Another Kate Bush interview

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

 To: Love-Hounds
 From: Andrew Marvick
 Subject: Another Kate Bush interview

     <Here is part of a U.S. radio interview from December 1989.
I do not know the origin of this interview. It was published in the
maiden issue of a new American fanzine called _Reaching_Out_,
without specific identification. The interview is prefaced by a
brief history of Kate's career. Edited by Andrew Marvick
from a transcription by Cynthia Kiley.>

     Why was there such a long break between _Hounds_of_Love_ and
_The_Sensual_World_?
     "Well, we did a compilation in between: _The_Whole_Story_.
But, um...really I wanted to take a break. I&csqd spent a long time in
the studio consistently, and promoting, and I just wanted
some space for myself, so I took time at home and just saw friends
and just retreated a bit. I wanted to look for something new to
say on the new album. I feel always as if I have to make some
distinct break between albums, so that it's just not a
continuation of the one before."
     Why did you re-do the vocals on _Wuthering_Heights_?
     "Well, to be honest, I think if we'd had more time of other
<more time!>, I probably would have done the same with a couple songs. I
just felt that _Wuthering_Heights_ felt particularly dated. It _sounded_
dated. The other tracks were just kind of holding their heads above
water. And so we liked the idea of re-doing the vocal and remixing
the track--not re-recording anything else--just so we could bring
it up to date, so we could give it a more contemporary sound."
     Why was Kevin Killen chosen to mix _The_Sensual_World_?
     "It's a very intimate process for us, making albums, now.
I spend most of my time with my recording engineer, Del Palmer. So
really most of the time it was just the two of us. When I was writing
and, um...Obviously we wanted to bring someone in who...we felt good
with, but who obviously was a good person, too.
     "I met Kevin, and I obviously liked his track record. I love
what he's worked on: it's diverse, but it's alwo artists
who put a tremendous amount of personal care into what they do. So
I was looking for someone who responded to artists. You know, I
wanted someone who knew what I wanted. And he was lovely to work
with. He really was a pleasure to work with, and fitted into our
very close circle very easily and, um...I think Kevin did a great
job. Lovely working with him. He really understood what we were
trying to say with the music. It's difficult to bring someone
in at a late stage in an album, when it's been such a close
thing. But he really became one of the family."
     The title track of _The_Sensual_World_ was inspired by a
character in _Ulysses_, by James Joyce.
     "Well, originally the words were taken from Molly Bloom's
speech. I tried to get permission, but it was refused. Obviously
there wasn't anything I could do about it except either forget
the song or rewrite it. So, as such a lot of effort had gone into
the musical side of it, and we were quite pleased with it, I really
just re-approached the words, keeping the same rhythm and texture.
But it turned itself into a story about Molly Bloom's stepping
out of the book into the sensual world...In some ways, the lack
of co-operation made us work harder to turn the song into something
else. So that's quite nice."
     What's the song _The_Fog_ all about?
     "It's very much using a parallel of a father teaching
a child to swim, with a relationship. Well, when I was taught
to swim my father would take me out into the water. Then he'd
say 'Swim!' to me, and you would have to sort of let go
of his hands. And he'd keep stepping away, so it was always like
you kept going. And the whole process of letting go: I think we
have to do that throughout life. Really, the older I get, the more
I feel that this is what so much of life is about. It's just
letting go of all these things that you get caught up in. The idea
in the song is that things that you're frightened of--quite
often it's the thought of them that's more important than
the reality. It's the idea of water seeming so deep that
you're going to drown if you put your feet down, but actually
when you do put your feet down the bottom is quite close and you
can stand up--it's probably up to your waist--and everything
is all right."
     Why did you pick Mick Karn <former bass player with the
defunct group Japan, more recently a solo artist> to do a
guest spot on _Heads_We're_Dancing_?
     "I met Mick at a charity gig in London <The Prince's Trust Gala
concert of 1981, during which Kate performed _The_Wedding_List_, with
Karn on bass>. And I've always liked his style of playing.
It's very distinctive. He has such a strong personality, and I
know his work is very respected by the musicians, which is always
a good sign. But I thought that for some reason this track was just
right for him, so he came along with a part that he'd worked out.
I'd sent him a cassette. It was fabulous: he understood the whole
storyline. I hadn't sent any lyrics or anything, and he just kind
of played this part, and it was so right for the song, and I was
so knocked out. He was a nice person as well as a great musician.
I find more and more with musicians there are certain tracks that call
out for certain people. It's a bit like casting actors for
a film. So this is how we approach things now."
     What was it like working with the Trio Bulgarka?
     "About three years ago my brother Paddy played me a
tape of the Trio. He's always been very interested in
ethnic music, and has collected instruments from around the world.
And when he played me this tape I was devastated. I'd never
heard anything like it. It was like hearing angels singing. I
listened to this tape for months, and I started thinking, God,
wouldn't it be nice working with them. I was so scared about
the idea of listening to this great music, that it took me a
long time to work up the courage to actually approach them. But
