“Our whole life is up for grabs. We have an unusual situation, in that, we have a longstanding connection and relationship that is really strong and budding and fruitful,” he said. “That immediately is something strange because there’s no falling out the doors of nightclubs with different dancers.”
The real concern he and Stefani share is that, failing to find interesting news in the couple’s relationship, they tend to turn the spotlight toward the children.
“We are worried on the impact this will have on them when they are 12, 13, 14,” he said. “Kingston got very aggressive toward [the paparazzi] because they are grown men chasing him with cameras. The TMZ guys were all in their office (on a televised chat) and saying he is mean. All these adults, gathered around discussing a 4-year-old… I wanted to ask, ‘If photographers were chasing your kids around, would you want them to be passive little soldiers?’
“We see these guys every day, though, and they’re usually a respectful bunch that trails us around. We don’t have a Sean Penn relationship with them. What am I going to do? Say, ‘Fuck off?’ I don’t want my kids to see me being aggressive or upset. I want them to know you should just be cool with everyone. Besides, I find it taxing to be aggressive. It ruins my day.”
Rossdale would rather concentrate on those that will hear The Sea of Memories and what he hopes they’ll pick up in the music. After all, now that the songs are back under the Bush moniker, there will likely be a new legion of fans discovering the group’s sound.
“To be a singer and professional musician, there is a huge element of neediness. We are clearly needy, we are putting it out there and no matter who you are, you want people to say, ‘This is really good,’” he confessed. “My main thing I would love is if someone new comes around who never heard of our band, because they’re 12 or 15. And you say, ‘What do you think of it?’ and they fall in love with the record and the band. That is amazing to me. That is perfection. Then, if someone comes around and says, ‘I thought this band was dead’ and they hear [the new record] and they’re not disappointed, that’s magic. And if it leads [either person] back to the catalog, that is amazing, too. Basically, you’re asking me, ‘Would you like some cheesecake?’ and I say, ‘Yes, I want all of it!’”
