Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

    
    _Summer 1979_
     Is it true that you are a vegetarian?
     "Yes, and I have been for some time now, and I feel a lot
better for it."
     What do the initials K.T. stand for in the K.T. Bush Band?
     "It's a sound thing, really. If you speak the initials, you
get Katy, my name."
     What does "O.D.'d" mean on _Don't_Push_Your_Foot_on_the_Heartbrake_
and "2-D" in _Kite_?
     "'O.D.'d' means 'overdosed' in the sense of someone taking
a drug overdose, and '2-D' means 'two-dimensional', in the way
that the kite appears to be."
     Is the child in the picture sleeve of _The_Man_With_the_Child_
in_His_Eyes_ you when you were younger?
     "Yes it is, and the photo was taken by my brother John,
at the same time as the picture of me and 'someone' in this
issue's competition."
     Did you use the first of Eric Satie's _Trois_Gymnopedies_
to lead into _Symphony_in_Blue_ in your concerts, and if so, why?
     "It's really marvellous that people have recognised this, and
it is so. At the time, some of us were really into the piece,
and Paddy and the band were working on a version of it. We all
really liked it, and as it seemed a good way of leading into the
song, I decided to use it. I'm glad you liked it. Funnily enough,
at the same time the band were working on it, several other versions
were coming out, so it seems a lot of people were discovering him
at the same time."
 
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    _November 1979_
     Who is John Carder Bush? Where were the photographs on the
"Moving" and "Lakeside" posters taken?
     "John is my brother, the eldest in the family. I have
one other brother, Paddy, and no sisters. John took the photographs
used on the posters, and they were taken in Holland."
     Why did you leave the echoing "He's here!"--on the single
of _The_Man_With_the_Child_in_His_Eyes_--off the album version?
And was the mix of _Wow_ on _Lionheart_ different from that on
the single?
     "It was the other way round with _The_Man_With_the_Child_in_His_
Eyes_: I added "He's here!" to the single. Otherwise, the mix of
all the singles has been the same as on the albums."
     What is the noise at the beginning and end of _Moving_?
     "The noise is whale song. Lots of members have written
to ask what I think about whale hunting. Well, I'm dead against it.
It would be a terrible tragedy if those beautiful and noble animals
were wiped out by our greed."
     In _Them_Heavy_People_ you mention Gurdjieff. Do you follow his
teachings?
     "I've read some of his work, and recently saw the film _Meetings_
With_Remarkable_Men_, and had tea with Peter Brook, the director,
afterwards. Pa and my brother John are into him seriously, and
I'm hoping to persuade John to write an article about him for a
future _Newsletter_." <John has so far not done so.>
     Is it true that you're going to make a film called _The_Gold_
Plated_Dream_Machine_ with the motorcycle stunt rider Eddie Kidd?
     "No, it isn't, and I've never even heard of it. You mustn't
believe everything (or anything?) you read in the papers. Quite
a lot of articles irritate me because of their inaccuracy. It
would be so easy for a journalist to send me the copy of what they've
written so I could check up on the facts--not of their opinion,
which is their own business--but on the facts; and so far, not one
has done so. Nearly every interview is distorted in some way.
That's one of the reasons for starting this club, so that I can
give you the genuine facts that you want to know."
     Is it true that _Saxophone_Song_ was written about David
Bowie, and do you know him personally?
     "The song isn't about David Bowie. I wrote it about the
instrument, not the player, at a time when I really loved the
sound of the saxophone--I still do. No, I don't know him personally,
though I went to his "farewell to Ziggy Stardust" concert and cried,
and so did he."
     Why, Oh why didn't you turn up at the Cricket match at
Paddington on September 16th, as advertised, when so many of us
came just to see you?
     "I'm really upset about this. I really wanted to go. It
would have been such fun. But it shouldn't have been advertised,
and it was very naughty of whoever did it, because it was never
confirmed. Again, you mustn't believe all you hear through the media.
That was the day I was making the video for _Them_Heavy_People_,
from the _On_Stage_ EP, for "Top of the Pops". I'm really sorry
for those who had a wasted journey.
 
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    _Christmas 1979_
 
     Where did you get the happy/sad face earrings in the club photo?
     "I've had a lot of enquiries about those, and a lot of people
would like to ge a pair. I'm afraid I can't help anyone to find a
pair, as I was given them by a fan."
     Do you henna your hair?
     "Yes. I use henna wax. Otherwise I don't do anything special.
I sometimes plait it and let it dry to make it curl, and for the
Christmas TV show I used crimping irons, which was amazing."
     In _James_and_the_Cold_Gun_ did you refer to anyone in particular?
     "I've had lots of letters about this, many from people called
James, with plenty of suggestions for identities of the "James",
but the answer is: nobody. When I wrote the song, James was the
right name for it."
     In _Coffee_Homeground_, you mention Crippen. Who is he?
     "He was a murderer who was arrested after he had escaped
from Britain by ship, thanks to the use of ship-to-shore radio.
It was the first time that radio was used in this way, so he has
a small place in history for that reason."
     Is it true that you live in a flat with your brothers?
     "I get lots of questions about where I live, usually prompted
by inaccurate information in papers. You really can't believe
everything you read. We all three live in the same house, but
we each have separate flats, which are connected by intercom
for ease of communication. <Kate has since re-moved to a house
of her own, outside the city. IED believes that John has also
moved out, but that the apartment building is still owned by
the Bush family.> To find the house you take the second turning
on the right and keep straight on till morning."
    

