay off in the end.

I’ve been to so much of the world with Orchestras and loved every second of it, I’d happily go through it all over again.

RA: Why does music appeal to you?

LT: To be honest, I’m not entirely sure. It spans so much and comes in so many different forms it almost like an entity of its own. Its can be used for communication, enjoyment, work, to tell a story, or set the mood for one.

It has been around for thousands of years and has been equally as topical, characteristic and interesting all that time. I think I appreciate the emotions it stirs in me. It can accompany any part of your life and every part of your day.

It can be so intricate and yet so simple. And I don’t think there are any bounds to it. It has been part of my life for so long I don’t think I could do without it in one-way or another.

RA: Who’s your favourite musician and why?

LT: There are so many, I couldn’t just choose one. So, seeing as the spotlight is on me, I might take the liberty of choosing a couple if you don’t mind. First off the mark is my Horn Tutor at college, Jeff Bryant.

He’s been in the business for years and taught at Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Trinity College of Music. He’s principaled (the “Principal” is the lead player in each instrument section) every major orchestra in the country, being that of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for nearly 25 years.

The first thing you see is that he is so pleasant to be around, a real ‘charmer of a chap’ and an extremely wonderful character. He has the most magical ability at horn playing and never ever ceased to amaze me (except knowing that he would never cease to amaze me).

His tone was as pure as it gets, his articulation (“tonguing” to the layman) was faultless and his musical ability really sung from the heart. He inspired me every time I heard him and was only person that I felt I’d really let down when I left college.

Second is Freddie Mercury. When listening to his singing I think he performed every single note to its maximum and paid attention to every aspect of every song.

Listen to “The Great Pretender” on his “Mr Bad Guy” album and I mean really listen to him and you will hear that no word or note is left untouched.

He was a massive personality and this really shone through. It was such a shame that he wasn’t able to continue to perform because he really added to the history of popular music and the business is so much richer for his material. Queen were probably the only band big enough to contain him. Band-wise, it is the Beach Boys. They wrote the most amazing collection of songs and had the most brilliant sound and I love listening to them.

The band had its share of tragedy with Dennis Wilson’s premature suicide and Brian Wilson’s mental breakdown but still managed to produce 3 of the world’s best songs: Don’t Worry Baby, Lady Lynda and, of course, God Only Knows.

Finally, and most importantly, is a friend of mine (and someone I’m extremely proud to be so). She’s called Hattie Jordan and was a violinist with me in London Schools’ Symphony Orchestra and though has not continued into the music business playing-wise (she works for London Philharmonic Orchestra though) she is still a musician and will always have a special place in my heart.

She is the most wonderful person, the most beautiful girl ever to have graced my insignificance and a real inspiration to my life.

It’s a pity she didn’t continue in the playing business because I’d never seen a bowing arm like it (if she ever reads this, she’ll know what I mean….).

Ok, yes, this is a cop-out just to mention the girl that I love, but hey, it is my interview after all (and its factually correct).

RA: And finally, what last words of wisdom would you like to leave us with? LT: Were I to have any wisdom there probably wouldn’t be much room in my pea-brain to administer its inscription but I’ll give it a shot: I think life is about experiences. We only get one shot and its important to fit in as much as you can. Have the confidence to stand on your own two feet and get out and have a life.

One thing I want to do, and wished I’d done more of already, is experience all of the culture there is in the world. I will in time though and I really want to take part in more too.

Life is unfair. Period. That’s the very nature of it so get over it and move on! I’ve had my share of hard times whilst others have seemingly landed on their feet, and yet I have so much to be thankful for that others don’t.

Count your blessings for what you have and spend less time complaining about what you think you’ve missed out on. When I were a lad, if I’d spent as much time on my own life as those better off than me, I probably could’ve been better off anyway!

Be patient, and if you aren’t, learn to. I think patience is one of the two key features of a good-natured person (I don’t have enough of either as it goes). Things take time. They always have and they always will. It is a happier person who can get on with life in the meantime than the one who moans about how long its taking.

Understanding is the other key feature. Every single person is different. This is a rule that I try to live by. There are over 6 billion people in the world and no two are the same. Every reaction you make, someone may make a different one.

Every reason for (or for not) doing or saying something you can think of, there will always be more that you’ve missed. At times you have to trust that someone has not necessarily done something for what you would conceive to be the wrong reason.

Take things with a pinch of salt and find out what’s gone on before you react.

Lastly, take more pictures! Take a camera wherever you go and take pictures of as much as you can.

One thing I wished I’d done was to take more pictures when I was younger. Friends, places, nights out, tours abroad are all memories that I have precious little to remind me of. The digital age makes this much easier and quicker to sort out too.

Rawle Austin – Growler, taking a break from interviewing others, bites back>

<Paul Cowdell - The Prince of Folklore!

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