Gavin Rossdale-'MTV 2 Large' show in MTV's Times Square studios, New York City,

MTV 2 Large Bush singer Gavin Rossdale performing on 'MTV 2 Large' on New Year's Eve in MTV's Times Square studios, 12/31/99.

MTV 2 Large Bush singer Gavin Rossdale and No Doubt's Gwen Stefani celebrate the turning of the century New Year's Eve at the 'MTV 2 Large' show in MTV's Times Square studios, New York City, 12/31/99. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect)

Live 105's NSSN (No So Silent Night) 1999, San Francisco Calif

The Science of Things -Oct 26 1999

Gavin Rossdale chats-Rolling Stone

Bush's Head Scientist Speaks
Gavin Rossdale chats candidly about his musical loves, his new album and the pressure of past success
The three years that have passed since Bush's last album, Razorblade Suitcase, may not have turned the band into a critic's darling, but their prolonged absence certainly hasn't dampened their fans' enthusiasm. Earlier this week, the band taped their appearance for an upcoming episode of VH1's Hard Rock Live, playing for a roomful of rabid Bush lovers who somehow knew all of the words to songs from an album that hasn't even been released yet.
That album, The Science of Things, is due out next Tuesday (Oct. 26), and the looming question is whether it will match the band's previous platinum-selling successes. Can Science's sexy, high-sheen rock & roll still hold sway over audiences who lately demand that their hard rock be mixed with hip-hop? Regardless, frontman Gavin Rossdale isn't losing too much sleep over it. "The only thing I think we can try to do is make a really good record," he said in his recent interview with RollingStone.com. "And you get yourself around and get yourself heard. That's all you can do."

How was the songwriting process different for this record?
I've always been the only songwriter in the band, so in that way it hasn't really ever changed. What the difference was I didn't really make demos on my own before. I would take songs in that were pretty complete, from what I was doing on guitar and singing. And then everyone would add to them. But this was fully-fledged, finished songs and stuff.

How many songs did you bring to the rest of the band?
Twenty-four songs all done. I pressed them at Abbey Road. I had two CDs, it's really cute. And then they chose seventeen they wanted to do. Obviously more of the rock songs.
I had loads of weirder songs. Slow, really slow. Sort of like Low songs, you know? The tempos like that. I'm really into that. I love really mellow, and really energetic and hard.

So what's going to happen to those other songs?
I was thinking at one stage that I wouldn't mind...[breaking off] Because I love like Mark Lanegan and I love what he does. And he's pretty inspiring how he does Screaming Trees, but he does his own really mellow stuff. Of course, Elliott Smith is great, and all his records are really mellow, top to bottom. And I thought about maybe I'd just like to just do the tour and then do my own mellow solo record kind of thing. But then I write a song and I think, 'Oh I really love that song.' And I think, 'Oh, it'd be really good to have Nigel playing on it.' And I thought, 'Well, you know, what if I do my record then I can't play those songs live, like at a proper Bush show. So I don't really know about that right now.
But then I want to do drum 'n' bass stuff. I might do it with Goldie, I might do a record with Tricky. I'd love to do a record with... I'm so excitable about things. I want to do loads of records. I think it's stifling how people every eighteen months they sort of bring out a record. And go, 'Oh please get on the radio.' What they should f---ing do is just bring out records and make music and bring it out, which I guess is the really great thing about the Internet.

How much did drum 'n' bass influence the new album?
I would've done more, I would've gone crazy with it, but my band wanted to pull me back from that a bit, which is probably quite good. But I love all the drum 'n' bass stuff. The only problem that I don't like about certain things to do with drum 'n' bass or hip-hop is, like, that's the defining factor when I'm much more of a fan of songs. Like, if you have to choose a really good song, like some of those Lamb tracks. You know, they're beautiful songs and they would really sound great if they were done any way. Everything But the Girl, when they came out with that Todd Terry stuff, and that was all the breakbeats. And I love that, but what was most important about it was the songs. I like those songs. You know, my favorite Goldie tracks are the ones where he has a chorus in there and someone singing after ten minutes.

I wish sometimes there weren't the names for things and it would just be like certain styles would suit songs, because I still think the song is the most important thing. Everyone gets so paranoid about, 'Oh, this month this is in and next month that's out. You're not Brit-pop and you shouldn't be this.' And how 'bout, 'Rock is dead.' And 'Boy bands are awake and alive and kicking.' And it's just all bull----. It's all bull----. It's all about is it a good song and are you communicating a good collection of words. Are you communicating something and does it mean something? And I want to use all those influences. I love Bob Marley and I love the Jesus Lizard. I wanna do all of it together. I love Beenie Man and I love, I don't know, Beenie Woman.

