Gym Class Heroes (2012)
Interview Background
During my time editing Rip It Up magazine, we maintained a dedicated commitment to only running exclusive interviews as cover stories. By playing hardball on this with record labels, PR teams and festivals, we’d sometimes be only days from print before the right interview option presented itself. In 2012 we were keen on highlighting the annual Future Music Festival, but the publicity team had failed to offer us an interview that we felt was worthy of a cover story. At the last minute, I was offered an interview with Travis/Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, which initially seemed like a bit of a booby prize considering the festival also included names such as Jessie J, Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex and Tinie Tempah. In the end, I was blown away by the admissions and painful honesty that McCoy provided during our conversation. I went into this one with some pretty cutting questions, but I came out with the unexpected sense that this chap was a seriously conflicted individual. While I’m not a fan of McCoy’s musical output, this cover story interview taught me you should never believe the swagger and bravado of even the most successful stars.
The following is an edited version of an interview first published in Rip It Up, February 2012.
Gym Class Heroes - The Real McCoy
by Scott McLennan
Thanks to the goofy music video hubris, clowning media shots and swaggering onstage confidence, Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy has the aura of a man completely comfortable in his heavily inked skin. Interviewing the New Yorker ahead of Gym Class Heroes’ appearance at the Future Music Festival, it’s startling to find the 30-year-old at stark odds to this caricature.
Current single Ass Back Home has followed 2011’s Stereo Hearts into the Australian top five, but McCoy is short on bravado. Stung by critical condemnation, it seems not even being at the top of the charts can prevent McCoy from feeling down. Like a dog cowering in fear at the sight of his violent master, the lanky former tattooist’s voice cracks as he’s questioned about media criticisms of his musical output.
“It’s crazy how a couple of strangers can completely tear you down,” McCoy offers, his voice shaking as the emotions rise. “I’m just as human as everyone else and everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but what people fail to realise is that their own opinion can really weigh down on somebody’s self-esteem.
“I’ve kind of gone beyond that now,” he adds with a touch of uncertainty, giving voice to a wish in the hope it will come true. “I just turned 30 so I don’t let that shit get to me anymore. There is a room full of kids tonight who are willing to check out my band and that’s all that matters to me.”
One of the most overt and venomous attacks on McCoy was at the hands of former girlfriend Katy Perry. On her Teenage Dream track Circle The Drain, Perry vented about her ex beau’s drug addictions, sexual inadequacies and self-destruction. McCoy, who also addressed the failed relationship on his solo effort Don’t Pretend and called Perry “a little brat”, now tries to distance himself from Perry’s musical malice.
“Honestly, I haven’t even listened to the entire song. I’ve seen quotes from the song and whatever, but if it’s a blatant attack I’m not going to sit and wallow in it and make myself sad by listening to it. People have their opinions and it is what it is, but I’m not going to air my dirty laundry through music. Music is an outlet I’m blessed to have and I wouldn’t waste it on something as petty as an old relationship.”
In spite of McCoy’s output as both a solo act and with Gym Class Heroes filling international radio playlists, it’s obvious the vindictive reaction to his music pains him. Although constantly besieged by blows to his precarious psyche, McCoy shows a deep desire to be respected – by fellow musicians, music scribes and even faceless, spiteful bloggers. Indeed, he even suggested his 2010 move to professionally using the name Travie instead of Travis was his attempt to let listeners “that much closer to me and letting them feel… part of the family”.
In the past, McCoy abused prescription medication to try and cope with the emotional issues lurking just out of view. After arriving home from a tour of Australia supporting Gwen Stefani in 2007, the death of McCoy’s cousin saw his substance abuse rapidly escalate. The vocalist entered rehab in 2008.
“It was something I had dealt with ever since I was a kid, but I’m definitely past that phase in my life,” McCoy apprehensively says. “It is a day to day struggle and all it would take would be for me to have too many drinks and then it’s that thought, ‘One won’t hurt’, but one turns into a bazillion. I’ve got to keep myself occupied, you know? One of the main factors in falling into that drug trap is the minute I get bored I decide to numb the shit out of myself. I have to keep myself occupied as much as possible, whether it’s writing, drawing, painting or being productive. That’s been my new drug since I went to rehab and whatnot.”
The Gwen Stefani tour was Gym Class Heroes’ first experience playing to arena-sized crowds. If he’s a lost soul offstage, McCoy at least finds respite when his anxieties are drowned out by a large audience.
“I tend to spaz out a little on stage and lose myself. We’ve never been a band that has spent a heap of money on cannons, midgets and explosions and shit. Sometimes a lot of artists we play arena tours with have huge, extravagant stage set-ups with fireworks and pyrotechnics, but with Gym Class Heroes it’s just us. It’s something we embrace, the fact that we can captivate a crowd and make them have a good time without all that stuff, you know?”
For McCoy, music offers a refuge like no other. Having found solace in his father’s collection of Hall & Oates records as a child, the Gym Class Heroes frontman sounds emotional as he talks about Daryl Hall now being a mentor.
