august 1. 2003 ■ Jumt Mrt 39
MUSIC
▼ ............
A girl needs hep role models
reative
The Gossip’s Beth- Ditto is m ore th a n ju st a p re tty body
^ a fe
BY C O R l TARATCX)T
Specialties
hen Beth Ditto and
her band The Gossip
play Nocturnal on
Aug. 8, the show can
be considered a sort of home
coming. Olympia is yesterday’s
news: The band is shacking up
in Portland permanently.
But make no mistake:
W hile the sounds of
Olympia’s riot grrl scene
linger in D itto’s musical
vocabulary, she is, first and
foremost, a Southern girl to
the bone. Ask about her
favorite musician or movie,
and the lexicon— and pop
culture leanings— of the
singer’s Arkansas upbringing
cannot be muffled.
“In high schtxjl, I really
loved Reba McEntire,” says
Ditto. “I still love Reba M c
Entire. I really love the Dixie
Chicks. I think they’re fucking
awesome. Oh, Loretta Lynn.
She’s really cool.”
Given that The Gossip
often finds itself lumped in
with those other minimalist
From left: T he Gossip’s Beth Ditto, Kathy Mendonca and Nathan Howdeshell play Nocturnal on Aug. 8
blues duo-trio acts (W hite
when it comes to putting gcxxJ old rcx:k ’n’ roll
There’s a soft underbelly sweetly hiding
Stripes, Black Keys, The Kills), 1 wonder aloud
if Ditto’s been tracking the latest Jack White-
on record, a bass player really helps.”) But
underneath Ditto’s brazen stage persona. You
can hear it when she talks about her “sweet
Christgau is a grumpy old man.
Loretta Lynn adventures. (Lynn told M TV ’s
heart” (a brave drag-king lover who recently
Kurt Loder that hearing the W hite Stripes for
To fully appreciate Ditto’s radical mission,
posed with Ditto for the cover spread of On Our
you’ve gotta leave the house, you’ve gotta
the first time “sounded like someone was
Backs). And you can hear it when she fantasizes
breaking into a bank.” The Stripes’ Jack White
smash yourself into a crowd, you’ve gotta be
about the musical possibilities in her near future.
willing to get off your ass and dance. This is a
promptly requested Lynn’s onstage presence at
“I want to do a solo project and make music
some Stripes shows. And now Renée Zell
participatory thing— drop your self-conscious
ness. Ditto’s dropping hers. And her bra and
with people that are queer and tour with queer
weger’s broken-fingered boyfriend is slated to
people. I love The Gossip, and I love Kathy
panties, too.
produce a few tracks on the country legend’s
and Nathan. But there’s something special
“Sometimes taking my clothes off on stage
next record.)
about making music around queer people, with
feels liberating. Sometimes it feels empowering.
“T hat’s so cute!” shrieks Ditto. “Loretta
queer people. We understand each other.”
Sometimes it feels really silly. Now sometimes
Lynn is amazing. She comes off simple, in this
And Ditto understands the lure of change.
girls in the audience do it, and that’s cool. If
total backwcxxJs hillbilly way. But then she has
they feel gcxxl enough about themselves to do
“I don’t think The Gossip will ever be any
a head on her shoulders. I think that’s really
that, that’s really rad. It’s
thing but one guitar and
important. She’s so damn smart. Here’s some
dmms
and one singer. For
cool
that
there’s
a
space
one who didn’t have an amazing education,
me, later, I think that I
where they can do that.
who married at 13, had a bunch of kids, and
will definitely want some
now she has this successful career. Especially in
Because it’s just a shirt. It’s
thing crazy, something
just a Kxly. But yeah,
music. Especially in country music! Her mes
prcxluced with all kinds of
sometimes I do feel silly— I
sage is important, and it was really controver
instmments and all kinds
sial in the 1970s. C oal Miner's Daughter is my
mean, I’m up there in my
of sounds and all different
underwear, y’know? But for
favorite movie. Sister Act 2 and C oal Miner's
genres of music."
Daughter."
the most part it feels gixxJ.”