Has drum 'n' bass always been an influence?
I always loved it. Because the radio in England is so shitty. The only radio stations that I could ever listen to apart from certain shows on Radio One at night time was all the pirate stuff. I mean the best radio stations that operate from some tower block somewhere and you tune in. Because I didn't understand house music. I hated it. It was the end of me going out a lot really. I just hated it because I just thought it was so insensitive. And then, it's only people like the Aphex Twin and Underworld who got me back into it.

Other than incorporating those influences, how is the new record different?
It's just more textured, more time taken, and maybe the subject matter is more varied. I mean, there's songs about pollution, there's a song about the stigma of HIV. There are songs about communication. There are songs about sexual love, lost love, all those kind of human things. There's a song about travel. I just tried to have a rounded record. I wanted to do Rumours. That was my basis for this album.

Do you ever feel like the media focuses too much on insignificant aspects of your career?

I think they focus on the inevitable ones. I think it's nanve to think that they wouldn't want to know who you're dating and the sort of salacious things that go on. And it's a bit self-righteous to turn around and say, 'Why don't you listen to the music, man?' It's such a boring turnaround. No, ask me about my love life, that's fine. I might not tell you, but I understand that. I'm not a genius, I'm not Einstein, but I'm not that dumb.

Nothing really bothers me anymore. I kind of went through it all and I learned some hard lessons and sometimes it was a bit tough because at first you do take it personally. But then you realize that you just kind of have to separate yourself a bit. But, then again, a good review is always nice to hear. [laughs] My new motto is I don't care now what they say. I'd do interviews and I'd wanna qualify myself of justify things. Now, I don't care. Well, I do care, but I'm just more guarded now.

What would you say is the short term goal for Bush?
The plan really is to give the record the status it deserves and work it the degree we have to work it in order for it to be heard. There's such competition, there's such traffic culturally on every level. It was so cool to have a band in the Sixties because there was nothing else for people to do. It was either that or go to a soda fountain shop and sit there and eat ice cream and if there was a cool rock and roll band, that was it. Now everyone's so jaded, and so, 'Oh god, oh I'd much rather watch my DVDs or play on my Nintendo or go to a great gallery or go on the Internet. There's so many other things, forgetting the fact that there's also ten thousand million squillion bands. So I think the short term plan will be to give the record The Science of Things the illumination it deserves.
Do you feel like you're a person who has a lot of songs in you?
I feel like a person with a lot of opinions when I bother to ask myself the questions. I'm not one of those burning, like I asked Elvis Costello, and I was like, "you really piss me off. What is it like to wake up and just have to write a song? How does that work?" and he was like, "No, no, I have to work really hard on my songs."
I just like writing songs. It's like, sometimes every now and again I really like to go on a run and sweat and I feel like I need that cathartic thing. Sometimes it's really good to write a song because you just feel like, if you're a songwriter then you're not faking it, you're not coasting.
But you're happy with how this record turned out?
Yeah. Your records could always be better. I'm not usually satisfied with things and I always think we could do better with things. But I guess the day you think you're really great is the day you start bringing out the turkeys. Like, here's another Thanksgiving Dinner. So I like that sort of forward thinking thing. And it's just a challenge. I'm not a good enough musician so that when I write a song it comes a place of discovery more than a place of "Hmm, I'll try plan J today." It's sort of a voyage of finding things out. And that's how I like it.

JENNY ELISCU
(October 22, 1999)

Posted Oct 22, 1999 12:00 AM

Gavin Rossdale Interview with NY Rock

“I memorize the basics,” croons Bush vocalist Gavin Rossdale in the opening line of the band’s recent release The Science of Things. And despite some claims that the band has turned from alternative rock to electronica, the members of Bush certainly have not forgotten the basics of a good rock album: Strong captivating vocals, loud guitars and thoroughly addictive hook lines.
NYROCK:
There was a lot of talk about your lawsuit with Trauma Records. You guys were pretty upset....
GAVIN:
Basically, we kept knocking on their door and got no reaction at all. After a while we really got fed up with it. We felt like we've got to beg them to release the album and told them that given the reaction we get from them – which was basically no reaction at all – we might not release our album with Trauma.
NYROCK:
A pretty normal reaction, given that you were one of their major bread winners.
GAVIN:
I don't think that we were out of order. I think we had a pretty normal and civilized reaction and then all of a sudden we got slapped with a lawsuit from Trauma. They wanted to sue us for 40 million dollars because we didn't deliver the album, so of course we had to counter sue.
NYROCK:
Not exactly one of the coziest situations, but it was resolved....
GAVIN:
We finished recording and showed them the album. A few days later we had the new contract. Imagine it. We've been fighting for about a year and in less than a week it was all resolved. That's so crazy but I guess that's what happens if there is no real communication.
NYROCK:
Looking at it in retrospect, was it a blessing in disguise or just aggravation for nothing?
GAVIN:
I think the only meaning behind it is that a couple of lawyers made a lot of money. Some magazines had cheap headlines and that's the end of it now. The only people who benefit from lawsuits are lawyers. I think we made a couple of them rich. I can only hope that they toast us – we'd deserve it. I guess we sponsored a couple of nice condos.
NYROCK:
I thought it was odd that after your last tour, the rest of the band relaxed, but you worked on the new album. Sounds like a manic workaholic....


