Gwen...Tony...Adrian...Tom...the hard-charging, in-your-face, ska-loving band called No Doubt. Their album Tragic Kingdom stuck near the top of the charts for several months. Tours are taking them all over the world. Three big hit songs. And all of this coming out of a failed first album, a strenuous inter-band romance breakup, a suicide, and the principal songwriter leaving to join the animators at The Simpsons. And you thought you had problems!
Part of life is bearing up to your circumstances and making the best of things. ΓÇ£We sucked,ΓÇ¥ Gwen Stefani says now, looking back to 1987, the early days of the band. She and her brother, Eric, had joined classmate John Spence, all from Loara High School, to form the group. With Eric on keyboards, John belting out lead vocals, and Gwen adding the harmonies, they played at parties around Anaheim, California. Their biggest musical influence during those days was the British group Madness, whose single ΓÇ£Baggy TrousersΓÇ¥ made a huge impact on Gwen. The ska influence on their music remains to this day, even as they write about screening out annoying phone calls (ΓÇ£SpiderwebsΓÇ¥) or feeling disrespect (ΓÇ£Just A GirlΓÇ¥).
When Tony Kanal saw No Doubt at a party and heard they were looking for a full-time bass player, he promoted himself for the position. An ambitious young man, he became the bandΓÇÖs manager and GwenΓÇÖs boyfriend within five months time. Talk about moving in! The four members poured themselves into the local punk and ΓÇ£new waveΓÇ¥ scene. They snatched a little Cyndi Lauper, with a touch of the Police, and a big dose of Madness, even as Eric was writing songs about having his wisdom teeth pulled (ΓÇ£AcheΓÇ¥) and other mundane subjects. The group played in local clubs, often as the opening act, and began to build a following, only to see it almost all come crashing down.
John was having problems at home and staying in school. In December 1987, Eric calls Tony with the tragic news-ΓÇÖCome over right away.ΓÇÖ Upon arriving, he got the gory details, ΓÇÿJohnΓÇÖs dead. He shot himself in the head.ΓÇÖ The band nearly broke up, after just one year of existence. A new singer, Alan Meade, took over the vocals, until he got his girlfriend pregnant and left the band to get married at 17. Talk about consequences for teen pregnancy!
Tom Dumont joined the group in 1988, coming from a metal band called Rising. Adrian Young became the full-time drummer later that year. The new No Doubt kept performing and signed a record deal with Interscope in 1991. Big break, right? Think again. Their first album, No Doubt, was released and then, suddenly, the record company pulled back their support, refusing to allow the band to record again. Bummer!
Despite that disappointment, Gwen and the guys pushed themselves into working harder than ever. They built a recording studio in GwenΓÇÖs garage and recorded what she terms ΓÇÿa million demosΓÇÖ. As the new album was being finished, Eric gave up in frustration and went full-time with The Simpsons. Then, Tony broke up with Gwen. Crushed at the time, she soon used that experience to develop ΓÇÿher own personalityΓÇÖ, remarking now that ΓÇ£God gave me this gift of being able to live on a strange planet where Tony still likes me.ΓÇ¥ Enter the big break.
Paul Palmer, who had just mixed BushΓÇÖs Sixteen Stone album, pulled the group over to Trauma Records in 1995 and released Tragic Kingdom.. The band went on tour to support the album and radio airplay just exploded! Gwen sums up the long road to the bandΓÇÖs success, ΓÇ£I canΓÇÖt believe this is my life...IΓÇÖll be walking through a club and thinking IΓÇÖm so fat, or why am I wearing so much makeup? And then some girl walks up and asks for an autograph, saying that I look so beautiful.ΓÇ¥ ItΓÇÖs comments like that that keep her from being so critical or self-destructive, and keep her from adding to the Tragic Kingdom of No Doubt.
