"Watson?" "Yes, Holmes?" "I'm afraid you're an incorrigible bungler!"

[IED0DXM%UCLAMVS.BITNET@wiscvm.wisc.edu]

>C'mon IED, let's have some elaboration on the Irregulars.  I couldn't
>have dealt such a damaging blow with my clumsy attempt at sarcasm,
>could I?
>
>-dave

Dave's comments re WSI are re-assuring, but no, the new
idea is not related to the now-stagnant Kovers projecT (your hypothesis
#3). Thanks for your concern, Dave, but IED was not hurt or upset by
your earlier remarks, not at all. The delay in answering is due to
the fact that, on re-reading the following explanation of the WSI,
it seemed to IED that he had failed to bring across the essential
uniqueness of the hypothetical group -- it may still sound a bit like
Love-Hounds, something it has very little in common with.
This is because the primary distinction of WSI is
philosophical, and IED is rotten in philosophy. The main ideator of
the WSI, by the way, is not IED, but a non-Love-Hound KT fan from
Missouri. IED just thought it was worth sharing with the group,
whether it inspires any reciprocal verbiage from the pack or not.


                         Announcing the formation of

            T H E   W I C K H A M   S T R E E T   I R R E G U L A R S

The group discussions of the Wickham Street Irregulars
differ from those of other Kate Bush fora in two crucial
respects. First, they stem exclusively from the
music and ideas suggested by Kate herself, and as such,
they do not revolve around the daily trivia which surround
Kate and her career. Second, they stem from the
unanimous realization that there is no "true" interpretation of the
art of Kate Bush, and that therefore mutual benefits and
enlightenment may be gained as much from subjective, creative
interpretations as from objective, analytical ones.

Above all, the aim of the WSI texts is not necessarily to understand
more about how Kate herself works and interprets her music,
but to examine and celebrate the members' personal re-actions to it.

For example, the topics of the WSI may range from
as tangible a subject as the pursuit
of Wilhelm Reich by the FDA during the 1950s;
to the personal associations of one contributor's
childhood memories of sky-gazing -- even  though those associations
may bear, in the end, only the most tenuous links with "The Big Sky";
to a rambling narrative about the effects of alpha-interferon on lunar
cheese cultures, conceived during an angel-dust-listening to "Houdini".
So long as the inspiration for or source of a contribution is genuinely
Kate-related, its eligibility and appropriateness for the WSI, as well
as its essential "correctness" -- its acceptance as an unassailable part
of the canon, doctrine and outlook of the WSI -- will never be
questioned. This would mean, for example, that if, say, Doug Alan's
interpretation of "Hounds of Love" (chosen here because it is well known
to Love-Hounds), linking many of its lyrics with the theme of Kate's
relationship with her fans, were submitted to the WSI, it would not
be -- could not be -- refuted. Instead, it would be absorbed into
the communal WSI view of the work of Kate, just as though it had been
proved to be a fact. In the long run, interpretations as personal
as Doug's, treated as objective truth because of the premium placed on
the subjective within the WSI, would begin to combine with and enrich
each other, creating an increasingly elaborate super- (or sub-)
structure of WSI doctrine, in much the same way that a role-playing
game is slowly improved by the convolution of its various players'
shared and mutually respected imaginations.

The main medium of the WSI is paper, and early contributions have come
from outside the computer world; but any Love-Hound who wishes to
offer something to the WSI for inclusion in the WSIQ may simply post to
Love-Hounds with a note requesting its inclusion in the WSIQ.

The postings and publications of the Wickham Street Irregulars
constitute a mouthpiece for the thoughts, feelings and creative
impulses of a particular breed of Kate fan: one who seeks an
outlet for the expression of his or her ideas, whether their
relevance to Kate's art is initially clear to others or not; and
one who is hopeful of gaining insight and inspiration not only
from Kate's own work, but also from new ideas for which Kate's art
may be only the catalyst. Above all, the WSI encourages open
discussion of its members' ideas, in the belief that through the sharing
of our diverse imaginations and areas of expertise, we may discover
new things about Kate's work -- and about ourselves.

The proposed group was conceived under the influence of two
entities: the Baker Street Irregular Quarterly, after which
the WSIQ is modeled; and the philosohical implications which arise
out of the discussion section of the Meteorological mix of "The Big Sky".

If you wish to join in the continuing discussions of
the Wickham Street Irregulars, you are encouraged to enquire of
Andrew Marvick (IED0DXM), or write to:

                    The Wickham Street Irregulars
                    c/o Andrew Marvick
                    10499 Wilkins Avenue
                    Los Angeles, CA 90024
                    (213) 474-5208

-- Andrew