Teen Magazine
Author(s): Sherman, Heidi
August 1997
Some of the most talented and good looking male rock and pop artists include Daniel Johns of Silverchair, Gavin Rossdale of Bush and Jacob Dylan of the Wallflowers, to name a few.

You asked for it - the inside scoop on the hottest, cutest, most talented guys in rock and pop - and you got it! Read on for all the details on the most heart-melting males in music.

Gavin Rossdale of Bush

Shy Boy: Doe-eyed babe Gavin McGregor Rossdale's early days were so humble and quiet, none of his friends or family could foresee fame in his future. Born in London on October 30, 1967, Gavin spent his formative years living with his doctor father. and older sister in the affluent end of North London. Apparently, young Gavin was so shy, he didn't even speak until he was 4 years old. When he wanted something, he'd point to it. The adorable tot's first word was "cookie."

"Put Me in, Coach? As a teenager, the six-foot-one rock-star-to-be tried out for a top London soccer team (they call it "football") and even played semi-pro ball until he took to music more seriously. Why did he give up on a potential career as a sports hero? The ladies' man couldn't handle all the machismo in the locker room, but he also admits, "I couldn't bear not hanging out with the girls."

Role Model: His perfectly cleft chin, sharp cheekbones and untamed locks have given us many a Gavin photo op, but he only cashed in on his otherworldly good looks on one occasion. "OK, someone approached me in the street, and I did a modeling job to feed my ego, but it was just once," the babely Bushman shrugs. Of course, Gavin knows that it isn't only his throaty growl and introspective lyrics that pack stadiums full of shrieking girls. "I've never wished I was not attractive," he admits, not so modestly. Neither have we.

Always the Cutie: Like lots of us, Gavin got into music by listening to his older siblings' records. His sis even let him tail after her, introducing him to girls and the punk scene. "My sister bleached my hair when I was 11. All her friends used to pull me around the corner and kiss me," he remembers.

Love Bug: Even though he's got all the trappings of a huge star, it's the simple things that bring a smile to that chiseled face. Gavin is blissfully happy when he's "with someone I love."

No Doubt About It: As for his reported liaisons with a certain blonde goddess-it's true: Gavin is officially still dating No Doubt darling Gwen Stefani. On tour, Bush members would tease their mate, singing "Everything Gwen," a pun on their monster hit, "Everything Zen," when she was in tow. Before his interest in Gwen sparked, Gavin was often seen with the rambunctious Courtney Love. Even post-breakup, the two remain friends and La Love still calls Gavin "supersweet. I can't say anything mean about him." But Mr. Rossdale's first love is, and will always be, his Hungarian sheepdog, Winston, whose picture he carries in his wallet.

Gavin Who? Although Bush is an incredible luminary in the United States, the band is virtually unknown in its homeland. While recording Razorblade Suitcase at the famed Abbey Road studios in London, groups of giggling girls were camped outside trying to get a glimpse-but not of Gavin. When Gavin emerged, the lasses begged for any information he might have on the English teen-idol members of Take That, who were in the same studio. They had no idea who Gavin was. "I said, 'I'm just the dishwasher here, and nobody tells me anything!'" he laughs.

True Love Story: New York-born Maxwell claims almost every word on Urban Hang Suite is true, which means he believes in monogamy, commitment and love. The record weaves a story of a chance encounter with the woman of his dreams, and follows the relationship all the way to the marriage proposal the next day. "I wouldn't seriously propose to someone after meeting her for one night," Maxwell insists. Or would he?

Corny Courtship: Maxwell feels the "courting process" of love is "the superficial part of the relationship, where catchy phrases are used rather than inner statements being expressed." He prefers the real thing.

Jakob Dylan of the Wallflowers

Father Knows Best: It's impossible to talk about Jakob without mentioning his legendary father, Bob Dylan. Back in the '60s and '70s, he was the master singer-songwriter whose ballads were sung around every campfire, and even quoted by President Jimmy Carter. But Dad didn't give him a career jump-start: "People think I have it easy, but I've been hacking away at this for nearly seven years with zero success." Until now, that is, with the group's megabit Bringing Down the Horse.

