Re: Kate-echism XV.viii.2: mailbag; and "Talk about stubborn!"

[Julian Cowley <julian@UHCCUX.UHCC.HAWAII.EDU>]

In the song "Suspended in Gaffa", Kate Bush writes:
>Out in the garden, there's half of a heaven.

In article <8808060302.AA09858@WONKO.MIT.EDU> |>oug and IED banter:
>   [ I have repeatedly offered plenty of evidence, Andy, that "half
>     of a heaven" is an *allusion* to Kate's demo studio, but you
>     have just refused to listen.  I will sumarize the evidence
>     again:

No, I think you're both wrong.  I believe that the song blatantly
refers to the *building* of Kate's 8-track demo studio.  Certainly, an
8-track studio in your backyard is certainly a heaven, especially if
you are a musician.  But the fact that she says that there's only half
of it there means that the construction process wasn't complete.  The
anxiety must have been so overwhelming that Kate was inspired to write
a song about it.

>     (2) The title of the song refers to a type of gooey tape that
>     musicians use.  This is not a matter of debate.  Kate herself
>     says that "Gaffa" refers to this.  Furthermore the word
>     definitely has this meaning.  Furthermore, this meaning of the
>     word fits in perfectly with the major theme of the song.  Thus,
>     the song, in part alludes to being a musician.

|>oug has repeatedly said that Kate said that gaffa referred to a
gooey kind of tape that *electricians* use.  In movie credits, head
gaffer refers to the head electrician.  If Kate did the music for a
movie, perhaps she would be referred to as head gaffa.  She probably
wouldn't need sticky tape.  I don't know.  But certainly, an
electrician would have to be subcontracted for the studio, which was
only half built when the song was written, whether or not Kate was
working on a movie.

>     (3) It is awfully likely that Kate would draw in part on her own
>     experiences when writing on a topic as emotional as one about
>     trying to achieve one's goals in life.

Wait...  are you saying that the song might be about trying to achieve
goals?  I believe that you may be out of line on this one, buddy!
Just because the studio hadn't been built yet doesn't mean that she
was referring to achieving one's goals in life, like buying a
Mercedes.  I don't think you can make these wild kind of assumptions.
Nowhere does she mention any brand of car.

>     (4) At the time Kate wrote the song, what was in Kate's garden?
>     You guessed it!  An 8-track demo studio.

Well, a half built one, anyway.

>     (5) For a musician working to to make her album, which is
>     obviously "something that [she] dearly want[ed]", would an
>     8-track recording studio be "half of a heaven"?  Why, yes, I
>     think it would.  IED, all these pieces fit together like the
>     gears of a clock.  I suppose there is the chance that is is all
>     just coincidence, but that seems pretty unlikely.  -- |>oug ]

No, no!  Having the studio would be a whole heaven.  I think the
subject of the anxiety of waiting for one is much more interesting
than when you've got the whole thing in your hands or in your
backyard.  Isn't the story of Siddhartha about his trying to *attain*
his nirvana?  Nobody ever wrote a word about him after he got there.
Why, it would make everyone think that he was stuck-up jerk trying to
show off.

Oh yeah.  At this point, Kate ranks at 9 words, and |>oug and IED rank
together at ~1117 or more.  I counted.  Boys, keep up the good work!

Julian Cowley, University of Hawaii at Manoa
julian@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu
{uunet,ucbvax}!ucsd!nosc!uhccux!julian
julian@uhccux.bitnet

      [	Actually, an 8-track studio is definately not a whole heaven
	to Kate!  When making *The Dreaming*, Kate was not at all
	happy having to use rented studios.  But she couldn't record
	the album on her demo studio because it wasn't high enough
	quality and also because she needed a 24-track studio.  In
	fact, after recording and promoting *The Dreaming*, her first
	priority was to build her own 24-track studio.  When
	completed, this new studio she built was used to record
	*Hounds of Love*.  -- |>oug ]