*~My Future Lies...~*
by
Courtney Brown
March 13, 2000

Back to Bush Fiction
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On to Part Two of My Future Lies

"I'm never alone, I'm alone all the time..."  "Glycerine"--Bush, Sixteen Stone

Prologue

'BUSH!  BUSH!"  the crowd was still chanting, even after the encore was over and the sweaty, exhausted band members had run off backstage.  They spent an hour signing autographs and chatting with fans, then escaped to the safety of their dressing room, only to discover a reporter from Mtv sitting there.  They obliged him with an interview, being the polite British gentlemen that they were.

The young reporter sat across from them.  "So," he began.  "My first question is one that's been on everyone's mind:  have you guys talked to Gavin lately?"

The four Bushmen exchanged a glance.  Frontman Nigel Pulsford sighed.  "Well...," he began.

Part One

The year was 2006.  Over in America, President Al Gore was into his second term.  Back in The UK, there were still rumors of impending nuptuals for Prince Charles and Camilla, and Prince William was making the Dean's List at Oxford.  The IRA were engaged in peace talks once again, and in London, the members of Bush--Nigel Pulsford, Dave Parsons, Robin Goodridge, and Sacha Puttnam--had just completed their first sold-out show of their third tour in four years.  They were the most successful British rock act of the last twenty years, and their newest album, False Ramblings on a Faded Parchment, had entered the charts at number one and was getting massive critical praise.

The band had formed back in 1992 with the original line-up of Gavin Rossdale on guitar and vocals, Nigel on lead guitar, Dave on bass, and Robin on drums.  Their heavy, guitar-saturated, hook-filled sound was loathed by most critics and they were basically ignored in their homeland.  Over in America, however, the foursome were unstoppable.  They played massive, sold-out arenas, rode in stretch limos, and stayed in posh hotels.  They had massive legions of fans all over the world, but especially in the USA and Canada.  They eventually won over the UK as well.  By the year 2000, there were few places on Earth who hadn't heard Bush, at least once.

Their personal lives were successful as well.  Frontman Gavin began dating Gwen Stefani of No Doubt, the American supergroup. Nigel married his wife Judith in 1996.  Robin had a beautiful girlfriend and daughter, and Dave had a girlfriend as well.

Between 1994-2000, they released 5 albums:  Sixteen Stone, Razorblade Suitcase, Deconstructed, The Science of Things, and Flowering the Glow.  The band were absolutely slaughtered by critics.  Gavin Rossdale wrote every song they had ever done, up to then, and critics hated his music and lyrics, despite the fact that they spoke volumes to the band's fans.  The critics claimed that people only liked Bush because of Gavin Rossdale:  he was the stereotypically gorgeous tortured soul with the angst-ridden lyrics, and he had huge legions of "Gavin-gushing" female devotees.  Gavin was somewhat embarrassed by all the attention he received, although it was never really an issue in Bush. The other band members found it amusing.

And besides that, the true fans by far outnumbered the teenyboppers.  That was what the band had always cared about, as well.  "Fuck the critics," Gavin had once said.  All they cared about was making good music, and making their fans happy.

In 1999, Sacha Puttnam, special effects, joined the band.  He was Gavin's best friend, and a great asset to the group.  Unfortunately, the group as a whole did not last that much longer.  Gavin was becoming increasingly frustrated by the music scene at that time.  It was dominated by "boy bands" such as Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, as well as teen girls like Britney Spears.  The rock scene was dominated by rap-rock hybrids like Limp Bizkit and Korn. The band's fourth album, The Science of Things, only did modest numbers in comparison to Razorblade Suitcase, which had debuted at number one.  On top of this, critics reviews were lukewarm at best.

These factors and the added problem of strain in his relationship with Gwen Stefani led Gavin to make an achingly heart-breaking decision in 2001:  he decided to leave Bush and go solo.  After Flowering the Glow and its subsequent tour, he said good-bye.  The other Bushmen were stunned at first, then they accepted it.  They never felt any animosity toward Gavin, and even told him that he was welcome back in the band whenever he wanted.

They did not, however, have any intentions of breaking up.  Nigel became the relunctant frontman.  He had released a solo album himself, via internet, in 1999, called Heavenly Toast on the Paradise Road, so he seemed a natural fit.  At first the band were apprehensive:  would they make it without Gavin?  Would the fans even care?

The fans obviously did care.  They ate up the band's next release, Rebirth, and loved the Nigel-penned songs just as equally as the Gavin songs.  Their tours continued to sell out, and they finally received the critical recognition they deserved.

Gavin, as a solo artist, did not fare as well.  The fans didn't like his new material; they wanted another Bush song.  He quickly sank into a deep depression, and even though Nigel and the others urged him to come back, he was too embarrassed to do so.  His girlfriend Gwen Stefani broke up with him in 2001 after 6 years together, and he had been trying to get her back ever since. 

So, when that Mtv news reporter asked Nigel Pulsford if he had spoken to Gavin lately, Nigel hesitated.  How much should he tell this person?  So finally, he said, "Gavin's been really busy lately, so I haven't seen him for awhile.  What with the new album he's been working on, and his daughter, he doesn't have much time for anything else."  Nigel scratched his bald head.

The interview lasted a few minutes longer, and the reporter left.  "Good answer, Nigel," Dave Parsons, the mellow, dark-haired bassist said.  "When was the last time you talked to Gav?"

"Not recently," Nigel said.  "Last time I talked with him he was in Anaheim with Gina, and bothering Gwen again."

"I haven't either," said Sacha Puttnam.  "And I used to talk to him every day."

"You were right about one thing, though, Nige," Robin Goodridge, the drummer, said.  "Gina is absolutely his moon and stars.  I swear, having a kid changed his whole life."

"Speaking of which," Dave said.  "I've got to go call Sarah and the girls."  He hurried off to call his wife and twin daughters.

Robin went off to call his wife Glynis and their daughter Ruby Rose, as well.  Nigel's wife pregnant wife Judith Rose would be waiting for him with their six-year-old daughter Olivia back at the hotel.

"Well," Sacha Puttnam said, running a hand through his dark hair.  He pursed his lips for a moment.  "I guess we should get ready to go to the hotel."

"Good idea," said their manager David Dorrell, who had just walked into the room.  "Come on boys, let's go."

The guys all went back to the hotel and to their rooms.  They all spent a bit of a sleepless night, because that reporter had ignited a fire in all their brains.  They were all worried about Gavin now, and Sacha made up his mind to try and call the former frontman the next day.  He just didn't know how hard it was going to be to find him.