Bush's Gavin Rossdale Calls Tabloids 'Sour Vicarious-Living Parasites,' Blames Readers

Gavin Rossdale is the handsome leader of the reformed '90s alternative rock band Bush. His wife is Gwen Stefani, the fashion designer, perfume purveyor, and lead singer for beloved and enduring '90s rock act No Doubt. They are a high-profile Hollywood couple and therefore produce plenty of fodder for the lifestyle-obsessed masses.

Reports of Gavin's teenage love affair with British transgender singer Marilyn, his alleged affair with singer Courtney Love, and predictions of the couple's inevitable divorce were just recent supermarket-tabloid headlines.

The persistent paparazzi stake out their home snapping pictures of the couple and their sons Kingston, 5, and Zuma, 3, and the tabloids publish the minutia of their personal lives.

All this unwanted attention makes Rossdale hesitant when speaking with journalists.

In fact, before Spinner's interview with Rossdale to promote Bush's current North American tour supporting Nickelback, his PR guy proffered this warning; he's not going to talk about his personal life.

Despite this dire warning Rossdale chatted freely about the surprise success of his reformed band, "flabby" major labels, and how he has no time for parasitic tabloids or the people who read them.

After years with Interscope Records, you released The Sea of Memories, Bush's first record in over 10 years, on your own label, Zuma Rock Records. How does running your own label compare with working with a major?

Major labels have become so flabby, and it takes a long time for your records to come out. With Interscope, you are on this carousel. You spend most of the time in the dark, but every now and again you spin around into the light and Jimmy (Iovine, music producer, and founder of Interscope Records) will speak to you. Then, just as quickly, you are away again. On our own label, we make decisions faster and it's fantastic.

When you parted ways with Interscope, some predicted the end of the line for Gavin Rossdale and Bush. When "The Sound of Winter" became the first self-released single to hit number one at Alternative radio, did you feel like calling up the haters and saying, I told you so?

That's not my style. If you have the good fortune to have a number one, you should have grace, too. I don't know what it is like in your life, but I don't have enough time with my friends to spend time thinking about my enemies.

As a recording artist, you've sold millions of records, as an actor you've appeared in feature films, but many only know you from the coverage your marriage to Gwen Stefani gets in the tabloids. How does that feel?

I don't sweat it. The world is massive, and there are so many things to be in to: another band, a novel, TV, Cheetos, or nothing. I can't take offense at someone whose head is turned 45 degrees to the left.

But these people know the names of your children, where you eat, and how you spend your family vacations, but have never bothered to listen to a Bush record. That must be infuriating.

Not really. People who are obsessed with tabloids or live a life where they give a shit about that stuff probably aren't music fans to begin with.

There are five or six cars that follow Gwen and the kids around every day, and I'm lucky if I can catch up.

People ask me how I put up with that? Well, until I walk through an airport and I don't see everyone reading those magazines, I have no choice. As long as people are buying in, it will feed itself. It's been like that forever. Throughout history there have been schools of great learning, artists, thinkers, and explorers -- and then you'd have these sour vicarious-living parasites.

Before this interview, I was told you wouldn't talk about your personal life. Why is it important to separate your personal and musical lives?

When I get the chance to speak to you, which is really a chance to speak to your readers, it's a great opportunity to say, I'm back and I've got a new record. Man, these days, it's hard to let people know you have a new record. I'm not sure my housekeeper knows! I don't want to give that attention away.

Sonically, The Sea of Memories is inline with the music you released with the post-Bush band Industry, and later as a solo artist. So why is now the right time to dust off the logo and reform Bush?

I'm so proud of the Industry records, but only 28 people heard them. (laughs) My solo record had the second biggest single of 2009, but no one cared. It was just that people were mad at me. If I was going to exist in the public domain, or if was going to make music, they wanted me to do it in Bush. I kinda feel the same, and I was on a career path that wasn't true. This is what feels right and I couldn't be happier.

Watch Bush's 'Baby Come Home' Video