Bush: (L to R) Robin Goodridge (drums), Dave Parsons (bass),Gavin Rossdale (vocals), Nigel Pulsford (guitar)

GAVIN:
I'm not a workaholic but I was a bit manic, I have to confess. After all, we had the tour and it was pretty stressful. As much as we all love playing live, it's not normal to be on the road all the time, to have no home. The only way you can talk to friends is on the phone. I see myself as a songwriter and I hadn't really written songs for a while. I had a couple of ideas but I just didn't get time to turn them into songs.
NYROCK:
Writing songs was a form of therapy?
GAVIN:
Yes, almost. I needed to write songs. I needed to get the songs out otherwise I think I couldn't have relaxed. It was pretty good to be away from everything for a while. I could write songs and I could find myself again, get things back into perspective. I really needed it.
NYROCK:
Bush is the type of band that doesn't seem to leave anyone cold. There are the devoted Bush fans and pretty vicious enemies.
GAVIN:
At least we're getting a reaction. I thought about it quite a bit and came to the conclusion that any reaction is better than none. After all, there are enough people out there who like us, so I think it's pretty normal that there are a lot of people out there who don't like us. Probably a lot of the people who really don't like us don't really know anything about us. They just see that there is a successful band and they think that's reason enough to hate us. Such is life and I can't change it; so why should I beat myself up over it?
NYROCK:
Sounds like you've got it all in perspective and don't let it get to you....
GAVIN:
It's really funny; there are critics who seem to downright hate us but we never meet them. The guys who decide that I'm just an arrogant, pretty face, where are they? I only read their articles but I can't recall that I ever met them. For some critics we might be uncool on account of our popularity. They consider themselves too hip to share the taste of their audience. They try so hard to be hipsters. They try to prove that their taste is too refined to like what others like. Sorry, but I have a hard time taking them seriously.
NYROCK:
Is your confidence a result of your steady success?
GAVIN:
I tell you what; it's pretty hard to make out what's going to be a commercial success and what's not. I don't know what's important for the people out there who're going to buy the album. I always wrote about things that were important to me and I think our past success showed that it was also important for a lot of others. There are so many things that are out of your control. I mean we're always trying to give our best and we're always trying to make the best records we can possibly make, but what if the people don't like it? What if they decide it's shit? To be in a band, especially in a successful band means to deal with your doubts on a daily basis. It can be pretty hard and merciless.
NYROCK:
I don't doubt that, but it sure beats painting offices like you did before you had your break.
GAVIN:
Ha, ha, yes, that it does. But it's on a different level now. I love what I'm doing – most of the time – but it's still hard work. The people out there only see your albums in the charts. They see us at award shows and after-show parties. They don't know anything about your doubts, about the hard work that goes in. They see that you're a star and that you party. But I don't know any musician who got to the top without hard work. Take whoever you want, Marilyn Manson, Billy Corgan. They all work bloody hard, harder than you think they do. But a hard-working musician isn't really spectacular so you hardly ever read about that part.
NYROCK:
With all the hard work that goes into it, where is there time to find inspirations?
GAVIN:
Wherever you look there are inspirations, books, literature, paintings, landscapes, everything. I'm not blind and there's something everywhere. Just living is an inspiration. My way of dealing with it is through songs because I'm a songwriter. Sometimes I wish I could try my hand with some other things but in the end I just end up writing another song. My songs are my answers, or maybe not even answers, my reflections… Reflections of the impressions I get daily, reflections about how fucked up the world often is.
NYROCK:
Speaking of which, you played at Woodstock '99....
GAVIN:
A lot of it was really fucked up, I agree. I wasn't in the audience and as an artist you're pretty sheltered backstage. You often don't know what's going on out there. I thought it was a great concept, a great chance for the kids to have their own Woodstock and the chance to see a lot of bands. I grew up with the myth of Woodstock and my generation never had anything like it. But I was pretty shocked to find out what went on, especially the rapes. What shocked me even more was the fact that girls were raped by security guards. It would be wrong to damn everybody who was there. I think a lot of the kids just came to see a concert. Of course, that doesn't make it any better for the girls who were raped. It's sick. But rape happens everywhere, and don't get me wrong, I'm not defending rape at all, I'm just saying that it's a terrible fact that rape seems to be such a part of our society, that women have to be scared of getting raped – that's pretty fucked up.

