Interview with Gossip!!!

• 30th Oct 2006

The Gossip Interview by Louise Butler

Louise met Beth and Brace from Gossip as they landed in Liverpool on their UK tour. A new band to most people but they are on their fourth album now. The difference this time is they have with them one of the best dance floor tunes of the year, if not the decade.

Your new single ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ has quite a political message, could you tell use about it?

Beth Ditto- Its kinda cool in the way that we reach out to people, it’s a very powerful feeling you know. It’s kind of a call to arms for everybody to get together and realise that it’s so crazy right now, like from torturing prisoners to immigration to gay marriage and healthcare. It’s the US, it’s the richest country, it’s like 'what’s going on?' I think it’s a response to that, to keep people's heads up because we are the people who have to live with the governments decisions. As long as we’re together, it doesn’t matter.

What bands are you listening to at the minute?

B D I can’t stop listening to The Ramones. It sounds really boring but it’s a crazy resurgence in my life. I’ve been listening to this singer who my friend turned me onto, Betty Swan, she’s an old soul singer that never really made it big, but really really good.

Brace Paine Well we were just talking about Ladytron and I like their new record. Spank Rock I like a lot these days, lots of different stuff.

What’s your favourite mode of transportation?

B D The bus, I love the city bus; love it, just taking the bus from my house to the mall. I love the bus, I don’t drive at all, I don’t have a licence to drive so I take the bus.

B P An aeroplane with personal TV screens.

What do you think of Great Britain?

B D I love it. Gossip loves it we feel really at home here. Germany and Great Britain, we love it we love both of them.

Do you have any strange tour stories?

B D Once when we were touring the US our tour manager got deported. They made him go back to Germany and made him leave because he didn’t have a working visa. It’s so shitty.

B P That was strange, but strange to me I think was that one time we saw a lady that had no pants on. We were driving and I was like, ‘Oh my god, everybody look! There’s a lady with no pants on just walking around!’ She was on the street and her boyfriend was helping her put her pants on.

B D I thought he was joking. But she was completely top and bottomless. No pants.

B P In the street.

Do You know Steve Lemaq, Zane Lowe or Jo Whiley?

B D I don’t know them. I might know them and can’t remember them as being DJ’s. I probably met them and been like ‘hey’ and had no idea who they where.

What about John Peel?

B D Oh yeah. I know who John Peel is. Of course. We did one Peel session years ago. And friend's in a band called Numbers, they played three Peel sessions. It was really, really humbling, it was amazing. It was special. That was like 2003, we didn’t get to meet him though.

You’re nicknamed 'lungs'. Is that real or press?

B D Lungs? I’ve never heard that. I guess the press has given me that. I didn’t know that. I thought you said lunch cos Nathan called me lunch for a while. I’m sure its cos I’m short and fat and it’s kind of cute.

You are supporting Scissor Sisters. Are you looking forward to that?

B D I'm looking forward to that. I’m really excited about it. I cant wait cos I think their band is amazing. I cant wait to play with another gay band, that’s really good so that’s really fun for me. They are really good.

They’re playing big stadiums aren’t they?

B D That’s what I’m nervous about. Yeah I am really excited, if I can just win over that crowd I’ll be ok.

Is there one think you would change about America?

B D Is there one thing? There’s not one thing there’s like 85,000 things. I would change a lot about America; I don’t know where I would start.

Is there anywhere that you would really like to live?

B D I think I’d love to live in London, or maybe Brighton. I don’t know, I love the UK I don’t know if it's because people speak English here, or people here are really nice and I have lots of good friends here so I don’t know. I think maybe Berlin. But I’ve never been to South America, I’ve never been to Japan or Malaysia so I don’t know. There’s lots of places maybe I would wanna live but I’ve never been there. But of the places I have been I really love Berlin and I really love London and Brighton. And Manchester, Manchester is amazing.

Who are your biggest influences?

B P Yoko Ono, Huggy Bear, Sonic Youth, The Germs.

B D Mama Cass, Gladys Knight.

B P The band Suicide are definitely an influence.

Do you still get influenced by stuff?

B D I do. I used to get really moved. '97-2003 were such good years for R n B and hip hop and that really moved me because it was so good, so fresh, so real and then I don’t feel that way anymore.

B P I used to like Mary J Blige because it was actual soul singling; now it’s like guys whispering over beats.

B D I’m so obsessed with Motown production right now and in the states, I don’t know about here, but in the states it’s really watered down. That’s the Beatles of the US. Motown music, revolutionary, totally different sound production, it was huge.

Finally, what is your favourite colour?

B P Bright yellow

B D Purple, but you don’t always suite your favourite colour.

Catch them on the rest of the tour:

Tue 31 Oct The Gossip Oran Mor
Glasgow

Wed 1 Nov Club NME:
The Gossip + Comanechi + Sky Larkin The Faversham
Leeds

Thu 2 Nov The Gossip Barfly
Birmingham B5

Sat 4 Nov The Gossip The Roadhouse
Manchester

Sun 5 Nov The Gossip Concorde 2
Brighton

Mon 6 Nov The Gossip The Plug (formerly .Zero)
Sheffield