My Interview With No Doubt

Yesterday was a bit rushed.  Up early, drive to the airport, fly to NYC, cab to West 26th Street, 20 minute No Doubt interview.  Repeat in reverse.

The new album, Push and Shove, comes out September 25th and is the first full album of No Doubt material in 11 years.  I had a chance to talk to everyone in the band and the full interview (audio and video) will be available before the new record comes out.

I can, however, offer these highlights:

1. Gwen Stefani is as gorgeous as you think she might be.  I was taken by her fingernails, each of which featured perfect tiny black-and-white checkerboards in the ska tradition.

2. The band is a little freaked out by everything that's happened in technology since the last record. When Rock Steady came out in December 2001, iTunes wasn't even a year old.  The iPod had just been released six weeks earlier.  YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and Wikipedia were yet to be invented.

3. There was a long, difficult period of writer's block in 2005.  It took going on tour to break through.

I had a chance to listen to the album.  If you're a No Doubt fan, you'll be pleased.  I really liked the title track.  Other song titles include "Undercover," "Busy Signal," "One More Summer", "Looking Hot" and "Take It Easy" as well as the first single, "Settle Down."

Much, much more as we get closer to the release date.