barb morrison

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courtesy A Room of One's Own

barb morrison, Benjamin Rose and Maddie Batzli (from left).

barb morrison, Benjamin Rose and Maddie Batzli (from left).

A multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, barb morrison has a decades-long resume playing in bands such as Gutterboy and Antony & the Johnsons, producing and writing for Blondie and Franz Ferdinand, and creating numerous film and TV scores. In 2023, they added author to the list, with the memoir Bottoming For God, described as “a story about gender euphoria, sobriety, old skool NYC, true love, past lives and coming home.” morrison will discuss the book’s topics with a duo of Madison musicians who are members of queer pop/rock bands: Maddie Batzli of LINE and Benjamin Rose of Kat and the Hurricane.

media release: A Room of One's Own is thrilled to welcome musicians barb morrison, Benjamin Rose, and Maddie Batzli for a panel discussion on barb's new book Bottoming for God. Join us for this incredible discussion with award winning producer and local Madison musicians on gender, religion and music.

This is an in person event at A Room of One's Own.

Endorsements for the Book

“They say that beautiful art should be both surprising and inevitable, and that’s how it felt to read this. But mostly inevitable. It touched me in such a deep and familiar and intimate place. I just love it.“ - Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times Bestselling Author

“Some people read books. Some write them, and some live them. Every once in a rare while someone is all those things. Full of mystery and mysteries that even to this day, my friend, with who we'd share teenage dreams from random payphones all over the city, continues to surprise and blur preconceived notions. How lucky we all get to live them again or for the first time, this time, in writing.” - Dito Montiel, Film Director and writer

“What a life! What a crazy funny time Barb has had! I feel lucky to know them.” - Debbie Harry, vocalist for Blondie and songwriter

barb morrison (they/ them) is a top 5 billboard dance chart songwriter and platinum record producer best known as producer for numerous artists such as Blondie, Rufus Wainwright, Franz Ferdinand, LP, Asia Kate Dillon and as an ASCAP featured film score composer. They have just released their first book entitled Bottoming for God. Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love) said “They say that beautiful art should be both surprising and inevitable, and that’s how it felt to read this. But mostly inevitable. It touched me in such a deep and familiar and intimate place. I just love it.“

Benjamin Rose (they/them) is a musician, songwriter, and scholar based in Madison. They are a core member of Madison queer synth-rock band Kat and the Hurricane, winner of 7 Madison Area Music Association awards. The band's recent single "Caffeine & Alcohol" was written by Rose and draws from their experience with religious trauma and spiritual exploration. In their final year pursuing a master's degree in Religious Studies, their academic interests include U.S. religious history, queer theory, and ethics.

Maddie Batzli (they/them) is a songwriter, vocalist, producer, and front-person of the band LINE. As a queer band, LINE’s willingness to explore paradoxes extends to playful stage aesthetics and lyrics centering philosophical questions, both campy and achingly sincere. LINE has served as an opener for the Gully Boys, Raine Stern, and Molly Martin; has performed at several festivals including Capitol City Pride in Des Moines, Iowa; and plays regularly at notable venues throughout Madison. In addition to LINE, Batzli focuses on advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and well-being by strengthening solidarity from allies through education, and fostering community spaces for queer and trans joy.