FEATURE:
Do Bears…
IN THIS PHOTO: The late and iconic Terry Jones (Monty Python) appeared in the artwork to Kate Bush’s 2011 album, Director’s Cut, sitting beside Hazel Pethig and Remi Butler on a mysterious train journey/PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Walker
Kate Bush and the Comedy Connection
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I have talked about…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2014/PHOTO CREDIT: David M. Benett/Getty Images
how Kate Bush is such a great actor in her videos. I often wonder what it would have been like if, like Madonna, Bush embarked on acting to go alongside her music. Maybe, like Madonna, there would have been some bad films; that might have affected her musical output negatively. She was offered a part in the 1986 film, Castaway, alongside Oliver Reed. Bush did appear in Les Dogs - it was a 1990 television film written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens (directed by Peter Richardson), and part of The Comic Strip Presents... series of programmes. I feel that Bush could have had a successful career as an actor given the fact that she comes across so powerfully in her video. Her range is excellent as well. Some felt that her acting in 1993’s The Line, the Cross and the Curve was not great (though it did feature a fine comedic actor, Miranda Richardson). I think that was a case of Bush taking on too much directing it. Under the guidance of a director, I reckon she could have turned in some great acting performances! I mention this because, as I have also alluded to before, Bush has a connection with the comedy world. I will bring in the 2014 documentary, The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill, later. In it, several comedians paid their respects to Bush and her music – among them was Jo Brand. I think Bush’s sense of humour and her comedic touches is a reason why many comics love her. I am trying to think whether Bush recorded anything comedic on one of her albums. Not an album track, though maybe Ran Tan Waltz comes close.
IN THIS PHOTO: Comedian Jo Brand is a big fan of Kate Bush (and she contributed to the 2014 documentary, The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill)
In certain T.V. appearances and interviews, Bush has this natural and deft comedic touch that catches you by surprise. I love the way she can go from quite serious to laidback and funny. There seems to be this connection between Kate Bush and the world of comedy. I am going to come to Bush’s love of Monty Python. One example of Bush singing comedically is when she performed for Comic Relief alongside Rowan Atkinson in 1986 on the song, Do Bears… The Kate Bush Encyclopaedia explains more:
“Song written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson.
On 4, 5 and 6 April 1986 Kate Bush performed live for British charity event Comic Relief, singing 'Do Bears... ?', a humorous duet with comedian Rowan Atkinson, and a solo piano version of Breathing. The performances were filmed for a special edition of the BBC programme 'Omnibus', broadcast on 25 April 1986.
The song was eventually released on an LP called Utterly Utterly Live at the Shaftesbury Theatre: Comic Relief, which contained many songs from the live shows, including the two Kate Bush songs mentioned above”.
I do love how Bush performed at events like Comic Relief and she showed how she could do comedy. Bush supports a number of charities and has always had this altruistic and charitable nature. It is no surprise that she would lend her time and profile for such an important cause.
I will get to a couple of modern comedians who have a love of Kate Bush. In terms of who the songwriter adores herself, I think Monty Python is near the top of her list of comedy greats. Perhaps it is a stretch, but I think that Bush’s theatricality and her reinventions can be linked to comedy. This idea of adopting different guises, looks and characters. Of course, literature and cinema was hugely influential to her. I feel the accessibility and joy of comedy has aided and motivated her as a songwriter too. It definitely would be curious to explore that notion in greater detail. Bush has said in interviews how she has a love of Monty Python. The comedy troupe was very important to her. She got to work and interact with two members: Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. As this article from the Kate Bush Encyclopaedia highlights, there is an important connection between Bush and Gilliam:
“Kate Bush recorded the classic standard Brazil for Terry Gilliam's movie of the same name. For the music video of Cloudbusting, Gilliam put Kate in touch with Julian Doyle, who directed the video, and provided some assistance. Gilliam also offered support and technical assistance on Kate's own directorial efforts, including The Line The Cross And The Curve.