    _Issue Number 5?_
     If vegetarians are against the killing of animals for food,
why don't they object to them being killed for leather?
     "I think there are a lot of vegetarians who are against
animals being killed to make leather, and they do go out of their
way to wear rubber and plastic shoes and belts, but I think that
there is a practical side to it, as well. Leather is very warm,
and it's nice to look at, but it does require a lot of effort for
most of us to make a different choice from the normal, and I find
myself that I do wear quite a few leather shoes. Not that I consciously
buy them because they're made of leather, but I do have a few,
and I think it's something to do with the tradition of leather
being used in clothing. But there's no excuse for the mass production
of leather, and I think it comes down to effort and how far you
really want to go. It's up to you in the long run."
     You are a vegetarian and yet you wear fur coats. Why?
     "I don't wear fur coats. I haven't got one. I don't own
one and I don't believe in wearing them--I may have occasionally
been in photos with one, but it wouldn't have been mine. It would
have been one that I'd borrowed because it was very cold; for
instance in Switzerland, when I did the Abba special. <In fact,
as far as IED knows, that was the only time Kate has ever been
seen in a fur.> But I don't believe in people wearing fur coats,
I think it's very extravagant and again, I think people don't
tend to associate the clothes with the animals they come from,
especially the rare animals that some of the coats are made of.
You can get incredibly good imitation ones now--I've seen ones
that I thought were real fur and they weren't. they're really
fantastic, and they cost less, too."
     Do you follow vegetarian recipes from books, or do you
make up your own?
     "I do follow recipes from books, but I find that normally
I don't stick to them, especially if I haven't got all the ingredients,
and I tend to substitute different vegetables. If I'm feeling
really brave, occasionally I base a meal on a recipe and make
the rest up. Cooking is quite a logical thing, really, and you
soon learn the things that go together--what works and what doesn't."
     You say in interviews that you don't eat meat because you
don't believe in eating life. But you eat plants, and they are
living things. Why?
     "I do eat plants, and I know they're living, and I'm fond of
them, but I think you have to find your own level. I could live
on pills, but I don't think it's very human to do that--that is
something we dream of in the space age: food without texture or mass.
I don't think plants mind being eaten, actually. I think they'd
be really sad if no-one paid that much attention to them. I appreciate
them very much for the things they give me. I'd be very sad if
there weren't any vegetables, and normally it isn't the actual
plant that's killed--it's the fruit or vegetable that's taken off.
I think this is the purpose of plants, that they grow to be eaten.
The only problem is that it has become a very mass-produced market,
again, and that the really natural, unchemicalised environment
doesn't really exist. Too many chemicals are used on plants, but
while there is a demand for brightly coloured food in pretty packets,
that's how it will carry on. But you can get fresh, organically
grown vegetables. You can grow them yourselves, and if you look
around and ask, you'll find that there are a few shops and some local
farms that sell vegetables that have not been grown in chemically
fertilised ground."
     What sort of music do you like to listen to, if, or when, you
have free time? Do you like heavy rock such as Led Zeppelin?
     "The sort of music I like to listen to when I've got the time
is Pink Floyd's album _The_Wall_; Stevie Wonder's _The_Secret_Life_
of_Plants_; and I really like classical music like John Williams's.
I don't like that much heavy rock, and I must admit that I've never
really listened to Led Zeppelin, but I like any music if it's good.
The Who are the best group I ever saw live, and I thought they
were fantastic. I think they probably turned me onto it, and the
Beatles were really good when they were heavy."
     Which is your favourite song out of those you have written and why?
Which of your albums is the more important to you personally and why?
There seems to be more emphasis on _Lionheart_ in your letters and
in the Club merchandise.
     "I haven't really got a favourite song, because I have a very
love/hate relationship with them all, and sometimes get bored with
them. I tend to associate things with a song, instead of just
seeing it for itself. I think the album which is most important
for me is the one I'm working on, and I think it's obvious why:
I'm much more involved, and it's something I want and I haven't
done it for a long time. Probably the reason there's been more
emphasis on _Lionheart_ in all the merchandising and from myself,
is just because that was my last album. And it's quite catchy:
we were calling the people around us during the Tour "Lionhearts"
and that was a very significant part of last year for all of us.
But soon it won't be so much "Lionheart" any more. It'll be
something else."
     Do you believe in UFOs and life on other planets?
     "I really believe in UFOs, and I don't see why there shouldn't
be life on other planets. We haven't got off this planet yet,
really, so how can we say if there is or isn't. It seems unlikely
that we would be the only ones. There have been so many reported
that I'm sure they exist, and I really hope I see one--and a
whale and a giraffe up close."
     When you go on stage, do you ever feel nervous?
     "When I go on stage, yes, I do feel nervous. I feel much
more nervous when I have to go up and collect awards and speak
to people than I do when I actually perform, and I think that's
because when you perform, you have a part like an actor, and you
fall back on that if you know it well enough and can carry it
through. I enjoy it so much. I think when you have to be yourself,
you're so conscious of being yourself that you wonder what people
think, but it soon goes once you're up there."
     Do you know anything about the messages scratched on the smooth
circle just before the centre of the records? Why are they there?
     "Yes, I don know something about these messages because I
wrote them, and they are messages to go with the record. It's
something that has been practised by several people. In fact,
have a look through your albums, you'll probably find quite a
few that you didn't even know were there."
     In your TV special, who wrote the song sung by you and
Peter Gabriel, and will it ever appear on vinyl? Also, what
were the names of the new songs you did on that show?
     "In the TV special the song that I sang with Peter Gabriel,
_Another_Day_, was written by Roy Harper--a very beautiful
song from his album _Flat_Baroque_and_Berserk_, which you can
buy from your record shops along with his most recent one,
which is brilliant. It's a really good song, and it will be
on vinyl one day, hopefully soon, but not with this album.
<Kate has still not released this recording.> The names of the
new songs that were done on the show weere _The_Wedding_List_,
_The_Ran_Tan_, _Egypt_ and _Violin_."
     When will the new album be released? Will it include _Egypt_
and _Violin_?
     "Hopefully the new album will be released quite soon, and
it will include _Egypt_, _Violin_ and lots of others."
     When you sit down to write a song, do you fit the words
to the music or the music to the words? Also, when you write
a song, do you imagine the sort of dance routine you might do?
     "When I write songs I normally get the music first. They
used to come together, but now the music seems to be sparked off
by an idea before the lyrics, and the lyrics usually fit in just
behind the music. It's not very often that I actually see the
dance routine when I'm writing the song. When it's written, there
are basic things there already, and in fact I find that the more
I write--especially recently for this album--the more I see
things when I'm writing. This is unusual, and I tend to shut
them out because I can't concentrate so well on the song itself."
     When you start recording a song, do you have an overall
idea of how it will end up? Also, at what stage do you start
to think about the album cover? The last two really seemed
to fit into the albums themselves. <True of the first cover,
but IED has yet to figure out the narrative behind the cover of
_Lionheart_. Kate has never explained it.>
     "When you do start recording a song, you normally have an
idea of how it will end up, hopefully, because that's why you
are going in to record it in the first place, and a song can take so many
different forms--they can take ten minutes to do, or they can take
two months. Normally, the stage at which the album cover is
conceived is by the time recording has actually begun. I think
that's quite important, because it's not until a certain stage
after you've started that a vibe emanates about how the songs are
going to fit together, what the sounds are going to be, and what
the general feel of the music is. We've always had the artwork
started by about a third of the way through, and you try to make
the picture say what the album is about, to create some kind of
vibe that the music does, and hopefully they should fit together."
     Is Anthony Van Laast Dutch? Van Laast sounds like a Dutch name.
<Van Laast was Kate's choreographic associate and part-time dance
instructor during the early years of her commercial career.>
     "Anthony isn't actually Dutch, himself, I don't think. But
I think his mother was, and that is her maiden name he uses."
     An interview in _Record_Mirror_ mentions "Jay". Who is this?
     "Jay is my brother--John Carder Bush."
     Was the concert with the London Symphony Orchestra televised?
<Kate sang _Blow_Away_ during a concert celebrating the 75th anniversary
of the LSO.>
     "No, it wasn't."
     In _Strange_Phenomena_ you sing "G arrives". Who or what is "G"?
     "'G' is in fact someone we know called Mr. G."
     Someone once said that _Coffee_Homeground_ was about a crazy
taxi driver. Is this true?
     "_Coffee_Homeground_ was sort of based on a taxi driver that
I met once, yes, but I wouldn't like to say that he was crazy because
a lot of people say that I am!"
     How tall are you?
     "I'm 5' 3 1/2", I think!"
     What was your job before you became a singer?
     "I didn't have a job before I became a singer. I left school
and started dancing, and then got a recording contract."
     A K.B.C. member who is also a member of the _Prisoner_Appreciation_
Society_ asks, Do you like _The_Prisoner_?'
     "Yes, I really like _The_Prisoner_, I think it was fantastic
and I used to watch it when it was first on TV on Sunday nights.
Patrick McGoohan was amazing. They should show it again."
     What school did you go to?
     "I went to a school in Abbey Wood called St. Joseph's."
     How did you meet Julie Covington? <An English pop singer who
once recorded a cover version of Kate's song _The_Kick_Inside_.>
     "I met Julie Covington through Jay. He is a friend of hers, and
I've known her for a long time."
     Where was the photo that appears on the front cover of
_Lionheart_ taken?
     "This photo was taken in a photographic studio by Gered
Mankowitz somewhere in London."
     In a film magazine it said that you turned down the offer of
singing the title song to the James Bond film _Moonraker_. Is this so,
and if so, why?
     "Yes, this is true. I thought it was a very lovely song, but
I just didn't think it was for me. I think Shirley Bassey did it
a lot better than I would have, anyway."
     Who are the two girls on Page 3 of the Christmas _Newsletter_?
     "They are Lisa and my Ma. Lisa is the lady who deals with all
your letters that come through to the Club, and she's starting
to take a lot of the workload off Nicholas's shoulders. You'll
be hearing a lot more from her in the future." <Lisa Bradley is
now the chief editor of the _Newsletter_. Nicholas Wade was in
charge only for the first five issues.>
     On the TV special, what were the trousers that you wore
for _Foot_on_the_Heartbrake_ made of, as they appeared be stretchy?
Also on the subject of _Heartbrake_, you seem to like motorbikes. Do you?
     "Those trousers were made by a guy who deals in stretch fabrics,
so they are stretchy, and it's very good material. I do like motorbikes.
I think they're very beautiful machines, but they often seem to be
abused. Shame!"
     In two of your songs you refer to Peter Pan. Is he a particular
favourite of yours?
     "I refer to Peter Pan because he stands for a lot of things. He
always has and he always will. People just don't want to grow up,
so I think he's everyone's favourite whether they like it or not."
     What breed are Zoodle and Pyewacket, and what colour are they?
     "Zoodle and Pye are--I think you call them 'moggies'. One
is black with one little white toe and the other one is black and
white."
     Has Ben Barson got a brother called Mike who plays keyboards for
Madness?
     "Yes, it is Ben's brother."
     What has happened to the band since the Tour of Life? Will
any of them be working with you again?
     "Since the Tour of Life we've worked together and they're
also doing lots of work with other people. They're in great
demand, being such wonderful musicians, and of course I'll be
working with them again, and you will see more of them. They send
you their love."
     Did you leave school with any qualifications in music?
     "Yes, I got an 'O'-level in music." <In fact, Kate earned
no fewer than ten "O"-levels, which is an exceptionally good
performance.>
     When Faith Brown and other impersonators mimick you, what is
your reaction?
     "I don't really watch much television. I haven't been for quite
a while--since I've been doing the album. But the ones I have seen
I think are really funny. I think it's incredible that I should
be chosen from so many to be imitated."
    

