Gavin Rossdale’s childhood heroes were Bruce Lee, Bob Marley and Bjorn Borg. So what did those three iconoclasts have in common? “Grace … they all moved like cats,” Rossdale says.
Over the last year, the former Bush singer has done some moving of his own. Unlike fellow ’90s mega-selling frontmen Scott Weiland and Chris Cornell, Rossdale has found solo success. His single “Love Remains the Same,” from the 2008 LP “Wanderlust,” cracked the Top 40, peaking at 27. “It’s always great to hear your music on the radio. It never stops being a thrill, you know?” Rossdale says.
Rossdale named the album “Wanderlust” because he missed touring. His current setlist includes solo material, Bush smashes like “Comedown” and songs from Rossdale’s surprising heavy 2005 project “Institute,” which was produced by Helmet guitarist Page Hamilton.
“Wanderlust,” made with refined knob-twiddler Bob Rock (Metallica, Offspring, 311), leans on silvery guitar pop, like “Future World.” There’s also chemical noise (“Another Night in the Hills”) and yes, a bit of grunge (“If You’re Not With Us”).
Growing up in the UK, did you appreciate any artists from the American South? Stevie Ray Vaughn. Unbelievable. I was just learning guitar—and you know, you go through the Hendrix thing—and I really connected with Stevie Ray Vaughn. His version of “Superstition” I played forever, and I don’t really like blues guitar.
“Wanderlust” was going to be a Bush album. Why did that change? The guitar player didn’t want to travel. We were all excited and then the plug got pulled. But you have to respect people and what they want to do.
Your cover of The Pixies “Where is My Mind” on the iTunes EP has an old-school David Bowie feel to it. That’s weird you say Bowie because I’ve been thinking about him a lot and how he always straddles things and changes. That’s a big compliment. With The Pixies track I wanted to make it quite primitive, not karaoke stuff.
Got any pre-show rituals? I warm-up a bit physically, sing a few songs and if I’m lucky I get to drink a lager, usually a Stella (Artois).
Every musician has that one album or song that changed their life. What’s yours? Probably “Pretty Vacant” by The Sex Pistols. I preferred that to “God Save the Queen.”
What was it like working with Steve Albini (who recorded Bush’s 1996 disc “Razorblade Suitcase”)? I’d loved the Pixies for so long and The Jesus Lizard. I had probably the biggest record in the world at that point with “Sixteen Stone.” There were a lot of people I could have worked with, but I went with the underground noise terrorist. He makes beautiful sounding records. He’s reasonably funny too.
The paparazzi take a lot of photos of your family. (In 2002, Rossdale married No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani, with whom he was two children.) What do you miss most about anonymity? It would be nice to go to the park with my family and have a bit of privacy, but I’m not the type who worries about that stuff too much. It is what it is.
Catch Gavin Rossdale at 6:45 p.m. on Friday, May 15 at the Greenville Crawfish Boil. Click here for the full schedule of bands.
