Biography
Band Origin
Gavin and Nigel met back in 1992 at a club gig in London. They discussed common influences like Pixies and Bob Marley. Gavin says him and his girlfriend had only one backstage pass and had to keep exchanging it between each other to go backstage.
Both were music biz vets by that point. Nigel played guitar in the Ian Lowery Group (formerly King's Blank, Formerly the Folk Devils) and Gavin had put out a U.K. single with Midnight. The duo formed the nucleus of bush, with Dave Parsons assuming bass duties and Robin Goodridge falling into place on drums.
They took the name "Future Primitive" but later decided to change the name to Bush after the Shepard's Bush area in London where all four of them live. They have also said they like Bush because men and women both have "bushes." And Gavin like the "shhh" sound at the end of the word.
The new band was very quickly discovered by Rob Kahane, the president of the American label Trauma. Ken Weatherly, program director of the influential L.A. radio station KROQ, picked up on "Everything Zen" from Sixteen Stone before the track had even been officially released as a single, From there Bush have enjoyed an endless string of hit records, sold-out arena tours and training bras tossed onstage.
Before being discovered, all the members of Bush were supposedly house painters, and played lots of football (soccer). When Bush went to start recording Sixteen Stone, Gavin happened to get elbowed in the lip while playing football and couldn't talk for a week, also Nigel wasn't around for some of the recording because he father became ill, and Nigel was with him.
Gavin McGregor Rossdale
Birthdate: October 30, 1967
As a child Gavin was extremely close to his sister. He didn't speak until he was four and until then his sister was his voice. It is ironic the Gavin grew up to be a singer. As a teenager Gavin used to paint glitter on his stomach and nails, and had his sister spike up his hair so he could be like his glam rock idols.
Gavin formally was in the band Midnight. They put out a single but didn't do so well. When Bush came out, English labels weren't that interested in Gavin thinking of him as "used goods" because he didn't do well the first time.
One of Gavin's best friends is his beloved pooch, Winston. Gavin acquired Winston under tense circumstances. "I looked after him one Christmas and I fell in love with him. His owners were friends of mine and they were abusing him, the guy would come home and kick him. After Christmas I was like, ‘Fuck you, I'm keeping him.' I was willing to lose the friendship. He's like my child." Gavin has gone so far as insuring Winston up to L3 million. "I heard that Trent Reznor's dog died while he was on tour, and that Trent was locked in his room for two days after that. I don't know what I'd do. I'd fucking...I'd kill..."
Gavin with his trademarked: fuzzy leopard skin guitar strap, has turned into an American pin-up boy. Gavin has admitted he never wished he wasn't good looking but he wants people to listen to his music and like him because of that, not because of his looks.
"Once upon a time there was a lonely man, my friend who called a phone number advertising a ‘21 Scandinavian beauty, new in town, when she arrived, she was 40 years old and sixteen stone (224 pounds) ...but he managed to get through it."
Nigel Pulsford
Birthdate: April 11, 1963
Nigel and his trademark of his shaved pate are the secret behind the great guitar sound in Bush.
Even more soft spoken than Gavin, he expresses himself in one of two way: lighting-fast bursts of language or glib one-liners.
Nigel recently married his girlfriend Judith on July 20, 1996. He said they were both missing each other so they decided to get married. He wants to bring her on tour .
(on going on the road with new material) "That's the most exciting thing: we don't have to play all those fucking songs again. We can vary the set more than we used to."
Robin Goodridge
Birthdate: September 10, 1966
Thirty-year-old Robin was born and raised in a small town near Gilford in England. Growin up, he looked up to his older brother, who was a drummer. When his brother left home, he left behind his drum kit. The younger Goodridge saw his opportunity, took the pointers his brother had taught him, and learned the rest by trial and error. The Who's drummer Keith Moon was a big influence.
Throughout his teens and twenties, Robin held down odd jobs, but kept returning to music. Before becoming a member of Bush, Robin split his time between the retro club act, The Beautiful People (who produced a passingly noticed album called If 60's Were 90's a couple years age), and decorating and painting people's homes.
Bush reportedly started with a temporary drummer. The story is, Robin happened to be at one of their earliest shows. He was impressed by the music, but wasn't with the drummer. So after a few drinks, he went backstage to tell Gavin Rossdale and his bandmates what he thought of their drummer. The next thing you know, Robin was in Bush.
"To be in a band in England and to be successful is really easy...In America, it's a totally different thing. I you want to be famous and big in America, you have to go out and do shows."
Dave Parsons
Birthdate: July 2, 1964
The shyer member of Bush is Dave. One of his former bands were Transvision Vamp.
"Some friends on mine, when I was still in school, had a band and they were losing their bass player. And I wanted to play in a band, and I said ‘I'll do it. I'll do it.' And I never really played in one before, but I was so enthusiastic, that they gave me the part and I had to pick the bass up and I learned it from there."