    _Fall 1983_
     Do you watch the chart positions of your albums and singles?
Do you know their positions before they are broadcast, or do you
have to wait and listen to the radio?
     "Yes, I suppose I do keep an eye on the charts to a certain
extent, but I don't know the chart positions until the day you hear
them on the radio. I usually hear via a telephone call from the record
company, and they don't know them until that morning."
     Have you ever sung in any foreign language other than French?
     "Yes, but only once, when I was in Japan at a Japanese business
conference. I sang a well known song of their country, in their
language."
     Who is Tamlain, mentioned in _The_Empty_Bullring_?
     "Tamlain is a girl in a traditional fairy story, who is locked
up in an ivory tower."
     Do you actually read up and research for your songs, or is it
information already in your head--especially _Breathing_?
     "This really depends on the subject matter of the individual
song; but in the case of _Breathing_, most of the information came
from a documentary about a man who had been following up the negative
results of nuclear products."
     On _Never_For_Ever_ and _The_Dreaming_, you are credited as
playing a CS-80. What is this?
     "The CS-80 is a synthesiser made by Yamaha. It has been
a particularly favourite synth. of mine, as it is one of the few
that has a touch-sensitive keyboard."
     Do you ever go to concerts? If so, who?
     "I very rarely go to gigs, as I don't really have much free
time; but it's always nice to go and see artists whose music I
enjoy, especially when the shows are as spectacular as _The_Wall_."
     Who is the man on the cover of _The_Dreaming_?
     "Why, Houdini, of course!"
     Were the brightly coloured trousers with zips and ties that
you wore for the Virgin p.a. last year and for a number of photos
specially made for you, or did you buy them?
     "Quite a few people have assumed that they were specially made.
However, I did buy the trousers--from a boutique called Splash."
     Do you know of any records available featuring whale music?
     "I think if you look around, there have been quite a few,
but I understand that some, including _The_Song_of_the_Humpback_Whale_,
have been deleted, so you would probably only find them in
second-hand record shops."
    

 _Issue Number 16?_
     What is Gaffa? What does _Suspended_in_Gaffa_ mean?
     "'Gaffa" is Gaffa Tape. It is thick industrial tape, mainly
used for taping down and tidying up the millions of leads, and
particularly useful in concert situations. _Suspended_in_Gaffa_
is trying to simulate being trapped in a kind of web: everything
is in slow motion, and the person feels like they're tied up. They
can't move." <Love-Hounds: Remember, IED has already admitted defeat.
Please don't rub it in!>
     Many of your songs contain references to occult and esoteric
philosophy. Is this a particular interest of yours, or are you just
widely read?
     "I don't think I am particularly interested in gthe occult, but
I do have an interest in the human mind, and the unusual situations
that occur, or are said to occur, to human beings in extreme religious
or spiritual states. But surely we all have a curiosity for things
that we know little about."
     How do you manage to do the guitar, bass and drum arrangements,
as you don't play those instruments? Do you hear in your head what
you want, and if so, how do you communicate it to the session musicians?
     "Mostly I have a strong idea of what I want to hear. The sound
aspect I would explain to the engineer, but musically I would
suggest the mood, or any piano lines I wanted picked up. But
usually I leave the musical content to the musician, and they always
understand the atmosphere you want to create. With the drummer,
we're now working a lot with drum machines. I originally explain
the type of rhythm I want to Del, who then programmes the Linn. I
demo the song using the rhythm, and then ask the drummer to replace
the feel, adding his own subtle human adornments."
     How do you choose which songs to include when you tour?
I know some of them are obvious selections, but what about the rest?
Have you any idea what songs you will include when you next tour?
Any idea when that will be?
     "I think the most important thing about choosing the songs
is that the _whole_ show will be sustained. Obviously we would try
to pick the strongest songs, try to get a variety of moods, but
build the show up to a climax. And the songs must adapt well visually:
a show is visual as well as audial, so there must hopefully be a good
blend of the two. I think we all know about the tour situation by
now--It's really a matter of time, but how long? I don't know. <Four
more years have passed since Kate wrote this.> This is the truth.
So the safest thing to say: once this next album <_Hounds_of_Love_>
is out, I have to promote and do videos, so time is already being
eaten up this year; but once the album "project" is out of the way,
I do plan to make another tour the next priority. <Hah!> I think
also that because there will have been three albums since the last
tour, we will not include any songs from the first two albums.
But it's all a long way off at the moment, and who can really say
what will happen?"
     Any chance of a tour for '84?
     "Let's just say 'Unlikely,' to be on the safe side."
     Do you choose all the photos of you that appear in magazines?
     "No, I don't. It does depend on the magazine, but most like
take at least one of their own at the time of the interview, and
if they have room for more photos, we supply them with our favourite
shots."
     Do you decide what records are going to be released in other
countries, and what the picture sleeves are going to be?
     "Apart from the U.S.A. releases, we normally know up front
what's happening, if there's to be a special release. In the cases
of the Irish _Night_of_the_Swallow_, the U.S. mini-L.P., the
European _Suspended_in_Gaffa_ and the French _Ne_T'Enfuis_pas_,
we designed the bags, hoping they would particularly appeal
to that market."
     Why don't you release any twelve-inch singles?
     "I'm afraid to say that EMI don't find them 'commercially
viable propositions'. We very much wanted to release the single
_The_Dreaming_ on a twelve-inch--we could have got a beautiful-sounding
cut with that one. I could lend you my twelve-inch if you'd like
to hear how good it is!"
     As the lyrics to _Violin_ are different on _Never_For_Ever_
from the Tour version, could you please tell us the bits of
the Tour version that are different?
     "The lyrics on _Violin_ at the beginning of the Tour wee
slightly different from those at the end. The odd word would
move here and there, and to be honest, I don't remember them;
except I know they weren't that great!"
     I have just finished reading Shakespeare's _Othello_. In the
scene just before Othello kills Desdamona, he says, "Put out
the light/Then put out the light." I was wondering if this means
the same thing in _Blow_Away_.
     "You're the first person in four years to pick up on this--so,
thank you."
     A couple of years ago I read that you were writing a book. Did
this ever come out--as I've tried everywhere to get it--?
     "It was planned at one time, but I just could not find the time
amongst my album projects; and perhaps I am not yet ready to write
a book about myself."
     You obviously believe in keeping yourself as healthy as you can
through exercise and eating the correct foods, etc. But it puzzles
me and others as to why you continue to smoke.
     "I can understand why it should surprise you, but unfortunately
I am only human." <Bravo, Kate! Maybe that'll silence these obnoxious
anti-smoking pests for a while, though it's damn unlikely.>
     Have you ever considered doing a version of _Number_Nine_Dream_
by John Lennon (which I know is your favourite single)?
     "I think what would be nice is if they re-released it. It was
well ahead of its time, and didn't really get the attention it deserved."
     What was your favourite record of 1983?
     "_101_Damnations_, by Scarlet Party."
     About a year ago I purchased a U.S. promo record containing four
tracks from _The_Dreaming_. On the front was a sticker stating
"Not for sale--For promotional purposes only." Is it illegal to
possess such a record? How come I was able to buy it if it's not
for sale?
     "I shouldn't worry, you're not in any trouble for buying it, but
unfortunately whoever sold it to you was making an illegal sale. Thanks
for bringing it to our attention."
     I understand you like Steely Dan. What is your favourite album
of theirs?
     "_Gaucho_. For me, each album got better, and I wish they hadn't
split up."
     Has anything ever happened while recording--say, a strange sound
by mistake which you have decided is worth keeping in the track?
     "A lot of accidents happen, but usually they're re-done for the
master recordings. They seem to happen mostly at the demo stage:
tracks leaking through, odd voice phrases, a synth that wasn't
rubbed oof when it should have been. That sort of thing."
     Is the single version of _Sat_In_Your_Lap_ mixed differently
from the album version? The vocals on the album seem a lot
louder than the instruments. Any special reason for this?
     "Yes. The single mix is different from the album. We very
much wanted to do another mix. The album has a definite flavour
that was confirmed by the mixes, so we wanted _Sat_In_Your_Lap_
to be a part of that. The voice was also deliberately lifted, because
we had quite a lot of feedback about the lead voice being a little
quiet on the single version."
     Do you actually read any of the letters sent to the Club?
And how many staff work there?
     "Yes, I do. Lisa runs the Club, but with the help of 'family'
hands and friends."
     What is your response to the poor airplay of your recent
single releases?
     "Disappointing. But it just shows how reliant you are on the
people at the radio stations liking the singles, to get the airplay."
     Is Paddy married, and if not would he marry my friend?
     "No, he's not married, but I'll add your friend's name to the
list (number 759)."
     Is the man featured on _The_Dreaming_'s cover in the Houdini
pose Del Palmer?
     "That's for me to know and you to find out."
     What gave you the idea of doing a song with an Australian
background?
     "The stimulus started years ago, when Paddy bought _Sun_Arise_
by Rolf Harris; a unique and wonderful song. And for many years it has
greatly disturbed me, the way 'civilised' man has treated ancient
tribes such as the Aborigines, Red Indians, Tasmanians...and because
of the beauty of the Aborigines' music and the way it seems to
exude space, and the feeling of having great contact with the
earth, I felt it was the perfect way to portray this feeling of
invasion by white man."
     Is there any reason why you used a real dijeridu on _The_Dreaming_
as opposed to a synthetic one created by the Fairlight? Is it
because there is the ability for greater tonal change with
a real dijeridu?
     "A Fairlight dijeridu was used to demo the song, but there is
_no_ comparison with the real thing, especially with an instrument
like that when it is played by someone as brilliant as Rolf Harris.
He was an absolute dream to work with, and so much more fun than a
machine."
     I was told recently that you appeared on Zaine Griff's
album _Figures_. Is this true? And what did you do, B.V.s or
keyboards?
     "Yes, I did. Zaine had written a song for Lindsay Kemp
called _Flowers_, and he asked me to sing B.V.s. It is a really
lovely song. Zaine and I met years ago at Lindsay's classes, and
as Lindsay was such a powerful influence on us both--as he is
on anyone who is captured by his strong magic--it was a real
pleasure to be a part of something dedicated to him."
     Why do you always move your eyes right and left in your videos?
It is very pleasant to watch, but it intrigues me. What is the
idea behind it?
     "I have to watch out for any demons that might be creeping
up on me, and video shoots attract so many of them that I have to
keep an extra eye out in case they trip me up while we're going for
a take. You've seen what happens to Faith Brown because she doesn't
look out for them." <Kate's referring to Brown's parody of her
_Wuthering_Heights_ video, in which Brown trips and falls.>
    