Terry Gilliam about Kate
Kate called me to direct the video and I said, ‘No, how about Julian (Doyle)?’ They had a great time shooting, but somewhere in the editing a conflict developed and I became the mediator. Kate knows exactly what she’s doing, she knows what she wants. She’s the sweetest person on the planet but she’s absolute steel inside!”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Terry Gilliam/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
Terry Jones did play a small role in Bush’s career. It is sad that he is no longer with us. It is no surprise that Bush had a love of the great comedy legend. When Jones died last year, Kate Bush News revealed how Bush and he are connected:
“Sadly, today we say goodbye to a British comedy legend; actor, writer, comedian, screenwriter, film director and historian, Terry Jones, best known as a member of the Monty Python comedy team. As we all know, Kate has had close friendships and collaborations with many luminaries in British comedy over the years and, rather delightfully, Terry appeared in the artwork to her 2011 album, Director’s Cut, sitting beside Hazel Pethig and Remi Butler on a mysterious train journey. He is credited as portraying “Professor Need”. Terry attended Kate’s Before the Dawn show in September 2014, but had been battling dementia in recent years. Rest in Peace, Terry – thank you for all the laughter!”.
This takes me to modern comedy. I think that Bush was subject to parody and teasing early in her career. In fact, Not the Nine O’ Clock News sent Bush up when Pamela Stephenson performed the song, England, My Leotard – a reference to Bush’s 1978 track, Oh England My Lionheart (from Lionheart). At the time, it might have been quite cruel and needless - though Bush has looked back on that with a degree of good humour and fondness. One genuine and compassionate nod to Bush was when Noel Fielding performed a version of Wuthering Heights for Comic Relief in 2011. Kate Bush News posted about this in the same year:
“A personal dream come true for me, the wonderful comedian Noel Fielding (The Mighty Boosh) has danced to Wuthering Heights in the BBC charity programme “Let’s Dance for Comic Relief.” The studio panel has rightly voted Noel’s performance as Kate through to the final on March 12th! We will be providing voting links for the final when they happen. There’s not much more to say except: enjoy the clip and please consider donating to Comic Relief, one of Kate’s favourite charities, here”.
I am going to finish by dropping in a song, 50 Words for Snow, that featured one of Kate Bush’s favourite people, Stephen Fry. It is another example of the comedy world bonding with the incredible Bush. In another comedic salute to her music, Steve Coogan performed a medley of Bush songs as Alan Partridge back in 1999. As the Irish Examiner reported in 2014, Coogan spoke fondly about Bush in the BBC documentary:
“Enigmatic star Kate Bush has remained tight-lipped about her reasons for her stage return 35 years after her only tour, but a new documentary reveals an unlikely possible inspiration – Steve Coogan’s comic creation Alan Partridge.
The actor, who performed a medley of the singer’s hits in character as the delusional DJ for Comic Relief and later incorporated the sketch into his stage show, revealed the Wuthering Heights singer was impressed by his performance.
Appearing on a BBC documentary, he said: “It was fun to do. People laughed and Kate Bush came to the last night of my show to see it when we performed in the West End, she said ’It’s so nice to hear all those songs again’.”
Coogan, who described Bush’s eccentric style as “a gift for satirists”, revealed he had tried to tempt her back to performing years ago but failed.
He said: “She rang me to tell me why and it turned into a long conversation about performing on stage, how terrifying it can be, and how she hadn’t done it for a long, long time and she felt just a bit scared by the prospect of going out there again.”
The tickets for Bush’s August comeback sold out in less than 15 minutes as fans went online in their thousands to buy them”.
It may sound like a minor and insignificant thing when we consider Kate Bush, though I am interested in how Bush has bonded with comedy through the years - and how her love of comedy has been reciprocated. As I said, I think Bush could have been a great actor with a comedy flair. Many of her routines and videos have comedic elements. She does raise more than a smile in many of her interviews. Legendary and modern comedians and comic actors love her work and can identify with her – many have been inspired by Kate Bush in a serious and affectionate way. I do love exploring Kate Bush from a number of different angles. Her relationship with comedy is one that fascinates me. She has a love of comedy and figures form the genre. In turn, the world of comedy…
LOVES her back.