Secret Message solution; L.A. radio; and the new video

[IED0DXM%OAC.UCLA.EDU@mitvma.mit.edu]

 To: Love-Hounds
 From: Andrew Marvick (IED)
 Subject: Secret Message solution; L.A. radio; and the new video

   IED apologizes for having forgotten to put everyone out of their
misery. He supposes that he figured after four years, what's another day
or two...or three...or four.
   Anyway, you'll be amazed at how anticlimactic the solution
turns out to be. On the other hand, IED guesses that's exactly
what Kate wanted it to be. The official solution is:

     "Don't ignore, don't ignore me. Let me in, and don't be long."

   This is especially amazing because when you listen to it now you'll
discover that there is a definite, unignorable _extra_ syllable that
Kate pronouces before the third "don't", which is not explained at
all by the solution. (Other similar odd sybilant sounds, etc., abound.)
   IED's theory therefore is that indeed there may be a separate back-
wards track, which it should be possible (now that the official forwards
track is known) to isolate from the forwards track. Do the Love-Hounds
have any theories?
   And what of the (to IED far more provocative) secret message in
_Experiment_IV_? Has no-one developed any theories about it?
   By now it is well known that Kate Bush's _Love_and_Anger_ has
been shown on U.S. television. In fact, it is getting aired not
only on cable stations MTV and VH-1, but also on local non-cable
stations like Los Angeles's nearby (Anaheim-based) station Channel
56 (owned by Pat Boone--a closet KT fan?).
   Also, at long last, pathetically timid and trailfollowing progressive
rock radio station KROQ (L.A.) has added _Love_and_Anger_ to its
playlist. This morning, apparently after taking its cue from MTV,
the station played the song, preceded by a promotional ID spot by
Kate ("Hello, this is Kate Bush. You're listening to 'K-R-O-Q'"--
the call-letters enunciated with great care, as though Kate hadn't
the foggiest notion what they referred to).
   So by now cable-ized Love-Hounds will already be familiar with
this extraordinary new Kate Bush video. For those who are less
elaborately wired up, here's a brief description. It begins (the
first set of verses) with Kate, on her knees with hands in lap,
dressed in black culottes and a sleeveless black top, hair loose
but set in great, dramatic waves, lip-synching while remaining very
still. She is lit by a small spotlight in an otherwise blank dark
studio space, and the camera revolves slowly around her from above,
making two whole circuits around her. Throughout this part of the
video and much of the rest of it, a thin, intermittent shower of gold
glitter (a la Danae and Zeus?) flows over her body from the darkness
above. She then lets a handful of gold slip from her hand, and the
camera shows it to be filled with jewels and precious necklaces, etc.
Then there are some close-ups of a monarch's sceptre and orb (symbols
of regal--and, sometimes, imperial--office). Kate then stands up,
and the camera-angle opens out to show her standing still, orb and
sceptre held to her chest, in front of a troupe of classically
costumed ballerinas, who are performing a very severe, basic
routine on toe. Then, with the beginning of the second refrain, the
ballerinas split up, and before tiptoeing offstage, take Kate's
orb and sceptre from her--which act suddenly shakes her to action
herself. From offstage left, meanwhile, a second troupe of dancers--
this time traditionally garbed Sufic "whirling" Dervishes--pass by
her. (The video actually began with an out-of-focus close-up of the
Dervishes' robes whirling in unison.)
   Next, amid further showers of gold rain, Kate dances backwards,
while facing the camera, in a choreographic move much like the
backwards dance in _The_Sensual_World_. And as the song moves into
the instrumental/choral section, the blackness behind Kate falls
away to reveal her band, in everyday dress, playing together. David
Gilmour is prominent, behind him the bass-player (IED has still not
decided whether this is Del, moustache and sideburns shaven off, or
the bass-player on the original track, John Giblin, but he may have
an answer for you soon on this point), and also included are Paddy
Bush (wearing a loose shortsleeve shirt and porkpie hat), who plays
the extremely arcane and bizarre extinct (?) instrument known as the
valiha; Stuart Elliott on drums; an unidentified keyboard player (Kate
played all keyboards on the new album); and Kate's old dance partners
Gary Hurst and Stewart Avon-Arnold (who, after carrying Kate in on her
back to where the band are playing, crouch down at either side).
This part of the video is very elaborately edited, with brief shots of
each player's face intercut with shots of the ballerinas' and Dervishes'
dancing feet and twirling coattails. As the video nears its end brief
and vague shots of water are seen. Finally, with the end of the film,
Kate hums the last notes, turns to the camera and flings a handful
of the gold dust into the camera with the challenge, "Yeah!"
     All in all, this video, while clearly designed to encourage
MTV and other American stations to actually _air_ it, is nevertheless
a typically symbol-laden and exquisitely detailed Kate Bush film.
(Its cinematic tenor is stressed by Kate again through the use of the
broader aspect ratio she used for _The_Sensual_World_.) The color and
lighting are stunning, and Kate herself looks to be in tiptop shape--
older, certainly, than in her earliest video performances, but
every bit as lean around the middle! Toward the end, when Kate "rocks
out" in a freeform dance, it comes as the surprise it always was
to realize that this seemingly innocent, life-loving gamine is indeed
the creator of the greatest music (and videos) in modern history--it is
a shock once more to be reminded of the faKT that she is God InKarnaTe.

-- Andrew Marvick