    Kate Bush talking about some of her songs...
    
                          _Breathing_
 
     I wanted to write a song, and I came up with some chords which
sounded to me very dramatic. Then up popped the line, "Outside get
inside," as I was trying to piece the song together, and I thought
it would be good to write a song about a baby inside the womb. Then
I came to a chorus piece, and decided that the obvious word to go
there was "breathing", and I thought automatically that it had
been done before. But asking around, I couldn't understand why it
hadn't, because it's such a good word. Then "breathing" and the
baby turned into the concept of life, and the last form of life
that would be around--that would be a baby that was about to be born
after the blast. It was a very personal song. I thought at the
time that it was self-indulgent, and it was something I just did
for myself, really. For me it's a statement that I hope won't happen.
 
                    _The_Empty_Bullring_
 
     This is a song that I first had ideas for quite a few years ago.
It is really about someone who is in love with someone who is obsessed
with something that is pretty futile. They can't get the person to
accept the fact that it is a futile obsession. To put it into a sort
of story form: he became a matador, and got gored so badly that he
couldn't carry on. But at night he climbs out of the window and runs
off to a bullring, when there is no-one there, and he fights a bull
that doesn't exist.
    
    
			_Wuthering_Heights_ 
 
     "Well, I wrote <_Wuthering_Heights_> in my flat, sitting
at the upright piano one night in March at about midnight. There
was a full moon and the curtains were open, and every time I
looked up for ideas, I looked at the moon. Actually, it came
quite easily. I couldn't seem to get out of the chorus--it had
a really circular feel to it, which is why it repeats.
I had originally written something more complicated, but I
couldn't link it up, so I kept the first bit and repeated it.
I was really pleased, because it was the first song I had
written for a while, as I'd been busy rehearing with the KT Band.
     I felt a particular want to write it, and had wanted to
write it for quite a while. I remember my brother John talking
about the story, but I couldn't relate to it enough. So I borrowed
the book and read a few pages, picking out a few lines. So I
actually wrote the song before I had read the book right through.
The name Cathy helped, and made it easier to project my own
feelings of want for someone so much that you hate them. I
could understand how Cathy felt.
     It's funny, but I heard a radio programme
about a woman who was writing a book in Old English,
and she found she was using words she didn't know, but
when she looked them up she found they were correct. A similar
thing happened with _Wuthering_Heights_: I put lines in the
song that I found in the book when I read it later.
     I've never been to Wuthering Heights, the place, though I would
like to, and someone sent me a photo of where it's supposed to be.
     One thing that really pleases me is the amount of positive
feedback I've had from the song, though I've heard that the
Bronte Society think it's a disgrace. A lot of people have read
the book because of the song and liked it, which I think is the
best thing about it for me. I didn't know the book would be on
the GCE syllabus in the year I had the hit, but lots of people
have written to say how the song helped them. I'm really happy
about that.
     There are a couple of synchronicities involved with the song.
When Emily Bronte wrote the book she was in the terminal stages
of consumption, and I had a bad cold when I wrote the song. Also,
when I was in Canada I found out that Lindsay Kemp, my dance teacher,
was in town, only ten minutes away by car, so I went to see him.
When I came back I had this urge to switch on the TV--it was about
one in the morning--because I _knew_ the film of _Wuthering_Heights_
would be on. I tuned in to a thirties gangster film, then flicked
through the channels, playing channel roulette, until I found it.
I came in at the moment Cathy was dying, so that's all I saw of
the film. It was an amazing coincidence.
    
    

    This excerpt is from the seventh Kate Bush Club Newsletter where she
    talks about her "Never For Ever" album/CD:
    
