SPIN (November 2005)

Whether with No Doubt or solo, pop’s blonde bombshell is hardly “just a girl”

Do you remember what you were doing in 1985? 

I remember exactly what I was doing. I was in high school and in love with this guy named Matt. He was on the drum line. I had a bob haircut and wore black-and-white tights and little mod-style outfits, listening to Madness or the Specials. I was hard-core into ska and thrift-store shopping, and making my own shit – trying not to be like everyone else.

How would you like to be remembered?

The Greatest Hits tour we did last year? Every song we played every night was a hit. And until you have a hit, you don’t know what it feels like to play a song like “Just a Girl” or “Don’t Speak” and have a crowd of 14,000 singing it back at you. So I think we’re just proud to have been able to sustain a career and move with the times and still be on the radio. That 15 minutes of fame is real, and so to be able to have anything longer than that is totally a blessing.

Even though your solo record was so successful [Love. Angel. Music. Baby spawned four hit singles, including "Hollaback Girl"], do you still think of things in the context of No Doubt?

Completely. Because Tony [Kanal, No Doubt bassist and Stefani's ex-boyfriend] was such a huge part of that record creatively, even though I only did three songs with him. So I feel like the band hasn’t really gone away. This year went like a flash, and before I know it, I’m going to be sitting with those stinky boys trying to write a record.

Which song are you most proud of?

I wrote “Simple Kind of Life” [on 2000's Return of Saturn] completely on my own, so I was really proud of it. I wrote it on guitar, and that was a big deal for me.

What are your favorite records of the last 20 years?

I don’t have records in order like that. I’m not a collector. My older brother was the guy that would buy every version of a single, so I didn’t need to. We lived in the same house. I was the girl who got bored in the record store. I like hits. I like things that stick in my head. So for me to get into a whole album, that doesn’t happen all the time. There are a few. I listen to Prince’s Under the Cherry Moon [soundtrack] a lot. UB40’s Rat in the Kitchen. The Police.

Any regrets?

I regret not really how to play an instrument. I regret that I have to rely on other people to write songs for me. I can play guitar well enough to write a song, but not enough to be free. I guess it’s not tool late to learn, but you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

But your voice is your instrument.

Definitely. If you said to me “Would you rather be able to play piano or write lyrics and melodies?” I’d say I’d rather be able to write lyrics and melodies. I’ve never considered myself a great singer. I think my voice has become so familiar that people have come just to accept it for what it is. To be honest, it’s kind of nasally and piercing, and I have no range.

What’s been your biggest thrill?

Being free – not having a job but still working all the time. That freedom of creativity, and getting paid for it, so you don’t have to worry if you want extra guacamole. You can afford it.

In 1996 Spin ran a story on No Doubt with just a photo of you on the cover [the band tension it caused inspired the video for "Don't Speak"]. Now’s your chance to talk about what you thought of that.

Having four people in a picture is hard to shoot and make look good. It really is. One person with blond hair and lipstick really stands out on the shelf. We all understand it now. But when we got the call, we didn’t think we were going to get the chance again, because we thought we were at number 15 in our 15 minutes. So we were really upset, and it pulled us apart. But we’ve been able to travel the world and take a million pictures together, so it seems kind of funny now. [Laughs] But I still feel bad about it