Beth Ditto
Encyclopedia
Mary Beth Patterson, known by her stage name Beth Ditto (born February 19, 1981, in Searcy
, Arkansas
), is an American singer-songwriter
, most famous for her work with the indie rock
band Gossip
.
A resident of Portland, Oregon
, she is a close friend of Scissor Sisters
lead singer Ana Matronic
, and considers her favorite song to be "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" by X-Ray Spex
. She courted mild controversy in 2006 when, during an interview for NME
magazine, she claimed to have eaten squirrel
s as a child, saying that "people in Arkansas just do – they'd think you were a freak if you ate squid there!"
Ditto is known for her noticeable stage dances and her unique and revealing image. She classes herself as a punk
, and thus does not wear deodorant or shave under her armpits, having once remarked that "I think punks usually smell". She also formerly contributed an advice column on body image to The Guardian
newspaper.
In February 2009, she was featured in London as the cover model for the premiere of Love magazine with prominent public advertising.
On July 9, 2009, Beth's fashion collection for the UK retailer Evans was released for sale, both online, and in selected stores across the UK.
Ditto, who is a lesbian
, is well known for her outspoken support of both LGBT
and feminist causes.
Her most recent modeling work consisted of opening the Jean Paul Gaultier spring 2011 fashion show during Paris Fashion Week on October 2, 2010.
Searcy, Arkansas
Searcy is the largest city and county seat of White County, Arkansas, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,663. It is the principal city of the Searcy, AR Micropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of White County...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
), is an American singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, most famous for her work with the indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Gossip
Gossip (band)
Gossip is a three-piece American indie rock band formed in 1999. The band consists of singer Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control . A follow-up, Music for...
.
Personal life
At 13, she moved out of her mother’s house and went to live with her aunt.A resident of Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, she is a close friend of Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York" who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism...
lead singer Ana Matronic
Ana Matronic
Ana Matronic is the female lead singer for the Scissor Sisters.Her stage name is said to be due to "a deep and abiding love of robots"...
, and considers her favorite song to be "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" by X-Ray Spex
X-Ray Spex
X-Ray Spex were an English punk band from London that formed in 1976.During their first incarnation , X-Ray Spex were “deliberate underachievers” and only managed to release five singles and one album...
. She courted mild controversy in 2006 when, during an interview for NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine, she claimed to have eaten squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s as a child, saying that "people in Arkansas just do – they'd think you were a freak if you ate squid there!"
Ditto is known for her noticeable stage dances and her unique and revealing image. She classes herself as a punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, and thus does not wear deodorant or shave under her armpits, having once remarked that "I think punks usually smell". She also formerly contributed an advice column on body image to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper.
In February 2009, she was featured in London as the cover model for the premiere of Love magazine with prominent public advertising.
On July 9, 2009, Beth's fashion collection for the UK retailer Evans was released for sale, both online, and in selected stores across the UK.
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, is well known for her outspoken support of both LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
and feminist causes.
Her most recent modeling work consisted of opening the Jean Paul Gaultier spring 2011 fashion show during Paris Fashion Week on October 2, 2010.
Track listing
- "Do You Need Someone" - 6'04
- "Goodnight, Good Morning" - 7'00
- "I Wrote The Book" - 3'57
- "Open Heart Surgery" - 5'40
| Year | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 86 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions |
Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
BEL Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
|||||
| 2011 | "I Wrote the Book I Wrote the Book "I Wrote the Book" is a song performed by American recording artist Beth Ditto. Produced by James Ford and Jas Shaw of Simian Mobile Disco, the song was released as the first single from the Beth Ditto EP.-Music video:... " |
76 | 14 | Beth Ditto EP | ||
| As featured artist | ||||||
| 2010 | "Cruel Intentions Cruel Intentions (Simian Mobile Disco song) "Cruel Intentions" is the second physical single from Simian Mobile Disco's second album Temporary Pleasure. It features Beth Ditto as co-writer and singer on this pop-oriented track.-12" 1:# "Cruel Intentions " 8:00... " (Simian Mobile Disco Simian Mobile Disco Simian Mobile Disco are a United Kingdom-based production and remix team formed in 2005 by James Ford and Jas Shaw of the band Simian. Musically, they are known for their analogue production... ft Beth Ditto) |
142 | - | Temporary Pleasure Temporary Pleasure Limited Edition Second Disc-Extra Temporary/Extra Pleasure:Both of these titles refer to the same release of the four bonus tracks included in the limited edition of the Temporary Pleasure studio album... |
||
Awards and nominations
- 2006 – NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
– Coolest Person In Rock – Won - 2007 – NME AwardsNME AwardsThe NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
– Sexiest Woman Of The Year – Nominated - 2008 – GlamourGlamour (magazine)Glamour is a women's magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. Founded in 1939 in the United States, it was originally called Glamour of Hollywood....
Awards – International Artist Of The Year – Won