The Gossip: Stand and Deliver More

For the May issue of Dazed & Confused, we sent Karley Sciortino to Rick Rubin’s mansion in Malibu to ask The Gossip what comes next after Standing in the Way of Control. Here is a Q&A that doesn’t feature in the magazine as well as extra shots that photographer Amanda Marsalis took at Rubin’s mansion. We also went behind the scenes on the cover shoot with The Gossip and Rankin, producing a “Kiss This” cover that features Beth Ditto in a Phillip Treacy lippy headpiece.

Read more about The Gossip in the current issue of Dazed & Confused.

Dazed Digital: Do you feel this is your best album to date?
Beth: I don’t know. I can’t tell. Sometime I feel like it’s not even done yet. When we were making the album I said I was going to have post-partum depression when it was over, and I do! After we finished recording I had to go home and wind down because I was so freaked out. But I think I need space from the record to really see it for what it is. I think it’s great, but I almost feel bad saying that. I’m superstitious that way. But it’s completely different from Standing In The Way Of Control, and completely different from any record we’ve ever made, which is great. But if I say too much it will ruin it.

Dazed Digital: Do you have a favorite song on the album?
Beth: I don’t know if I have a favorite, but there is one song I’m really excited for people to hear. Its called Men In Love. It’s about gay men in love with each other. Love is a huge running theme on the album.

Dazed Digital: Rick, how did you know you wanted to work with the Gossip?
Rick Rubin: When I first saw them, it felt less like a concert and more like a party. It felt like a celebration, and I liked that. You could feel that everyone- the band and the audience- were very much on the same page. I just want to find music that I feel emotionally connected to. I really love the Gossip’s music. It’ really unique and everybody in the band is great.

Dazed Digital: Beth, you’re becoming somewhat of a fashion icon. Is fashion a something you care about?
Beth: I love fashion. Getting dressed is my favorite part of the day. It’s a creative outlet. For me putting makeup on is like painting. I really feel that way. When I was a kid I was always really into clothes. I would spend hours in the bathroom bouffanting my hair, and I always drew on the Madonna mole. I think it’s something I’ve gotten really into because it’s something that was so removed from me as a kid. As a big person, and as someone who grew up poor, fashion was so inaccessible to me, so it turned into something I always dreamed of.