"I don't know what we're doing in this Star Wars room."

So uttered Beth Ditto, the singer for the dance-punk band Gossip, on a cool Wednesday evening in Brooklyn during early spring. She was referring to the angular, futuristic venue, National Sawdust, a beloved Williamsburg music space with world-class sound. The crowd burst into hysterics — for the umpteenth time.

The event was part of the GRAMMY Museum's "A New York Evening With…" series, where beloved artists open up in a Q&A, take audience questions, and perform a few tunes. Generally a mellow affair punctuated by the occasional chuckle, Ditto's iteration of "A New York Evening With…" had the air of a stand-up set.

Compounding the humor was moderator T. Cole Rachel, whose byline has appeared in New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and many other outlets — simply because he was Ditto's polar opposite. Ditto was a riot in full makeup, tangerine hair and a zebra print dress ("I got this from Target!" she crowed). Rachel, on the other hand — patient, bearded and prosperous-looking, clad in reasonable browns and olive greens — played the straight man.

The cheerfully long-suffering Rachel patiently steered the interview through a barrage of idiosyncratic, drawled jokes; self-ridicule; evaded queries; and wild gesticulations. "Beth is one of the funniest people I know," Rick Rubin, who produced their first new record in 12 years, Real Power, told The New York Times this year, also calling DItto "a naturally great singer."

The small Brooklyn audience may have been in a galaxy far, far away (actually, it's five minutes from Whole Foods). But from the jump, Ditto was preoccupied with inner space — and Gossip fans bought the ticket to take the ride.

"I'm very nervous, because we're doing this together and we're good friends," Ditto announced at the outset. "I have been struggling personally with what it's like to not be face-to-face with people, and how much division there is between people I know who love each other very much, and who are on the same side of things." Whatever she was specifically referring to, this "A New York Evening With…" event was a refresher in raw conversation in good faith.

In indie circles, Ditto is something of a folk hero, slaying dragons of queerphobia and fatphobia; Rachel noted seeing an early Gossip show, where the audience was permeated with queerness. Which is one thing to see in 2024, and entirely another 20-something years ago. But Ditto isn't the type to preach; her strength is humor wrapped in brutal honesty.

Ditto's quick with a self-directed fat joke, and she's open about her ADHD diagnosis. This meant the audience was continually swept up in humorous ways: a squeaking chair or crackling beer can would invariably bring the conversation to a halt, and prompt some variation on "You OK? Wherever you are?"

The Q&A touched on the band's history and 12-year break, as well as the revolutionary influence of artists like Cyndi Lauper and the B-52s. ("Ohhhh my god!" she shrieked to the question from the audience, "Have you ever seen an alien or ghosts?"

But Ditto's lovably scattered demeanor and palpable nerves rendered the Q&A uber-casual — basically a warm-up to the music. Instruments and amps sat onstage; members of Gossip were to pick them up and rock out. As soon as Ditto was out of talking mode and into rocking mode, any awkwardness melted away: she's known to be a livewire performer.

"I know that I joke a lot," Ditto drawled beforehand, in a moment of vulnerability. "To my bandmates, and to all the people who are on tour with us, and who have been here — there's so many people, not only y'all, and all my friends, I just want to say, thank you. I'm just really grateful." A round of applause.

Then, immediately, Ditto cracked a joke about hot rooms as a heavier person: "You get this little triangle where your butt was, and you wipe it off. Anyone else?" ("Wooo!" replied the audience.) "Every time I'm at the airport…" 

And with that, Ditto blasted off, as Gossip laid down a four-on-the-floor groove for their 2009 Music For Men cut "Love Long Distance." When life on Earth is a Death Star for those of different sizes or sexualities — punk rock is the hyperspace button.

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