Five Fits With: Legendary Bush Frontman Gavin Rossdale

Best known as lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter of the legendary rock band Bush, Gavin Rossdale has also done a fair amount of acting, owns his own clothing brand, Sea of Sound, and is currently working on a cooking show. He was in New York City a couple of weeks ago to play a show with Bush at Irving Plaza in honor of International Peace Day. The show supported Artist for Action, a group of musicians looking to raise awareness for the coalition and eliminate gun violence in America. Bush has nine studio albums over their illustrious 30+ year career, and on November 20, they’ll be releasing a Greatest Hits album.

Below, Gavin and I sat down over a cup of tea to discuss some of the most memorable moments of his career, finding musical inspiration after 30 years, Rick Owens, Japanese designers, and plenty of other topics.

Fit One

Jacket by Y-3, trousers by Cult of Individuality, and sneakers by Rick Owens.

"I’m an atheist but I love hymns," Rossdale says. "I often think about my own ideas of cadences in music come from, ironically, listening to hymns and church music."

Rossdale began working in music "by desperately wanting to avoid having anything that resembled a regular job," he says. "I just thought, ’What can I possibly do that doesn’t entail bosses and nine-to-fives?’"

Can you remember when you first fell in love with music?

Probably with the soothing melodies of hymns. You know when you're a kid, like at Christmas? I'm an atheist but I love hymns. Growing up in England was all about the English church, so everything was Christmas. I often think about my own ideas of cadences in music come from, ironically, listening to hymns and church music.

How did you begin your music career?

I began it by desperately wanting to avoid having anything that resembled a regular job. I just thought, “What can I possibly do that doesn't entail bosses and nine-to-fives?” I had to work on building sites and painting jobs when I was beginning in music to pay for music. Just that general avoidance of work, and then beautifully falling in love with it.

Fit Two

Shirt by Sea of Sound, trousers by John Elliott, and sneakers by Rick Owens.

Rossdale cites Bush’s big shows in the late ’90s as a career highlight. He played "Glycerine" to a huge audience in New York. "But I just couldn’t even get my head around it that I was there and I had to sing the song," he says, "so that was an incredible moment."

"I am fascinated by the alchemy of music and rhythm and chords and then vocals," he says. "When I hear a great song, it blows me away. I’m like, oh my God, ’That’s so good. I should think of something that good.’"

You’ve had a long and impressive career. Could you pinpoint a few of your favorite moments so far?

This week has been incredible in New York, because we have a Greatest Hits [album], which is meant to look back and sum up the past 30 years. That feels really good because I'm getting other people's reactions on it. Feels very Benjamin Button-y to be in the thick of it, and in the middle of Sea of Sound, and my boys are healthy, so right now feels great.

I have to say that kind of mad rise and mad beginning we had, culminating in 1997 with playing massive stages. Maybe in New York, when I had just played one of those radio shows—I didn't know that you could play somewhere so big—and getting to sing “Glycerine” on my own when I first began music. I subsequently understood that those arenas are there and the radio shows, and it's for every band. But I just couldn't even get my head around it that I was there and I had to sing the song, so that was an incredible moment. My dad only ever saw one Bush show; he came to Madison Square Garden in 1999, so that is an intense highlight. That's the New York thing. Then the other one was probably playing a show on Friday for an incredible cause [anti-gun violence in America].

How do you find the inspiration to write new material all these years later?

I am fascinated by the alchemy of music and rhythm and chords and then vocals. When I hear a great song, it blows me away. I'm like, oh my God, “That's so good. I should think of something that good.” I'm always on the search. It's really easy because all you've got to do is look to people like Bowie or The Beatles and realize that most of us haven't even begun. So there's plenty of headroom for improvement.

Fit Three

Hoodie by Sea of Sound, vintage cargo pants from Camden Market in London, sneakers by Nike.

"I know quite a bit, but I don’t know nearly enough," Rossdale says. "I’ve considered myself always under construction musically, always trying to learn it, study it, understand it. It’s a mystery to me."

Rossdale appreciates New York style and attitude because it’s "more like London," he says. "You got to be careful in London. You can’t be too much of a hippie, smiling at everyone. I was saying that I love women’s fashion here. It is so cool. Really well put together. And everyone’s walking briskly, just slightly annoyed about everything."

Even though I am not an acclaimed musician, I am a musician. I used to play in a lot of bands. Still, when I listen to music, sometimes I listen and think, “How did a person do that? How are people still making new music in new ways?”

I listen to Billie Eilish and I just think she's so extraordinary. I love listening to her intricacies, and her brother, they're just a phenomenal listening duo. It's really fun. I love them. There's a mystery to music that I think if you're not trained—this is weird because you think about it, classical musicians are highly trained and have no degree of improvisation. I've never had a classical musician come in and be able to improvise. You have to tell them what to play. Conversely, you've got people that can't really play that well, but they sort of have great things in their head and they're trying to get it out, and after a few takes, they're going to get it. I like being in the middle of that. I know quite a bit, but I don't know nearly enough. I've considered myself always under construction musically, always trying to learn it, study it, understand it. It's a mystery to me. It's like all the best women.

What do you think about style in New York as opposed to let's say London?

