MTV News (May 4th 2009)

No Doubt Aim To Get Pregnant - Musically - On Tour This Summer

The No Doubt reunion tour is finally on. With a pair of high-energy shows — Saturday at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and a Sunday night headlining slot at the Bamboozle Festival — the O.C. hitmakers officially returned to the road.

Though their summer tour with Paramore doesn't kick off until May 16 in Fresno, California, the guys (and gal) are already getting their tour legs back. Since they're bringing their families on the road with them this time around, that means getting used to doing things a little bit differently.

"I think we're gonna sleep a lot less than we ever have," Gwen Stefani joked. "Normally, you sleep the whole day, which was my favorite part about touring, but that's a thing of the past. We get to see a lot more of the country, though, [because] we're actually leaving the hotel room."

"We have a bet about the nannies. Who can score the most nannies within the band?" drummer Adrian Young added. "We haven't started it yet, but I'll make some predictions when we're off camera."

And though there's going to be babies and nannies galore this summer, ND swear they're not using the tour solely as family time. No, this jaunt is also about reconnecting with their fans and their music. The end goal, they say, is to get inspired to write a new album.

"These are all steps in the process of making the record," bassist Tony Kanal said. "That's what this tour is. And it's kind of cool, because it's nontraditional. Usually, you make a record, and you go on the road. And there's something sort of challenging and exciting about the fact that we're doing it a little bit differently this time around. And, of course, when we do something, we can't really do it small, so here we are doing 55 huge shows, but I think it's going to lead into us making a great record, and I really honestly believe that. Once we reconnect onstage and reconnect with all the people who have supported us, I think it's going to inspire us to make an amazing record."

So even though they've already got plenty of babies in tow, No Doubt plan to get positively pregnant this summer — with songs, at least.

"I think it's really super-rewarding to write music," Stefani said. "For me, personally, it's the magic of the whole thing. It's something you don't have control over. Every time that I've ever written a song, it's always a miracle. I go, 'Wait, how did I write that?' ... And I think that's the journey we're on right now, is to figure out how to do it again. And I do that every time, and I know that, but it's this whole writer's block, frustrating and tortured process. But the reward of that — especially if it's a hit, and you know it right away when you write it if it's going to be — there's kind of nothing like that, because you're creating something. It is like having a baby, in a way, because it's something that's there permanently, that you created and comes through you and ... I think that's what we're all aiming towards."