Re: Vermorel pics - where are they?

[chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (chris williams)]

Brian Wentz asks:
>  Where can I get the full set of photo's of Kate by Fred Vermorel?
>  My local bookstore couldn't find *anything* by him, but I was
>  under the impression they were published in a book....
>  Thanks!

   Fred Vermoral isn't a photographer. He (and his wife Judy) wrote a
pair of books:

    Kate Bush - Princess of Suburbia
    The Secret History of Kate Bush (& the strange art of pop)

   The first was a typical rock star exploitation book. No input from
Kate, her family or actual friends. Some of the typical bits are a photo
of Al Buckle, claimed to be "Kate's first lover" and some stuff about
Kate's enjoyment of smokeable herbs. It contain's a fair amount of
actual facts (confirmed elsewhere) dressed up in purple. It puts way
too much emphasis on Kate's family's interest in Gurdjieff. Almost
all the interviews were done with people who *used* to work with
Kate. It does have a load of interesting photos. It originally sold
for 95 pence and has been out of print for more than a decade. It
was tall magazine size and only 32 pages. The front cover features
Kate in an amazing gold dress.

   The second book is much more interesting. Better written and with
even better pictures. The whole first third is about Kate's ancestors
in a small village called Pebmarsh, and a lot about her grandfather
Joe, a concientious objector. Most of the rest is little bits about
Kate and huge hunks of Fred Vermoral's obsessive musings about Kate.
He has said some nasty things about Kate's fans, but frankly *his*
writing shows an obsession far more excessive than anything I've
ever seen in love-hounds. That said, he does make some very interesting
points about Kate and her art.

   Kate and family hate these two books, and the party line is that we
are supposed to hate them as well. But with all their flaws, Fred's
two books are a more interesting read than the Paul Kerton book
or the Kerry Juby book. I have only read the Juby book once, and the
Kerton book twice, but the Vermoral books are well-thumbed.

                          Chris Williams of
                             Chris'n'Vickie of Chicago
                               chrisw@fciad2.bsd.uchicago.edu (his)
                                 vickie@njin.rutgers.edu      (hers)