Smash Hits

[Doug Alan <nessus>]

I just picked up a copy of the August 1985 issue of Smash Hits magazine.
It's a pretty awful pop music magazine, but this issue has a full page
ad for "Running Up That Hill" and a small interview and several reviews
of RUTH.  I'll include all this stuff (well, not the ad) in this letter.

The singles reviewer, Ian Cranna, seems to have fairly reasonable tastes
(and I say this on the basis of his other reviews not just because he
likes Kate Bush), which seems strange for a trashy pop magazine.  Maybe
all the decent critics in England work for trashy pop magazines, rather
than the supposedly refined music journals (which are actually even more
trash).

These are the reviews for "Running Up That Hill".  They appear scattered
throughout his reviews of other singles:

	KATE BUSH: Running Up That Hill (EMI) -- Now *this* is how to
	return in style!  Yet more modern experimenting with pounding
	percussive rhythms and electronic sounds, but with its melodic
	strength, intriguing lyrics (about deals with God) and coolly
	restrained performance, this sounds not unlike Eurythmics before
	they went off the boil recently.  It's definitely, um, what's
	the expression?  Uh, er -- look, I'll come back to you on this
	one...

	KATE BUSH: Running Up That Hill (EMI) -- Er, amazing?  No -- too
	obvious.  Uh, hang on a mo...

	KATE BUSH: Running Up That Hill (EMI) -- ... appetising?  No --
	hey don't go away...

	KATE BUSH: Running Up That Hill (EMI) -- ... provocative?
	piquant? tantalising? ...

	KATE BUSH: Running Up That Hill (EMI) -- ... interesting?  Yes,
	that's it -- *interesting*!  And therefore it must also be (ta
	daa) Single Of The Fortnight!  Hurray!  Don't you just love a
	happy ending?

Here's the short interview with her.  It appears with a picture of her,
where she's dressed up all trendy-like (I'm upset!).  Also, Kate seems
much more assertive in this interview than she used to be.  This is
probably a good thing, but she doesn't come off quite the same way she
did a few years ago.  Then again, the article has only provided selected
quotes.

	Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
	
	Friends.  Cast your mind back a few years and you might recall a
	raven haired "beauty" with a squeaky voice being very famous.
	Kate Bush, right?  She had loads of hits with things like
	"Wuthering Heights", "Wow" and "Babooshka", and dodgy
	impressionists were always on the telly doing "comic" imitations
	of her dancing technique (much wiggling of the arms etc.)

	Anyway, in 1982 Kate seemed to disappear.  Pouff!  She was gone!
	Just like that!

That's when "The Dreaming" came out.  I guess the general public just
can't take uncompromising genius....

	But now she's back with a new single -- "Running Up That Hill"
	-- and a long player to follow.  And *Bitz* , long time admirers
	of the "lady" who was renowned throughout the globe for using
	the words "amazing" and/or "wow" about seventeen times in every
	possible sentence, managed to wangle an exclusive 'n' legendary
	interviewette.

	So, Kate, says *Bitz*, you haven't been doing very much for
	about three years...

	"Would you care to rephrase that?" says she.

	Oh dear.  Seems that la Bush has actually been tres busy,
	building her own recording studio, writing zillions of new songs
	and being generally "creative".  Whoops.

	So, Kate, now that you're back will you be treating us to your
	funny dancing all over again?

	"You have a way with words, young man."

	Oh dear.

	So, Kate, do you get recognised when you're out shopping at
	*Sainsburys*?

	"Yes.  I find it very interesting and very positive because I
	haven't actually been in the public eye for a while and people
	do constantly recognise me and they're very nice.  They're very
	nice people."

	What do they say to you?

	"Hello."

	Quite.  So, Kate, what about TV?  Do you watch TV?

	"Yes, when I can.  Normally it's Saturday evenings when I get a
	chance to watch the box.  It's my weekly rubbish and it helps me
	to unwind.  It's wonderful to unwind with something visual like
	a great film or *The Young Ones* or *Fawlty Towers*."

I wonder what these TV shows are...

	One thing is puzzling *Bitz*.  We've been "rapping" for some
	time now and Kate hasn't said "amazing" or "wow" once.

	"No, I haven't.  I think they call it aversion therapy, don't
	they?  I think one changes words that one found interesting at
	the time.  And that was a *long* time ago.  And you chappies are
	*so* fond of pulling up things that happened a *long* time ago."

	Ahem, yes.  So Kate, what words do you find interesting these
	days?

	"'Interesting'.  That's an interesting word...  And
	'boomerang'..."

	Quite...

Well, that's all for now.  My fingers are tired.

		"Let me steal this moment from you now"

			 Doug