CHECK OUT INTERVIEW HERE

Susan Sarandon and Gavin Rossdale present the award for Best Female video during the 1999 MTV Music Video Awards

Susan Sarandon and Gavin Rossdale present the award for Best Female video during the 1999 MTV Music Video Awards held at the Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center in New York City on September 9, 1999. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect)

Gavin Rossdale-Source Hip-Hop Music Awards

Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of rock band Bush performs on the east stage Friday night at Woodstock '99

Gavin Rossdale, lead singer of rock band Bush performs on the east stage Friday night at Woodstock '99 in Rome, New York at Griffiss AFB Park for the 30th Anniversary concert. They are among over 45 bands performing on one of four stages July 23-25. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect)
Bush - Zen


Bush - Machinehead (Live in Woodstock 99)

Comedown-Woodstock 99

Little Things-Woodstock 99

Glycerine-Woodstock 99

Swallowed- live_woodstock99

The One I Love (REM cover) - Woodstock 99

40 Miles From The Sun

Gavin Rossdale of Bush Performing at Glastonbury Festival

Gavin Rossdale-Soccer six at Chelsea FC

Gavin Rossdale/Bush Getting Ready

by Malcolm Hubbard
Hit Parader
1999

It's taken him nearly five years, and the run-away success of his band's first two albums, but ever-so-slowly Gavin Rossdale has begun to grow more comfortable with the notion of stardom. While Bush's charismatic vocalist/guitarist may never be totally happy to see his handsome face plastered on magazine covers or to hear talk of his off-stage relationships filling gossip wires, Rossdale has learned how to live within the often intrusive light of success. After all, what other choice foes he have? With sales for Bush's first two releases - Sixteen Stone and Razorbalde Suitcase - nearing the ten million level, and work on the band's next studio disc, The Science of All Things now nearing completion, Mr. Rossdale knows full-well that his lot in life - at least for the foreseeable future - has now been cast in hard rock. and, as he is the first to admit, despite the near - constant intrusions, the occasionally harsh critical reactions, and the total lack of privacy, it's really not that bad a life at all. Recently we caught up with the hyperactive Rossdale to learn about the latest happenings in the always fascinating world of Bush.

Hit Parader: After the success of Bush's first two-ablums, does working on a new one present a unique set of problems?

Gavin Rossdale: I would say that each album presents different problems. We're still a relatively yound band, so in many ways we're still learning our craft. We only have two albums that have been completed, and that is not an overwhelming body of work. But we learn quickly, and we're certainly not afraid to take a few chances. I like to feel that the greatest problem we may face is matching our own expectations.

HP: What are your expectations this time?

GR: To make music that is exciting and challenging to both of us and to our ffans. I think that we've found out what our strengths are over the last few years, but that doesn't mean that we must always play to those strengths. There is no challenge if the goal is merely to recreate the sound - and with it, the success - of earlier efforts.

HP: Has success been everything you've dreamed it would be?

GR: It's very hard to say. At times we work so hard that it's difficult to really appreaciate all that we've accomplished. Up until the last album came out, I didn't even have a place to live. We were so busy on the road, and working on new music that I hadn't even thought about something as basis as that.

HP: Being on the road all the time must play havoc with your personal relationships.

GR: It can. Before the first album came out I has been going out with the same woman for a number of years. i felt that we had quite a solid relationship. But I went on the road, toured the world, and when I came back, she had just split. All the attention, and all the idle talk that surrounded us just apparently got to her. It was very strange. I came back to London that first time with a hit album, and I felt like was living in a graveyard. Some parts of my life had really come together, while at the exact same time, others had fallen apart.

HP: Was that a harsh lesson to learn?

GR: Yes, in some ways it was. But you just go on, you learn to live with it. I've been making music long enough to know that you have tomake sacrifices for it. I put in seven years of making music without any sort of recognition before things started to break for this band. I'm glad now that I didn't know how long it would take - I might have freaked out and forgotten about the whole thing. But in the late '80's I was really into the whole lifestyle. I was only 17, and I was living this hwole sort of misguided commune sort of thing. There were always so many people around - so many other musicians - that making music was just the natural thing to do.

