Blonde on blonde“My album will probably end up being called Fuck You or something,” shrugs Gwen Stefani and then cackles for a while, shattering the silence of her floor-to-ceiling white suite in the sickly contemporary St Martin’s Lane Hotel. Read the rest of this article »
Rock idolGwen Stefani is half way through our cover shoot when there’s a security breach at the country house that’s serving as our location. While on a tour of the building, a group of blue-rinsed ladies stumble into the music room where Gwen is being photographed. If the peroxide blonde with flowers in her hairs stirs recognition in the octogenarians, it probably owes more to their memories of Forties starlets than any familiarity with the sexy, stylish, stiletto-wearing tomboy who fronts the Californian rock band No Doubt. Gwen is non-plussed, and smiles graciously, arching a perfectly penciled eyebrow at the group as they are ushered outside outside onto the lawn, their chorus of interest (’Goodness, wasn’t she pretty?’ and ‘Who was that?’) drifting in through the open window as the shoot resumes. The renegade OAPs could be forgiven for their ignorance, but Gwen Stefani - whose currency as a bona fide rock chick, fashion icon and budding actress is already soaring - is about to hit the big time. Read the rest of this article »
Gwen Stefani: “I’m starving”Gwen Stefani is as famous for her rock-steady music as her rock-solid abs, but lately, the No Doubt singer is looking thinner than ever - perhaps too thin. Gwen, who has struggled with weight issues since childhood, has been serious about diet and exercise for years. But now, her regimen has left her looking gaunt.
Could stress be to blame? The past year has been a high-pressure time for the Grammy winner, who is branching out to acting (with a role in The Aviator), and has also made the break from her band of 18 years to record her first solo album, Love, Angel, Music, Baby, due out next month. Gwen says it was a difficult time. “I just had a breakdown,” she reveals. “I was like, ‘I gotta stop now.’ ” But instead of giving up, she tackled her self-doubt in the lyrics of her first single, “What Are You Waiting For?” where “confident” Gwen gives “nervous” Gwen a pep talk, even telling herself in the chorus, “You’re still a super hot female.” Read the rest of this article »
Just A GirlWhen a certain then-unknown pop star landed for the first time in the New York and climbed into the back seat of a cab, she spoke those immortal words that have now become firmly cemented in rock-music legend: “Take me to the center of everything.” The driver dropped her off in Times Square. Whatever your feelings may be about this particular pop icon, the anecdote does offer a profound lesson: It is relatively easy to stand for a few seconds at the heart of the universe (in 1978, according to this cab driver, that would be the corner of 42nd and Broadway). The tough part is being able to stay there. Read the rest of this article »
The Greatest Show on Earth?Shooting what little breeze there is on a hot, insufferably still LA day, Gwen Stefani suddenly feels the need to cull a statistic from a bandmate. “How many times do you think you’ve thrown up in your life, Tony?” she asks. Tony Kanal looks like he’s not certain he wants to play this game. “I’m not sure it’s a lot,” the bass player answers with a nervous chuckle. Better to focus on the immediate future. “This time,” he insists, “it’s gonna be much more mellow and healthy.” Fifty points if you’ve already figured out our subject of the day: rock touring. Their little O.C.-teem-ska-band-that-could, No Doubt, is hitting the amphitheater circuit in June, pairing up with blink-182 for one of the summer’s most anticipated tours. (One of the most economical too: Ticket prices top out in the mid-two-figure range, or about $250 cheaper than it’d cost you for a similar seat to see Madonna.) It’s a nationwide victory lap in honor of their recent blockbuster hits collection, The Singles 1992-2003, whose new song, a cover of Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life,” afforded them yet another top 10 smash (their tenth). This could be the optimal point in their history to catch the band: They’ve been together long enough to almost count as seasoned elder statesmen - 17 years, which is about 170 in rock years - but, being still in their 30s, they’re vigorous, scrappy, and in no danger yet of outgrowing their audience. Read the rest of this article »
It’s good to be Gwen StefaniWhen Gwen Stefani walks into the trendy 60 Thompson hotel in New York City, it’s obvious why she’s touted almost as much for her unique style sense as she is for her amazing singing and songwriting abilities. She’s dressed in an old pair of Levi’s, a Vivienne Westwood belt, a funky Libertine jacket, and sexy-as-hell green Christian Dior snakeskin stilettos. The ensemble is made even more striking by Gwen’s signature platinum-blond hair, porcelain-pale face and saturated red lips. Read the rest of this article »
The first lady of rockGwen Stefani’s house in Los Feliz has a vaguely spooky quality to it. The unease I feel when I pull up in front may simply be the result of my having watched Sunset Boulevard one too many times. Or perhaps the damp January chill has something to do with it. In any case, when the high gates swing open, I walk up the curving, rain-slicked driveway. I am greeted at the heavy wooden door by Stefani’s assistant, Pete, an affable young English fellow who is a childhood friend of Stefani’s husband, Gavin Rossdale. Read the rest of this article »