I'm so glad you asked me that because it's so on point here. The only thing is that the miserable, cold face has to go with it. On the West Coast, it can be nice and disarming if there's potential eye contact with someone. It's perfectly legitimate to say hello and to let it be friendly. And here, that's a perfectly legitimate reason to get slapped in the face. Stop gawking. I like it [because it’s] more like London. You got to be careful in London. You can't be too much of a hippie, smiling at everyone. I was saying that I love women’s fashion here. It is so cool. Really well put together. And everyone's walking briskly, just slightly annoyed about everything.

Fit Four

Vintage shirt and trousers, and sneakers by Nike.

"I’m all about practicality," Rossdale says. "I never believed in suffering clothing-wise. Part of my mission is to maintain form and silhouette."

"We’ve always got to travel to earn a living, and I wanted to do something that created other things in my life that would constitute work," he explains. "With my clothing line, I’m up against it. I’ve paid more than I’ve gotten paid so far, but that’s okay."

Is there a difference between your style on and off stage?

Weirdly, intrinsically, no. I just happen to sweat a lot more on stage and I love the cutoff stuff because I have texture issues and I get sweaty and they fall off me and I feel inappropriate. I feel I've gone past the sell-by date to be taking my top off. I maintain a bit of fabric. I've got to stop it, it's getting a bit regular, but it is so liberating to wear a cutoff—whatever you call them—biker top. I'm all about practicality. I never believed in suffering clothing-wise. Part of my mission is to maintain form and silhouette. It's really complementary and beautiful. One of the things I'm most excited about is that I'm doing this T-shirt dress on the bias with a cutout back piece. I just want to see it. I've never seen it, and I think the back's the most beautiful part of a woman or a man. It's a really, really good look on everyone, on all of us nowadays. And so I'm excited about that and that's going to be really comfortable.

Tell me about some of your interests outside of music: your kids, your own clothing line, Sea of Sound Design, cooking.

Yes, I have some passions. I've always loved style. I've always loved to photograph. I'm the only one out of the band who's always loved the photographs, the photographers, the video makers. It's usually the singer’s domain, the bass players are like, “Nah, fuck it, I'm going to Barbados.” I've reached a point in my life…It's weird. Having kids and really wanting to stay home with them more, not having the want to travel, for musicians, is really tough. We've always got to travel to earn a living, and I wanted to do something that created other things in my life that would constitute work. With my clothing line, I'm up against it. I've paid more than I've gotten paid so far, but that's okay. I'm also trying to do this cooking show that's been bouncing around. I think ironically, and terribly, because I am a writer, I don't like it but I think with the writer's strike and the lack of programming, it's never been a bad time to have a non-scripted show. I've waited so long to make that TV show. My hair was completely different in it. It's ridiculous. It's really short. My hairdresser was having a midlife crisis, and so she put a stripe across the back of my head. Even my daughter was like, “Dad, the hair was great, but the back of the stripe, really?” I'd never been corrected by her stylistically. I was like, “It wasn't my idea. He's having a crisis. I was his guinea pig. I was his conduit.”

Fit Five

Jacket by Comme des Garçons, trousers by Kidoriman, sneakers by Nike, and sunglasses by Oakley.

"I think that clothes give an incredible power and confidence and as a chronically shy person growing up, the least you can do if you’re shy is look good," Rossdale says. "At least you can let them fucking know that you look cool and just hold your stuff down."

Of his overall style, Rossdale says, "I’m shallow but deep at the same time, like a Chicago pizza."

How did you develop your personal style? What's your journey been like?

I’m lucky to have grown up in London. What a melting pot. I was into Japanese designers. When I was 18, I got picked along with a bunch of other club kids to go to do a Takeo Kikuchi runway show in Tokyo and that opened up the whole Japanese world of fashion, just falling in love with it, and I've been the same ever since. I love that aesthetic. The melting pot of fashion styles, nightlife, culture, and art in London… Everyone's super stylish and so it's just fun. Clothing is such a fun expression. It's unusual to be so metrosexual in a rock band because most people think, “I don't care, I don't give a shit.” But I'm way the opposite. I think that clothes give an incredible power and confidence and as a chronically shy person growing up, the least you can do if you're shy is look good. At least you can let them fucking know that you look cool and just hold your stuff down.

What are some of your favorite designers, and why are you drawn to them?

Rick Owens is a bit of an outlier and he satisfies the architectural and sexual, and is just fucking radical. I love it. He's my favorite. And then it's really Comme des Garçons, Undercover, Junya Watanabe, Number (N)ine. I like Needles. I got some stuff from there I really enjoyed. I've got a few jackets from there. Basically, if I go to Dover Street Market, I'm happy. They have my stuff. H Lorenzo, they have all my stuff in there. Some stuff is too flamboyant for me. I love it. Makes me happy. I'm shallow but deep at the same time, like a Chicago pizza.

If you had to wear one outfit for the rest of your life. What would it consist of?

It would begin with comfort. It would probably be a Nike shoe, which I favor because they fit my feet really well. Any of these cargo pants I've worn for this shoot, and a cutoff T-shirt and a hoodie, because then I'm just covered.