“It blows me away to even…” McCoy stops, the emotion in his throat palpable. “When we meet artists that we’re fans of and find out they’re actually fans of us it’s kind of mind-blowing. To be able to give Daryl a call whenever I feel the urge is just awesome. I have the Private Eyes album cover tattooed on my hands and I’ve been a huge fan since I was a kid.”
The interview ends and McCoy heads off to Gym Class Heroes’ soundcheck at the University Of Houston. During the humid gig later that night in the Cullen Performance Hall, McCoy expertly plays the part of the insouciant frontman filled with bravado, but in hindsight the role now seems transparent. When he later implores the crowd to give each other a hug, the man most desperately in need of a reassuring embrace is left standing solo in the spotlight glare. Alone.
The Papercut Chronicles II (Warner)
Unpublished Interview Material
From supporting Gwen Stefani and Fall Out Boy through to working with Bruno Mars and Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland, you’ve shrewdly avoided being lumped within a single musical genre.
"That’s one of the beauties about being in this band. It gives us the freedom to tour with metal bands, punk bands and then work with T-Pain or Lil Wayne and still get the same love. That’s something that a lot of bands can’t do without being persecuted by their core fan-base. From the beginning we’ve been able to jump ship and perform with whoever we want, so we’ve made a lot of different fans in a lot of different scenes by doing that. It’s awesome, it’s a good feeling."
Ass Back Home is another song talking about being displaced and missing out on regular life being on the road – is it all worth it?
"The song crosses that and deals with the lifestyle we live in a van, but it’s also speaking for the people who are working hard and are trying to find a balance. While you’re out there trying to maintain a relationship or your life at home, trying to find a balance. I feel that I’ve got better at maintaining that balance over the years, but with Ass Back Home it’s kind of the perspective of someone who’s gone all the time as well as the perspective of the person who is waiting for them at home, so that’s why the song’s so relatable."
You’re a big Supertramp fan, but are there other any soft rock bands you feel have been unfairly forgotten about?
"Oh for sure, I feel tonnes of bands from the ‘80s haven’t got their due respect. Bands and artists I still enjoy and listen to to this day include Michael Franks – I’m a huge Michael Franks fan, New Order, Duran Duran and bands like that. I could go on for days."
You’re going to be touring Australia with one of your favourites New Order, Travie – are you looking forward to having a chat?
"That would be absolutely amazing man, that would be so cool. There are a lot of acts I’m looking forward to, but New Order is definitely one of the big ones. That’s another cool thing about doing the festivals – we do our set and then for the rest of the day we can just be fans."
During my time editing Rip It Up magazine, we maintained a dedicated commitment to only running exclusive interviews as cover stories. By playing hardball on this with record labels, PR teams and festivals, we’d sometimes be only days from print before the right interview option presented itself. In 2012 we were keen on highlighting the annual Future Music Festival, but the publicity team had failed to offer us an interview that we felt was worthy of a cover story. At the last minute, I was offered an interview with Travis/Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, which initially seemed like a bit of a booby prize considering the festival also included names such as Jessie J, Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex and Tinie Tempah. In the end, I was blown away by the admissions and painful honesty that McCoy provided during our conversation. I went into this one with some pretty cutting questions, but I came out with the unexpected sense that this chap was a seriously conflicted individual. While I’m not a fan of McCoy’s musical output, this cover story interview taught me you should never believe the swagger and bravado of even the most successful stars.
The following is an edited version of an interview first published in Rip It Up, February 2012.
Gym Class Heroes - The Real McCoy
by Scott McLennan
Thanks to the goofy music video hubris, clowning media shots and swaggering onstage confidence, Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy has the aura of a man completely comfortable in his heavily inked skin. Interviewing the New Yorker ahead of Gym Class Heroes’ appearance at the Future Music Festival, it’s startling to find the 30-year-old at stark odds to this caricature.
Current single Ass Back Home has followed 2011’s Stereo Hearts into the Australian top five, but McCoy is short on bravado. Stung by critical condemnation, it seems not even being at the top of the charts can prevent McCoy from feeling down. Like a dog cowering in fear at the sight of his violent master, the lanky former tattooist’s voice cracks as he’s questioned about media criticisms of his musical output.
“It’s crazy how a couple of strangers can completely tear you down,” McCoy offers, his voice shaking as the emotions rise. “I’m just as human as everyone else and everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but what people fail to realise is that their own opinion can really weigh down on somebody’s self-esteem.
“I’ve kind of gone beyond that now,” he adds with a touch of uncertainty, giving voice to a wish in the hope it will come true. “I just turned 30 so I don’t let that shit get to me anymore. There is a room full of kids tonight who are willing to check out my band and that’s all that matters to me.”
One of the most overt and venomous attacks on McCoy was at the hands of former girlfriend Katy Perry. On her Teenage Dream track Circle The Drain, Perry vented about her ex beau’s drug addictions, sexual inadequacies and self-destruction. McCoy, who also addressed the failed relationship on his solo effort Don’t Pretend and called Perry “a little brat”, now tries to distance himself from Perry’s musical malice.
