Re: Desert Island Pics !!

[Richard Bensam <rabensam@earthlink.net>]

Sean Twomey wrote:

>Here is something fresh for people to discuss ...
>favourite photos of Kate !
>Yes, the music is the most important thing , but how many of us get a
>special thrill when we see some new shot of Kate , whether she's
>made-up to perfection in some ethereal set with birds nesting in her
>hair , or caught looking wrecked in a street snapshot !!!!! .... It
>never matters to me, I love seeing her.
>
>If you had to nominate 3 images of her that would be plastered on the
>wall of your desert island hut what would they be ? Why ? Any special
>reason that this one particular photo has a special place in your
>heart ?It strikes me that being the wonderful , quiet , normal person
>that Kate is she would dislike photo sessions but of course owing to
>her brother John especially and others , we have a massive wealth of
>images of someone who's music has totally enriched our lives .

Dear me, what an interesting question!  All these years I've had to
struggle against the misconception of others that I liked Kate's work just
because I thought she was sexy, with the offensive corollary that a female
artist can or should be judged by how sexy she looks in a photograph.  But
obviously, she is an attractive person!

My favorite photos of Kate are never the carefully composed, heavily
made-up studio shots, but as that sort of photo goes, Jay Bush is a hell of
a lot more tasteful and creative than the typical publicity photographer.
I always prefer more spontaneous candid shots:

1)  The cover of the July 1985 issue of Keyboard magazine.  It's available
at:  http://www.gryphon.com/gaffa/wow/K309.jpg with an alternate shot,
K310.jpg, that is equally good.  This is the first thing I think of when I
envision Kate; happily sitting at her Fairlight, ready to work.  Not at all
the fierce otherworldly creature in some of the publicity photos.

2)  The December 1993 issue of Q Magazine, page 102.  It's available at:
http://www.gryphon.com/gaffa/wow/K334.jpg -- Kate wearing what appears to
be a black leather coat over a heavy gray turtleneck.  Her arms are folded
and her expression seems frankly surly.  It looks like it's very cold out.
I gather some other people find this picture unappealing, but to me she
looks more ravishing than ever.

3)  One of the "Cathy" photos by Jay Bush; I don't have the book so I can't
identify this one better, but it's available at:
http://www.gryphon.com/gaffa/wow/K136.jpg -- Kate has a very distinctive
face at any age, but it's frankly amazing that her adult appearance comes
through so strongly at such an early age.

I recommend a browse through the "Tiny Thumbnails" of Vickie's Wow section
in Gaffaweb to all before compiling your lists; it's very instructive!

RAB