The Los Angeles Times (May 29th 1997)
No Doubt About Success
After two years on tour, the group is back home - and reflecting about how far it's come in 10 years.
"Sorry I'm not home right now, but leave a message and I'll call you back."
If this quintessential answering-machine line resonates louder than usual, it's because it was cleverly employed on No Doubt's "Spiderwebs" - one of the five hit songs spawned from the pop group's enormously popular "Tragic Kingdom". But the refrain is beginning to sound pretty familiar to friends and family of the Orange County foursome, which has spent the better part of two years on tour, taking a crash course in superstardom. And what a long, strage trip it's been. "I used to say, 'Touring's everything I love,'" singer Gwen Stefani says. "You eat, you sleep, you play shows. What more could you want in life?"
But with the 10-year-old group's mondo success - near 7 million records sold - it metamorphosized into a day job.
"You're just so worn out all the time," she says. To say the least. Since "Tragic Kingdom's" release in October '95, which the group kicked off with a performance at the intimate Troubadour in West Hollywood, the venues keep getting bigger. Outside of a benefit and a surprise performance in Hollywood spots, the band returned in November for one night at the Universal Amphitheatre.
Because of their growing success, now they're playing at the arena level, with two nearly sold-out shows Saturday and Sunday in their hometown of Anaheim's Pond.
The band members, all in their late-20's have changed their tactics - both on-stage and off - to deal with the large-scale tour.
"We kind of got back to the way it should be," Stefani says. "Everything's about being healthy and everyone's working out . . . We've spaced out the dates so we have a little time between shows. It's been amazing."
Leaving behind their Econoline rental vans for traveling in a plush, gigantor tour bus, the group is pleased as punch with the concept behind the ambitious show, a sort of triumphant homecoming for the modest quartet, who turned a love for ska and all things 80's into an infectiously upbeat album. Teaming up with Cirque de Soleil designers Mike Keeling and Luc LaFortune, No Doubt had created a surreal stage backdrop highlighted by sinister orange trees - with dangling glowing bulbs - a light show and a rain of silver confetti. Disney's light parade, it ain't.
"This is the first time we're going around the country headlining and we wanted to come up with a set design that was really giving something back to the fans," says Tony Kanal, the group's bassist. "We're really proud of it."
Although this tour ends in Hartford, Conn., on July 11, No Doubt is already planning one more trip to Europe before taking a substantial Southland breather, but each member has already marked his or her calendar with respite plans. For Stefani, who technically still lives at home in Anaheim with her family, it's house-hunting. "I feel kinda guilty about the fact that I skipped the whole dormitory, apartment and roommate stage," she says. "Hopefully, I'm going to buy a house somewhere in L.A. I'm up there so much, and two hours of traffic is not good."
The group's staggering success undoubtedly hit Stefani hardest - she is now mobbed by autograph-seekers everywhere she goes. And it's not surprising. Although Alanis sold a few more records, it's Gwen Stefani the girls wanna be, and it's no fault of hers. She just happens to be very pretty. Couple her natural beauty with a strong sense of personal style and fashion, and you might understand why Stefani's also being sought by Hollywood.
"I'm looking into it," she says. "Not becasue I have to do movies, but because it might be fun to work with some really creative people."
Kanal, who was a full-time student at Cal State Fullerton along with guitarist Tom Dumont before the album's rise turned No Doubt into a full-time gig, plans to head to his hometown of Anaheim and hang out with some of his old friends and his family.
"It's kind of an injection of reality," he says. "For me, that's really important."
He also plans to check out some local music. "I'll go to Linda's Doll Hut in Anaheim to see One Hit Wonder," he says. "Or anywhere in Hollywood, if someone good's playing. I also like the Glass House in Pomona. It's great for the kids who live there because they don't have to drive all the way to Hollywood to see a good show."
Drummer Adrian Young is focusing solely on greener pastures, the kind that feature well-manicured lawns with tiny holes on them.
"I wanna play a lot of golf," says Young, who had a double eagle while he was out on the road. Apparently, he's serious about his clubs. Not part of the hipster golf trend, which is more fashion than action, Young's been playing for 14 years, competed regularly in high school and even had a shot at playing at Cal State Long Beach. When he's home, he favors the Cypress Golf Club, a championship course. Golf, Yonug says, isn't for the trendy at heart.
"They don't know what they're getting into," he says. "It's the most brutal sport. It's totally evil."
For guitarist Tom Dumont, the idea of "home" inspires a recurring vision. "I have this weird picture of myself being a schoolteacher at some point in the future," he says. Emphasis on future. His immediate time-off plans are somewhat less challenging, but sound equally fulfilling. "I'm going to buy a bike so me and my girlfriend can go riding around the beach," says Dumont, who is also from Anaheim but now shares a pad with Young in Long Beach. "Then I want to play some tennis with her."
Dumont says it took a couple of world tours to really appreciate the weather in the Southland and he plans to take full advantage of it.
"I wanna do fun, outdoor, stupid summertime things," he adds. "Like eating at Ruby's on the pier. It's stuff like that I really look forward to."
Dumont, who plans to do the rock-guy thing and build a home recording setup, says he's looking forward to getting back in the studio for "Tragic Kingdom's" follow-up.
"We've got two years of experience touring around the world," Stefani says. "It seems like we could make an amazing record, but at the same time we haven't done it in so long, we're gonna just have to see what happens."
Fans, however, needn't fear the dreaded tour-diary chronicle.
"This one's called 'Long Bus Ride,' this one's called 'Where's The Food?'" Kanal jokes.
"We have to remember that with our next record, everyone might hate us," Dumont says. "So we're setting ourselves up mentally so we don't expect success. No one owes us anything."
"The fact that we even got this chance is like hitting the lottery," Stefani says.
The transition from playing small-time Southland clubs to such venues as the Pond still blows the group away. "I feel a bit New Kids on the Block-ish," Stefani says. "I got to our show last night during the Vandals set, and just to be driving in and seeing all the cars on the freeway backed up was really intense. I haven't been to a concert where I was just going as a fan for so long, you forget what a big deal it is. That's their night out … It's pretty incredible to be able to deliver that."