                        _Them_bats_and_doves_
 
     Now, after all this waiting it is here. It's strange when I
think back to the first album. I thought it would never feel as new
or as special again. This one has proved me wrong. It's been the
most exciting. Its name is _Never_For_Ever_, and I've called it this
because I've tried to make it reflective of all that happens to you
and me.
     Life, love, hate, we, are all transient. All things pass, neither
good or evil lasts. So we must tell our hearts that it is "never for
ever," and be happy that it's like that!
     The album cover has been beautifully created by Nick Price (you
may remember that he designed the front of the Tour programme). On
the cover of _N._F._E._ Nick takes us on an intricate journey of
our emotions: inside gets outside, as we flood people and things with our
desires and problems. These black and white thoughts, these bats
and doves, freeze-framed in flight, swoop into the album and out of your
hi-fis. Then it's for you to bring them to life.
     The first stage of making _N._F._E._ happened last summer, when
I actually decided to be brave enough to go ahead and "produce" with
Jon Kelly, trusting him as a friend and an extremely talented engineer.
     So, with that settled, we "produced" our first master tapes.
We put down "Blow Away", "Egypt", "Violin" and "The Wedding List" at
Air Studios, with the bright and bubbly Jon Jacobs as assistant. As
you will see besides communication, "Jons" are also a theme of the
album. Never a day passed without at least two or three Jons popping
in to say hello, and as the album grew, so did the number of Jons,
reaching a total of fifteen turning up on the last day, _all_ in
the same room. A fatal move to say, "John?"
     Having been rehearsed with the band for two days, the tracks went
down, and our first "productions", with the help of ideal musicians,
were a success. All the tracks full of "Air" and "space", Jons
and tea!
     Early this year we moved into Studio number 2, Abbey Road--the
land of beatles, tea, smiles and sticky buns--where we met another
bright and bubbly John, John Barrett. John became an important part
of the album and completed a threesome, like Teddy with Andy Pandy
and Loopy Loo (Jon Kelly and myself).
     I would always use a notepad with each page designated to a
song, each song needing various instruments, effects, harmonies,
etc., which I would list and tick off appropriately. This helps
my memory, and keeps some kind of logical working order. Thanks to
dear Andrew Powell, where I learnt the necessity for a "prod.'s pad"!
     The basic process is to put down all the backing tracks first.
Then all overdubs, including vocals, and then to mix. The responsibility
as a producer was something I felt a great deal--you have to keep on
top of everything, and _sometimes_ it can be difficult. It's hard
to push people you love; talking and drinking are easy to give in to.
But the trouble, sometimes, was we were having too much fun.
     We always work until the early hours in the studio. It's a very
creative time, and with Roy Harper and Sky working at Abbey Road, too,
we were rarely alone, and felt very at home. However, discipline
did exist, so all was completed with care and tender hearts. I really
deeply appreciated the understanding and respect from all the
musicians, and after all I am only little, a female, and an
unlikely producer! But as I squirmed and contorted my way through
explanations of visuals and audials, they stood patient, calm and
open, and _not_one_ uttered "You weirdo!", unless in jest.
     Without everyone (and the Fairlight) it would never have been
the same. You move me, thank you, you are inspiration.
     There are ten tracks, and if there is a main theme, it's
about human communication and its difficulties.
     _Babooshka_ is about futile situations: the way in which we
often ruin things for ourselves.
     _Delius_ is a tribute to an extraordinary man both in body and
spirit.
     _Blow_Away_ is a comfort for the fear of dying, and for those
of us who believe that music is perhaps an exception to the _N._F._E._
rule.
     _All_We_Ever_Look_For_ is about how we seek something, but
in the wrong way, or at wrong times, so it is never found.
     _Egypt_ is an attempted audial animation of the romantic
and realistic visions of a country.
     _Wedding_List_ is about the powerful force of revenge, an
unhealthy energy which in this song proves to be a "killer".
     _Violin_ is for all the mad fiddlers, from "Paganini" to
"Old Nick" himself.
     _The_Infant_Kiss_ is about a governess. She is torn between
the love of an adult man and a child, who are within the same body.
     _Army_Dreamers_ is about a grieving mother who, through the
death of her soldier boy, questions her motherhood.
     _Breathing_ is a warning and plea from a future spirit to
try and save mankind and his planet from irretrievable destruction.
     Each song has a very different personality, and so much of the
production was allowing the songs to speak with their own voices--not
for them to be used purely as objects to decorate with "buttons
and bows".
     Choosing sounds is so like trying to be psychic, seeing into
the future, looking in the "crystal ball of arrangements," "scattering
a little bit of stardust," to quote the immortal words of the Troggs.
     Every time a musical vision comes true, it's like having
my feet tickled. When it works, it helps me to feel a bit braver. Of
course, it doesn't always work, but experiments and ideas in a studio
are never wasted; they will always find a place sometime.
     I never really felt like a producer, I just felt closer to my
loves--felt good, free, although a little raw, and sometimes paranoia
would pop up. But when working with emotion, which is what music is,
really, it can be so unpredictable--the human element, that fire.
     But all my friends, the Jons, and now _you_ will make all
the pieces of the _Never_For_Ever_ jigsaw slot together, and It will
be born and It will begin Breathing.
    

    This excerpt is from the Kate Bush Club Newsletter # 12 where she
    talks about her "The Dreaming" album/CD:
    
This album has taken one year to record and I have never done
anything so involved before. After all this time, I do
feel happy with the results and I just hope that you will too.
     I have had a lot of help with this album. I never could
have done it alone, and each person has contributed something
very special.
     We worked between several studios, getting time where we could
at the studios with the facilities we required, eventually
settling in at Advision Studios, where we finished all the
overdubs and mixed the tracks. We also worked at The Townhouse and
The Odyssey, and at Abbey Road Studios, where all the backing tracks
were recorded.
     I used several engineers, working with Hugh Padgham, Nick Launay,
Haydn Bendall and Paul Hardiman. All of them were very important
and all played major parts in how the album has ended up sounding.
     Hugh worked on _Sat_In_Your_Lap_, _Get_Out_of_My_House_, and
_Leave_It_Open_. Hugh was a lot of fun to work with and as the
first engineer on the album, he started it off in a very productive
and positive way. I met Hugh when I had the pleasure to sing some
backing vocals for Peter Gabriel, and I was very impressed with the
sounds and the creative atmosphere. Hugh has worked with The Police,
Genesis and XTC, just to mention a few.
     We felt very pleased with the backing tracks and were excited at the
results; however, Hugh was too busy to continue, and so I worked with
Nick Launay, who had been trained by Hugh. Nick worked on "Houdini",
_Houdini_, _All_the_Love_, _There_Goes_a_Tenner_, _The_Dreaming_ and
_Suspended in Gaffa. The majority of the backing tracks were recorded
with Nick at The Townhouse.
     We were working through the warm summer last year, and much
dedication was required from all to stay in the studio all day
without succumbing to the sun.
     Nick is a very young engineer and has already worked with Public
Image, Phil Collins and John Martyn. Again there was a great working
relationship and we were all sad that Nick was too busy to continue
and that the time at The Townhouse had run out.
     I moved on to Abbey Road, working with Haydn Bendall. I met him on the
last album when I was working with Jon Kelly. Haydn was co-producing
Sky and I found him a very patient and understanding engineer. Haydn
also engineered Roy Harper's last album and among many other artists,
helps up and coming writers to get their ideas securely on to tape,
often securing record contracts at the same time. Haydn worked on
_Night_of_the_Swallow_ and _Pull_Out_the_Pin_. Our assistant
engineer Danny Dawson, affectionately known as Dan-Dan, became part
of the working team on the two tracks, and it was really enjoyable.
It always is fun when you work with nice people.
     The two tracks are finished and Haydn's time runs out too,
so...I find Paul Hardiman, with a lot of help from Hugh Padgham.
     Paul has worked with a great variety of acts, from Slade to
Keith Emerson and Soft Cell. We worked at Odyssey Studios up
until Christmas <1981>, and by then Paul and I
had a great working relationship. I felt I could communicate with
him very easily and he could get the sounds I needed to hear,
very quickly. We ran out of time at Odyssey and Paul suggested
Advision, studios he knew from experience. He took me around there
one afternoon on a Sunday. The studio was deserted and we went down to a
small control room that proved to have a brilliant sound. We were
sitting listening to tapes at full blast and I was falling in love
with the room when the door slowly opened and a rather anxious
looking studio manager edged around the door. He saw Paul and sighed
with relief, and explained how he'd expected a gang of thugs to be
tearing up the studio while listening to tapes of their choice--
as far as he had known, the studio was empty. We asked him if there
would be any time for us to use the studio, and the three weeks we
booked were to turn into more like three months. Paul and I were
very excited about settling in to one studio, and Paul had some
wonderful effects for sounds that he'd put away for a rainy day.
I'm pleased there was a lot of rain to come.
     Although all the engineers were invaluable, Paul was of special
value. He became a constant companion during the album and I
would often ask he advice, knowing I would get an honest answer.
He is also a very funny man, so he kept us all laughing--
donning silly hats and pulling funny faces.
     At Advision we met Dave Taylor--he was the assistant engineer,
and he worked with us for months until the album was finished
and mixed. Dave was also the maintenance engineer, and on quite
a few nights, when we went home to bed, he would be up all night
twiddling inside machines or trying to figure out why the digital
machines weren't working. Every night we ate take-away food,
watched the evening news and returned to the dingy little
treasure trove to dig for jewels.
     Now it's all finished, I think of the beginning. Twenty demos,
ten of which became the album. In these demos all the moods and
sounds were captured, and all the way through the album these
demos were referred to. Often the session would stop, we'd dig out
the 1/4 inch tape of the track we were working on, and with the
original flavour and sounds strong in our heads, the session
would begin again. In many ways it would have been interesting
to have used the demos as masters, they were so spontaneous.
     Del Palmer engineered all the demos and every night he would sit up
in the cramped little control room, getting different sounds for
each track. He sat through hours of harmonies and takes of lead
vocals, replying "I'm not bored" as many times as there were cups
of tea, and nodding "Yeah, Kate, I think it sounds great!", a
phrase to be echoed by Hugh, Haydn, Paul--Bless you all.
     Perhaps I could now walk you through the album, track by
track, starting with:
 
_Sat_In_Your_Lap_
 
     I already had the piano patterns, but they didn't turn into a
song until the night after I'd been to see a Stevie Wonder
gig. Inspired by the feeling of his music, I set a rhythm on the
_Roland_ and worked in the piano riff to the high-hat and
snare. I now had a verse and a tune to go over it but only a
few lyrics like
    "I see the people working,"
    "I want to be a lawyer," and
    "I want to be a scholar,"
so the rest of the lyrics became "na-na-na" or words that happened
to come into my head. I had some chords for the chorus with the idea
of a vocal being ad-libbed later. The rhythm box and piano were put
down, and then we recorded the backing vocals "Some say that knowledge
is..." Next we put down the lead vocal in the verses and spent a few
minutes getting some lines worked out before recording the chorus
voice. I saw this vocal being sung from high on a hill on a windy
day. The fool on the hill, the king of the castle... "I must admit,
just when I think I'm king."
     The idea of the demos was to try and put everything down as quickly
as possible. Next came the brass. The CS80 is still my favourite
synthesizer next to the Fairlight, and as it was all that was
available at the time, I started to find a brass sound. In minutes
I found a brass section starting to happen, and I worked out an
arrangement. We put the brass down and we were ready to mix the demo.
     I was never to get that CS80 brass to sound the same again--it's
always the way. At The Townhouse the same approach was taken to
record the master of the track. We put down a track of the rhythm
box to be replaced by drums, recording the piano at the same time.
     As I was producing, I would ask the engineer to put the piano
sound on tape so I could refer to that for required changes.
     This was the quickest of all the tracks to be completed, and was
also one of the few songs to remain contained on one twenty-four
track tape instead of two!
 