Rock on Rye: Before committing to music, Jakob was devoted to his canvases: He attended Parsons School of Design in New York. "I knew I made the wrong choice the minute I got there," he says. Jakob and his rootsy-rocky Wallflowers began playing regularly - to a room full of dining grandparents - at Canter's Deli in Los Angeles (Jakob's hometown). "It was not hip," Jakob laughs. "Everyone was kind of...elderly." It certainly got hip - word of mouth brought in folks like Lenny Kravitz to check out the band.

A League of His Own: Jakob fantasizes about coaching Little League baseball because "that was a real high point in my life. Little League teaches you a lot."

Wild Side: Jakob writes about complex characters, but he claims his life is boring. "I did drive for six months with an expired driver's license once. Pretty wild, eh?"

Beck

The Boy Who Fell to Earth? Although 27-year-old Beck Hansen (born July 8, 1970) can talk in almost alien tongues, he was raised by humans-supercool humans, though. His father is a bluegrass street musician, and his mother is a former Andy Warhol protegee. They raised Beck in Los Angeles, where he was exposed to the multicultural vibe, but when he lived in New York's East Village, Beck found the "anti-folk" movement and loosened up.

Supergrass: Today, this band's one of England's most celebrated pop acts, but just a few years back, these guys - singer/guitarist Gaz Coombes, bassist Mick Quinn and drummer Danny Goffey - first attracted a crowd of cows. When the band used to practice at Mick's house, the bovine herd next door was drawn to the sound. "I wonder where those cows are now..." pines Gaz impishly. They've got human fans these days - including Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg, who likes the bouncy bunch so much, he wanted to make a TV series based on the boys and their exploits. The project was iced when Supergrass went to record its second record, In It for the Money. Now they are far too busy reaping the success.

Daniel Johns of Silverchair

During a recent visit to Southern California, Daniel was hauled off to jail for driving without a license on the sands of a Santa Monica beach. Fortunately for Danny, the officer who booked him had a huge Silverchair fan for a daughter, who insisted that justice be served and the teenage rock star be released.

Maxwell

Babe in Toyland: Superfine soulman Maxwell started making music at 15 when he bought a Casio keyboard from a friend. Soon enough, he had moved on to all sorts of musical machinery, devoting himself to many instruments. He takes inspiration from '70s and '80s R&B plus cutting-edge stuff on the club scene.

Max-imum Modesty: He didn't even want his picture on the cover of his debut, Urban Hang Suite, and almost didn't shoot any videos - it's the music that Maxwell is so passionate about, not the image. "Music means so much to me that I couldn't imagine trying to write a hit. I'd rather work at McDonald's."

"I'm a Man, Man!": Being perceived as the kooky-but-talented kid has its down sides. 'Beck just can't stand the term "manchild." "What do I have to do?" he wonders. "I have hair on my chest, you know." He hates being called wacky, though it's hard not to use that term for the unique fusion of urban-country, pop, folk and hip-hop made famous on his current hot-selling album, Odelay. "I'd like to be taken a tiny, tiny bit more seriously," he says. Well, he did win a Grammy for Best Alternative Rock Performance and another for Best Male Vocal-pretty serious to us!

Slang Thang: Beck's always been fascinated by language, especially old, outdated slang and the way foreigners translate English. "I did this thing in Scandinavia where I took the most horrendous words - they have these 13-syllable words - put all of them together and had somebody translate them for me. They were way better than anything I could write."

Squeaky Clean: Due to his goofiness, Beck's been accused of partaking in illegal substances. "People think drugs are a big part of my identity, and they aren't. I don't need drugs to be creative." Could that be the coolest thing about him?

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters

UFOooh: During World War II, fighter pilots reported big balls of light following their jet streams. They called them "foe fighters" ("foo" is slang for the French word for fire, "feu"). Renaissance man Dave Grohl, formerly of Nirvana, has a strange interest in all things alien. Not only is his band named after what some people think are UFOs, his record label is called Roswell, after the New Mexico town where aliens reportedly landed in the '40s.

