Island Ear Interview

[Michael Fischer <MFISCHER%SBCCVM.BITNET@mitvma.mit.edu>]

Here's my contribution to the interview wars... It's from right after
the release of Hounds Of Love. Well, not RIGHT after. Close enough.
Following IED's format, comments (just one I think) by me are in <>
brackets, while comments by the newspaper are in [] brackets and are
"signed" with -IE (for Island Ear). This is a weekly, free, music newspaper
distributed on Long Island, NY.

Note... I separated the interviewer's questions and Kate's answers by a
blank line. The questions were in italic in the paper to differentiate.
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                 KATE BUSH... THE ISLAND-EAR INTERVIEW
                             January 7, 1986

    Is Kate Bush news to you?
    Despite well-known status since the late 70's in her English homeland,
Kate Bush has had only a cult following - albeit a devoted one - in
America. But this fall, when the single "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With
God)" paced its way on to the U.S. charts and with her sixth <sic> album,
_Hounds_of_Love_ hunting out lots of American homes, her relative obscurity
in these former colonies seems to be on the decline.
    In England, success came early. So the story unfolds... At 16, she was
"discovered" by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. She spent the next few
years honing her talents, which culminated in her debut single "Wuthering
Heights" hitting the top of the U.K. charts in 1978. (The song was later
covered by Pat Benatar on her _Crimes_of_Passion_ album).
    For singer, songwriter, keyboardist and producer Kate Bush, _Hounds_of_
_Love_ appears to be serving two purposes: One, attracting new fans, and
Two, for all her devotees, a welcome return from a few years' silence.

    Your music contains a lot of very strong emotions. For example, the hit
"Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" is intense in that matter. Can
you explain the emotions behind this song?

    It's very much about two people who are in love, a man and a woman, and
the idea of it is they could swap places. The man being a woman and vice
versa abd they'd understand each other better. In some way talking about
the fundamental differences between men and women, I suppose trying to
remove obstacles, being in someone else's place; understanding how they
feel it; how they see it, and; hoping that would remove problems in the
relationship.
    I think emotion is really what music's all about. It's trying to emote
to the listener, in some way that is effective, either to make them happy
or sad. To me as a listener to other people's music, that's what it does
for me though. There are pieces of music that just make me go "Ohh...,"
they're just so good. They make you feel great or they make you feel very
sad and nostalgic, and I think everyone has some kind of music that really
makes them feel good. Does something for them. So I think that's the
purpose, to emote the listener. So it's got to be about emotion, really,
and expression.

    Your music and lyrics do show you as a very emotional person. Like
you're always thinking... there's always something churning around inside
you. I would describe you as a serious person on that account. Is this
correct?

    I think I'm quite analytical and I think that's definitely what comes
out in a lot of songs. It's the analyzing of emotional situations. I think
I'm an emotional person - I think that's what motivates me. Definitely from
some writing point of view, even in political situations when people say,
"You've written this. This is quite political." But for me it's the emotion
that effects me. I think that most people that are sort of intrigued by
writing or creating on some level are sensitive to the emotional side of
things. That's in a way perhaps what makes them write... A kind of
insecurity.

    Listening to the background vocals on "Hounds Of Love," they sound
agonized, plaintive and sometimes they're screams. The whole second side of
the album, which you call "The Ninth Wave," reminds me of waking at night
in a cold sweat, you know, always thinking, 'What is the meaning of life?'
Seems like you tend to ponder on that.

    I think that side is about that and that's great that you feel that.
It's not what I experience myself, thank God, but it is very much about
someone trying to make it through the night in the water - alone, scared
and not really knowing what's happening, but going through the experience
and hopefully coming out the other side with an appreciation of what's
*really* going on. So it's quite good if you get that image.

    What songs on this album, or parts of songs, were inspirational
flashes. You know, a lightning bolt hit you. What took work?

    It is very much like that. You get a big burst and then it gets very
slow. And then you get... Uh, let me think... Well, "Watching You Without
Me" was very quick. That was all done in two days, I'd say, the whole thing
except for the orchestra that we put on during an extra session. But all
the songs were put straight to master. I was actually writing in the
studio, so there was no demo in the process. It was all being written
straight onto master tape. So if that initial thing was good enough, it
would be taken from there. It was *incredibly* quick. Some songs were
written on the piano, so again they were quite quick, instead of me having
to round up <missing text> didn't happen as quickly as you <missing text>
the slow processes were technical. Technical things that slowed you down,
or just trying to make ideas work that you thought *could*, but didn't
happen as quickly as you hoped, and you just had to be patient.

