SPIN (December 2002)
Club Girl
Gwen Stefani has a smashing good time as the star of Malice
After nearly a year of touring for 2001 's Rock Steady, Gwen Stefani decided it was time for a career change. Now. the No Doubt frontwoman is lending her unmistakably perky pipes to Malice. Sierra Entertainment's PS2/Xbox action title in which she plays the title character: a pigtailed teen who wreaks havoc with a colossal hammer. Before giving her voice a good rest, Stefani explained why she expects Malice to clobber the competition.
Is this the first time you’ve put your vocal talents to work outside of music?
Honestly, since high school, one of my dreams was to sing commercial jingles. People have always told me my voice would be great for a cartoon character, and I've tried out for other animated projects; but I've never made the cut. It's actually pretty sad, so I was really excited to be Malice.
Did you find that being a videogame celebrity was more relaxing than being a rock star?
I thought the voice-over work would take a couple hours, so I scheduled it on my only day off from touring. I was already grumpy that I couldn't be with (husband and Bush lead singer) Gavin (Rossdale). and I swear to God, it was six hours of screaming, "Watch out. they're gonna get you!" or "Hit 'em!" I was totally exhausted by the end.
Is Gavin much of a game junkie?
No, we're kind of the same like that. But we both prefer being lazy. We can click the TV clicker really well. At least we like to watch the same stuff.
What would a No Doubt videogame look like?
We were just talking about that—a game based on the guys who give out passes for the girls to come backstage and hang out with the band. Of course, it's an easy game if you're an available girl who wants to have fun with the boys. You just have to look cute. Okay, you don't even have to look that good; they're not picky.
So are you more of a Ms. Pac-Man girl or a Lara Croft girl?
Definitely Ms. Pac-Man. She has a very repetitive life, just runs around mazes chomping up dots. I feel the same way when I'm on tour. Wake up, do shows, talk about myself all day long.
Is there anyone you’d like to beat with a club these days?
I wanted to smack everyone on this last tour. I was trying to pack to go on tour, get married, and go on my honeymoon, and I was like, "How do I cram all this crap in there?" It's really complicated.