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From: spt1@ukc.ac.uk (Stephen Thomas)
Newsgroups: rec.music.gaffa
Subject: Transcription of Kate Interview
Message-ID: <195@eagle.ukc.ac.uk>
Date: 14 Dec 91 21:17:24 GMT
Sender: spt1@ukc.ac.uk
Organization: Computing Lab, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.
Lines: 189


This is a transcript of an interview with Kate by BBC Radio 1.
It was aired on Saturday 14th December, at about 3:50pm.  This
transcription was done by Stephen Thomas.  The interview itself
is mostly pre-recorded, as shall become obvious.  I don't know
who the interviewer was, as I never listen to Radio 1 unless
it's a very special occasion :).

K = Kate, I = Interviewer.

---

["Don't Give Up" is played]

I: Such a good track, Peter Gabriel, "Don't Give Up".  It was
   Jonathan King who said in one of his columns that that sort
   of middle verse that Peter Gabriel sings in that song he
   reckoned was one of the finest male vocal performances of the
   year, and it certainly was, and there was some pretty good
   singing, too, from Kate Bush on that, who's been keeping
   something of a low profile, but how nice it is to see Kate
   Bush back in the charts.  She's number 12 this week with her
   version of "Rocket Man", and we caught up with her a couple
   of days [ago] when she was rehearsing to perform that song on
   next Monday's Terry Wogan show.  And my first question to her
   was how long it had been since she'd last done a TV appearance?

K: Oh, it must be just over two years.

I: Now, we get the feeling that you've, sort of, been hiding away
   from things.

K: I don't know about hiding away, but I really only like to
   present myself when I'm working on something - it's more my
   work I like to present to the world rather than myself.  I
   mean, I feel that it's really what people are interested in,
   is my music.  So it really depends on whether I have any music
   out at the time as to whether I do any television or promotion.

I: Now you have a record out that's in the charts at the moment -
   we'll come to that in a sec.  But everytime I sort of read
   magazines like "Q", or something, and they say who's in the
   studios, it's Kate Bush, still working on her new album [Kate
   laughs softly].  I mean, is it taking longer than you'd like,
   or that you though, or what?

K: Albums always take longer than I think, and actually this is
   one of the quickest ones for years.  It's not finished, but
   I've been working on it about a year, and I hope to have it
   finished next year.  But on average, I'd say I'm spending two
   to three years on every album, and it's incredibly frustrating.
   I don't know why it takes so long - I wish it didn't, but the
   tracks seem to evolve, and although it all starts very
   straight-forwardly and simply, and halfway through the album I
   never know if I'm going to be able to finish it, and it's all
   got too large on me [I think - there was a burst of interference
   at this point] or it starts to evolve and ends up as whatever
   it is.

I: So when do you think it'll actually be released?

K: Well, next year, I would like it next year.  I can't say when,
   because it sort of depends what else we want to do next year,
   as to whether it be, er ... it wouldn't be the early part of
   next year, but maybe middle to latter part.

I: Now, you're on this wonderful tribute album to Elton John and
   Bernie Taupin, and did you have a list of which songs were
   available to choose from.  How's the choice work?

K: I was really knocked out to be asked to get involved in this
   project, because I was such a big fan of Elton's when I was
   little - I really loved his stuff, he was my biggest hero,
   really, and when I was just starting to write songs he was
   the only songwriter that I knew of that played the piano and
   sung, and wrote songs, so he was very much my idol. And one
   of my favourite songs of his was "Rocket Man".  Now, if I'd
   have known then that I would have been asked to be involved
   in this project, I think I would have just died!  And in some
   ways, I owe it to myself, as that little girl to give her the
   priviledge of doing this as well as myself now.  And they
   basically said, would we like to be involved and I could choose
   which track I wanted, and because "Rocket Man" was my favourite
   I hoped it hadn't gone, actually - I hoped no-one else was
   going to do it.

I: And what about the arrangement of it, which is very different
   to the original.

