Famous people....Jane? Other rambling misc.

[katefans@world.std.com (Chris'n'Vickie of Chicago)]

Vickie here. 

Ed writes about Famous People Who Love Kate:

>> I would certainly appreciate comments, objections, questions, and,
additions et.al. wow what a mixture.....

Ed-put on your list Karen and Don Peris of The Innocence Mission.

Harg replies:

> All should bow to the Goddess!

I second that!

> I would have an addition but I can't recall her name - a canadian
> singer, who on an interview on t.v. said she was influenced by
> Kate...wasn't too impressed with this person who was an artsy fartsy
> trying to imitate the goddess, any canadians know who I'm talking about??

Oh no...I hope you're not talking about Jane Siberry. She has mentioned
Kate in positive terms (Ed, you should add her to the list) but I'm alarmed
at the thought that it might have been Jane you saw and just passed her
off as an "artsy fartsy trying to imitate the goddess". Oh my, I hope it
was someone else you saw because Jane Siberry is brilliant and sensitive
and intelligent and funny and quirky and beautiful and very, very, VERY
talented. If you haven't heard her or not given her a second chance I
would extremely strongly urge you to give her a(nother) try. She's
subversive! We had her album The Speckless Sky hanging around the house
for months before I ever really got into it. I'd heard it but hadn't 
really paid attention to it. When I did though--WOW! It was a revelation
and a joy and a wonder to behold. As Jane herself says "I think I'm a
catchy songwriter though it may take a few listens..." (paraphrasing)
She's just a downright shake your head and marvel sort of genius once you
"feel the magic". Her lyrics are so observant and sharp, yet there are
songs I still haven't figured out. Maybe never will-but it's fun to work
out, or just let the music and voice and feeling sweep over me without
thinking about the lyrics at all. All the best people care about lyrics.
I hate it when I hear a great song destroyed by banal lyrics. The music
should come first but adding interesting and intelligent lyrics gives 
songs another layer of power. Jane, like Kate and Peter Gabriel, is a
great lyricist. Her band is the best and all her albums are worth getting.
She's NOT an uneven artist. Every song she records is of the highest
quality. (Another thing I hate-albums with one or two good songs on them
and the rest filler-grrrrr) That's not a problem with Jane. Do give her a
try and keep at it if it doesn't hook you right off. Of course, you could
be one of the lucky ones who's hooked from the very first song. I regret
all those months I wasted not listening.


Jim Fowler sez:

> Add the female lead singer of the Sugarcubes (I can't remember or even
> spell her name :-) )  She was quoted in Rolling Stone has having
> felt like, or wanted to be, Kate's long lost daughter,
> or something of the sort.  She's rather strange...

It's Bjork Gudmundsdottir (literally "Gudmunds' daughter). She's very
wonderful. I love The Sugarcubes except that I have a problem with Einer
in that I wish he'd hush up and let Bjork sing alone most of the time.
I read that quote in one of the English music papers (NME or somesuch)
and the INTERVIEWER said that Bjork rambled on about how she never had
any dolls to play with as a child and that she'd always wished Kate Bush
was her mother.
When we saw them last year (the SUGARCUBES/PiL/New Order concert) we got
semi-backstage passes. They wern't for the real backstage but for an area
set aside for press and record store people and such. Chris & I hung back
there for most of PiL & New Order hoping that the Cubes would come out
to eat (there was catered food and drinks there). They never came and when
New Order finished we thought sure the Cubes had left hours before. We
stuck around anyway and within 10 minutes after the end of the show that
area was crowded with people. I looked around and there she was! Bjork!
I waited till she wasn't talking to anybody and walked up to her and said
"I hear you're a Kate Bush fan". She blinked a couple of times and smiled.
"Yes, I like her very much" she said. I told her about my show and asked
if I could get a Station ID. Sure she said, so we found a quiet corner
and she said "Hello, Bjork from The Sugarcubes here. You're listening to
Suspended in Gaffa". We didn't know it at the time but the pause control
button was on (Chris did it :-) so we didn't get it :-( - Taught me to
double-check on these things. I asked Bjork about Kate and she said she
liked her early work best-TKI/Lionheart. She said she loves cabaret music
such as Edith Piaf and mentioned another singer that I can't remember.
I should say--"Passionate Cabaret". She seemed shy and not a talkative
person. The night before, she'd been wandering around the area in
Kansas City known as Westport (the hip part of town). A friend of a friend
was riding around with other friends and saw a girl hitchhiking. They 
stopped and gave her a ride to the heart of Westport. This FoF didn't say
anything but was sitting in the backseat having a silent tizzy that it was
Bjork! When they let Bjork off the FoF was elated and blabbing about how
great that was. Everybody asked What are you talking about? She said "That
Bjork of the Sugarcubes was just in this car!!" "What?!???!" Everyone in the
car loved the Cubes but FoF was the only one to recognize Bjork. They were
heartbroken that they hadn't known.


dan writes:

> for those aware of the LA band called Black Tape For A Blue Girl,
> whose ambient and almost new agy synth music populated the world
> a year ago, they have a new release on Projekt records called
> A CHAOS OF DESIRE. it's more instrumentally oriented, but still
> increadible great music. i highly reccommend it. i had told Vickie
> a year ago that they had a new album rumoured to be out, but i
> didn't know any other details... in any case, you must go out and
> buy this now especially if you like Kate or Dead Can Dance! the
> catalogue number is: PRO 30 on the Projekt Records label.

Wow, I'm looking forward to this!! Their first album is very good, just
a bit uneven (IMHO) but still interesting. I can't wait to hear this.

It's STILL a stooopid name for a group, though. Reminds me of the set
I did one time. "Cool Bands with Long, Stupid Names" which included:

Black Tape For A Blue Girl
Everything But The Girl
Beautiful Pea Green Boat
Bulgarian State Female Radio and TV Choir
Ensemble of the Bulgarian Republic

I don't think members of the last two had any say in the matter.

Vickie (one of...)
katefans@world.std.com