_There_Goes_a_Tenner_
 
     "Everybody synchronize watches. Remember there's only half an
hour to do the job. We've been rehearsing for weeks, so nothing
should go wrong. Let's run through it one more time:
 
     "I go in and distract the guard,
     Frank's out the back in the getaway car,
     The sign on the door turns from open to shut,
     We keep them all covered, you blow the safe up,
     We grab the cash, make a hasty retreat,
     And tear across London using the backstreets.
     Remember, be careful, give nothing away,
     The arm of the Law is as long as they say."
 
_Pull_Out_the_Pin_
 
     We sat in front of the speakers trying to focus on the picture--
a green forest, humid and pulsating with life. We are looking at
the Americans from the Vietnamese point of view and, almost like
a camera, we start in wide shot. Right in the distance you can see the
trees moving, smoke and sounds drifting our way...sounds like a radio.
Closer in with the camera, and you can catch glimpses of their pink
skin. We can smell them for miles with their sickly cologne,
American tobacco and stale sweat.
     Take the camera in even closer, and we find a solitary soldier,
perhaps the one I have singled out. (Sometimes a Vietnamese
would track a soldier for days and follow him, until he eventually
took him.) This soldier is under a tree, dozing with a faint
smile and a radio by his side. It's a small transistor radio out
of which cries an electric guitar. I'd swear it was being played
by Brian Bath, but how could that be, way out here on our stereo screen.
     I pop the silver Buddha that I wear around my neck into my mouth,
securing my lips around his little metal body. I move towards the
sleeping man. A helicopter soars overhead, he wakes up, and as he
looks me in the eyes I relate to him as I would to a helpless
stranger. Has he a family and a lady waiting for him at home,
somewhere beyond the Chinese drums and the double bass that
stalks like a wild cat through bamboo?
     The moving pictures freeze-frame and fade--someone stopped
the multi-track, there's more overdubs to do.
 
_Suspended_in_Gaffa_
 
     Whenever I've sung this song I've hoped that my breath would
hold out for the first few phrases, as there is no gap to breathe in.
     When I wrote this track the words came at the same time, and this
is one of the few songs where the lyrics were complete at such an
early stage. The idea of the song is that of being given a glimpse
of "God"--something that we dearly want--but being told that
unless we work for it, we will never see it again, and even then,
we might not be worthy of it. Of course, everybody wants the
reward without the toil, so people try to find a way out of the
hard work, still hoping to claim the prize, but such is not
the case. The choruses are meant to express the feeling of
entering timelessness as you become ready for the experience, but
only when you are ready.
 
_Leave_It_Open_
 
     Like cups, we are filled up and emptied with feelings, emotions--
vessels breathing in, breathing out. This song is about being open
and shut to stimuli at the right times. Often we have closed minds
and open mouths when perhaps we should have open minds and shut mouths.
     This was the first demo to be recorded, and we used a Revox and the
few effects such as a guitar chorus pedal and an analogue delay system.
We tried to give the track an Eastern flavour and the finished demo
certainly had a distinctive mood.
     There are lots of different vocal parts, each portraying a separate
character and therefore each demanding an individual sound. When
a lot of vocals are being used in contrast rather than "as one,"
more emphasis has to go on distinguishing between the different
voices, especially if the vocals are coming from one person.
     To help the separation we used the effects we had. When we mastered
the track, a lot more electronic effects and different kinds of
echoes were used, helping to place the vocals and give a greater
sense of perspective.
     Every person who came into the studio was given the "end backing
vocals test" to guess what is being sung at the end of the song.
     "How many words is it?"
     "Five."
     "Does it begin with a 'W'?"
     It is very difficult to guess, but it can be done, especially when
you know what the song is about.
     I would love to know your answers.
 
_The_Dreaming_
 
     We started with the drums, working to a basic Linn drum machine pattern,
making them sound as tribal and deep as possible. This song had to try
and convey the wide open bush, the Aborigines--it had to roll around
in mud and dirt, try to become a part of the earth. "Earthy" was the
word used most to explain the sounds. There was a flood of imagery
sitting waiting to be painted into the song. The Aborigines move away
as the digging machines move in, mining for ore and plutonium. Their
sacred grounds are destroyed and their beliefs in Dreamtime grow
blurred through the influence of civilization and alcohol. Beautiful
people from a most ancient race are found lying in the roads and
gutters. Thank God the young Australians can see what's happening.
     The piano plays sparse chords, just to mark every few bars and the
chord changes. With the help of one of Nick Launay's magic sounds,
the piano became wide and deep, effected to the point of becoming
voices in a choir. The wide open space is painted on the tape, and
it's time to paint the sound that connects the humans to the earth,
the digeridu.
     The digeridu took the place of the bass guitar and formed a constant
drone, a hypnotic sound that seems to travel in circles.
     None of us had met Rolf (Harris) before and we were very excited
at the idea of working with him. He arrived with his daughter, a friend
and an armful of digeridus. He is a very warm man, full of smiles
and interesting stories. I explained the subject matter of the song
and we sat down and listened to the basic track a couple of times
to get the feel. He picked up a digeridu, placing one end of it
right next to my ear and the other at his lips, and began to play.
     I've never experienced a sound quite like it before. It was like
a swarm of tiny velvet bees circling down the shaft of the digeridu
and dancing around in my ear. It made me laugh, but there was
something very strange about it, something of an age a long, long
time ago.
     Women are never supposed to play a digeridu, according to Aboriginal
laws; in fact there is a digeridu used for special ceremonies, and
if this was ever looked upon by a woman before the ceremony could
take place, she was taken away and killed, so it's not surprising
that the laws were rarely disobeyed. After the ceremony, the
instrument became worthless, its purpose over.
     It's interesting how some songs attract lots of ideas--this
was definitely one of them, and because of the amount of ideas
in this song, it made me concentrate on others, so they would
not be neglected or left behind. Percy Edwards was among the ideas
for this song, and he too was a real pleasure to work with. He
really is the only man who imitates the voices of animals to
the extent that he does, and is greatly respected for his talents.
It is so beautiful to watch him burst into birdsong in a studio
in the middle of London. I had images of him waking with the dawn
chorus, taking part with blackbirds, the sparrows, the thrushes...
but we were in the studio with Percy, and there was work to do,
so he became sheep, dingoes and Australian magpies. The light
grew dim and we were out in the bush on a warm windy night by the
light of Percy, our fire.
     Percy is a true professional, and he kept us all in awe with his
wonderful ways. He was, however, a little upset by the treatment
of the kangaroos, but after Paddy and I
explained it was the only way to get the sound
we wanted, he completely understood the situation and tried to
communicate to the kangas what they had to do. The only problem
was he couldn't remember the kanga word for "Dang" so he worked
on "Boing" with a "D".
 
