Now and Zen: See Gavin Rossdale Trace Bush’s Rocky Journey
On the occasion of Bush‘s sixth album, Man on the Run, lead singer Gavin Rossdale sat down to tell Rolling Stone the saga of the band’s two-decade run, from the U.K.’s leading grunge rockers to stalwarts of modern rock radio. Rossdale didn’t become successful overnight: He shares the story of how his partnership with guitarist Nigel Pulsford began with the song “Comedown” — the first song Rossdale had ever written by himself — and how, while waiting for the band’s debut Sixteen Stone to be released in 1994, he “painted 11 identical dentist’s offices — in magnolia.”
Rossdale also discussed his relationship with Gwen Stefani; the two singers have been married since 2002 and have three children together. “She’s taught me how to be a better person,” he said. Stefani also keeps him humble with her various stratospheric successes: “You might come in with two of something, and she’s got 12 of something,” Rossdale said with a laugh. Now 49 years old, Rossdale still has his cheekbones and his gift for writing melodies, plus the wisdom to enjoy everything that’s happened: “I’m just really happy to have been given this opportunity to have a career in music.”