[Trash-talk] Denver Post CO review

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Fri, 13 Dec 2002 11:58:44 EST


Beyond doubt Stefani's band enjoying second big success on heels of 'Rock 
Steady' 
Denver Post; Denver, Colo.; Nov 1, 2002; Ricardo Baca Denver Post Staff 
Writer; 

Sub Title:  [Final Edition] 
Start Page:  FF.01 

Copyright Denver Post Nov 1, 2002 

Gwen Stefani is on the phone from Jacksonville, Fla., and No Doubt's 
unsinkable platinum songbird is sounding a tad haggard. 'My voice is always 
so rough,' Stefani said, coming off a bit gravelly but still in control, of 
the toll touring takes on her voice.

But the reason for her current vocal quality has more to do with the previous 
night's post-show happenings than the concert itself.

'Actually last night was a bit of a party night,' Stefani said diffidently.

What constitutes a party night after you've led a band since its early-'90s 
inception, making it through a seemingly endless 2 1/2 years of touring after 
the release and subsequent smashing success of 1995's 'Tragic Kingdom'? From 
the sound of her voice, last night's party was of the legendary, italicized 
sort.

'We were opening for the Rolling Stones, something that doesn't happen very 
often,' continued Stefani, who will lead her band Wednesday at the Denver 
Coliseum. 'We all stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta, and Mick (Jagger) 
was like, 'Let's hang out,' so we all hung out last night, and there was a 
massive party with the bands and everything. We got up and did one of our 
songs using the bar band's equipment, and it was one of those weird nights - 
like 'Why did we do that?' - but it was fun, and everyone was singing along.'

It's no wonder the evening turned into a sing-along. Stefani, who just turned 
33, and her bandmates - bassist Tony Kanal (32 and Stefani's ex-boyfriend), 
guitarist Tom Dumont (34 and the band's resident surfer), and drummer Adrian 
Young (33 and the golfer of the group) - tore into the dancehall-flavored 
ballad 'Underneath it All,' the group's second hit single off 2001's 'Rock 
Steady.'

'It was fun because it's the No.1 song in the country,' she said, 'and that 
happened with 'Don't Speak,' 'Hey Baby' and now with this song, so we were 
celebrating saying, 'This has been really crazy,' and asking, 'How did this 
happen to us?''

No Doubt's fans can answer that question easily, and, in most cases, Stefani 
and her stylish defiance would be part of their answers.

After the group's mostly ignored 1992 debut came the otherworldly success of 
'Tragic Kingdom,' which was followed five years later by the moderate 
emo-like 'Return of Saturn.' The album had Stefani looking inwardly and 
wearing pink hair outwardly and produced the singles 'Ex-Girlfriend' and 
'Simple Kind of Life.'

In late-2001 the group unleashed 'Rock Steady,' an album that spends most of 
its time flirting with dancehall but also getting around a la Shelly Winters, 
shooting playful looks at hip-hop, pop and No Doubt's beloved ska. Stefani 
said that Kanal was the big star on this record because he pushed the band 
toward dancehall music and encouraged the Orange County, Calif., band to open 
its doors and minds to the world.

'We've been really strict about just writing the songs ourselves and that 
whole thing,' said Stefani. 'We said 'Let's do it with no restrictions, and 
if anyone comes along and wants to work with us, we should work with them and 
open up the family a little bit.''

Opening up the family meant saying yes when Dave Stewart (the non- Annie 
Lennox half of the Eurythmics) called Stefani wanting to co- write a song.

'We wrote the song 'Underneath it All' in 10 minutes,' said Stefani, noting 
the chorus came from a diary snippet written about her then-boyfriend Gavin 
Rossdale of Bush. 'It was really fun to do, and then we took that track down 
to Jamaica and we had Sly and Robbie, who are these legendary Jamaican 
producers, and they produced it. It's like this big collaboration of all 
these people who we respect, and that was the start of this record for us.'

