Lesbian News (May 2005)

Gwen Stefani

The Reigning Queen of Rock & Roll Talks to Us About Fame, Fashion, and Her Lesbian Fans

As soon as Gwen Stefani gets on the line, there is bubbly giggling and then her girlish voice saying, "I think maybe I have a feminine issue here, so let me call back in just a few minutes."

Stefani has always known how to make a high-impact entrance. After all, she's been doing it since her days of being the frontwoman of one of MTV's most-aired, most-delectable mainstream bands, No Doubt. Ska-punk, plenty of attitude, platinum-blonde extensions and something of a need to publicly play out personal turmoil gave Stefani her first taste of the fame that was about to come.

From the band's first single, "Just A Girl" to the break-up anthem, "Don't Speak", No Doubt managed to remain a cornerstone of the pop-rock scene until recently when Stefani branched off on her own and released Love Angel Music Baby.

The solo debut will quench die-hard fans, but will also undoubtedly reel in new ones of every age. After all, the record sold half a million copies in its first two weeks. She was also recently nominated for two Grammy awards, and appeared as Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's Howard Hughes biopic, The Aviator.

Not bad for a self-proclaimed "Orange County dreamer." To hear Stefani tell it, bursting into the music scene wasn't a question of if, but when. And there certainly is no doubt that when Stefani makes one of her signature grand entrances she will be recognized... and remembered.

Obviously your music has universal appeal, but since I'm interviewing you for a lesbian publication, do your queer fans relay to you that they identify with your work?

I haven't really felt like a gay cult leader or anything like that (laughs). It's never been very clear to me. I'm surrounded by very talented people, and some of them happen to be gay. But I do realize that I have something of a gay following. I mean, I am around a lot of gay men, men I work with, and I'm certainly around lesbians, too. All I can say is that I really hope that I'm not cutting off anybody from liking my music. And I think it's really cool that a lesbian magazine is running this story. That makes me feel good because for one, it's nice to have fans of any persuasion, but it's especially nice to know that just because I'm not lesbian that lesbians are still interested in me and my music. That's flattering.

You've described your new CD as somewhat of a dance record, right?

Yeah, the intention was for it to be a dance record. And let's face it, I'm getting a little old for this kind of pop record. I mean, I'm not ancient, but I'm in my mid-30s now, so I really wanted to get this record out before I start feeling old, fat and out of touch with this genre (laughs).

Do have much input when it comes to the club remixes?

Gwen: The whole kind of idea behind this record was that I wanted to be in the club so bad. I mean, I'm going to make an extra special effort to go out on the club scene in the next few months because I want to hear the songs out there. I think the remixes are super.

Once I write the song and it goes out to the remixers, I don't have much input at all. It's basically a free for all, and whoever comes back with the best mix is going to be the one I approve to be put out there. But I'm really looking forward to that part because this whole record was about collaboration, and seeing what the remixes are going to be is going to be a really fun part of the process.

What about your fashion line (L.A.M.B.)? Obviously you are very fashion-savvy.

Gwen: I am so completely fulfilled right now by designing. I just can't imagine how I could be more passionate about it. And I feel that way about most things that are creative, like music. Designing isn't that unlike music in that way, that it is an outlet for my creative side. And all that creativity comes from the same place. And it seems that whether it's with my music, or designing, or acting or whatever, I start working on a theme, and that theme shows up all over the place in my work.

Like for instance, I'm so very much into Alice in Wonderland right now, as you can see by the cover of the album. But designing is just so fulfilling in a very selfish, greedy way where I'm wondering what I can wear next, and I think it up and then get to wear it. And that bleeds over into my music, so the two influence each other all the time.

I have recently designed some bags that are definitely guy/girl. People have asked me if I'm going to design a men's line, and actually someone asked me if I planned to design any cool bags that would be good for guys or women who usually don't like purses--maybe that would include some lesbians (laughs). I just may do a men's line someday because design is something I'd like to do for the rest of my life. Right now I'm trying to do it as a part-time endeavor, but it really needs full-time attention. And hopefully I'll eventually be able to give it full-time attention.

Who has most influenced your fashion choices-especially in connection with this record?

I would have to say Andrea Lieberman, who is a stylist I met when I did the "Eve" video. I've said this so many times about her, but I never had a regular stylist before meeting her. But when I met her I felt like I met this ultra-cool, New York, Jewish version of myself (laughs). I was like, 'Oh my god, I'm in love with you. I'm addicted to you!' And I knew right away that we clicked, and that I wanted to work with her. I just could tell that she was tuned into my weird taste.

I didn't really know that much about fashion, high fashion. I just knew thrift-store shopping in Orange County. You know, for me it was a big deal to go to Nordstroms or something, so she just opened up my whole world, and we've been collaborating ever since.

