BUSH's GAVIN ROSSDALE: 'Nobody Wants The Singer In A Rock Band To Do A Solo Record'

March 13, 2022

In a new interview with Australia's Spotlight Report, BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale, who released a solo album and created the side-project INSTITUTE during his time away from the band, was asked if his "comfort zone" is being part of a group or working as a solo artist. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Nobody wants the singer in a rock band to do a solo record — nobody; not even the singer in the band. I did that. I did INSTITUTE, which was meant to be a quick record; it took longer than it should have. And then I wanted the band to come back together. And they just didn't, so I did the solo record. It's nothing I really wanted. I don't like that. I mean, I do like some solo artists, but I think nothing beats a great band. A great band is a great band. And that's why I'm so happy to be in this band. And when I write and I work hard at the writing, it's for BUSH."

Less than two years ago, Rossdale told Kerrang! magazine that he had "regrets" about BUSH's nearly decade-long break. "It clearly diverted our momentum," he said. "But back then I was with Jimmy Iovine and Interscope, where the philosophy was, 'You've had a bunch of hits. You better have another hit.'"

Asked how sad he was that things came to a close with BUSH in 2002, Gavin told Kerrang!: "That was never meant to be a permanent thing. I had recently got married, and it was a weird time. I wanted to do the INSTITUTE record, which was meant to be a three-month thing, but it turned into a couple of years. And then I tried to get the band back together in 2008, when I did my solo record. I didn't want to go solo, but Nigel [Pulsford, guitar] didn't want to come back. And I never should have done a solo record. I never should have done the INSTITUTE record. I should have just kept on making BUSH records. But that's the way it goes. I begged the band to get back together, but Nigel and Dave [Parsons, bass] didn't want to do it, so I had to get some new guys in, and we've had the same lineup since."

BUSH's current lineup also includes guitarist Chris Traynor, bassist Corey Britz and drummer Nik Hughes.

The group, which reunited in 2010, has released four albums since reforming.

BUSH is currently taking part in the "Under The Southern Stars" tour of Australia with CHEAP TRICK, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, ROSE TATTOO, ELECTRIC MARY and BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB.

Rossdale recently announced that he will host a cooking show. The program, dubbed "E.A.T. With Gavin Rossdale", will feature the musician inviting luminaries, celebrities and other members of the public to his home in the Hollywood Hills, where he will provide them with a dish he prepared himself.

Rossdale has already reportedly started filming the show, with Roundtable Entertainment producing the series.

The singer said: "Roundtable are the exact partners I've been looking for to produce this project. They understand my vision and will help execute a compelling series in which we get to see behind the public persona of people we know and admire for their work.

"This show is about connecting more deeply with them, hearing their stories, walking in their shoes. It's hard to be surprised anymore, but the simplest surprises are the human revelations that occur over food and drink."

Find more on Bush
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).