« « Gavin Rossdale: Tour Dates | BUSH: A Tendency to Start Fires » »

5 questions with Gavin Rossdale

5 questions with … musician/actor Gavin Rossdale | NASCAR – FanZone Sports
By Reid Spencer, Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

FONTANA, Calif.—Best known as the front man for the rock band Bush—if not as the husband of No Doubt lead singer Gwen Stefani—Englishman Gavin Rossdale, 43, appeared at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday as the headliner for the prerace show in the Fan Zone. With Bush having disbanded in 2002, Rossdale has gone solo, and his single “Love Remains the Same,” peaked at No. 27 in Billboard’s Hot 100. Rossdale contemplated a career in professional soccer before a knee injury ended his career. He chatted with Sporting News before the concert.

Q: If it hadn’t been for the knee injury, do you think you would have found your calling as a musician?

A: The thing was, I was doing the two soccer and music simultaneously, and then I had to make the choice of which one to do, and it worked out to be the music. So, who knows where I’d be now—coaching?

Q: How good were you at soccer?

A: I was OK. I was pretty good. To be honest, you had to have incredible speed to really rise above, so I figured out, “What could I really be world-class at?” And I think I made the right move.

Q: There has been talk of a Bush reunion. Is that a possibility?

A: For sure. You always think about that, and who knows? I’m having a really good time doing the solo effort, and that’s going really well, but I’m always open to that possibility. I absolutely would like to have a record out with Bush, so as not to make it too nostalgic, keep moving forward. But, sure, it would be great to do a Bush tour and a Bush record.

Q: You were up for a part in “The Good Shepherd.” Is working with Robert De Niro on your to-do list?

A: That was probably the closest I’ll ever get, and it was pretty frustrating. The final audition that I did was with Leo—when Leo DiCaprio was going to play the lead role—and then they switched to Matt Damon, and the rest of us spokes on the wheel got tossed out the window, I suppose. But the guy who played my part was Billy Crudup, and he’s a fantastic actor.

Q: Are you a race fan?

A: Not crazy. I love the speed, and I can’t believe these guys drive that way, and how long they drive for. It’s unbelievable. That takes some serious concentration. I just know a few of the stars, you know. I like a lot of that extreme sports stuff. I like a lot of sports, but I definitely like the ones with speed, where you have the smallest window of time to make the biggest decisions