“Honestly, I haven’t even listened to the entire song. I’ve seen quotes from the song and whatever, but if it’s a blatant attack I’m not going to sit and wallow in it and make myself sad by listening to it. People have their opinions and it is what it is, but I’m not going to air my dirty laundry through music. Music is an outlet I’m blessed to have and I wouldn’t waste it on something as petty as an old relationship.”
In spite of McCoy’s output as both a solo act and with Gym Class Heroes filling international radio playlists, it’s obvious the vindictive reaction to his music pains him. Although constantly besieged by blows to his precarious psyche, McCoy shows a deep desire to be respected – by fellow musicians, music scribes and even faceless, spiteful bloggers. Indeed, he even suggested his 2010 move to professionally using the name Travie instead of Travis was his attempt to let listeners “that much closer to me and letting them feel… part of the family”.
In the past, McCoy abused prescription medication to try and cope with the emotional issues lurking just out of view. After arriving home from a tour of Australia supporting Gwen Stefani in 2007, the death of McCoy’s cousin saw his substance abuse rapidly escalate. The vocalist entered rehab in 2008.
“It was something I had dealt with ever since I was a kid, but I’m definitely past that phase in my life,” McCoy apprehensively says. “It is a day to day struggle and all it would take would be for me to have too many drinks and then it’s that thought, ‘One won’t hurt’, but one turns into a bazillion. I’ve got to keep myself occupied, you know? One of the main factors in falling into that drug trap is the minute I get bored I decide to numb the shit out of myself. I have to keep myself occupied as much as possible, whether it’s writing, drawing, painting or being productive. That’s been my new drug since I went to rehab and whatnot.”
The Gwen Stefani tour was Gym Class Heroes’ first experience playing to arena-sized crowds. If he’s a lost soul offstage, McCoy at least finds respite when his anxieties are drowned out by a large audience.
“I tend to spaz out a little on stage and lose myself. We’ve never been a band that has spent a heap of money on cannons, midgets and explosions and shit. Sometimes a lot of artists we play arena tours with have huge, extravagant stage set-ups with fireworks and pyrotechnics, but with Gym Class Heroes it’s just us. It’s something we embrace, the fact that we can captivate a crowd and make them have a good time without all that stuff, you know?”
For McCoy, music offers a refuge like no other. Having found solace in his father’s collection of Hall & Oates records as a child, the Gym Class Heroes frontman sounds emotional as he talks about Daryl Hall now being a mentor.
“It blows me away to even…” McCoy stops, the emotion in his throat palpable. “When we meet artists that we’re fans of and find out they’re actually fans of us it’s kind of mind-blowing. To be able to give Daryl a call whenever I feel the urge is just awesome. I have the Private Eyes album cover tattooed on my hands and I’ve been a huge fan since I was a kid.”
The interview ends and McCoy heads off to Gym Class Heroes’ soundcheck at the University Of Houston. During the humid gig later that night in the Cullen Performance Hall, McCoy expertly plays the part of the insouciant frontman filled with bravado, but in hindsight the role now seems transparent. When he later implores the crowd to give each other a hug, the man most desperately in need of a reassuring embrace is left standing solo in the spotlight glare. Alone.
The Papercut Chronicles II (Warner)
Unpublished Interview Material
From supporting Gwen Stefani and Fall Out Boy through to working with Bruno Mars and Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland, you’ve shrewdly avoided being lumped within a single musical genre.
"That’s one of the beauties about being in this band. It gives us the freedom to tour with metal bands, punk bands and then work with T-Pain or Lil Wayne and still get the same love. That’s something that a lot of bands can’t do without being persecuted by their core fan-base. From the beginning we’ve been able to jump ship and perform with whoever we want, so we’ve made a lot of different fans in a lot of different scenes by doing that. It’s awesome, it’s a good feeling."
Ass Back Home is another song talking about being displaced and missing out on regular life being on the road – is it all worth it?
"The song crosses that and deals with the lifestyle we live in a van, but it’s also speaking for the people who are working hard and are trying to find a balance. While you’re out there trying to maintain a relationship or your life at home, trying to find a balance. I feel that I’ve got better at maintaining that balance over the years, but with Ass Back Home it’s kind of the perspective of someone who’s gone all the time as well as the perspective of the person who is waiting for them at home, so that’s why the song’s so relatable."
You’re a big Supertramp fan, but are there other any soft rock bands you feel have been unfairly forgotten about?
"Oh for sure, I feel tonnes of bands from the ‘80s haven’t got their due respect. Bands and artists I still enjoy and listen to to this day include Michael Franks – I’m a huge Michael Franks fan, New Order, Duran Duran and bands like that. I could go on for days."
You’re going to be touring Australia with one of your favourites New Order, Travie – are you looking forward to having a chat?
"That would be absolutely amazing man, that would be so cool. There are a lot of acts I’m looking forward to, but New Order is definitely one of the big ones. That’s another cool thing about doing the festivals – we do our set and then for the rest of the day we can just be fans."
Content copyright is retained by the author unless otherwise stated. Republishing content is prohibited unless permission specifically granted by the author.
