Regular Horticulturists might’ve noticed a lot of music around here as of late, even though in, in real life, much time is being spent at the theater–this being the opening of the big, fall theater season ‘n all. Although I’ll be at The Guthrie tonight watching Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing, a piece of my heart will be lingering over at First Ave., cuz that’s where The Gossip is playing.
(And let’s be clear, going to hear The Gossip is the exact opposite of spending an evening at The Guthrie–even though it is not, I should note, the exact opposite of seeing this particular Stoppard play, which happens to be very dark. There will be less screaming at The Guthrie, in any case. I don’t expect to hear Beth Ditto’s ghostly vox haunting the fly space.)
Why do I like The Gossip? This is a band that indulges my riot grrl nostalgias–ah the days of yore when I could crank my Bikini Bill to my heart’s desire and dream all day of heading west to, say, Portland or, huh, Olympia (“where everyone’s the same”). But I also like Stoppard for his ability to explore life–contemporary life!–in a sophisticated and, yes, even “deep” way… and without any of that ghastly finger-wagging or over-explaining. And, these days anyway, I prefer sitting in a comfy theater seat to standing all night on the hard floor of First Ave. I suspect I’ll be quite content to forgo that trip down memory lane.
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