HP:When you hear people refer to you as a "sex symbol" how do you react?

GR: Ususally I laugh. How are you supposed to react to something like that? I guess you could just say "thank you" abd walk away. But hopefully any sexual attitude that surrounds the band stems more from the music we make than from the way I look. I've heard that the sexual aspect of rock and roll have really been missing in the '90's and that we're one of the first bands that tried to put them back in there. I think that's a very good thing.

HP: Do you ever worry that fans don't repsond tot he true power of Bush's music because of the way you look?

GR: I don't know if your necessarily need to look a certain way to play powerful music. There have been so many different artists over the decades who've made great music and their looks have covered the entire spectrum. perhaps we have gotten the back hand treatment from some segments of the media because of our appearance, and because of the frenzy that our music creates, but that's alright. I don't think I could ever live with the concept of pleasing everybody. I enjoy having a bit of love/hate relationship. I think that a lot of people have come to either love what I do - or hate it. I like that.

HP: As you toured the world over the years, have you sensed the growing tide of "Bush-mania"?

GR: It does seem as id the hysterical reactions we sometimes get now occur virtually everywhere we go. Even after the first album was hit in America, there were places we could go where we were still virtually unknown. That's not truw anymore. Now that kind of reaction follows up everywhere.

HP: Is that reaction suffocating?

GR: As times it is. Being a musician you lead a strange life to begin with. You're awake when most of the world is asleep, and you're asleep when most of the world is awake. Then, when you run the risk of becoming a virtual prisoner in your hotel because there are people waiting for you in the lobby, life can take on certain surrealistic overtones. You've got to strive to lead as normal a life as possible - though as times that is virtually impossible when you're on the road. Still, it's wuite an inexpensive price to pay for all the benfits we've received.

HP: Have you been satisfied with the kind of reaction that your music has received?

GR: All I can say is that we are all quite pleased with the albums - perhaps even more so now than when we first recorded them. After the success of the first one we had to decide exactely in which direction to go; whether to stay in the same musical vein, or to strike out in new directions. I think we hit upon a very nice compromise. I know that we may never be a critic's band - any group that enjoys a great deal of commerical success seems to be naturally hated by critics - but the fans seem happy with what we've done. That, and the fact that we're quite satisfied makes me very content.

Gavin Gives it Up-Rolling Stone 1999

by Lou Carlozo
Chicago Tribune
1997

LEAD SINGER IS BUSHED BUT HE TAKES TIME TO WRITE

For weeks, KidNews reporter Lou Carlozo chased after Gavin Rossdale, lead singer for British rock band Bush. When he caught up with Gavin, the dude was on tour in Europe and exhausted. But after hearing about his many KidNews fans, Gavin wrote back, answering Lou's questions about life on the road, his fave bands and how success changed his world. So now, straight from Gavin...

Dear KidNews Readers:

Firstly, a big hello from a tired, ragged and hoarse-throated singer deep in the midst of Northern Europe. Stockholm, Sweden, at this point in the European tour is all sold out, and the shows are hot, sweaty and exactly how they should be. Anyhow, I've been asked a bunch of questions. I'll do my best. ... here we go. If I wasn't playing music I don't know what I'd be doing because music has always been my love, and even thinking about another career would have felt unfaithful. But if pushed, I'd hope it would be something creative, fun and personally rewarding -- money has never been an incentive outside of basic necessities. It seems that any band's success relies on a connection with its audience. For some, it's the excitement of the music, for others the lyrics, and hopefully it's the combination. Every night that we play, no matter where we are in the world, I see people losing themselves in what we do. Bands should provoke you, leaving you with more than you arrived with somehow... some effect, some emotion -- it doesn't matter what, it's all about feeling. And, therefore, the idea that alternative music is on the way out is maybe only an indication that too many alternative bands are not affecting people. I like many different types of music. The common link between them all is that, for me, they're all from the heart. My favourite bands range from Shellac, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus Lizard, Bob Marley, Pixies, Nirvana, Hole to Tricky, NIN, Tupac, Spain and Chet Baker to name just a few. I suppose the hardest thing about being in Bush is simply to be away all the time -- hotel rooms can be lonely. And obviously if you sell a few records apparently you become a target for the critics. People get really brave at their word processor. When they get personal or manically subjective it'd be good to meet them face to face. But if only... My life obviously revolves around music, so going to see bands is what I like to do with my friends. Obviously, seeing my friends is a bit of a luxury in itself. It's pretty strange what can happen after selling a few records. Obviously people treat you well, but usually you can spot the suckers a mile off. If not, well, life is too short and since there's not even enough time for the real good people in our lives, there's little room for the backstabbers. Though of course being a Scorpio, I can't help fixating on revenge sometimes.

