ACCESS MAGAZINE DECEMBER 1996
Bushx: The Boy In The Band
By Steve Warden
Taken from ACCESS MAGAZINE December 1996, Issue #21
Laguana Beach, California. As the glamorous singer for one
of the hottest new rock acts of the decade, Gavin Rossdale
of Bushx is the sort of red-hot celebrity you'd expect to
be spending his down time in Los Angeles hanging around the
Viper Room with Johnny Depp and Kate Moss or cavorting with
scantily-clad models poolside at Chateau Marmont.
Instead, Rossdale has decamped to a spectacular, five-star
oceanfront resort in Laguana Beach, a 90-minute drive south
of LA where rich Republicans swim, surf and tool around in
Cadillacs and big German sedans. Out of place, but
virtually anonymous as a result, the reluctant rock star is
attemptimg to catch his breath inbetween a whirlwind tour
to hype the new Bush album Razorblade Suitcase, the
anxiously awaited followup to the British bands 1994
multi-platinum Sixteen Stone, and a concert tour of New
Zealand and Australia.
The 27 (error, 29) year old Londoner is not only Bush's
photogenic frontman (the other band members are guitarist
Nigel Pulsford, bassist Dave Parsons and drummer Robin
Goodridge) but also its main creative force, solely
responsible for the bands music and lyrics. As such,
everybody wants a piece of him: media, industry and fans,
especially girls. Face it, the guy's a star. He's tall and
handsome, if not dark, and, in fact, incredibly nice. So
even if you're no seduced by his looks, he's capable of
charming hte pants off you. And if his charm and his looks
don't make an impression, then his music might. It
certainly did with the six or seven million people who
bought Sixteen Stone.
The meteoric rise of Bust (or Bushx their silly moniker in
Canada due to a conflict with the old, defunt band led by
guitarist Domenic Troiano) was one of the biggest stories
in music last year, with hits like 'Everything Zen',
'Glycerine' and 'Machinehead' dominating rock radio, and
Rossdale's gorgeous mug splashed on the front of several
major magazines (including a contentious Rolling Stone
cover, about which we'll speak later).
It wasn't all wine and roses. Critics carved up the band,
dismissing them as British Nirvana wannabes. There were
endless months of international touring, followed
immediately by the writing and recording of the new album.
No wonder Rossdale has retreated to the beach to recharge
his batteries for a few days.
But even here, in the midst of his mini-vacation, the lad's
hard at work: checking artwork for the album, consulting
with his label on release details and enduring yet another
visit from the nosy media. Still, Rossdale is gracious and
well-mannered to a fault, if a little reticent, as we begin
our noon-hour chat over Bloody Marys.
SW: Congratulations on getting this new album done.
GR: Thank you, I did make it= just, by the skin of my
teeth. I sometimes wonder how I managed to write those
songs, but I'm happy. I mean, originally I was going to get
two-and-a-half months to write. And then a five week tour
turned into a three-and-a-half month tour, so it kind of
made it a little bit tricky with writing.
SW: Well, it was supposed to come out next spring, right?
And then it was pushed up. So why did that happen?
GR: We had the time booked with Steve Albini (producer of
Razorbalde Suitcase and acclaimed know-twiddler for
Nirvana, the Pixies and the Breeders, among others). We did
it in three weks, and we came out, played it and everybody
was like, let's bring it out. And that was the problem,
really. Everyone thought it was going to be early next year
and we'd have time to do stuff and kick back. Instead, it's
just been like crazy, crazy, crazy.
SW: What effect did the rush have on the record, if any?
GR: Probably helped it... what, instead of having that two
and a half months off? I probably would've been happier and
easier-going. I mean, I just would've had more time to rest
as opposed to being, you know, shattered. But, like
anything, it's the way it's meant to be. I don't sit here
and think that I wish I had more time to craft this and
that. I mean, I don't see this as the last record I ever
make. So it's just the second record I've made.