K: Well, yes I suppose so.  I actually haven't heard the original
   for a very long time, a long long time! [laughs]  And it was
   just I wanted to do it differently; I do think if you cover
   records, you should try and make them different - it's like
   remaking movies, you've got to try and give it something that
   makes it worth re-releasing.  And the reggae treatment just
   seemed to happen, really.  I just tried to put the chords
   together on the piano, and it just seemed to want to take off
   in the choruses, so we gave it the reggae treatment.

I: And now, all of a sudden, it's a hit single.

K: Well, yes, and it's even more extraordinary, because we
   actually recorded the track over two years ago, probably just
   after my last telly appearance!  And we were quite astounded
   when they wanted to release it as a single just recently.
   What's very nice is that the guitarist that played on the
   track, Alan Murphy, who was our guitarist at the time, died
   not long after the track was made.  So this was one of the
   last things that he did with us, and it's particularly nice
   for me to feel that it's not only keeping him alive, but I
   know that he would be really thrilled to know it was doing
   so well, and it's nice for all of us that loved Al to know
   that he can be a part of this now.

["Rocket Man" is played]

I: Now, there's been an awful lot of change has gone on in the
   world - I'm not talking about the world of music - over the
   last couple of years, since your last album.  Is this changed
   you [sic] as well?  Will this mean the next Kate Bush album
   will be very different from the last one, do you think?

K: I think you're absolutely right.  I think there's been so
   much change in the world in this two year period.  Everyone
   I know has been changed by it, it's impossible not to.  If
   you don't change with it, I don't think you could survive it.
   Everyone's changed, I've definitely changed.  I've been very
   affected by these last two years; they've been incredibly
   intense years for me.  Maybe not on a work level, but a lot
   has happened to me.  I feel I've learnt a lot.  And I think
   yes, I think this album is going to be quite different.  Yeah,
   I do.

I: Can you give us any other clues, as to ...?

K: It's impossible, I think, to talk about music, especially
   before it's completed or people have heard it, because it's
   a very personal interpretation.  For me, it's like a painting.
   You would never talk about a painting before you've seen it.
   It's only when you see the painting, you then talk about it.
   So, I really hope that people like it, I hope the people that
   are waiting for it feel it's worth the wait and I really hope
   people out there like it.

I: Well, it's going to be lovely to actually see you on the Wogan
   show on Monday, so lot's of luck with that.

K: Well, thank you very much.  It's really nice to be here and
   to be back, and I would just like to say thank you to everyone
   who's received this single so warmly.  It means a lot to me,
   you know, I didn't think I'd have a single out for at least a
   year because we're still working on the album, so it's a very
   nice surprise, and I've had such nice feedback about all levels
   to do with this, so thank you very much, everyone, and have a
   great Christmas!

["Running Up That Hill" is played]

[The interview proper stops after that, but makes some comments
about meeting Kate that are interesting ...]

I: Kate Bush, and "Running Up That Hill".  And Phil Ross, the
   producer of this programme, and I were just in this tiny little
   dressing room at TV Centre when Kate was rehearsing for Monday's
   Wogan show, and we were slurping cups of tea together.  We
   were only there for about ten minutes, and Thursday was just
   this manic day of running around and doing all sorts of
   different stuff, but walked out of the dressing room after
   spending ten minutes in the company of Kate Bush just feeling
   so good!  She's one of those people, you know, that you meet
   and she makes you feel great.  Certainly one of the special
   people, and I look forward to next year, whenever the album
   comes out - she wouldn't be any more specific than it'll be
   next year.  And I'm sure she'll be our guest on the programme
   to introduce tracks from the album when it does come out.
   And don't miss the Wogan show on Monday, see Kate Bush singing
   "Rocket Man", and you will see on set, I believe, an empty chair
   with just a guitar placed on it, and that's the chair that Alan
   Murphy would have sat in.

---

Keep well,

Stephen
--
| "You've been having a nightmare.  | Stephen Thomas -------------------------|
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