Left to right: Gavin Rossdale, Nigel Pulsford, Dave Parsons, and Robin Goodridge.

Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani attend the 40th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Arista Records Pre-GRAMMY Party

Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani attend - Scream 2 Hollywood Premiere

Interview with Gavin Rossdale & Nigel Pulsford of Bush

Robin Goodridge, Gavin Rossdale, Dave Parsons, Nigel Pulsford

December 1997
In the U.S., the members of Bush require bodyguards to protect them from legions of crazed fans, while their fellow countrymen in the U.K. have only just begun to forgive them for making it big across the Atlantic, where many Britpop acts fail miserably. With the release of Deconstructed, on which Bush’s single hits were remixed by the créme de la créme of mix-wizards such as Goldie, Tricky and Philip Steir, Bush’s success continues to climb...

Your tour was completely sold out. How do you feel about being America’s darlings?

We love playing live and I think every kid who plays an instrument always has that dream in his head to tour the States one day. You grow up dreaming about the mythos of Route 66. When you’re actually on tour you soon find out that there is absolutely nothing glamorous about sitting in a tour bus for eight hours straight.

It was exhausting. Sometimes I just felt like I couldn’t do another gig. Then I went on stage and man, the audience, the feedback. It was like touching raw energy. When you go on stage, the adrenaline starts pumping and takes over. You get the feedback from the fans and you want to give your best. I can’t describe it. Playing live is so much more rewarding than being in a studio. Some guys love to be in studios and they love the recording process, to see how a song or an album gets put together. Fair enough, but it’s not for me.

You haven’t been releasing any new singles to speak of, and yet you worked on a remix album...
Bush Gavin Rossdale
In the States, we've reached a stage where we needed to create a certain vacuum. We don’t even manage to escape the fist album Sixteen Stones because people refuse to stop playing the singles of the first album. We’re in a position where we can’t release any new singles because there isn’t enough room for any new singles.

Also, it was an interesting idea, to try and mix two completely different genres, maybe influence the whole dance and techno scene with some good old fashioned rock. In a way, they are the old singles, but remixed they’ve got a completely different slant which is certainly interesting.

Bush is a British band, but you started out in the U.S. and then became one of the most successful British bands in the last 10 years. What made you decide to start in America?

It was not so much a decision we made. It was more or less the only chance we had. We started out in England in ’92, and I had already had two contracts with two different record companies. The singles didn’t sell, and nobody wanted to touch me anymore. I was sort of “damaged goods.” The companies were very aware of us, and we had a good reputation as a live band, but there were rumors around like: “Yes, he used to be good but you never know.” “He didn’t sell.” “He might have potential but maybe the boy is already burned out.” All the typical music biz crap and gossip. Our live gigs were always sold out, but we didn’t have a record contract, and from playing live you can’t survive, certainly not in England. We used to work in daytime jobs and play gigs at night. It was very exhausting and tiring. When Rob Kahane saw us and offered us a contract, we didn’t think twice. It was more or less, “Yeah, if they want us in the States, of course we’ll go!” We recorded our first CD, Sixteen Stone, with a small budget and never dreamed that we would enjoy such a huge success. It was simply fantastic, but it was also a long and hard way to get there.

For a while it looked pretty desperate. We had our contract and invested basically the whole budget and every single penny we owned into the album. We wanted to record a great album. It was a make or break situation, but we decided to risk it all and it paid out in the end. Even if it was really difficult for a while. Most of the members of Trauma died in a helicopter crash and those who survived didn’t like the album and didn’t want to release it because they thought it would flop. Some prints found their way to K-ROQ in L.A. and then it was pretty clear that it wouldn’t flop and they had to release it. But before it was released we had over eight months of discussions and negotiations whether it should be released or not. We tried to extract the album, to buy it back from them and all that, and it looked almost hopeless for a while.

In Europe it took a good deal longer for you to break through. How do you explain that? Do you sound “too American” for the European audience?

We didn’t realize that it was such a big deal that our record was coming out in America. You know, good or bad, it was a big deal. If people didn’t like it, they fucking hated it. In fact, it wasn’t so hated. Spin gave us a good review and Rolling Stone gave us a terrible review and we were still number one in their readers’ poll.

Also, in Europe we got blamed for our popularity in the States. And then it was fashionable to dis us. We were successful, that means an easy target. It really got to me for a while. It was the fact that we are British and preferred American rock. I never made a secret out of the fact that I don’t like Britpop. Come on, Britpop isn’t really music. When we started playing together as a band it was just the time when all the nationalistic crap in England started. You know the whole Britpop movement and we really didn’t fit in there. They tried to free themselves from the “American influences,” didn’t like U.S. guitar rock. Just funny everywhere we go we’re an English band -- and I’m not being nationalistic here, not like some other bands who blast the “proud to be British” stuff and do all that flag waving thing. But that’s all in the past now. It just took us a bit longer in Europe, but I think it’s healthier anyway.