For this record, specifically, I got really interested in the whole Harajuku scene, which is a shopping area in Tokyo that, for the last 15 years a lot of kids have been going there. It's like this whole dress up, self-expression thing. I love when people express themselves through the clothing they wear. It's not good to completely define yourself by what you wear, I mean obviously it's important to have a personality behind the clothes, but clothing is a fabulous way of making yourself feel good and expressing to other people what you're about and what you like.

It does at least hint at who you are. And it's inspiring because so many kids make a lot of effort with their look, and I really relate to that. I also relate to, and have been inspired by, fashion around the world and how we all have this feel for each other. For instance, the whole pingpong match we have going on between Eastern and Western. I'll go to Japan and I'll see all the Western influence, and they take it and do this beautiful Japanese thing to it, and then I'll take that and do my own thing with it. So, for this record, that's really inspired me.

But anyway, Andrea and I had these little retreats where she'd spend the night and we'd stay up all night watching old movies, and tear pages from thousands of magazines, getting together ideas, and I love that creative process---especially with her. Fashion is kind of like music in that it's all been done in one way or another before. It's all about experimentation, really. I'm not at all trying to reinvent my look, but draw from all the inspirations that are currently around me. The visuals of the record are a great payoff after writing all the songs. And I think everything about how the record looks: the cover, costumes and all that looks exactly how the record sounds. Now you know better than to ask me about fashion (laughs). Sorry for talking so damn much!

How does acting compare to singing?

I don't think that there's ever going to be a way that acting is going to be able to touch what it does for me to play for 20,000 people. We just did our greatest hits tour, and it was so magical--to step out on stage and play for that many people who know all your songs, and every song we played was a hit (laughs). It was just the most fulfilling experience. And there's that instant gratification thing that happens when we play live. It's that bond between you and the audience. And I just don't think there's a way to get that on a movie set.

But one of the main reasons I wanted to take a break from the band is because I wanted to go do film. And then this freaking record took over my life! It wasn't supposed to turn huge, but it was supposed to be this easy, fun side project where I make a dance record. It was that innocent, and it turned into this whole ego-busting, long drawn out project. But I'm really happy and proud of it, and the reward is being able to share it with everyone.

Did you know much about Jean Harlow before getting the role?

She was the original blonde bombshell. What I didn't know about Jean Harlow before playing the role, I know now. And I have to say that my respect and adoration has done nothing but grow for her. But let's be clear about something, here: There is definitely no small part in a Martin Scorsese film, but the part that I play is one line or something (laughs). It's really been built up in the media, though, like I'm the star of the movie, and I'm not. And that's a little embarrassing, but I don't mind.

I went crazy-nuts when I heard I had gotten the part. And like I said, I knew some things about Jean Harlow, but when you get a part you need to know a lot more, you know? So I ran out and and got every single movie I could rent. I was on a mission; you should have seen me! Those poor video store clerks had to work hard for their money those nights. I got a ton of inspiration from researching her, too. She was beautiful and sexy and one of the most creative women that I've ever known of. And her sense of fashion was light years beyond her time. She set so many kinds of trends. There's this one dress she wears in one of the films, and the name escapes me right now, but she wears this dress that's supposed to be really tacky in the film. I ended up taking the fabric of that dress, and recreating it, and used it for my Grammy outfit one year recently.

In the scene I'm in, Leo Decaprio and I are going to a premiere for Hell's Angels. The Mann's Chinese theatre in Montreal was completely recreated for the movie. It was so ultra-neat and wonderful because the styling was incredible, we had 500 extras, and the set looked so real. So, in the scene we get out of the car and are walking down the red carpet, and let me tell you that there was just no acting involved there. Everything was so real; it all felt so real. To be able to say that I played a small role with such high-caliber actors is such an honor--and such a blast!

And since this is for a lesbian magazine, I will say that even though I'm not gay myself, I can so totally appreciate Harlow's sexiness and beauty. She was so pretty and classy and beyond her years. It wasn't easy finding out personal details about her, though. Granted, a lot of people knew and know about her, but there is a lot she kept private also.

Well, then unlike Harlow, it seems you've sometimes thrived on your personal life bleeding over into pubic life. Is it somehow therapeutic for you to write such revealing songs?

That's a good observation. I mean, "Don't Speak," kind of started that ball rolling, you know? I think everyone who ever liked No Doubt knows that song is about my breakup with Tony [Kanal, bass player of the band]. And if you followed the band, it was kind of obvious that we were together, and then not together. And in "What You Waiting For", I think everyone knows I'm talking about my huge want to have kids. And I guess it is some kind of therapy for me to work out those painful things through some creative process. It helps, but I'm not totally sure why.

Any parting words to your lesbian fans out there?

I have to say that I'm very inspired by people who are creative, and who have a lot of self-expression through the clothes they wear and who express themselves through every other kind of creativity. I just love passionate people. And to share everything with all my hordes of gay and lesbian fans! (laughs). Seriously though, I'm so flattered to have the following I do. And I just want to say thanks to all of you who give a shit. Thanks for listening to me talk about myself.