women as Kate-fans

["Reynolds, Tom" <REYNOLDT@occ.nci.nih.gov>]

Re: the persons who wrote:

>]My roommate's girlfriend in college was the only female I've
>]ever known to be a Kate fan.  Any ideas?  Or is it just me?

>I don't know what it is.  I have known only one woman who
> liked *any* sort of "alternative" music (she was right into
> Nina Hagen).  Maybe men's brains process music differently.
> Who knows.

My wife said [smugly] last night as I was transfixed by the Lovehounds
tapes, something like "You know, only guys are obsessed with Kate Bush like
you are."  To which I replied [smugly], "Huh! Lots of women are on the
Lovehounds group and send gushing notes of adoration about Kate."  My wife
doesn't dislike Kate, and particularly likes "Wuthering Heights," but she
doesn't see what the big deal is (except that Kate is -- dare I say it? -- a
*fox*). I cannot deny that sexuality is part of her appeal, to me at least.
As someone in the "fox" debate said, I don't think it's fair to call that
perverted or sexist or anything, because her music celebrates sexuality. It
may be that this aspect of her music and her persona appeals more to men (or
appeals to men in a different way?)  (What about lesbians?  Any out there who
care to comment?)  I think my wife is put off by Kate's high singing, which
she thinks (I guess) is affected and nerve-grating.  She can only take it in
small doses.


> Do any guys like Mr Achey Breaky Heart (what WAS his name)?

I forgot (or repressed) his name, but I think a better question would be,
can you think of a singer who could seriously be considered a male analogue
of Kate (exactly how, I don't know), and who women like more than men do?
(For God's -- and Kate's-- sake, don't say Michael Bolton or someone like
that!)

As to women not liking "alternative music" in general -- that's absurd.
My wife likes it as much as I do (though our tastes are not identical); she
particularly likes Nina Hagen; and she plays "alternative music" on
electric guitar herself.  I know many other women who do as well.  And what
about bands like the Breeders, Belly, L7, Babes in Toyland, etc. etc. etc?
And what about all the women fans at shows --  are they just there with
their boyfriends, or to ogle cute guitarists?

I apologize for being so verbose, but this is my first posting after months
of lurking.  So let me also add my thanks to the people responsible for the
tapetree.  It was truly a labor of love.  Watching the tapes has given me a
lot more insight into Kate's musical development and made me appreciate her
more (as apparently, many more people do in the UK than the US).  Also, I
used to think people who wrote that they dreamed about Kate were overly
obsessed, but guess what -- I dreamed about her last night... and no, it was
not (overtly) sexual, but more of a friendly thing.  Actually, I dreamed Kate
lived in my building, and I was thinking, Oh, I don't want to move out of
this building now that I know she's here!  (In real life, we have to think
about moving because we're having a baby any minute now.)

-- Tom Reynolds, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md.