| Roddy Bottum | |
|---|---|
Roddy performing with Imperial Teen in 2007 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roswell Christopher Bottum III |
| Born |
July 1, 1963 Los Angeles, California |
| Origin | San Francisco, California |
| Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock |
| Occupations | Musician |
| Instruments | Keyboard, Vocals, Guitar |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | Slash, London, Reprise, Mordam, Merge |
| Associated acts | Faith No More, Imperial Teen |
Roddy Bottum (born Roswell Christopher Bottum III,[1] 1 July 1963 in Los Angeles, California), is an American musician, best known as the keyboardist for the San Francisco rock band Faith No More. He is also a part of Imperial Teen, best known for their 1999 single "Yoo Hoo" used in the movie Jawbreaker. In addition to also having scored three Hollywood movies, Bottum is an out gay musician.
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Bottum studied classical piano from an early age, until moving to San Francisco when he was 18.
Joining his schoolfriends Billy Gould and Mike Bordin in Faith No More in 1982 (replacing Wade Worthington), Bottum remained in the band until its demise in 1998. However, after 1992's Angel Dust and its ensuing tour, Bottum's input into Faith No More was reduced significantly. In an interview made available to fans on the band's King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime album (vinyl collection box set), Bottum explained that his contributions to the band's efforts had necessarily declined because of the death of his father that year. In 2009, Bottum returned to Faith No More for a reunion tour and possibly a recording.[2]
In 1994/1995, Bottum formed Imperial Teen with Lynn Perko, another Bay Area music veteran. The band is perhaps best known for their single "Yoo Hoo" used in the 1999 film Jawbreaker.
Bottum came out as gay in 1993.[3] He is recognized as a pioneering gay rock musician and admired as a role model for gay youth interested in music not traditionally associated with the gay community. In a 2001 article in The Advocate, Bottum stated that "I would never have thought as a gay teen I'd be in a band that would be considered heavy metal or hard rock." [4]
One of his contributions to Faith No More was "Be Aggressive," a song about oral sex. Bottum has said in interviews that he wrote the song largely as a joke at Mike Patton's expense, enjoying the potential humiliation a straight vocalist would subject himself to onstage. "Be Aggressive" became the second most-played song at Faith No More concerts. Bottum would also describe gerbil stuffing in graphic detail to shocked interviewers.
A 1999 article in The Advocate said of Imperial Teen, "With lyrical allusions to wearing lipstick and male pronouns used to address love objects, Imperial Teen serves up a gay sensibility that ordinarily surfaces only from straight bands like Pulp or Pizzicato Five." [3] Bottum noted "I think there's a resistance from gay artists to go that route just because it's so predictable. But it is annoying to see bands play it as safe as they do these days. That's why something that visually screams as loud as Marilyn Manson is such a breath of fresh air." [3]
Before he came out as gay, Bottum was actually involved in a brief heterosexual relationship with Courtney Love in the early 80s, concurrent with the time she sang for Faith No More. The two remain friends to this day. [1]
Bottum composed the music for Craig Chester's film directorial debut, the gay romantic comedy Adam & Steve (2005) [5] and scored What Goes Up (2009). He also composed the music for the 2007 film Kabluey starring Lisa Kudrow and Scott Prendergrast.
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