Sharing Is Caring: Even though Dave wrote all the songs and played all the instruments on Foo Fighters' first record, he insisted on sharing all the earnings with his post-production bandmates - now all official Foo Fighters who put in plenty of studio time on the band's awesome new disc, The Colour & the Shape. Dave's also down-to-earth about being the leader of the band: He takes his turn driving the tour van-and does his own laundry on the road.

Holding the Salt? Dave won't admit it, but since splitting up with his wife, he's been romantically linked with Veruca Salt's sultry Louise Post.

President of the United States: Well, not exactly, but Mr. Foo was the president of his ninth-grade class.

Confidence Game: While Nirvana was still going strong, drummer Dave kept writing songs on the side. But he was so ashamed of his voice, he wouldn't let anyone hear them. "I have the stupidest voice!" he insists. "I was totally embarrassed and scared that anyone would hear [my songs]." Good thing someone did!

311

Corn-Fed Compadres: All five members of the choppy-poppy-hip-hoppy group 311 hail from smack-dab in the middle of the U.S. of A.-Nebraska, to be precise, which gave them a name for their uncategorizable type of rock: "Omaha stylee." (Well, the whole world knows about it now, thanks to their huge-selling serf-titled record.) Singer Nicholas Hexum, drummer Chad Sexton and guitarist Timothy J. Mahoney all went to high school together. Bassist P-Nut and vocalist/scratchmaster SA Martinez both grew up in South Omaha, but SA hooked the two into the future 311 crew when he met Chad at the University of Nebraska.

The 411 on 311: Though many speculate on what exactly the band's name means, Nick explains it succintly: "We got the name from a friend who was arrested for skinny-dipping-311 is the police code for indecent exposure."

Vices and Virtues: Since the Midwestern natives moved out to the West Coast (three of them share a house in the Hollywood Hills), the California lifestyle has really taken its toll. When asked about their vices, answers ranged from spirulina to ginseng to iced mochas. Three-fifths of the band's favorite munchie is sushi. All of them claim to be close with their parents and neyer far from their Sega Saturn video game system.

Brush With Death: Back in 1993, 311 was on tour in Chad's dad's ancient Winnebago, driving through Missouri. After weeks of overloading the trailer and end- less driving, the RV just gave out and burst into flames. The band dove to safety, escaping with only their wallets. Even though all of their instruments were toast, the boys made it to their next show, and Nick sang his heart out, despite his singed hair and eyebrows. They're back on tour now (beginning in August) to support their new CD - and they're in a newer vehicle.

Blur: Though "Beetlebum" may be the first you've heard from these Brit-pop blokes, Blur actually had a No. 1 album, The Great Escape, in England. Mod, mop-top lasses screamed their lungs out for lead babe Damon Albarn, who has a penchant for donning cool duds and belting his baritone from atop the speakers. Damon and his schoolboy buddy Graham Coxon still churn out catchy tunes - and catch the ladies' hearts. But Damon is way into Justine Frischmann of Elastica - and vice versa.

Duncan Sheik: This guy is proof positive that those music lessons your parents make you take can pay off. The intense Duncan Sheik began playing piano at about the same time he began speaking, thanks to the urging of his grandmother, By the time he was 12, he had taken up the guitar and spent years in a rock band with high school guys, and summers at a music camp. Now he's an Ivy League (Brown University) grad with a chart-busting self-titled debut CD. Whom does the intelligent, intimate romantic have to thank? His more, of course. "She instilled in me a sense of ambition that I otherwise would not have had," he confides.

Fun-Lovin' Criminals: Movie fans that they are, FLC use a Quentin Tarantino-esque wit (and a sound clip from Pulp Fiction) to poke fun at the notion that crime pays. Named after a New York graffiti crew, Huey, Steve and Fast (no last names, please) are actually more muthahuggers than gangsfas - and are still sorties despite the growing success of their self-titled debut. Singer Huey is said to,have cried during a showing of ET while he was in the Marines, and even dressed his dog, Sugar, in a pink bow for Valentine's Day. Says heartthrob Huey, "It's hard to be a tough guy with your tongue in your cheek."

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