SW: Is it true that people tried to dissuade you from using
Steve Albini?
GR: Yeah, I think even my milkman told me not to use Steve
Albini. I went to buy a paper the other morning, and the
guy said to me. 'You know, I really respect what you're
doing, but I can't believe you'd bother to make a record
with Steve Albini- you can't hear the vocals.' You just
have to follow your heart, I wanted to do my first record
with Albini. I've always wanted to do a record with him. I
mean, I never thought I'd get the chance to, but it was the
right decision. He was great witht he band.
SW: How'd you get together with him?
GR: I called him up when I was in Chicago and went for a
Thai lunch with him and his girlfriend, Heather. And I
didn't dare discuss and music stuff for the entire lunch.
And then at the end of it, I said 'Look, what's so weird is
that I've been catapulted into this position where I'm
really fortunate, and I can pretty much have a good pick of
rock producers and rock engineers, or whatever, that might
wanna work with us, you know?' And he was the first choice.
And he seemed pretty happy to do that. I figured he'd want
to spit in my face, but he didn't, so.....
SW: Why'd you think that?
GR: Because he's the king of the underground, and I guess
we're the kings of the undergrowth. No, I mean... people
think he's this indi terrorist who's gonna come in and kill
everybody or something. But, in fact he's a very gracious
punk.
SW: What did you want him to do, and what did he actually
do when you got together?
GR: I wanted him to do what he'd done for the Breeders. I
wanted him to mike the band in the most revealing way. I
wanted it to be as though... he's the one who, to me,
creates the most interesting textures and rock sounds, just
very true. I mean, obviously he's never going to make us
sound like Jesus Lizard, much as I'd like... but the whole
point of working with Steve is that he cannot construct a
record for you. You know, I did three overdubs in, like, 20
songs. So you just play everything at that time.
SW: What do you get out of songwriting personally?
GR: I feel justified, in my kind of Calvinist sense. You
know, I feel that I've achieved something. I feel like I do
stuff. I mean, that's how I've always described myself, as
being a songwriter. And when I write a song, I'm really
happy 'cause I just feel like I've got loads of credit, and
I can take a mental holiday.
SW: What was it like to see yourself in shirtless repose on
the cover of Rolling Stone?
GR: Hideous. That photographer told me that picture was
for the inside. And it was meant to be me sitting on my
bed, drinking tea. And it turned into, like, a sort of
fashion shoot on a bed. You know, I honestly didn't care.
I'm just really annoyed that I made them so much money, and
I'm annoyed that they would choose that picture that would
sell their magazine a lot more than... I dunoo. I'd really
like to se the figures at the end of the year. I don't
normally care about figures. But to make those yuppie
wankers all that money and then not even have the kind of
style and grace... you know, to put on the cover (under the
photo) 'Why doesn't anyone take him seriously?' It just
negated the whole expirience, which is kind of sad. But not
that they would give a shit. I'm the only I know who could
get on the cover of Rolling Stone and get slagged off. Ha
ha. Perfect!
SW: It raises the whole question of exploiting your looks
to sell records. Have you made your peace with that?
GR: I think that was definately exploiting me to sell
magazines. But the idea of using me to sell the band... I
mean, I am the band. Yes, I agree that to have me shirtless
sort of, you know, sucking my finger is definately pretty
sad. But those things you learn from. What can you do? I
haven't been in a porn video so it's not quite that level
of disgrace. That's the wrong word - I wouldn't judge
anyone in porn video, I think they're really cool, people
in porn videos, but you know....
SW: Are you enjoying all this? I don't mean this interview,
necessarily, but this whole trip?
GR: Yes, I am. For me to make a record with Albini, having
grown up listening to the Pixies, nothing could make me
happier in the world, so that's brilliant And yeah, I'm
really bummed out about playing to sold-out crowds that
know all my songs and are really into the band. So, again,
I'm really lucky.
Email: bushguy1@bigfoot.com