_Night_of_the_Swallow_
 
     Ever since I heard my first Irish pipe music it has been under my
skin, and every time I hear the pipes, it's like someone tossing
a stone in my emotional well, sending ripples down my spine.
     I've wanted to work with Irish music for years, but my writing has
never really given me the opportunity of doing so until now. As
soon as the song was written, I felt that a _ceilidh_ band would
be perfect for the choruses. The verses are about a lady who's trying to
keep her man from accepting what seems to be an illegal job. He is
a pilot and has been hired to fly some people into another country.
No questions are to be asked, and she gets a bad feeling from the
situation. But for him, the challenge is almost more exciting than
the job itself, and he wants to fly away.
     As the fiddles, pipes and whistles start up in the choruses, he is
explaining how it will be all right. He'll hide the plane high up
in the clouds on a night with no moon, and he'll swoop over the
water like a swallow.
     Bill Whelan is the keyboard player with Planxty, and ever since
Jay <Kate's eldest brother John Carder Bush> played
me an album
of theirs I have been a fan. I rang Bill and he tuned into the idea
of the arrangement straight away.
     We sent him a cassette, and a few days later he phoned the studio
and said, "Would you like to hear the arrangement I've written?"
     I said I'd love to, but how?
     "Well, Liam is with me now, and we could play it over
the phone."
     I thought how wonderful he was, and I heard him put down the phone
and walk away. The cassette player started up. As the chorus began,
so did this beautiful music--through the wonder of telephones it
was coming live from Ireland, and it was very moving.
     We arranged that I would travel to Ireland with Jay and the multi-track
tape, and that we would record in Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin.
As the choruses began to grow, the evening drew on and the glasses of
Guiness, slowly dropping in level, became like sand glasses to tell
the passing of time. We missed our plane and worked through the night.
      By eight o'clock the next morning we were driving to the airport to
return to London. I had a very precious tape tucked under my arm,
and just as we were stepping onto the plane, I looked up into the sky
and there were three swallows diving and chasing the flies.
 
_All_the_Love_
 
     Although we are often surrounded by people and friends, we are all
ultimately alone, and I feel sure everyone feels lonely at some time
in their life. I wanted to write about feeling alone, and how having
to hide emotions away or being too scared to show love can lead to
being lonely as well.
     There are just some times when you can't cope and you just don't
feel you can talk to anyone. I go and find a bathroom, a toilet or
an empty room just to sit and let it out and try to put it all together
in my mind. Then I go back and face it all again.
     I think it's sad how we forget to tell people we love that we do love
them. Often we think about these things when it's too late or when an
extreme situation forces us to show those little things we're normally
too shy or too lazy to reveal.
     One of the ideas for the song sparked when I came home from the studio
late one night. I was using an answering machine to take the day's
messages and it had been going wrong a lot, gradually growing worse
with time. It would speed peoples' voices up beyond recognition, and
I just used to hope they would ring back again one day at normal speed.
     This particular night, I started to play back the tape, and the machine
had neatly edited half a dozen messages together to leave "Goodbye",
"See you!", "Cheers", "See you soon"... It was a strange thing
to sit and listen to your friends ringing up apparently just to say
goodbye. I had several cassettes of peoples' messages all ending with
authentic farewells, and by copying them onto 1/4" tape and re-arranging
the order, we managed to synchronize the "callers" with the last verse
of the song.
     There are still quite a few of my friends who have not heard the album
or who have not recognised themselves and are still wondering how
they managed to appear in the album credits when they didn't even set
foot into the studio.
 
_Houdini_
 
     The side most people know of Houdini is that of the escapologist,
but he spent many years of his life exposing mediums and seances
as frauds. His mother had died, and in trying to make contact through
such spiritual people, he realized how much pain was being inflicted
on people already in sorrow, people who would part with money just for
the chance of a few words from a past loved one.
     I feel he must have believed in the possibility of contact after death,
and perhaps in his own way, by weeding out the frauds, he hoped to
find just one that could not be proven to be a fake. He and his wife
made a decision that if one of them should die and try to make contact,
the other would know it was truly them through a code that only
the two of them knew.
     His wife would often help him with his escapes. Before he was bound up
and sealed away inside a tank or some dark box, she would give him a
parting kiss, and as their lips met, she would pass him the key which
he would later use to unlock the padlocks that chained him.
     After he died, Mrs. Houdini did visit many mediums, and tried to make
contact for years, with no luck--until one day a medium called Mr.
Ford informed her that Houdini had come through. She visited him
and he told her that he had a message for her from Houdini, and he
spoke the only words that meant for her the proof of her husband's
presence. She was so convinced that she released an official
statement to the fact that he had made contact with her through the
medium, Ford.
     It is such a beautiful and strange story that I thought I had very
little to do, other than tell it like it was. But in fact it proved
to be the most difficult lyric of all the songs and the most
emotionally demanding. I was so aware of trying to do justice
to the beauty of the subject, and trying to understand what it
must have been like to have been in love with such an extraordinary
man, and to have been loved by him.
     I worked for two or three nights just to find one line that was
right. There were so many alternatives, but only a few were right
for the song. Gradually it grew and began to piece together, and
I found myself wrapped up in the feelings of the song--almost
pining for Houdini. Singing the lead vocal was a matter of conjuring
up that feeling again and as the clock whirrs and the song flashes
back in time to when she watched him through the glass, he's
on the other side under water, and she hangs on to his every breath.
We both wait.
 
_Get_Out_of_My_House_
 
     _The_Shining_ is the only book I've read that has frightened me.
While reading it I swamped around in its snowy imagery and avoided
visiting certain floors of the big, cold hotel, empty for the winter.
As in _Alien_, the central characters are isolated, miles (or light years)
away from anyone or anything, but there is something in the place with
them. They're not sure what, but it isn't very nice.
     The setting for this song continues the theme--the house which is
really a human being, has been shut up--locked and bolted, to
stop any outside forces from entering. The person has been hurt
and has decided to keep everybody out. They plant a "concierge"
at the front door to stop any determined callers from passing, but
the thing has got into the house upstairs. It's descending in the lift,
and now it approaches the door of the room that you're hiding in.
You're cornered, there's no way out, so you turn into a bird and
fly away, but the thing changes shape, too. You change, it changes;
you can't escape, so you turn around and face it, scare it away.
 
     "Hee Haw"
     "Hee Haw"
     "Hee Haw"
 
     Lots of love,
 
     Kate
 
     xxxx

    This excerpt is from the Kate Bush Club Newsletter # 18 where she
    talks about her "Hounds Of Love" album/CD:
    