On top of Stewart and Sly and Robbie, other new members of the No Doubt 
collective are: Prince, William Orbit (who produced all of and co-wrote part 
of Madonna's 'Ray of Light'), Ric Ocasek (Cars lead singer and renowned 
producer), Steely and Clevie (dancehall producing giants) and Nellee Hooper 
(member of trip-hop masters Massive Attack and Bjork collaborator).

'It was the first time we ever did music outside of the country,' Stefani 
said of her Jamaican mixing sessions, 'and I didn't know what to think of it. 
We were these Orange County kids doing reggae? Helloooo.'

After the record was finished, everything fell into place as it usually seems 
to for this band of constant good fortune. U2 called and asked them to open 
for them. Then they toured America's 3,000- seat clubs. Swings through 
Europe, Japan and Australia followed. And now comes No Doubt: The Arena Tour.

'We're not taking for granted this whole year, this whole thing,' said 
Stefani. 'It's like our second life or something, only it's so much cooler 
this time around, because 'Tragic Kingdom's' success was such a huge 
whirlwind, and we hadn't been outside of Orange County before. But now you 
have a different perspective on it, and you realize how amazing it is that 
people are paying attention to you after all these years, so it's pretty 
cool.'

Even cooler, said Stefani, is her new husband, Rossdale. The two have dated 
since 1995, living a very public life through paparazzi photos and Stefani's 
highly revealing lyrics ('I always thought I'd be a mom You seem like you'd 
be a good dad,' she sings in 'Simple Kind of Life'), and they sealed their 
union with a London wedding on Sept. 14.

'I went from two days in Malibu with my husband right into rehearsal, which 
is like 12-, 13-hour days,' Stefani said. 'Everything that could go wrong in 
rehearsal went wrong, and then we went straight into the tour. So I haven't 
even seen Gavin since we got married.'

Fitting with their perfect looks and the warm vibe felt by others whenever 
they are together, Stefani makes Rossdale out to be the perfect gent.

'He pretty much planned the whole (wedding) for me, because I was on tour,' 
she said. 'I was almost having a nervous breakdown before I got married 
because I was feeling like I really missed out on planning the wedding, and 
'What am I doing here playing in Japan,' and 'These people don't care,' 'This 
is my life!' I felt like I made some really wrong choices by trying to cram 
too much into one year, but now that it's done, this tour is actually quite 
fun.'

Many would agree that touring with Shirley Manson, Bitch Vig, Steve Marker 
and Duke Erikson (those who make up Garbage) would rank high on the 'quite 
fun' scale. And the feeling is reciprocated.

'Shirley told me the other day that this is her favorite tour she's ever 
done,' Stefani said. 'But we're just now starting to see each other on the 
tour, because the first half (of the tour) was a nightmare for everyone 
because it's really hard to get in a groove, and then we were doing the 
Rolling Stones dates. Shirley's already my friend. I've already known her, we 
e-mail each other, and now we're on tour together. I'm fascinated by her.'

As much as she was fascinated by Mick?

'Mick Jagger is amazing but you meet him and he's so nice and so generous 
with his time,' Stefani said. 'He came in and hung out with us all three 
times in our dressing room. The lifestyle when you're on tour is so busy, but 
he still made the time to come in and say, 'Hi.''

----------------------------------------

Stefani and Co.

Who: No Doubt, with Garbage, the Distillers

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (doors open 6:30 p.m.)

Where: Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St.

Tickets: $35, through Ticketmaster (303-830-8497 or www.ticketmaster.com)

[Illustration]
PHOTO: F. Scott Schafer 'We're not taking for granted this whole year, this 
whole thing,' Gwen Stefani declares about her band No Doubt's resurgence. She 
and her bandmates (clockwise from top right) Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and 
Adrian Young make a stop in Denver on Wednesday. PHOTO: Associated Press file 
photo Gwen Stefani recently married her longtime beau, Bush lead singer Gavin 
Rossdale. 'He pretty much planned the whole (wedding) for me, because I was 
on tour,' she says. Stefani and her band, No Doubt, continue their tour 
Wednesday evening at the Denver Coliseum. Garbage and the Distillers are also 
scheduled.