How would Ditto
Sister Act 2? Yup, Whcxipi Goldberg’s 1993
And as members o f
describe the sound she
homage to singing R & B nuns ranks right up
The Gossip expose them
hears in her head when
there for Ditto. “Lauryn Hill’s in that movie.
selves to a bigger and
she imagines a sound sep
Whixipi Goldberg? C ’mon. It’s so g<xxi”
broader audience, Ditto is
arate and independent from The Gossip? Her
coming to terms with their power and responsi
A girl needs her role mcxiels, after all. Espe
voice quiets. “The sound would be really full
bility. “It’s important to spread this message.
cially a proud fat girl who identifies loudly as
and moving and melixlic. And pretty to watch.
People are really scared and repressed. We live
queer. For Ditto, 22, role nuxlels are everything.
And pretty to hear. I want to perform in really
in a country where no one wants you to be out
“In high schcxil, I listened to a lot of Mama
of the closet. They don’t want you to talk
long dresses and keep the makeup on my face
Cass,” she laughs. “I was always on the lcx)kout
on. A lot of piano. A lot of nice mekxlies that
about it."
for people that were big. Or queer people. I was
get stuck in your head for days.” JH
really into Janeane Garofalo and Rosie O ’Don
Not only that, they don’t want to pay you
nell and Ellen DeGeneres. Even before Ellen
for it. “Ltx)k at the bands that have success,”
and Rosie came out. I was kx>king for some
Ditto continues. “They fit the beauty standard.
Sleetmute Nightrnute and Paradise Island open for
thing so bad. And I really loved Annie Lennox
They’re white, they’re straight. You can see the
T h e G ossip 8 p.m . Aug. 8 at Nocturnal,
and Tori Amos, Bikini Kill and Cat Power.”
1800 E. Burnside St. Tickets are $8 from
system working. You can see how fucked up the
TicketsW est or at the door.
industry is. You can tell by who gets famous. It’s
itto is a trailblazer, even if self-professed
important for someone who looks like me, for
Free-lance music unter C ori TARATOOT is
Dean of American Rix:k Critics Robert
someone’s who’s queer, to actually be success
Christgau may not think so. (“A fat, sexy,
ful, to let people know exactly who you are and
working on a biography o f the Polyphonic Spree. In
lesbian teen-ager whose entire trio escaped
what you’re about, that you have an agenda or
her free tune, she drafts speeches firr Lisa
Arkansas for Olympia? And face it, folks—
an issue that you want to address."
Bradshaw's 2004 mayoral campaign.
W
“Sometimes taking
m y clothes off
on stage feels
liberating.... Because
it fs just a shirt.
It's just a body.”
▼ Apple < inhuman French Toast
▼ T in s Rreak/ast Samturuh
▼ tu rkey Cl" H am Reuben
Gay owned & operated
8 am to 3 pm daily
Breakfast anytime • Lunch from I Oam
o m c to o u r
^ o zv C o rtte r.
503 236 9486 » 1728 SE 7th Ava.
2 blocks south of Hawthorne
Bring in this ad for $2 off any pizzal
f *pi»#* 8 1 04
3552 N Mississippi Av* • 503 298-3231
All vegetarian
All the time.
—^
3560 N Mississippi (at Ftrmont)
730t-230p Iuf-Fn,8a-3pSat-Sun
I
:«fé
503-281-3560wwwpurplfparlor.com
__________________
C o nve rting Portland
One C u p At A Tim e!
THREE
FRIENDS
C O F F É á íÍO tJS E
A N D C jA F F .
Es p re s s o
Lo o s e Tea
Open until lOpm
Pool T ab le
OPEN (7J DAYS
201 S E 12th
P a s trie s
P o rtla n d O R 9 7 2 1 4
S03.236.6411
7 ’e y ctarìan 'Paradise
M- I li I I -<>pin • I t i ì\ S.it I I -Spin
H e Cater!
S‘l I ’ 9th cv :ltder • (50J) J14-96tfc
k
Mon# than a coffr# hour#,
an oasis o f experience
gifts * live music * organic coffee
The Pink Place 7»lh a N E (iliviit
503-262 7613
www CouchstonecoHeehouse. com
B eautiful
P atio D ining
4 8 3 7 N E FREM ONT
8 0 3 -3 3 8 -7 0 6 8
WWW.REDFie.NKT
¿afs, (¡aid (r (Dim ownsMl !
Contort Eua tony rt Matlt*
.t 503-236-1253
f u if t a iL on out estol e o it-e ((re tire
Lit*-Bitta
uctouuuit oM
—
I ; ■ ■