once I did, it was the most wonderful experience working
with them, as people as well as musicians. We managed to make
contact with them through a friend of ours, Joe Boyd, who got us
in touch with people out there. I actually went to Bulgaria
and met them there, and we spent three days rehearsing. They
didn't speak any English, we didn't speak any Bulgarian--we
had a great time! Although we had translators, a lot of communication
was done on an emotional level. It was very interesting. They
just come up and cuddle you, and you sing to each other. It's
an absolutely wonderful experience. They're like my sisters now:
I now have three sisters."
     And _Deeper_Understanding_?
     "I suppose it's looking at society, where more and
more people are shut away in their homes with televisions and
computers--in a way, being encouraged not to come out. There are
so many people who live in London in high-rise flats, they don't
know their neighbours. They don't know anyone in the building.
People are getting isolated. It was the idea that this person
had less and less human contact, and more and more contact with
a computer. They were working with it all day and all night,
and they saw an 'alpha' in a magazine for a programme
for people who are lonely and lost. So they right off for it, and
put it into the computer. The idea of it's a bit like an
old sci-fi film, really, where it would just come to life, and
suddenly there's this kind of incredible being there like a
great spiritual visitation. This computer is offering the person
love. The idea that they have such little human warmth, and are
getting this tremendous affection and deep love from their computer.
But it's kind of so intense it's too much for them to take.
They actually have to be rescued from it. It's about being
killed by love, I suppose."
     And _This_Woman's_Work_?
     "Really the subject matter in the film <John Hughes's _She's_
_Having_a_Baby_, for the climactic scene of which Kate wrote this
song> lay down the grounds for what the song was about. It's
about a man waiting and waiting while his wife is having a baby,
and there are complications. It is the exploration of someone being
left on their own, in a big way, suddenly. In the film this guy
has to grow up. He's suddenly confronted with these terrible
things: he could be a much better human being. It's moments
like that that make you feel things. You should try to make the
most of life that you can, and not when it's too late."
     Does having complete control over your career become
overwhelming sometimes?
     "Yes, it does, but I think in a way what I'm moving
towards--and I don't know if it will work or not, but I
feel it's leading me there--is the combination of music and
film. I hope that someday--in a few years--I could experiment
with making a film. Maybe not a full-length feature, but I would
like to work with visuals and music at the same time, because at
the moment I'm restricted to visuals--in the context of the
videos--to music that already exists, and I'd really like to
play with this a lot more."
     Curious about your family's contribution to _The_Sensual_World_.
Could you tell us about their role?
     "I suppose what's really great is that I'm surrounded
by very talented people who are related to me, and they're really
close friends. Obviously John's photographs are really good, and
that's why I work with him. He's a great photographer, and
because we know each other so well, it's such a relaxed
atmosphere."
     Why have you not toured in so long?
     "The problem is that since the last tour I've been
wrapped up in making albums, and trying to keep control of what I
do. I get so involved in what I do, it's an exhausting, long
process for me, and really with the albums taking so long over the
last few years, I don't think I've had space in myself to
tour. I really enjoyed the last tour--people think I didn't and
that's why I haven't toured--but it't really more that
I get so wrapped up in all the projects I do. I don't feel I've
wanted to do it enough...I don't think I would have done it well
and maybe that's what I can say. I'm sorry...I don't
want to starve people with contact. It's just doing what I
do well is _so_important_ to
me. I've got to try and do the best I can with everything."
     Do you think not touring has held your career back in the U.S.?
     "Well, I think it's very possible, plus I think there
have been so many other inaccessible areas to me here as an artist.
I guess my last record company found it difficult to express me
as an artist to the public, and my second and third albums were
received here at a later date <1983-1984>. I think people
must have quite a confusing image of me. In a way this is something
I have to not worry about too much, um...because that's not
really my responsibility. My responsibilities are the artistic,
where I have to make the best record I can at the time, and I
have to let people know it's out there. But all _those_ areas
kind of are out of my control."
     Could you say a few words about the first tour?
     "Terribly overly ambitious--that's a trait of mine.
I am terribly over-ambitious with things I try to do. It's
quite scary trying to deal with such big things.
     "I think it would be unfair on everyone if I did a tour
and didn't really want to...I'm not really going to exude
joy and happiness. It's difficult for me, obviously. I hate
the thought of a lot of people wanting me to tour and I not.
It's frustrating for them not to have contact with me as an
artist, but there are records and videos. This <radio interview>
is great, because this is direct contact. They can hear I'm
being asked questions and me replying. It's great, but in
a way doing interviews for the press is all such a removed process.
But all I can say is that I think it would be wrong for me to tour
if I wasn't 100% happy about doing it and thought I could
do something special. I just think everyone would be unhappy."

-- Andrew Marvick