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Interview With Hannah Blilie

The Gossip may have been described in the New York Times Magazine last month as a “new band,” but they’ve been playing their DIY soul-punk since 1999. The Portland trio, comprised of Beth Ditto, Hannah Blilie (both out lesbians) and Nathan “Brace Pain” Howdeshell have been an underground hit for years in the United States with riot grrrl-inspired releases on Kill Rock Stars and K Records, including their most recent album, Standing in the Way of Control (2005).

But in the last couple of years, the band has become an international household name, with front woman Beth Ditto posing nude on the cover of Britain’s NME and the band’s signing to gay record label Music With a Twist.

Though Ditto often seems to be the band’s unofficial spokeswoman, guitarist Nathan Howdeshell and drummer Hannah Blilie are also integral parts of the band, helping to make its disco-infused punk rock accessible to both American indie music fans and mainstream radio in the United Kingdom.

When Blilie joined the band in 2004, replacing original drummer Kathy Mendonca, the band’s sound was forever changed. The Gossip’s subsequent album, Standing in the Way of Control, became a huge hit. It was not only remixed by Le Tigre, but also had the dubious honor of being butchered by an Australian Idol contestant.

Blilie spoke to AfterEllen.com about The Gossip’s unwanted newfound celebrity, canceling their fall tour, their new live album (which will be released in the U.S. in January 2008), and why they need some rest and relaxation after being on the road for almost three years.

AfterEllen.com: I noticed you guys canceled your fall tour – what are you going to be doing this fall instead? Hannah Blilie: Resting [laughs]. We have a live record coming out, and the live record kind of got pushed back, so it didn’t really make sense to tour the States again on this record. We’re just kind of ready to wind it down. We have some other stuff going on and just wanted to take a rest and start writing again.

AE: When do you anticipate that the new record will be coming out? HB: I have no idea. We’re still totally in the beginning stages of writing. We’re hoping to record … when we have six months off. We’re hoping to just write and record in that time, and hopefully it’ll be out in 2008.

AE: So will you be scheduling your tour in the winter? HB: We’re not touring in the winter. We’re taking six months off after December. We’re just going to take a break; we’re not really touring off the live album. We might do a couple of shows, but we’ve just been touring constantly off this record. We just want to unload for a little bit and get going on the next one.

AE: How did you originally get hooked up with The Gossip as [original drummer] Kathy [Mendonca] was leaving? How did you meet the other band members? HB: We’d known each other for many years; I met Beth when I was 17. I knew Beth and Nathan from years of playing shows together in Olympia, and all my previous bands would tour with The Gossip or we’d play shows here or there, so we had a previous musical relationship.

What happened was they got offered a tour with Le Tigre in October 2004 and Kathy wasn’t able to do it, so they racked their brains of who they could throw in, and they came up with me. They asked me to do it, and we just really clicked from the moment we started practicing together for the tour, and things went well and they asked me to stay.

It was emotional for them for Kathy to leave, but it was the right time because she wasn’t that into it anymore. We just took it to the next level. [Laughs.]

AE: It seems like you guys are big here, but in the U.K. you have blown up. Are the shows there any different? Do the fans have more energy? HB: I wouldn’t say they have more energy, but the size of the shows are a lot different. It’s way bigger than we would play in the States. That’s definitely an exciting thing over there. It just seems to be really sensationalized, almost. Beth is in all the tabloids, and it’s just kind of … it’s easy for a band like us to get big over there because it’s small and word spreads quick, and I think they’re just kind of more accepting of a queer radical band than they would be in the mainstream in the U.S.

AE: Why do you think that is? HB: I think it has to do with an open-mindedness that hasn’t quite hit the U.S. the same. Of course we have underground success and a lot of gay fans, but [we] haven’t broken that mainstream barrier here.

I think a lot of it has to do with radio, actually, because our songs get really played on mainstream radio in the U.K., where they just would never [get played] here. Because who they play on the radio [in the U.S.] are the biggest bands – it’s like a pay-to-play kind of thing going on. A band like us wouldn’t get that kind of exposure.

AE: Do you see that changing now that you’re on a major label? HB: I don’t know. We’ll see what happens, because we haven’t actually released anything yet on Columbia. So I think that will get us more exposure, but we’ll have to see. I don’t see our band becoming a major success in the U.S. It hasn’t happened yet, and I think it’s unlikely.

AE: Is that something that you want, that you seek out actively as a band? HB: Not at all. It’s been kind of accidentally in the U.K. It wasn’t something that we expected. We definitely appreciate it.

It’s kind of bizarre, coming from a place where we’re playing on a DIY punk kind of level and for so long, and to kind of explode over there was really strange. It’s cool, but it’s just so different from what we’re used to.

