Gavin Rossdale talks like a man still sprinting after something — even if Bush just released a 30-year retrospective. Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994–2023 might sound like a curtain call, but Rossdale insists it’s more like halftime. “I’ve always worked really hard,” he says. “But lately, I feel like I’ve been working smarter. No wasted time. Everything’s focused. The only thing that gets squashed is my private life — there’s no time left for that.”
The new collection brings together Bush’s entire arc, from Sixteen Stone’s post-grunge glory through their second act revival and beyond. For longtime fans, it’s the first time songs from multiple labels coexist in one place. “That part wasn’t too bad,” he laughs. “You just make a deal — nobody’s a charitable organization, trust me. But it’s all sorted. Everyone gets their cut, everyone’s happy.”
The album also includes two new tracks, one of them a Beatles cover (“Come Together”) and another original, Nowhere to Go But Everywhere. “That one started because my manager suggested a cover — a Twenty One Pilots song — and I just couldn’t,” Rossdale says. “I thought, you can’t put a song on a greatest hits album that you didn’t write. So I went home and wrote one that summed up the whole 30 years. It’s not about lovers or heartbreak this time — it’s about friendships. The people who’ve been there through all of it. I sent it to my three best friends and said, ‘This one’s for us.’”
For Rossdale, looking back doesn’t come naturally. “I didn’t even want to think about the track order,” he admits. “My manager kept calling me saying, ‘You really have to focus on this,’ and I was like, ‘Just make it chronological, it’ll be fine.’ It was only when I started doing interviews about it that I realized how big it actually is — looking behind you and seeing 30 years of life, albums, and all the chaos in between.”
Chaos has always been part of his creative fuel. “I’ve got a warehouse full of issues and complaints I can dip into at any time,” he says, smirking. “Endless toilet roll.” Still, he’s not content with nostalgia. “I’m looking at new music right now in my studio. As a songwriter, you want to keep forging ahead. You don’t want to get tapped on the shoulder and told it’s time to sit down.”
That attitude helped him rebuild Bush in the 2010s with guitarist Chris Traynor. “Clearly my voice is the glue,” Rossdale says. “But I’ve been lucky — two for two with guitarists who elevate my songs. Nigel [Pulsford] in the first era was incredible, and Chris brings his own pedigree. He’s from that New York noise scene — Helmet, Orange 9mm — so it keeps us moving with the times.”
Rossdale still geeks out over the early years. “I was watching a rerun of us on Howard Stern doing ‘Swallowed,’” he says. “Sometimes I forget how good that song is. I used to think it didn’t hit as hard live, but seeing that version again, it felt vital — like, okay, that song’s better than I gave it credit for.”
Bush’s return track “The Sound of Winter” remains a proud moment. “It was number one for nine weeks,” he says. “That was the proof we were still in the game. Same band name, different players — but still Bush. That song connected again.”
Despite the heavy touring, he’s already plotting the next record. “Consistency has been key,” he says. “Maybe we’ve over-toured, but it’s been worth it. I know I’ll be asked for another record by next summer, so I’m getting ready. I’m already writing.”
Talk of live shows leads to stage design — and the growing arms race of spectacle. “I think what U2’s done with the Sphere in Vegas is insane,” he says. “But that’s the top one percent of artists. For most bands, it’s torture trying to keep up. Even we’ve only just started getting fancy with lights. Used to be me yelling, ‘Put a light on me — not too rock, not too traditional!’”
He misses simpler times. “You look at Fugazi or Shellac — just white light, nothing changing,” he says. “That was subversive. There’s something refreshing about that. But being creative with stage design is good — anything that keeps the audience mesmerized.”
As the conversation drifts to Bowie, Rossdale’s reverence is obvious. “I still talk with Mike Garson sometimes,” he says of Bowie’s longtime pianist. “It’s wild sitting across from someone who lived with him since the ’70s. I miss him. It’s so annoying when people die — they just go and you can’t call them anymore.”
That thought leads to Tom Waits, Prince, R.E.M. — artists he still listens to weekly. “Why do we need new albums from them? We don’t. But we want them. That’s what happens when you love someone’s perspective. Every record is like having another conversation with them.”
And Rossdale’s got plenty more to say. “I’d love to do a B-sides record next,” he says, grinning. “You gave me that idea actually. I could put all the leftovers and weird ones on there — War Machine, Mad Love, Ghost, Broken TV. The outcasts. They always end up playing together nicely.”
He pauses, then laughs. “So yeah, maybe Loaded Part 2. Same cover, but bright yellow this time. Why not? Keeps me out of trouble.”
Watch the interview above and then check out the video below.