Gavin, how do you feel about being 30? All grown up and mature now?
Age is a state of mind and 30 is just another number, nothing more and nothing less. Life is all about what you do with it, what you pack in and not about how much time has passed. What you did with your time is what really counts. Sometimes I wish I’d be 19 again, but I’m not sure that I’d survive again. Sometimes I feel 19 again and that’s fair enough. As long as I still get carded for cigarettes and booze I’m not too worried. Music has nothing to do with age and music has always been what pulled me through. I used to be scared but I’m not anymore. I think I’m just about as old as I feel. Sometimes I feel 100 but the next day I feel like a teenager again. I’ve met some 16-year-olds who were mature, some 40-year-olds who were still young at heart and some people who were barely 20 and already old. Age is a state of mind.
Are you OK now with being a sex symbol? A while ago you seemed a bit annoyed.
Nothing I can do about it anyway. It’s flattering and it’s certainly great for my ego. All the attention can be annoying and some of the mail I get... I think there is certainly something wrong with people who send me their worn underwear or pornographic photographs. It really doesn’t do anything for me. But I also get some of the most beautiful poems. That’s amazing. Sometimes I have days where I avoid mirrors, but everybody’s got those days. I don’t think I’m different from anybody else.
Being a sex symbol, I actually don’t even know what that means. I always thought Cohen was one hell of a sexy guy and look at him, wowee, he got laid well. I think he’s had some of the most interesting and beautiful women. Or Bob Dylan, the guy just had that certain something. Hendrix too. The way he moved, the way he played his guitar. It wasn’t a smooth sexiness. Their music and their lyrics were sexy. I’ve always been a sucker for great lyrics. It’s OK if I get compared with them. I feel flattered, more than flattered.
But you know what? Remember the Cohen song "Chelsea Hotel #2"? When he sings, “You told me again you’d prefer handsome men, but for me you’d make an exception” or “We’re ugly but we have the music,” I thought that was a bit cheap. He knew that he was a great looking guy and he was just playing it down, but then who the hell am I to judge? He probably was just fishing for compliments and we all need reassurance from time to time. I’m having my days where I feel awful, horrible. But that’s something everybody has.


by Gabriella
source.

Deconstructed (Bush album)-Released November 11, 1997

info-click here

MTV MOVIE AWARDS

Gavin Rossdale,lead singer of the rock group Bush,performs at the MTV Movie Awards.This event occurred in the Barker Hanger at Santa Monica Airport

MTV Movie Awards

Bush

April 24, 1997
The Rosemont Horizon
Rosemont, IL
A Review by Marty McSnegg


I walked up to the Horizon expecting to see a mixed crowd of teenagers and young adults, but I was assaulted by a view of purely pubescent throngs. I felt really old until I finally caught sight of the Dude on the Right - I always feel young around him. Anyway, after a few comments with him I departed for my seat before the concert began. All the while I was sitting there I kept thinking that the possibilities of statutory rape did not look good to me so I kept my eyes from focusing on any particular person. Luckily for me the lights went down quickly and Veruca Salt hit the stage, but I'll get to them later.
Bush was the headliner, and when 9 o'clock came around the band strolled on stage and the crowd of hormonal females immediately began to wail for Gavin Rossdale, Bush's lead singer, and Gavin played those young girls well, so well in fact that it almost made me sick how he would strut across the stage to the platforms set up just so he could get more screams. This is nothing against Bush, I just think Gavin, whether intentionally or not, played it up too much.

Anyway, the boys of Bush came out of the blocks racing with two songs from "Razorblade Suitcase," including their first single from that CD called "Swallowed." Now, I admit that I have both "Razorblade Suitcase" and "Sixteen Stone" at home, and this night the band had a very tight sound that was true to their releases, all except for the fact that they tended to extend almost every song ending so that Gavin could throw a palsy-like fit that would set the girls in the crowd screeching so loud that my eardrums nearly burst. The endings were cool, but I could really do without the hearing loss.



Over the course of the concert Bush played all of its big hits from both CD's including "Machinehead," "Comedown," "Everything Zen," and a fantastic solo performance of "Glycerine" by Gavin. While the night held a couple of surprises for the crowd, the band got one as well.

