Ben Gibbard
| Ben Gibbard | |
|---|---|
 Gibbard performing at the Orpheum Theatre (Memphis, Tennessee) in 2009 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | August 11, 1976 Bremerton, Washington |
| Genres | Alternative rock, indie rock |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, guitarist |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals, piano, drums, bass |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | Barsuk Atlantic Records Sub Pop Wawa Records |
| Associated acts | Death Cab for Cutie The Postal Service ¡All-Time Quarterback! Pinwheel Dntel Pedro the Lion |
| Website | Ben Gibbard |
| Notable instruments | |
| G&L ASAT Classic Bluesboy Fender Telecaster Fender Coronado |
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Benjamin "Ben" Gibbard (born August 11, 1976)[1] is an American musician known as a member of several successful indie rock bands. He is the lead singer of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, and is also known for his project ¡All-Time Quarterback! and his first band, Pinwheel.
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Personal life and career [edit]
Gibbard was born in Bremerton, Washington, where he spent his formative years, during the time of the grunge musical explosion in the early 1990s. He graduated from Olympic High School in 1994. He also cites Jack Kerouac as a major influence.[2] He studied engineering at Western Washington University.[3] He was raised Roman Catholic and referred to himself as "this indoctrinated Catholic even though I haven't been to church of my own volition in 10 or 15 years now."[4] In a 2003 interview Gibbard stated that while he had previously been a vegan, he had recently become a pescetarian.[5]
He had a small role in the John Krasinski film Brief Interviews with Hideous Men based on the David Foster Wallace short story collection of the same title.[6] He completed a solo tour through the US in the spring of 2007 that featured David Bazan of Pedro the Lion and singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice.
Gibbard became engaged to actress and musician Zooey Deschanel in 2008. The couple married in September 2009 near Seattle, Washington.[7] They announced their separation on November 1, 2011 after two years of marriage.[8] Deschanel subsequently filed for divorce on December 27, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences.[9] The divorce became final less than a year later, on December 12, 2012.[10]
He reportedly gave up alcohol in 2008 and began running marathons.[11]
Gibbard is a strong agnostic, lapsed Catholic: "I don’t want to falsely believe in something solely so I can jump to the front of the line for whatever this awesome place is we go after we die. [...] The vastness of that idea is so beyond my comprehension that I feel like if there was a God, then that God would accept me saying I’m not able to believe because it’s so outside of my ability to understand it. I understand that’s where faith comes into play."[12]
Gibbard is an activist for gay rights and wrote an article in The Daily Beast voicing why this issue is important to him. He stated that when his lesbian sister got married, that it was "the most beautiful thing" he had ever seen. In the article, he voiced his strong support for Referendum 74 and discussed raising money for the issue. He stated, "I would just feel so much pride for my state if we could pass it by a popular vote and show the rest of the country that this is the direction we are going in.”[13]
Discography [edit]
Death Cab for Cutie [edit]
- 1997 You Can Play These Songs with Chords
- 1998 Something About Airplanes
- 2000 We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes
- 2001 The Photo Album
- 2003 Transatlanticism
- 2005 Plans
- 2008 Narrow Stairs
- 2011 Codes and Keys
Ben Gibbard [edit]
- 2003 Home Volume V (A split LP with Andrew Kenny)
- 2012 Former Lives
The Postal Service [edit]
- 2003 Give Up
¡All-Time Quarterback! [edit]
- 1999 ¡All-Time Quarterback!
- 1999 The Envelope Sessions
- 2002 ¡All-Time Quarterback!
With Jay Farrar [edit]
Pinwheel [edit]
- 1996 Pinwall
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Death Cab For Cutie – news, lyrics, pictures, reviews, biography, videos, best songs, discography, concerts, gossip, pictures and tour dates". NME. UK. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
- ^ "The Meaning of Life".
- ^ Harrington, Richard (October 21, 2005). "Death Cab, Full Speed Ahead". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- ^ "FILTER Magazine". Filter-mag.com. Retrieved September 3, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ IGN: Death Cab For Cutie, September 4, 2003. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
- ^ "Benjamin Gibbard IMDB Profile".
- ^ "Zooey Deschanel Gets Married." People.com. September 20, 2009.
- ^ Ravitz, Justin (November 1, 2011). "Zooey Deschanel, Husband Ben Gibbard Separate". Us Weekly. Retrieved November 1, 2011.
- ^ "Zooey Deschanel Files for Divorce from Ben Gibbard". January 4, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- ^ "Zooey Deschanel Officially Divorced". December 17, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
- ^ "How Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard Got Sober". Spin. Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- ^ "Death Cab for Cutie". RELEVANT Magazine. 2011-09-13. Retrieved 2012-10-15.
- ^ "Ben Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie On Why He Supports Gay Marriage". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
External links [edit]
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ben Gibbard |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ben Gibbard |
- Official site
- 20 Questions with Ben Gibbard from 2000
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- 1976 births
- Alternative rock guitarists
- Alternative rock singers
- American agnostics
- American alternative rock musicians
- American indie rock musicians
- LGBT rights activists from the United States
- American male singer-songwriters
- American rock guitarists
- American rock singer-songwriters
- Death Cab for Cutie members
- Live Music Archive artists
- Living people
- Musicians from Washington (state)
- People from Bremerton, Washington
- Sub Pop artists
- The Minus 5 members
- The Postal Service members
- Western Washington University alumni
- American film actors
- 21st-century American actors
