The Gossip interview
Posted:
14 Sep 2009
So why’s the new album called Music for Men?
It came about when [lead singer] Beth [Ditto] was watching one of her friends perform. She was a woman singer and there was a bunch of men, not really heckling, but taking up space and making the show about them and not her. So the phrase came into her head: this is Music for Men – bullshit!
What was it like working with Rick Rubin on this album?
He was the most chill, no pressure, just vibe it out, ‘if it doesn’t feel good don’t play it for now’ [guy]. It’s not like, ‘you will do this for 12 hours until we get it RIGHT’. It was kind of intimidating at first going into a big studio, with the major label situation, but he made us very comfortable and he had a lot of the same references and ideas. It was like a match made in heaven.
Do you feel that The Gossip are mainstream now?
We are in Europe and England. The US is way harder to break because it’s so big. Also, we have to be Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake to get played on the radio. And we’re just kind of weird – we’re queer, and fat, and butch – we don’t look like the typical big rock band.
Are looks still a factor in terms of breaking the mainstream?
Definitely. I’ll look at a comment board [online], for instance, and people are like [about Ditto] ‘that fat bitch, she’s so ugly! Get her off here, she has no place in music!’ There’s still this jock mentality that [to make it] you have to be this skinny-blonde-bimbo-sexy singer or you have to be a dude.
Is it weird for you that everyone is obsessed with Beth?
I think it’s really cool. She’s talking about feminism, and fat politics, and queerness in a way that no one else is talking about those issues. I think people have latched onto [her] for the brutal honesty, and self confidence.
You’re known as one of the best live acts around right now – why?
We’re not pretentious, and that helps. We just feel like we’re on the same level as the audience, and not like these rock gods up on a pedestal or something.
Is the rock star thing even cool anymore?
Yeah, look at Kings of Leon. They’re huge and they have that whole rock god thing going on. There’s a separation between the audience and the band, and we’ve never believed in that. It’s not about perfection. It’s all about having a party together.
What’s it like having money now?
[Laughs] It’s different. None of us imagined we’d be able to support ourselves through music. I never feel bad about it, like, ‘oh we sold out’. I’m like, ‘oh! I’m living off my art’ and there’s something really cool about that. I bought a house; Beth bought a house [in Portland]. We’re, like, growing up or something.
Bourree Lam.
Music for Men is out now.
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