No Subject

[ch0mpc@gdt.bath.ac.uk]

Newsgroups: rec.music.gaffa
Path: ch0mpc
From: ch0mpc@gdt.bath.ac.uk (Matt Clifton)
Subject: ** Interview : 14/12/91 **
Message-ID: <1991Dec15.155205.18977@gdt.bath.ac.uk>
Organization: School of Chemistry, University of Bath, UK
References: <9112132045.AA18127@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu>
Date: Sun, 15 Dec 1991 15:52:05 GMT

  On Saturday, Radio 1's Johnnie Walker show broadcast a short
interview he did with her at about 10 to 4 in the afternoon. Knowing how
highly you chaps (and chapesses) across the pond prize new information and
soforth, I thought you might like a transcript. One for IED's collection,
anyway. Here we go.

(I=Johnnie Walker.)

(Don't Give Up is played.)

I: ...(DJ preamble)...I caught up with Kate as she was rehearsing for this
   Monday's Wogan show...my first question to her was how long it had
   been since her last TV appearance.
K: Oh, it must be just over two years.
I: Now, one would get the feeling that you'd been hiding away from things.
K: I dunno about hiding away...but I only really like to present
   myself when I'm working on something: it's more my work that I like to
   present to the world rather than myself - I mean, I feel that is really
   what people are interested in...so it really depends on whether I have
   any music out at the time as to whether I do any televisional 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 - every time I read magazines like Q or
   something, and they say who's in the studios...'Is Kate Bush still
   working on her new album'...I mean, is it taking longer than you'd like,
   or than you thought?
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 for about a year, and I hope to have it finished next year, but
   on average I'd say that I'm spending 2-3 years on each album, and it's
   incredibly frustrating. I don't know why it takes so long - I wish it
   didn't - the tracks seem to evolve, and although it all starts very 
   straightforwardly, and simply, halfway through the album I never know
   whether I'm going to finish it, and it's all got too big for me, and
   then 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 can't say when because it depends what else we want
   to do next year. It wouldn't be the early part, but maybe the middle
   to latter part.
I: Now you're on this tribute album to Elton John and Bernie Taupin...did
   you have a list of which songs were available to choose from?... how
   did the choice work?
K: I was really knocked out to be asked to get involved in this project,
   because I was a big fan of Eltons when I was little, I really loved his
   stuff...he was my biggest hero, really. 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 was 'Rocket Man'...Now, if I7d have known then that I'd
   be asked to be involved in this project, then I think I would have just
   died - in some ways I owe it to myself as that little girl to give her
   the privilege of doing this as well as for myself now. 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: Um...well, yes, I suppose so, I actually haven't heard the original
   for a very long time...a long, long time..(laughs)..and I wanted to do
   it differently, I do think that if you cover records you should try and
   make them different, it's like remaking movies..you've got to give it
   something that makes it worth rereleasing. The reggae treatment just
   seemed to happen really, I just tried to put the chords together on
   the piano and they just seemed to want to take off in the choruses so
   we gave it a sort of 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 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. The guitarist who played on the track, Alan Murphy, died not
   long after the track was made, so this was one of the last things 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 that 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 - has this changed you as well...will this mean
   that the next Kate Bush album will be very different from the last one?
K: Um...I think you're absolutely right, 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 an incredibly
   intense two years for me, maybe not on a work level, but - a lot has
   happened to me, I feel I've learnt a lot. And yes - I think this
   album is going to be quite  different. Yeah, I do.
I: Can you give us any other clues as to...er..
K: Er..it's always very..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 it you talk about it..er, I really hope that people like
   it, I hope the people that are waiting for it feel it's worth the wait.
I: Well, it's going to be lovely to see you on the Wogan show on
   Monday, so lots of luck with it.
K: Well, thank you very much, it's really nice to be here and to be
   back and I would just like to say thankyou to everyone who's received
   the single so warmly, it means a lot to me, 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. I've had such nice feedback to do
   with all levels of this, so thank you very much everyone, and have a
   great Christmas.

(Running Up That Hill is played.)

    OK, well that's it. Hope you think it was worth it.

                - Matt -

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
  'A HERO?', boomed Omega majestically, flailing his cloaked arms around 
    in the air and staring wildly, 'I SHOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOOODDD!!!!'
  'Cheers, old chap', said the Doctor, picking the last remnants of wax