The Time I Saw The Gossip...

One of the most delightful surprises I've had with an opening act is catching The Gossip - as they were then known - opening for the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at Richards on Richards some years ago, well before they broke (they were probably touring Movement, at that point). Beth Ditto made a hell of an impression. She was powerful, charismatic, expressive, sang like a motherfucker, and was sexy as hell to boot; with apologies to Mr. Spencer - who has made some fine records in his time - her band's opening set left the JSBX feeling like yesterday's lunchmeat. Being a fan of the bigger girl, I actually contemplated trying to pick her up, except her lyrics and some of her in-between song patter suggested she was probably queer, which Wikipedia confirms; I did chat with her at the merch table and let her know that I thought her band was just great, but there was definitely a decided non-flirtatiousness to her that kept me in check... Commercial success appears to have diluted Gossip's power a bit (though the second song on the new album is kind of apropos of my life-situation), so it's kind of cool that I actually caught them right when they were making the sort of music I like. Not sure it would be the same now. My favourite song of theirs is off their first album - "Got All This Waiting," which just kicks ass, and was in their set. Not sure I'd need to see "Move In The Right Direction" live...