     This album is two very separate sides for me. Each side has a title.
The first side is called _Hounds_of_Love_, and is five separate songs--
individual, but in some way all linked, because they are forms of love
songs. The second side is called _The_Ninth_Wave_, and is a conceptual
and is five separate songs--individual, but in some way all linked,
because they are forms of love songs. The second side is called
_The_Ninth_Wave_, and is a conceptual side, consisting of seven tracks
tracks that are linked together.
     It becomes increasingly difficult for me to talk about the content of
the songs. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because the more I go on, the
more I feel it's for the songs to say than for me. Especially with the
second side on this album I see it very visually. I would eventually
love to see this as a piece of film, and so I feel restricted about
talking about these songs other than to give a brief analysis of the story.
Otherwise, I find that perhaps too much energy is going into _talking_
about the visual side of it, rather than _doing_ it. <Plans for a film of
_The_Ninth_Wave_ were eventually abandoned.> I will try to give a brief
analysis and to fill you in more about some of the people we didn't get
round to talking about in the last _Newsletter_.
     The first track on the first side is _Running_Up_That_Hill_, and I'm
sure you will have all heard this by now. I am very excited about how it's
been received by people! It's so rewarding after working for a long time
to see that your work is being received with open arms. This song is
very much about two people who are in love, and how the power of love is
almost too big for them. It leaves them very insecure and in fear of
losing each other. It's also perhaps talking about some fundamental
differences between men and women.
     The second song is called _Hounds_of_Love_, and is really about
someone who is afraid of being caught by the hounds that are chasing him.
I wonder if everyone is perhaps ruled by fear, and afraid of getting into
relationships on some level or another. They can involve pain,
confusion and responsibilities, and I think a lot of people are
particularly scared of responsibility. Maybe the being involved isn't
as horrific as your imagination can build it up to being--perhaps
these baying hounds are really friendly.
     The next song is called _The_Big_Sky_. Someone sitting looking at
the sky, watching the clouds change. I used to do this a lot as a child,
just watching the clouds go into different shapes. I think we forget
these pleasures as adults. We don't get as much time to enjoy those kinds
of things, or think about them; we feel silly about what we used to do
naturally. The song is also suggesting the coming of the next flood--how
perhaps the "fools on the hills" will be the wise ones.
     The fourth song on this side is called _Mother_Stands_for_Comfort_.
It's about a son who has committed a terrible crime, and how basically,
although his mother knows that he's done something wrong, she'll protect
him and care for him and hide him from the people who are looking for
him. It's talking about a mother's love, and how sometimes she will
actually go against the morality she feels within herself about what is
right and wrong, if the child is endangered.
     The last song is called _Cloudbusting_, and this was inspired by a
book that I first found on a shelf nearly nine years ago. It was just
calling me from the shelf, and when I read it I was very moved by the
magic of it. It's about a special relationship between a young son and
his father. The book was written from a child's point of view. His
father is everything to him; he is the magic in his life, and he teaches
him everything, teaching him to be open-minded and not to build up
barriers. His father has built a machine that can make it rain, a
"cloudbuster"; and the son and his father go out together cloudbusting.
They point big pipes up into the sky, and they make it rain. The song is
very much taking a comparison with a yo-yo that glowed in the dark and
which was given to the boy by a best friend. It was really special to
him; he loved it. But his father believed in things having positive and
negative energy, and that fluorescent light was a very negative energy--as
was the material they used to make glow-in-the-dark toys then--and his
father told him he had to get rid of it, he wasn't allowed to keep it.
But the boy, rather than throwing it away, buried it in the garden, so that
he would placate his father but could also go and dig it up occasionally
and play with it. It's a parallel in some ways between how much he
loved the yo-yo--how special it was--and yet how dangerous it was
considered to be. He loved his father (who was perhaps considered dangerous by
some people); and he loved how he could bury his yo-yo and retrieve it whenever
he wanted to play with it. But there's nothing he can do about his father
being taken away, he is completely helpless. But it's very much more to
do with how the son does begin to cope with the whole loneliness and pain
of being without his father. It is the magic moments of a relationship
through a child's eyes, but told by a sad adult.
     _Big_Sky_ was a song that changed a lot between the first version of
it on the demo and the end product on the master tapes. As I mentioned in
the earlier magazine, the demos are the masters, in that we now work straight
in the 24-track studio when I'm writing the songs; but the structure of
this song changed quite a lot. I wanted to steam along, and with the
help of musicians such as Alan Murphy on guitar and Youth on bass, we
accomplished quite a rock-and-roll feel for the track. Although this
song did undergo two different drafts and the aforementioned players
changed their arrangements dramatically, this is unusual in the case of
most of the songs. That takes us to the second side, which itself had
two or three drafts.
     It was very different for me working conceptually across half an hour's
worth of music, rather than five minutes optimum in a song, and it was very
interesting but more demanding. The whole was changed by anything you did to
one part of the concept. Once the piece was in context with what was
happening before and after it, it would change its nature dramatically,
and it was important that the whole side kept a sense of flow and yet
kept the interest and kept building and ebbing in the right places.
     The side is about someone who is in the water alone for the night.
_And_Dream_of_Sheep_ is about them fighting sleep. They're very tired and
they've been in the water waiting for someone to come and get them, and
it's starting to get dark and it doesn't look like anyone's coming and
they want to go to sleep. They know that if they go to sleep in the
water they could turn over and drown, so they're trying to keep awake; but
they can't help it, they eventually fall asleep--which takes us into the
second song.
     The second song is called _Under_Ice_, and is the dream that the
person has. They're skating on ice; it's a frozen river and it's very white
everywhere and they're all alone, there doesn't appear to be anyone else
there. As they skate along they look down at the ice and they can see
something moving underneath. As they skate along with the object that's
moving under the ice they come to a crack in the ice; and as it moves
under the crack, they see that it's themselves in the water drowning, and
at that moment they wake up into the next song, which is about friends
and memories who come to wake them up to stop them drowning.
     As they wake up and surface, they are coming out of the whole feeling of
deep subconsciousness. One of the voices tells them there's someone
there to see them, and here in the water is a witchfinder. This is a
sort of nightmare they're having. This monster figure is basically
trying to drown them, trying to see if they're innocent or guilty. If
they drown then they're innocent. If they don't drown they're guilty,
they'll be drowned anyway. It's the trial of this girl who's in the
water; and all she wants to do is survive and keep her head above water.
This song was written through a guitarist--Alan Murphy. The track
would have had the wrong feel with a keyboard instrument. All he had to
work to was the drum track, and I tried to hum and point patterns out.
Everything he came up with sounded great; we spent the day building up
the guitars, then built vocals, Fairlight, sequencers over the top.
Thanks for that, Al.
     The next song is about how she wants to go home. That's really the
thing she wants most, just to be in the cosy atmosphere of her belongings all
around her, and the security of those four walls and the firm ground, and
being with the one that she loves. She finds that she's there in spirit,
and there's her loved one sitting in a chair by the fire, but she hadn't
conceived the idea that she wouldn't actually be there in real terms.
She's not real. And although she can see her man, he can't see her--she
can't communicate with him in any way. It's more of a nightmare than
anything so far, because this is the closest she's been to any kind of
comfort, and yet it's the furthest away.
     The next song is _Jig_of_Life_. This is about the future self who comes
to her rescue, basically. She says "Look, I'm the next part of your life
and if I am going to survive and enjoy the things that I've enjoyed--
having my children, my happy home and my husband--then you've got to keep
it together, you've got to stay alive, you musn't drown or I will drown
with you." It's the future begging her, pleading with her to let her,
the future lady, live.
     The song after that is _Hello_Earth_, and this is the point where
she's so weak that she relives the experience of the storm that took her into
the water, almost from a view: looking down on the earth up in the heavens,
watching the storm start to form--the storm that eventually took her and that
has put her in this situation.
     This track features orchestral arrangements by Michael Kamen. It was
wonderful working with Michael. He's a very receptive person to work
with, and the orchestral arrangements that he did for the tracks I felt
were very atmospheric. It was wonderful for me to watch the layers of
this song go on one by one. It initally had to be written with the
verses symbolizing the storm's gradual buildup, and the choruses having
a great sense of space and atmosphere --and this I always hoped to be a
male choir. When I first wrote _Hello_Earth_ I was very much inspired
by a male choir that I'd heard in Herzog's film _Nosferatu_. And although
the verses are a very different piece of music, it was all designed so as
hopefully to link, eventually, with this male voice choir which would
take us to a very different place in the song. They really are meant to
symbolize the great sense of loss, of weakness, at reaching a point where
you can accept, at last, that everything can change.
     This takes us into _Morning_Fog_. "Morning fog" is the symbol of
light and hope. It's the end of the side, and if you ever have any
control over endings they should always, I feel, have some kind of light
in there. This was originally written to a Linn drum machine. I
wrote, on the Fairlight, an instrumental piece of music using the sample
of an acoustic guitar. I then later wrote the song on top of this
instrumental, building up the voices in layers. The piece I'd written on
the Fairlight was transcribed by Dave Lawson for an acoustic guitar
player, and I felt that really one of the best people to play this was
John Williams, a superb classical guitarist who I had met on a
couple of occasions before when I was working at Abbey Road. This seemed
like the perfect opportunity to ask him if he'd like to play on a
track. We added Del's fretless bass, Kevin on synth, and built up the
backing vocals; then Pad layered up Appalachian fiddles and fujare. We
kept the guide vocal as the master voice and mixed up the last track on
the album.
     Many hours were spent on tiny vocal ideas that perhaps only last half a
minute. Many hours went on writing lyrics--one of the most difficult parts in
the process for me, in that it's so time-consuming and so frustrating, and it
just always seems to take far too long for something that seems as though it
should come so naturally. One of the difficult things about the lyrics
is that when I initially write the song, perhaps half of the lyrics come with
it but it's almost more difficult fitting in the other half to make it
match than it would be perhaps to start from scratch, where, for
instance, you might have just hummed the tune; or where, in some cases,
I wrote them as instrumentals, and then the tunes were written over the
top of this. Many times I ring up Paddy and ask him to come over to the
studio immediately, to bring in that string-driven thing--to hit that
note and let it float. <N.B.: "Hit that note and let it float" is a
quotation from _Big-Eyed_Bees_from_Venus_, a song by Captain Beefheart
and the Magic Band.>
     One of the most positive things is now having our own recording studio
where we can experiment freely, and it's definitely one of the best
decisions I've made since I've been recording albums. We've put a lot of
hard work into this album, so we've been waiting for it to be finished
and ready, and I know you've been waiting. I hope that after this time,
and after all the snippets of information we've been giving you, you
don't find it disappointing, but that you enjoy it, and that you enjoy
listening to it in different ways again and again.
     This album could never have happened without some very special people.
Many thanks to Julian Mendelsohn, and especially Haydn Bendall and Brian
Tench, who put a lot of hard work into this project, to _all_ the
musicians, who are a constant inspiration, to Ma who helps with every
little thing, to Paddy and Jay for all their inspiration and influences,
and again to Del for all those moments we've captured on tape together.
                               Lots of love,
 
                               Kate xxx