Hold onto your flannel shirts, folks, because Gavin Rossdale is here to lecture us all on the sacred science of guitar tunings and the “magnetic” properties of his latest sonic masterpiece. 😂 In a riveting (read: absolutely riveting) interview with the rock and roll scholars at Q92.9, the eternal frontman of BUSH revealed the secret to his band’s 30-year survival strategy: sheer panic and a whole lot of detuning. 🎸
Gavin Rossdale, the man who somehow still looks exactly the same as he did when “Glycerine” was clogging up the airwaves, sat down to explain why making music is a “fucking nightmare.” And honestly? We believe him. Imagine the burden of having to decide whether to tune your guitar to E-Standard or drop it down so low it sounds like a dying walrus. It’s a heavy cross to bear, but someone has to do it. 🥀
“I’m trying to think about it all the time so that I don’t… I don’t wanna get lost in the changes,” Rossdale confessed, likely staring intensely into a mirror. Because let’s be real, the biggest danger facing rock music today isn’t streaming algorithms or TikTok trends; it’s Gavin getting lost in the key of C#. 🧭
According to the interview, the BUSH strategy for modern relevance involves playing “detuned” songs at heavy festivals. Why? Because apparently, standard tuning is so 1994. “From [2020’s] ‘The Kingdom’ [album], I decided to be more mindful of where our future was,” he explained. That future, apparently, is very, very low-pitched. 📉
He referenced his 2005 side project, INSTITUTE, which was apparently a “whole detuned record.” (Did anyone listen to it? Debatable, but let’s nod politely). Gavin’s philosophy is simple: if you play songs from the first three albums, they sound old. But if you detune them, they sound… wait for it… new! It’s the musical equivalent of putting a new filter on an Instagram photo and calling it art. 🎨
The highlight of this audio journey was his take on the 2022 track “More Than Machines.” When fans told him it sounded like “old BUSH,” Gavin was quick to correct them with the precision of a linguistic pedant. “In no way it sounds like the old BUSH,” he declared. Thank you! Finally, someone with integrity! But then, he backpedaled faster than a drummer missing a fill. 🥁
He admitted that fans don’t always have the “right words” (ouch, gatekeep much?). When they say “old BUSH,” what they actually mean is “energy” and “vitality.” So basically, Gavin, you’re saying they’re right, but you just want to be difficult? Noted. 🙄
The interview reached peak comedy when Gavin shared his “big fear”: making records that aren’t “magnetic.” He claims he could write a record a week (sure, Jan), but he waits for the songs that have “magnets” in them. 🧲
“I hate that… there’s no blood in them, and they’re sort of anodyne,” he said, probably while adjusting his leather pants. But don’t worry, he assures us that “the detuned stuff really helps me to get into that world of a bit weirder.” Because nothing says “weird” like a band that’s been doing the exact same thing for three decades. 🔄
And then, the humble brag: “Anyway, RADIOHEAD never needed detuned guitars to sound incredible and sound like one of the greatest bands ever.” Yes, Gavin, we know. We all know. Bringing up Radiohead in an interview about BUSH is like bringing a toy water pistol to a drone strike. 🚀
But don’t worry, he has a backup plan. “If in doubt, go heavy.” Words to live by. If your lyrics don’t make sense, just tune down to B-Flat and scream a bit. It’s the BUSH way. 🤘
The article concludes with the news that BUSH is embarking on a US tour with Mammoth and James And The Cold Gun (hopefully they don’t get lost in the changes). Their latest album, “I Beat Loneliness,” dropped in July 2025. Yes, you read that right—2025. We are firmly in the future, and BUSH is still touring. 🕺
Produced by Gavin and Erik Ron, the album is their tenth studio LP. That’s ten albums of deep thoughts about tuning and loneliness. To celebrate, they also released a greatest hits compilation featuring a new song called “Nowhere To Go But Everywhere.” A philosophical paradox wrapped in a guitar riff. 🤯
So, mark your calendars, buy some cargo shorts, and prepare to hear “Machinehead” in a key you’ve never heard before. BUSH is back (again), and they are heavily detuned (still). And remember, if you criticize the tuning, Gavin will remind you that you just don’t have the right vocabulary. Rock and roll never dies, it just drops to C# minor. 🤘😂
Chord F. Discord, the Beethoven of Buffoonery, is a self-taught expert in music who once claimed he could “play the kazoo in four languages.”
Born in Crescendo, Indiana, Chord’s first brush with fame came when he accidentally entered a yodeling contest thinking it was a pie-eating competition—and won both categories.
Chord F. Discord: proving that laughter, much like a poorly tuned ukulele, is truly universal.