    Your songwriting is self-taught. I've read where you went to the
library to find books that would try to teach you how to put words to
music. How did you finally learn, just by doing? Trial and error?

    Well, I think from the word "go" it's been just a gradual process of
teaching myself what worked and what didn't. It's just through practice,
really. Any time you're writing a song, you're learning about some aspect
of songwriting.

    Regarding the types of sounds you get, how did you get that little part
on "Running Up That Hill" that comes in first at the start of the song,
after the drums and before the vocals?

    That's the Fairlight [Computer Musical Instrument -IE] and that was
actually what I wrote the song with. That was what the song was written
around.

    And what about the altered voice at the end of the song, where you're
singing, "If only I could, keep Running Up That Hill"? How was that done?

    That's just a heavy effect.

    What effect is on there? Do you remember?

    I guess I'll put "I won't say."

    You won't say?

    No. It was a combination of the engineer and myself. I think it's part
of the thing of recording and there are so many limitations to what we do,
to discover something interesting that perhaps people aren't really
using... It's so quickly that people imitate things. You've just got to
hang onto them, I suppose, if you want to use them again.

    Can you explain to me, as non-technical as possible, what the Fairlight
is and how you use it?

    For me, what is so good about it, is it's a machine you can sample
[record -IE] any sound you want into it. Say, you can sample a car horn or
a violin, and then just play it on the keyboard. It's useful not only for
when you're writing a song, but also for any arrangements. For instance, if
I want a brass arrangement in a song, I can play around on the Fairlight
and get an idea of what I want by actually using a sound like brass.

    I can see how it helps a composer, particularly you, you've got a
studio in your home and you just go right in... but what do you think this
technology will do to the recording industry and the making of albums in
general?

    I think it's a good thing and I think it's going to develop very much
in the next couple years. I think everything really is advancing to get
superior sounding things so that there's as little noise as possible. I
think it's probably going to have quite an effect. But I think synthesizers
did. When synthesizers were introduced, music was so inspired by it, that
the synthesizers were over everything. It was quite a stampede, because you
have the medium, and I think probably the same thing will happen with the
Fairlight.

    Technology is certainly bringing good sounds and sophisticated features
to keyboards in an affordable range. Do you see this as a whole big
revolution? I mean, it's started now, but...

    Yes. I think technically right across the board, not just in music,
we're going into another stage. There's no doubt that things are just gonna
go... You know, you think even in the last ten years things have really
developed, that I think we're actually just on the front of a whole new
world of technology.

    Kind of scary.

    I think all change is scary. And I think change can be very positive.

    But it's still that unknown quantity, whether it's good or bad.

    That's right, yes.

    The reason for this inquiry is that I think your comments are
particularly relevant, because you've been using this technology, the
Fairlight, for years now. You were at the tip of the iceberg. I mean, I
think you're one of the first people I knew who used it.

    I think it's one of those instruments too that you'd learn to use
hopefully in a separate way. There are some sounds on the Fairlight that
are used so much now that most producers would steer away from it.
Particularly people in the business know straightaway - there's a kind of
corny edge to it.

    I was going to make a generalization about radio today and its effect
on "routine" sounds... but it's hard to do that because radio here is so
much different from what radio is over there.

    Yes! I know so little about "the market" here. You know, I just hear
things from people.

    That's good. Ignorance is bliss. What I mean is, sometimes it's
frustrating because everything is extremely formularized.

    I understand you actually segment different kinds of music onto
stations. You have soul stations and heavy rock stations... [in England,
there is usually one station playing a variety of contemporary music -IE].

    Exactly. Why do you think you broke in the United States now? Do you
think it has anything to do with the difference in radio styles?

    I don't know. I don't understand this market at all, you see. It's like
you say though, it's the question that in some ways you can't ask anyone,
except the public. I presume they like it and I think the consistency of
rhythm makes it more accessible to people. Seems you've got a consistancy
of rhythm, people can dance. Dance is something people can relate to
immediately, so I think that helps tremendously. But I can't help but feel
it's because, hopefully people like it and, it's the first time that
there's been sufficient interest with real back-up from the record company
promotionally. And that's all I can put it down to.

    Right time, right place.

    Right timing, yes. Right support.

    You know, that's usually the way it happens, no matter what you do.

    Absolutely.


  -Mike

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- Michael D. Fischer    |    Rivers run uphill                      -
- MFISCHER @ SBCCVM     |   On the dark side of the moon            -
- MIKE88 on DELPHI      |  Mayflies never fly                       -
- GREEN anywhere else   | In the month of June                      -
-                       |                      -- Guadalcanal Diary -
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