Gwen’s “juicy” story…and her Misery
Gwen Stefani’s new album, This Is What The Truth Feels Like, is out on March 18th. She’s been promoting it all over the place, including the New York Times. In a new interview with the publication, she talks about the experience of writing new music during her separation, and finding relief in the process while she was processing the end of the most significant relationship of her life.
As you know, Gwen and Gavin Rossdale broke up because he allegedly cheated on her with their nanny. While she hasn’t spoken about it publicly, she is singing about it. Used To Love You is 100% about him and how he treated her. And, well, considering everything we know from the tabloid reports about the nanny and the fact that she hasn’t denied it, it’s kinda implied that that’s how it all went down. Except, maybe, it was even uglier than we thought. She doesn’t give the NYT any details, because she doesn’t want to sh-t on her kids’ father, but she does say that:
“If I could, I would just tell you everything, and you would just be in shock. It’s a really good, juicy story.”
Yes. YES!
This is not Jennifer Garner levels of f-ck you in Vanity Fair to Ben Affleck but it’s also not taking the high road. It’s definitely not, “I’ve come to peace and we are there for our kids and I’m staying classy”. Oh no. What she’s doing here is confirming to us that what we know is true… and it’s even worse. Think about the affair. Think about how gross it was that he was doing the caregiver in the home they all shared. And she’s saying that that’s not the most shocking part of it? What, exactly, did you do? What did you do?
What he did, it was in the wake of that space that Gwen went back to the studio to work. And what’s interesting here is that when she sent the music over to her label, they initially patronised her. It’s OK Gwen. This is going to be your arty record. Not a lot of people will listen, but we’re still here for you. Until they actually heard Used To Love You. And then they were like, um, yeah, OK, we’re down.
She’s Gwen Stefani. She’s a big f-cking deal. And she has to wait for some suit in a corner office to “get” it.
This is probably the best profile of Gwen Stefani I have ever read. This is not the person who once told a beauty magazine that she wears makeup to please her husband. Rather, this is a woman who talks about needing to create and to produce immediately after having her children. Because when she tried it the new way, which could have been easier, and safer – having other people write songs for her – it wasn’t right, it wasn’t her, it wasn’t real. But hints of the former Gwen are still there. In her surprise that people continue to be interested. In feeling overwhelmed that at 46, she still matters. And I don’t think that’s an “oh gosh, really? Me?” fake humility thing. After all, she spent 20 years loving a man who she thought she didn’t deserve. We don’t release ourselves of those misapprehensions overnight. It sounds, though, like she’s starting.
Here’s her new song, Misery. And click here to read the NYT article.
March 11, 2016 at 2:12 PM
Two Men and their arrangements
