NME
September 21, 2001

You'll recall that we recently asked you for questions to put to Bush. As usual you did so in your droves. Last week, we sat down with the band known as Bush and rattled through a whole raft of your questions. Did they answer yours? Read on...

What's your reaction to the recent terrorist strikes? Will it affect your plans to visit the US?
Gavin Rossdale: "Everyone feels the same about it. Sadness at the loss like everyone else."
Robin Goodridge (drums): "Terrorism is something that you are afraid of but you should try to... let life go on so you don't let these people influence our lives or stay at the forefront of our minds."

What do you think of the state of the music industry you are releasing your new album into?
Gavin: "It's definitely the scariest musical climate. But the upside for us, in the UK, is how rock music is now back in a way that allows all these American bands to be dominating. It'll be interesting to see how us as an English band come out with a rock record. It's a scary time."

Why do you think US bands are doing so well in the UK?
Gavin: "It's exciting. I really like Coldplay and Travis , but maybe there is an element of danger and excitement lacking. There's a level of excitement and energy that's good to see. So much music sounds repetitive. Radio has become like wallpaper here so it's nice to see a bit of energy."
Robin: "One of the problems I have with a lot of the bands we were just discussing is that they sound great, but when you actually go there, there isn't much in the way of a song. We've always prided ourselves on the strength of our songs."

What do you think of current NME darlings like The Strokes?
Gavin: "It's a really good record and they're a really good band. I hope that there hasn't been so much emphasis on them that they don't buckle under it in any way. It's amazing what's happened to them, it must be really exciting for them."

Do you have any musical ambitions outside of Bush?
Nigel Pulsford (guitar): "I"d like to sing the National Anthem at Old Trafford."
Gavin: "There's always things lurking. There's many different styles of music that I like but I don't think there's necessarily some areas of dance music or dancefloor stuff that would be easy to bring into rock. We try and have certain elements...but I think maybe we concentrate so much on Bush which is really exciting right now. So, not for me personally. "Maybe a mellow record one day because we've never had an album full of mellow material, so it'd be nice do to a smoky record, a late night record."

Is the title of the album, 'Golden State', referring to California, and if so what happened there to give you the inspiration?
Gavin: "That was the least of it really. It was nice that we did a bit of work there [California] but the initial inspiration was the fact that we felt maybe with this record we were trying for the most direct record, about the four of us, of something good. And despite the fact that I love writing about tons of tension and chaos, there is an attempt at a resolution within that. So it's not all doom and gloom. 'Golden State' kind of struck me as a good sense of euphoria and losing yourself, something positive and wide open. That, and that the Golden State freeway that was on the way to the studio looked really good."

What process did the band go through with this album in terms of songwriting and rehearsing?
Nigel: "We really rehearsed a lot before we went in the studio. It's good for that and I think it will work out well live because of that."
Dave Parsons (bass): "The record is more concise as a result."
Gavin: "There are certain records that work well when they were written in the studio and it's much more experimental. It just happens that on this record we felt like getting in there and playing exciting songs. Maybe things were getting a bit weird for us externally so it was like we all came together and made a rock record."

What do you mean by "external influences"?
Robin: "It's been a sea of change."
Gavin: "It has been a frustrating time. We've done some of our best shows, profile better than ever in Europe. And yet despite that it had been a difficult time in that we felt a lack of support from our label. We just felt like we were working really hard and often we were working in isolation. So coming together was part of that."

If you could headline a festival with a bill of your choice, who would you play with?
Robin: "On the Isle Of Wight with The Clash. Double headliner! We"d all play three of their Greatest Hits together."
Dave: "Glastonbury with Bob Marley."
Gavin: "Glastonbury or Reading, maybe Supergrass because I like them and they're excellent live, good for a festival."

What are your live plans for the rest of the year?
Robin: "We're working on dates now for the UK, Europe and the United States. All the dates are around the release of the album. The US will be towards the end of October, maybe only five or six shows to let everyone know we're around. "Then we're definitely going to be playing one gig in the north, probably Scotland, one central and then London. Then we'll go into Europe. So we're going to visit as many places as we can in a short space of time around the release of the album so everybody can buy a ticket. There's nothing more exciting than getting a new album and then being able to go and see the band. "We're going to do theatres , like Manchester Academy, Brixton Academy. Places that we know and love. We'll embark a proper tour in February next year."

What do you think about the fact your album is available as MP3 prior to its release?
Gavin: "It's the way of the world. I don't think it means people aren't going to go out and buy the record, have the artwork, read the lyrics and stuff like that. I think there should be a middle ground where people can maybe download a couple of tracks."
Robin: "The point we really have to make is that if people don't buy the record then we won't get to make another one. Record labels are going to say, 'You don't sell enough records to make another one'."

Are you guys Internet fans?
Gavin: "Of course. But out of principle I wouldn't download an album and then not get it. If I didn't like the band I probably wouldn't download it in the first place!"

On the last tour you covered REM's 'The One I Love'. What are your plans for future collaborations and covers?
Gavin: "We kind of stole it off of them rather than collaborated with them!"
Robin: "They did it first"
Gavin: "There's probably more plans for covers rather than collaborations. Any ideas or requests e-mail them in."
Robin: "Put it on the website and we'll check it out! Tell us what you want us to play."