New Straits Times (Oct. 16th 2000)
No Doubt about it
Loshini Catherine John and Jeremiah Mahadevan meet the members of rock act No Doubt and have, well, no doubts that their popularity is well justified.
Superstars can be such a pain. They can be aloof and egotistical, placing themselves above the rest of humanity. Then you meet an exception like No Doubt.
It was certainly refreshing to meet famous folk who are not only down- to-earth but affable and realistic too. Perhaps this is because of the attitude they have towards their popularity.
Made up of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young, No Doubt has survived many problems in its 14-year career, and has emerged as one of the most popular modern rock acts today.
We had a chance to meet with the band members just before they took Kuala Lumpur by storm with their live performance at the PWTC last Thursday.
At the Press conference, the band members were surprised at the shyness displayed by Malaysian journalists. Instead of being swamped with questions, they found themselves coaxing the reporters to ask them questions.
The ice was cracked when Tony jumped out of his seat and ran down to face his mates, saying, "Oooh, I've got a question!!!"
As the room burst into laughter, he asked them about a little trip which they made the day before to a place with "these cool caves" and "lots of stairs", not to mention "all the monkeys".
We figured that they meant Batu Caves. They apparently had a wonderful time there.
Later, we had a chance to spend some "quiet time" with Gwen and Tom, who were warm and friendly.
What part of the music-making process is your favourite: working in the studio, touring or something else altogether?
Tom: Well, wherever you are, things tend to look better on the other side. When you're in the studio, you feel like getting out on a stage and playing, and when you're out touring, you feel like getting back to the creative side.
Gwen: Being in the studio explores the creative side of a person, but it can be torturous, and there's a lot of emotional turmoil. Touring, on the other hand, is physically draining, but I love being in all these different places, because I always come back recharged and ready to start working on something new.
Do you consider yourselves a rock band?
Gwen: For the longest time, we were considered the alternative to the alternative. Then we made it big, and suddenly we were a "pop" band. Even though the word "pop" means "popular", in America it's come to have negative connotations. And people used to call us ska, but that was something we did, like, 14 years ago.
Tom: I guess we just try to write good songs. We don't really want to be labelled. I guess we do consider ourselves a rock band because we've got the drums and the bass and so on, and we play our own instruments.
These days we've seen a lot of "Gwennabes" around, with a lot of young girls trying to imitate you. How does that make you feel?
Gwen: I think it's silly to follow trends, although I can understand why one does it. Being a teenager is all about finding yourself. In fact, I look at the little girls who imitate me at my concerts and I end up imitating them. I suppose we inspire each other. But it's more flattering when people are moved by our music and not just the way we look or act.
We heard that you (Gwen) are about to release a single you recorded with Moby. What was it like working with him?
Gwen: It was wonderful. He's a sweet boy and I was really flattered that he wanted me. The single is called Southside and the video should be out soon.
You've listed Sylvia Plath as one of the influences on your new lyrics. Do you look to many feminist figures like that?
Gwen: When I worked on Tragic Kingdom, I was just getting used to writing lyrics, and since then I've learnt to explore and look outwards. I'm reading much more now, people like Sylvia Plath and Joni Mitchell. They've shown me how they can put down feelings so perfectly, saying so much in so few words. I wish I could do that. It's really fun when you discover talented people.