Mailbag

[chris@world.std.com (Chris'n'Vickie of Kansas City)]

Hello Chris here;

 MACGOWAN@NIC.DDN.MIL (Douglas MacGowan) posted:
>
> From the 12/16/89 edition of the San Jose Mercury News's "Action
> Line" column (a consumer advocate, question/answer, etc. column):
>
>
> Q: I have a friend who is terminally ill with AIDS.  He is a big fan
> of singer Kate Bush.  Can you help me find an address I can write
> to for an autograph and picture of her?
>
>                                  - G.K., San Jose
>
> A: Better than that, we're having CBS Records send an autographed
> photo of the English pop singer to you to give to your friend.  We
> happened to call CBS in New York when Bush was in town.  We telephoned
> you and got your friend's name, so the autograph could be
> personalized.

  Do you have an address for the paper? We'd like to send some rare Kate
stuff to this guy, care of the paper. A friend of ours, a fellow programmer
on KKFI and a Kate fan, died of AIDS before the album came out. There is 
nothing we can do to save his life, but we could at least try to make the
end of it a little less unhappy...

> From: mpmst1@UNIX.CIS.PITT.EDU (metlay) asked:
>
> I would like to ask, with absolutely no hostile intent or wish to injure,
> offend, or insult anyone at all, and solely for the purpose of my own
> edification and enlightenment:
>
> Has any of you ever actually MET Kate Bush? Not just seen her in a record
> store or on stage, mind you, but had a chance to actually chat with her
> for more than the fan's usual thirty seconds?
> 
> I know that |>oug managed a short interview with her some time ago,...

   Uh-oh - there goes my humility - right out the window - oh well, (sigh),
 ... a few years ago the sound company I worked at bought a VHS video editing
 system. As soon as it was set up I went to work with a copy of the film 
 "The Innocents" and a cassette of "Never for Ever" and started to make a
 video for "The Infant Kiss". 200 hours and 3 complete re-edits later, I
 sent a copy to Kate's brother John (who has a multi-standard VHS VCR & TV).
 I'd finally quit my awful job the day before. Kate-Fans were visting from
 St. Louis, so I was at home when the phone rang. It was Kate. Luckily I'd
 hooked up a recorder to the phone the week before. Unluckily, Vickie wasn't
 home.  As I fumbled for the  record button I said, breathlessly, "Hi Kate".
 The look on my friend's (Mike Weaver) face was classic. We chatted for 10
 minutes about my video, and about video and editing in general. Well to be
 perfectly honest- she chatted; I babbled. I sounded like Porky Pig. Buh-de
 buh-de buh-de. She said "well I've tried calling a couple of times before
 but there was no answer. I was probably calling at terrible hours of the
 night." I told her "no it's one in the afternoon here" and she said "oh
 good - then it's civilized." She is extremely pleasant and very nice. But
 all of you knew that already. She got a kick out of my flusterment - she
 said "are you having a good time?" and giggled. Kate said that she'd 
 watched the video several times. I glowed. I bounced. She said "Bye!" 
 I'd like to think that I might have had something to do with her decision
 to direct her own videos and use a "filmic" style. I have two theories 
 about this depending on the state of my ego:
     1: She liked it and it inspired her.
     2: She thought "well if this bozo can make one anyone can".
 Vickie & I and Frank Maiale met her plane (the Concorde) at Kennedy Airport
 when she came to the U.S. and Canada to promote HoL.
 Kate and Del took a long time to get off the plane and through Customs. We
 took to joking about the other people getting off the plane "oh there's Kate,
 She's dyed her hair black and gotten a foot taller!" Al Pacino walked past.
 (he was in the midst of filming "Revolution" with Donald Sutherland. Did
 he and Kate talk on the plane?) Finally us and one other couple were the only
 people waiting. We asked if they were waiting for Kate. They looked at us
 funny and moved away. Finally Kate and Del came out. We talked for a bit.
 I told them we drove from Kansas City, half-way across the country, and Del
 said "what intrepid fans!" Kate's honesty has been batted around on the net.
 Well, one thing that she very definitely lies about is her height. She is tiny.
 Very tiny. And she was wearing heels. I gave her the most recent edit of "The
 Infant Kiss" and they got into a grey limo with the couple from EMI. We saw
 Kate and Del several times later that week - outside of radio stations and at
 the Tower Records signing. We also talked to Cynthia Freidland, the producer
 of "Night Flight", and she invited us to see the interview being taped for 
 "NF", "Radio 1990" and "Heartlight City" at United Video. We sat on a couch
 at the back of the control room with Kate's brother John. The picture was
 astounding and the sound guys were total fools. Well, that's our tale.
 She is a truly nice person. It is always a pleasant surprise when you meet
 someone you admire and find them friendly as well. I've been a big fan of
 Todd Rundgren for 16 years and on the "30 second" times I've met him I haven't
 gotten a civil word out of him yet. I still love his music and admire him.
 Damm shame he's an arrogant jerk, it really is.
                          
 
                                       Chris of
                                         Chris'n'Vickie