The Gossip Issue #27

Beth Ditto and the gang know it ain’t easy to be in your 20s. On their latest album, Standing in the Way of Control, they’re here to say, “Be all that you can be. This is your time. Take care of you.”

By Shaina Feinberg
Published: March 1st, 2006 | 12:00am

"It ain't the end of the world, girl. You'll find your place in the world, girl," sings bluesy chanteuse Beth Ditto on the song "Fire With Fire." She milks the message of empowerment on the Gossip's third album, Standing in the Way of Control, coaxing feeling out of lyrics that might not grab your attention otherwise. Ditto's Janis Joplin-esque urgency is carried along by crunchy guitars and toe-tapping drums. This is the kind of music that makes you bob your head in that way that says, "Yeah, this feels good."

Released in January on the band’s longtime label, Kill Rock Stars, Standing in the Way of Control was recorded by Fugazi's Guy Picciotto. The band — Ditto plus guitarist Brace Pain (which is his artistic name; his bandmates call him Nathan) and new drummer Hannah Billie (also of Shoplifting) — has toured with Le Tigre, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Erase Errata, Sleater-Kinney, Sonic Youth, and the White Stripes, to name a few. In recent months, connections made on the road have lead to collaborations in the studio. In October 2005, the Gossip released a 12-inch with the album's title track and a dance remix by Le Tigre, with album artwork done collaboratively by Pain and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon.

On a cold afternoon, a few days before Halloween 2005, I met up with the Gossip at the Pink Pony — a noisy, packed café on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The purpose of their trip to New York was to do interviews and photo shoots, but they'd managed to squeeze in a couple of shows. Before I even had a chance to ask any questions, the three of them were offering up information. Ditto, speaking rapidly in a mellow Arkansas accent, freely admitted to being afraid of the dark, a longtime secret fear of my own. On hearing this, I felt emboldened and chimed in, “Me too!” Ditto scrunched up her nose in glee and gave me a high five …

Beth Ditto: You know, people say to me, "You should write more political songs." I believe that that's true, but, see, everyone I know right now is really crazy. We're all in our mid-20s and it's a really pivotal moment. We’re all having a hard time in some way. There are all of these things going on in the world that are crazy. But for me, there's all this stuff going on inside, and in order to take care of the stuff on the outside, I have take care of what's on the inside first. I feel like a huge part of radical feminism is the idea "I have to take care of myself." And right now that's where I am. It can make you feel like a really weak person to keep that stuff inside. But letting it out, talking about it, makes it smaller. You'll be like: I feel bogus because I'm afraid to sleep in the dark. And I'm like, "Lots of people can't sleep in the dark. Why do we feel shitty about that?" Reaching out, making connections, and just being able to talk about it feels super-duper revolutionary. Just surviving in general in this world. Being the person you are right now is really important and maintaining that is a really huge deal. Owning who you are. In a lot of ways. In a shitload of ways. Not just "I'm gay!" But also, like, "I'm a crazy mother fucker." [They all laugh.]

Beth and Brace, you guys are originally from Arkansas? But you all live in Portland now?
B.D.: Nathan and I live in Portland. Hannah lives in Seattle.
Hannah Billie: I live in Seattle with my twin brother. We're a lot alike. We both play music. Former wombmates, now roommates.
B.D.: I have six siblings. Not all from one marriage though, 'cause there's no such thing as one marriage in Arkansas.

What was it like to work with Le Tigre?
B.D. Working with Le Tigre … it was amazing making that remix with them. Working with them was an honor.

Did they seek you out?
H.B.: We asked them to do the remix when we went out on tour with them last year. Kathleen Hanna has always been an idol for Beth and me.
B.D.: And Nathan.
H.B.: And Nathan, yeah. I was so scared to meet her.
B.D.: [giggles] Me too!
H.B.: Because she's this figure! J.D. [Samson]'s more down and stuff, and we were like bros. That was more chilled. Johanna is really reserved and sweet. And Kathleen intimidated the hell out of us. I mean, she is super sweet, but we just didn't know what to say to her.
B.D.: Yeah! I feel like, you know how some people really want to meet Drew Barrymore and Madonna? I don't give a shit about Drew Barrymore and Madonna. I wanted to meet Kathleen Hanna. And I did!
Brace Pain: Yeah … and it was weird because she had listened to our album a lot.
B.D.: She's a powerhouse, you know? Every decision that she's ever made in her career … I'm just amazed by. What a smart person. For deciding, in her 30s, that she's going to sign to a label that's going to support her and do things for her. Against everybody's punk wishes.
B.P. and H.B.: [giggling] Punk wishes?
B.D.: [affecting a British accent] Punk wishes, caviar dreams!
H.B.: We met her on the day that George Bush was re-elected.
B.P.: We were so depressed.
H.B.: And we were at a show in <tki>Ohio</tki> — the deciding state. It was a really intense day. Everyone was really bummed.
B.D.: What's amazing is that no one talked about it. We were just seriously shocked.
H.B.: We were so down. But then Le Tigre did talk about it onstage.

I've seen Le Tigre in their "Stop Bush" outfits — actually, on the cover of Venus Zine. Were they wearing those outfits at the show?
B.D.: No, they were probably like, "Too late for that shit!"

Who else have you met that is amazing?
B.P.: Meeting Sonic Youth was amazing. They've always been heroes of mine.

What was it like to work with Kim Gordon on the artwork of Standing in the Way of Control?
B.P.: Man, working with Kim was really cool. Just that she wanted to help us out was cool. She was super nice. The weird thing is, if you like someone, you're a fan, you've read so much about them. You feel like you know them, like you're friends. So that's what it was like when I met Kim Gordon. I was such a fan. I felt like I knew her. And she was really nice to me. Doing the art with her was great.

Who else would you like to work with or meet?
H.B.: Nathan wants to meet Bruce Willis.

Really?
B.P.: Yeah, I don't know why. Ooh, also I would like to meet Missy Elliott.

What would you do if you met Bruce Willis?
B.P.: I don't know. Hang out with him.
H.B.: Touch his muscles!
B.P.: Yeah! I'd touch his muscles! I just think he's awesome. It's so pathetic. Nobody understands why I like him so much, but I do.
B.D.:You should go as Bruce Willis tonight.
B.P.: Oh yeah! We're gonna dress up for our show tonight.
H.B.: We're playing tonight at a Halloween costume party, but we haven't figured out what to dress like yet.
B.P.: We're thinking maybe we'll be characters from Roseanne.
B.D.: Or maybe we'll go as Ghostbusters?

Do you each have your own projects in addition to being in the Gossip?
B.D.: They both DJ and make art. I'm a crafter. Nathan is an artist.
B.P.: I do a lot of drawings and zines. That's what I'm doing all the time. Making stuff. I'm trying to get someone to do a hardback cover compilation of all my zines. That's what I'm working on right now.
B.D.: I alter a lot of my clothes. [She gets up and shows me something she altered earlier that morning.] And I make my friends a lot of blankets. I quilt. I crochet. When I was 14, I used to go to [rock] shows and crochet. Because I would be working on a blanket and there was a show, and I was like, "I have to finish this blanket tonight, so I'm bringing it with me!" That's probably why Nathan hated me. We went to high school together, and he didn't like me at all. He was probably like, "Who is that idiot crocheting in the corner at a show?