AE: You mentioned before that Beth is in the news a lot. Has it changed anything as far as the band dynamic? HB: No. I mean, it’s definitely hard to get used to that as people kind of … it depends on who you are talking about. A lot of people will view the band as only Beth, which I kind of think is hard for me and Nathan sometimes. But I think the true music fans and the people who appreciate the band — and not just the singer — I think they see the whole picture.

I think that’s really important, that we have been doing this for so long as a group. But it’s difficult when people just see The Gossip as Beth Ditto and the backing band. … But I think she works hard to include us and make sure we get recognition, too, but it all depends on who is looking at it. They can see it however they want. As long as we’re in it together, I think we’ll stay strong and keep supporting each other.

AE: It seems like you’ve been thrust into activism, whether it’s fat positive or queer positive. Is that something you wanted to be known for or has it just come out of being out and queer and fat? HB: I think the band has always had a message, even if songs in particular aren’t always political, they’re always there. They’re always about queer love, and I think we’ve never been people to hide.

I think we all believe that if you have this position where you can affect people’s life or change their opinion in some way, then why don’t you use it. If you have this great podium — the stage — in which you can inspire people or make them think … why not use that. There’s so many bands that just don’t say anything at all, and it’s so f—ing boring.

Not that you have to be on a soapbox all the time, but I think if you have something to say, music is just such a powerful medium to get that word across. AE: Are you guys huge in Australia, too? I saw the girl sing your song “Standing in the Way of Control” on Australian Idol. HB: [Laughs.] I got sent that link on YouTube like last week, and I was like “What? What the f— is this?”

AE: Did they have to get your permission to do that? HB: No. … I don’t know, actually. It’s possible we could have said, “Yeah you can use our song on Australian Idol.” They don’t have to pay us anything. It doesn’t bother me, but it’s just so weird. It’s crazy. We’ve been to Australia before. I’m not sure if this time around if it’ll be a lot bigger or what. That was definitely a trip.

AE: Have you had any other moments like that since becoming a bigger band? Like “I can’t believe they’re talking about The Gossip on this show” or “Keira Knightly is talking about Beth.” HB: Yeah, I mean, like all the tabloid stuff really blows my mind, and being stalked by paparazzi, that blows my mind. There’s been lots of stuff that’s been kind of like “What?”

Like playing a festival and having Michael Stipe on the side of the stage, and we got limoed over — kind of like this status symbol kind of thing that’s very strange. Kate Moss hanging out. … it’s just weird. I never thought that our band would get to that level where celebrities were fans. It’s just really strange.

AE: How do you think the change in the lifestyle you live is going to affect the songwriting on the next album? HB: I’m not sure. Definitely the songs have always come out of a place of struggle or pain, so as life gets more comfortable, I hope that the songs don’t sound more comfortable.

I think the biggest thing is for us to have time off from touring. It’s really hard to get in a creative space when you’re constantly on the road, playing every night.

That’s a good question — I’m not sure what the answer is yet. We’ll see. The stuff that we’ve been writing so far has been really diverse, and I think there’s still a lot to be passionate and angry about. And there’s a lot to say about the world in general, even if it’s not about personal struggle — which it still can be. It can be about the larger struggle in the world. I’m sure we’ll keep our feminist themes that have been on the other records. AE: What is it like now to go back to Portland after traveling all over and having tabloids follow you? Is there anything different? HB: Nothing’s changed here, really, which I think everybody appreciates. It’s really nice to come home and just live normal lives and have that — kind of be separate. That’s why we’re not really all that interested in mainstream success in the U.S. We prefer to come home and be with our partners and dogs and cats, and be homebodies and stuff, and not have this kind of rock star thing follow us around everywhere.

AE: Is there anything else The Gossip is going to be doing before the live album drops, or are you just going to be taking advantage of all the free time you have now? HB: We are doing a few things. We’re going to the U.K. in October to play this one big show called Fashion Rocks, and it’s with BeyoncĂ© and Paul McCartney and all these huge superstars. [It’s] this fashion show where bands play on the runway while the fashion show’s happening. We’re playing for this designer, and I don’t actually know his name. I don’t pay attention to fashion that much.

Then we have a huge festival we’re playing in France in November, and then we go to Australia, New Zealand and Japan in December. So we’re still on the road. We have a couple of weeks off here and there, but we’re doing some touring, and then after the last trip we’re taking time off to write, so we’ll take some much needed “me” time.

AE: So you won’t be touring in the U.S. until next spring? HB: Yeah, at least. We might do a few shows in January when the live record comes out here, just big cities mostly. But yeah, the record has been out for so long that we’re just like, ugh, let’s just take a step back and wait until we have some songs written that we can tour off of again. It starts to get redundant for us. And fans, I’m sure, [are] like, “They’re playing this set again?”

People might be bummed that we canceled our November portion in the U.S., but I think it’s in everybody’s best interest. Give us some time, and we’ll get some new songs together, and we’ll be able to tour off the new record.

For more on The Gossip, visit their MySpace page or their official website.

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