Skratch Magazine (June 2004)
Adrian Young
No Doubt is Orange County no matter who you are talking to. They started out as a small band and have now risen to the levels above legendary. Many bands have come out of the O.C., but none have had fame and success like No Doubt has had. No matter what part of the country your from, more then likely you have heard of No Doubt. (If you haven’t, then you are probably five and cant read this, anyway.)
For the SKRATCH 100th anniversary issue, drummer Adrian Young was nice enough to spend some time with me and answer all the questions I have had building up for the past 10 years.
SKRATCH: It seems to me that when you think of the O.C., you think of No Doubt and Disneyland. Do you even like Disneyland anymore?
ADRIAN: Yeah, I love Disneyland, ’cause I have a two-year-old now, so we always have a good time.
SKRATCH: With the family life going on now, do you still like touring as much as you did? Have you ever thought about retiring to Vegas or something and doing what Celine Dion did?
ADRIAN: [Laughs] No, no, I think we’re too proud of what we have accomplished to do something like that. Our live show, I think, is still our strong point, and we would like to keep that as a special thing.
SKRATCH: I know you have done some stuff with The Vandals. Do you have a favorite Vandals Christmas song?
ADRIAN: When The Vandals do a Christmas show, I always like to hear that grandpa one. I think it is [called] “Grandpa’s Last Christmas”.
SKRATCH: I know that you love golf. When you do finally hang it up, do you think you might just live on a golf course and do that all day long?
ADRIAN: Well, I am already kind of doing that now. I play golf more than I play music. But you know, officially retiring, I don’t think that will ever happen. I think I would like to play the drums forever. I am playing on other things still just for fun, and I don’t see that stopping.
SKRATCH: What is better: not knowing if your going to make it, knowing you’re going to make it, or making it and then covering it with whip cream like No Doubt has done?
ADRIAN: I think some of the more exciting times where actually the old days for me. Because of being that age ([i.e.,] when I was a teenager), back in those days I had so much passion for music. I was way more crazy about the bands I liked. I used to go crazy for some of them, whereas now I don’t go as nuts.
SKRATCH: Do you watch what you say in interviews?
ADRIAN: I like to try to watch what I say in life. It’s called tact.
SKRATCH: Do you think more bands should have tact?
ADRIAN: I don’t know. I like it when bands say off the wall-type shit.
SKRATCH: The reason I ask is because, out of all the stuff I read, there is no talk about drugs. Like, are you for them being legal, or are you against it? Do you have any views on the subject?
ADRIAN: I don’t mind talking about that at all. We have never had a drug problem in No Doubt. I also think that is one of the reasons we have stayed together for so long…well, one of the many reasons. I think drugs should be legal. Obviously, there is a down side to it. I have had friends in the past that liked drugs a little bit too much.
SKRATCH: But if someone wants to smoke a doobie, you don’t really care?
ADRIAN: Normally, I don’t care.
SKRATCH: Is there any particular age when you think they should be legal?
ADRIAN: That’s a tough one. I think a good place to start would be at 21, like [it is with] alcohol. It is strange that in America the two leading killers are smoking and obesity.
SKRATCH: I was thinking the other day that they should put that surgeon general’s warning on food now, saying, “If you eat this, you could get fat.”
ADRIAN: Yeah, you’re right
SKRATCH: What is the first thing that pops in your head when you smell a skunk?
ADRIAN: Dead skunk smell…. I don’t know.
SKRATCH: Do you believe in god?
ADRIAN: No, I am a total atheist. I have never been given a reason to believe.
SKRATCH: Could you solve the world’s problems in less than five words?
ADRIAN: No.
SKRATCH: Is there such a thing as a triple-bass drum?
ADRIAN: [Laughter] You are the first person to ever mention it.
SKRATCH: Yeah, I knew I could ask an original question.
ADRIAN: That’s a good one. But yeah, I have used one.
SKRATCH: What is better than family?
ADRIAN: Um, nothing.
SKRATCH: What is the worst way to say good-bye to your family?
ADRIAN: The worst way to do it is at the airport. I usually take my wife and kid with me on tour.
SKRATCH: Will No Doubt ever own a jet?
ADRIAN: No, I don’t think so.
SKRATCH: In all the band photos, you are always the guy doing something crazy. Is that something the photographer tells you to do, or is that just you being you?
ADRIAN: No, that is just me being me. I am sure it happens. You have to remember that we were on the road for eight years before we had a hit on the radio, so our whole thing is pretty organic, and that is hard to change. We are definitely self-made, and have no intentions of changing that.
SKRATCH: It has to be pretty cool to be in No Doubt.
ADRIAN: [Laughter] Yeah, it is.
SKRATCH: Is No Doubt’s next album done yet?
ADRIAN: No, it is not even started. It is going to be a long time before another No Doubt record comes out.
SKRATCH: Really?
ADRIAN: We are all kind of slowing down. Everyone is starting families. [The band] is not the most important thing anymore. At one time it was the most important thing, and now—and I am only speaking for myself—it’s secondary.
SKRATCH: When you do finally get back and write this next album, will it be all No Doubt, or will someone else write the album for you?
ADRIAN: No, no way we would never let someone do that for us. That is just not us.
SKRATCH: What bands are you listening to?
ADRIAN: Let me rephrase your question for you, ’cause otherwise this would take all day.
SKRATCH: Do it.
ADRIAN: Um, I will tell you what is in my CD player in my car right now: Jellyfish, Germs, Hot, Hot Heat…I don’t remember the name of the record.
SKRATCH: How about bands like Propagahndi and Swinggin Utters?
ADRIAN: I listen to a lot of punk bands.
SKRATCH: Are you a human being or a punk?
ADRIAN: I am a human being.
SKRATCH: When I looked on your Website (www.nodoubt.com), I realized that it actually led to a million other sites. What is the easiest way for a true fan to contact you?
ADRIAN: Send it to Rebel Waltz, send it care to me at Rebel Waltz. They are the managing company in Long Beach.
SKRATCH: In the news right now, the gay-marriage issue has everybody’s heads all fucked up. What is your take on the whole issue?
ADRIAN: I, personally, feel that gay people should be married if they want to. In this country, we have certain Amendments. If we have two people who truly love each other, I feel like they shouldn’t be stopped. The real problem in America is the divorce rate. That is something we should be focusing on.
SKRATCH: What does it say on the bottom of an In-N-Out cup?
ADRIAN: It says “God bless you.” No, “John 3:16.”
SKRATCH: Normally, I tell the bands to say a little something at the end of an interview. What is your big closer?
ADRIAN: Have a good time in life, ’cause I know I have.
SKRATCH: Have you ever gone a whole interview without being asked about Gwen?
ADRIAN: Good job. It’s a change.