As the intro to "Cold Contagious" started, Gavin's microphone fizzled and needed to be replaced. Rather than stop playing, the band just kept jammin' an extended intro while doing a very good cover-up for the road crew so that they could wire up a new mic. I was impressed the band didn't bail, but I guess that's why they get paid the big bucks.

Now maybe the band was surprised at the technical problem, but the surprise for me came when the band covered the Rolling Stones classic, "Wild Horses." The young crowd didn't seem to recognize it, but I grew up with my brothers and sisters listening to the Stones and this was always one of my favorites. Personally I found it a little strange, Bush covering a Stones song, but overall it was a treat.

The night was starting to come to a close, the band left the stage, and after an insufferably long break before the encore (about 7 minutes), Bush finally returned to a deafening high-pitched scream. Three songs later, including the songs "Swallowed" and "Little Things," the show was done.

I thought the entire show was good by most standards, but was a little disappointed that the rest of the band, that is all except Gavin, showed little enthusiasm throughout the entire show. Gavin though, had this amazing talent of showing tons of enthusiasm while still maintaining his brooding character that could just provoke depression in the teenagers. I don't know if that's too difficult, though, the depression part, because wasn't it Bart Simpson who said "Making teenagers depressed is like shooting fish in a barrel?" Me, I just wanted to walk up to Gavin and tell him to turn his frown upside-down - life's not that bad.

Well, Bush played around 18 songs and kept the crowd screaming and moshing for nearly two hours. Overall I give Bush TWO THUMBS UP for keeping the crowd happy, but I would really like to see more excitement from the rest of the band rather than it just being the "Gavin" show. They've got the talent, let them showcase it.

http://www.entertainmentavenue.com/concert_hall/reviews/b/bush/bu042497.htm

Gavin Rossdale of Bush Elizabeth Glasser Pediatric Aids Foundation

Gavin Rossdale (right) and Dave Parsons from the Rock Band Bush Performing Live

British band Bush storming U.S. charts

December 8, 1996
Web posted at: 9:45 a.m. EST

From Correspondent Mark Scheerer

NEW YORK (CNN) -- What band has the best-selling new British import in the United States in over a decade?

If you guessed Oasis, you're wrong. It's a band still struggling for critical acclaim and mainstream recognition: Bush.

The critics hate them. Hardly anybody in England even recognizes them. Yet their American fans have made them the darlings of MTV and radio. And for the second straight week they've got the No. 1 album in America.

Part of that success comes from "Swallowed," the first single from Bush's second album, "Razorblade Suitcase," a term lead- singer Gavin Rossdale uses for what writers carry when they come to profile the band.

"'Razorblade Suitcase' alludes to the fact that people always come to me, to the band, with a massive agenda already written," Rossdale says.

Take the recent Spin magazine cover story. The headline captures the critical establishments' take on Bush: "The lead singer's got the look ... the band, well, they're just Nirvana-wannabees.". QuickTime movie of Bush in concert)
"It's a compliment. I mean, if I'd been compared to, I dunno, Mariah Carey: 'Mariah Carey-wannabees,' I'd just be destroyed," Rossdale says.

The people's choice

But forget the critics. Bush was the people's choice at the recent MTV Video Awards.

"You know, we've never had much media hype or anything like that, so this is much more real in that sort of way," says bass player Dave Parsons. "So yeah, winning the viewer's choice is like amazing."

"It's the best one," adds Rossdale. "It's the one voted for by the people."


Their first album, "Sixteen Stone," sold more than 5 million copies in the U.S., where rock radio and MTV gave Bush a big push. They've outsold rival British rockers Oasis in America, but are far less well-known in England.

All that aside, Rossdale still gets the full gossip-column treatment these days. He's been linked to Courtney Love of Hole and Gwen Stefani of No Doubt, to name a few.

But like No Doubt's hit song, "Don't Speak," Rossdale takes a very silent posture about his love life.

"My status is that being in this band and traveling around the world has destroyed that side of my life," he says. "I understand people want to know things, but the speculative stuff and the rumors, it's just really hard."

But all things considered, things are pretty easy now for these four lads from the London suburb of Shepherd's Bush.

Razorblade Suitcase released Nov 19 1996

Info-click here

Gwen and Gavin in LA 1996 Oct 21

Gavin Rossdale/BushLive at Pinkpop 1996, Landgraaf, Netherlands - May 27, 1996

Bush - Little Things @ Pinkpop 1996

Bush - Everything Zen @ Pinkpop 1996

Bush - Glycerine @ Pinkpop 1996

Bush - Bomb @ Pinkpop 1996

Gavin Rossdale and fellow Bush band mates

Gavin Rossdale on the Cover of Rolling Stone April 18 1996