Issue date: July 16, 2000

Fun now, family later

ITHOUT THE PINK hair, Gwen Stefani could be the girl next door. Without the rock-star success, she might have settled down long ago (she still wants kids "so bad"). When she signed on at 17 as singer for big brother Eric's raw-energy band No Doubt, Stefani never dreamed she'd still be at it at 30 (Eric left in '96.) USA WEEKEND caught up with her mid-tour for the band's CD Return of Saturn.

You're always ahead of the style curve. Why'd you go pink?
It's a good color, don't you think? I'm over it now, I think.

What's next? Coral?
I don't plan it. When I got started, I was like, "How can I compete with the boys but not sweat?" At the same time, I'm a girlie-girl. I enjoy making myself up and all that stuff.

If your songs mirror reality, you were really hurt by your romantic breakup with bandmate Tony Kanal. Is it hard to relive it night after night with him standing right there?
These are things that everyone goes through; I just happen to talk about it. [It's] just 14 songs, 14 moments of my life. And I have my whole other life. I'm not giving away everything.

How does your current boyfriend [Gavin Rossdale of Bush] handle your time with Tony?
It's not an issue. Gavin is cool about that sort of stuff.

What's up with the boy bands and pop tarts that are so hot right now?
All that pop [garbage] -- to me it's like a 40-year-old man trying to figure out the perfect lyric and melody to make sure a 12-year-old girl goes out and buys the album. I feel sorry for the kids. It's so bland.

Do you see yourself entertaining people for another 10 years?
When I'm 40, maybe I really will want to get up and be 30 pounds overweight and I'll want to get out there and sing songs for people. Now, it seems like maybe one or a couple more records, and then I want a family. But you never know what's going to happen.

Contributing: Krisha Chachra, Michele Hatty, Evelyn Poitevent, Kathleen Phalen