Mailbag

[Andrew B Marvick <abm4@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu>]

Michael Graham asks:
   What are reasonable prices for the KT books _Vis._Doc._ and _TWS_?
In IED's opinion, $25.00 is an acceptable price for either, though
if price be based on textual validity _TWS_ is worth about $2.00.
_KBComplete_, the part-music, part-chronology, part-lyrics collection,
is also worth about (but certainly not much more than) $25.00. Don't
go forking over $40 or $50 for any Kate Bush book (other than _Cathy_,
which is really worth its $75 tag, in IED's opinion) on the grounds
that it has become "rare". Only the first Vermorel book and the 
bootleg collection of magazine articles are really hard to find 
in the U.S. nowadays, and even they aren't worth that kind of money.
Anyone disagree?
   What was Kate's opinion of punk? She several times acclaimed punk's
"energy" and aggressive, "male" spirit. In at least one interview she
explicitly praised Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols for their
tremendous drive and energy--though she never, to IED's knowledge,
had anything specific to say about their social/political message(s).
She particularly admired The Stranglers in their first three albums,
and mentioned Hugh Cornwell at least once. She also mentioned (though
this hardly qualifies as real punk) The Boomtown Rats and The Rich
Kids (the latter group was a shortlived new-wave group on the EMI
label led by not-yet-Ultravox-singer Midge Ure).
   There are undoubtedly some live recordings of Kate and the KT Bush
Band's pub performances--in the possession of the Bush family, alas!
IED has never heard even a hint that any such recordings have started
making the underground rounds. But then, there was no real hope of 
getting any circa-'73 home demo recordings before 1988, either...
   Rowan Atkinson was just a comedian whom Kate greatly admired, and
she got along well with him and greatly enjoyed singing the duet with
him at the Comic Relief shows. There's not (apparently) any more to
it than that. The song is available on an import LP (or was, anyway).

-- Andrew Marvick