FEATURE:
Do They Still Do the Secret Handshake?
Kate Bush’s Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
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IT was fourth time lucky…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for her 1979 BBC Christmas special/PHOTO CREDIT: TV Times via Getty Images
for Kate Bush, as she was finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame yesterday! The 38th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Friday, 3rd November, 2023 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Bush was previously nominated for induction in 2018, 2021, and 2022. This year she has finally made it in! I will come to why she was excluded/overlooked previously, in addition to what this means going forward. Here is news of who else will be joining Kate Bush in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year:
“Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, and Rage Against the Machine are all getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2023. The other performer inductees are Willie Nelson, George Michael, and the Spinners.
Hip-hop legend DJ Kool Herc and guitarist Link Wray will receive the Musical Influence Award, and Chaka Khan, Al Kooper, and Elton John’s songwriter Bernie Taupin are receiving the Musical Excellence Award. In addition, Don Cornelius, the late creator of Soul Train, will get the Ahmet Ertegun Award. The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony happens on Friday, November 3, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“This year’s incredible group of inductees reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define rock’n’roll,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a press statement. “We are honored that this November’s induction ceremony in New York will coincide with two milestones in music culture; the 90th birthday of Willie Nelson and the 50th Anniversary of the birth of hip-hop.”
Sheryl Crow, George Michael, Missy Elliott, and Willie Nelson are making the Rock Hall after their first nominations. Kate Bush is being inducted on her fourth nomination, Rage Against the Machine get the nod on their fifth try, and the Spinners were also inducted after four nominations.
DJ Kool Herc, who co-hosted the 1973 party identified as the place of hip-hop’s public liftoff, is recognized as the genre celebrates its 50th anniversary. The North Carolina–born guitarist Link Wray, whose Indigenous upbringing influenced his material, is recognized as an early architect of edgy, exploratory rock music”.
I have dropped in the latest episode from The Kate Bush Fan Podcast. Kate Bush guru/oracle Seán Twomey discusses her induction, in addition to a few other things that have happened recently - including the Fish People rebrand and the partnership with The state51 Conspiracy, plus the new paperback edition of How to Be Invisible, and Bush’s recent award nominations. I said last year (through various features) how Bush’s 2022 cannot be beaten in terms of its busyness and acclaim. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) went to number one here and many countries after it featured in Netflix’s Stranger Things. Bush oversaw the placement of the song and was very keen to make sure that it was being used effectively. In a scene featuring one of the main characters, Max, it was a powerful moment that touched a lot of people. She gave her first audio interview since 2016. That year she spoke with BBC Radio 6 Music’s Matt Everitt about the live album for Before the Dawn (her 2014 residency in Hammersmith). I know she said a few words following the death of her friend Lindsay Kemp. He died in 2018. Speaking with Emma Barnett for Woman’s Hour last year was something nobody was expecting! Although Bush kept us busy with updates of thanks via her official website – you couldn’t shut her up last year! -, she wanted to come on the show and give her thanks to fans. It was a great choice in terms of the programme. Going out on BBC Radio 4, this was indeed a coup!
2023 has almost surpassed last year in terms of its importance and grandness regarding all things Kate Bush! She did reissue the How to Be Invisible book with a new foreword and cover. I know the audiobook for Graeme Thomson’s biography, Under the Ivy: The Life & Music of Kate Bush, is coming along soon. That incredible Stranger Things scene has been BAFTA-nominated, but it is up against Paddington and The Queen, so Bush might miss out! The Platinum Jubilee: Party at the Palace scene where Paddington meets The Queen will be hot favourite, though you can never rule against Bush sneaking it. Stranger Things is a U.S. show, so they may go with something more homegrown – and, as The Queen died last year, sentimentality and a certain bias might affect the vote! Also, Bush is nominated for an Ivor Novella award, for Most Performed Song. Bush is no stranger to the Ivors. Having won one in 1979 (Best Lyric for The Man with the Child In His Eyes); she won for Best Song in 1987 for Don’t Give Up (a duet with Peter Gabriel); in 2002, Bush won an Ivor for Outstanding Contribution to British Music; In September 2020, she became a Fellow of the Ivors Academy. We are only in May, so who knows what else might come along! Of course, there will be new magazine spreads and features following all of this good news. I know that Leah Kardos is writing a book on Hounds of Love for the 33 1/3 series. I interviewed her about it recently. I get a feeling we may see another Kate Bush book. I am also sure that there will be an attempt to launch a new documentary about her, whether that is for T.V. or radio. There have not really been that many detailed and thorough documentaries about her work for a long while. The BBC produced a documentary in 2014 but, at an hour long, it barely scratched the surface!
I think the fact that Kate Bush is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the fourth time of asking is a big deal! The institute has been criticised for its lack of inclusion regarding female artists. Missy Elliot is the first female rapper to be inducted. A trailblazer and inspirational artist that broke through in a male-dominated genre, it is an honour she is in – though it does raise questions as to whether the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame needs to look at its record regarding ignoring women. Courtney Love Cobain wrote about this very thing for The Guardian. This was backed up and augmented by author and writer Jessica Hooper. The statics are pretty bleak! Regardless, I feel that the fact Bush is inducted is not only because of the awareness that has been raised regarding inequality, but her new popularity and endless relevance. That is the thing about this news. People ask whether Kate Bush is relevant, because she has not released an album since 2011 (50 Words for Snow). Many say her peak was in 1985, but one can look at the past couple of years and say that this is her peak and most successful period. The gender debate is for another day, but let’s hope that progress is made and legends like Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, and Missy Elliott act as examples. Their phenomenal music and careers should highlight so many other women who are worthy of induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Bush posted her reaction to the induction news:
“I have to admit I'm completely shocked at the news of being inducted into the Hall of Fame! It's something I just never thought would happen.
Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. It means a great deal that you would think of me. It’s such a huge honour.
Now as part of the initiation ceremony I get to find out about the secret handshake... there is one, right?
Kate”.
Bush has been to America before. She was there promoting Hounds of Love in 1985. There were a couple of awkward interviews that suggested the interviewers were not really aware of her! Perhaps a little ignorant or ill-prepared, you can see why she didn’t promote there much! Even if she has said that breaking America was never a goal or that important to her, you also have to ask why it took the country so long to ‘get’ her. Over thirty-five years since Hounds of Love came out, and Kate Bush can truly say that she has seduced and conquered America! I love the idea that Bush asked if there is a secret handshake. Sort of invoking images of Monty Python, there is always something so charming and English. Bush said how she never expected it. When she has been nominated and lost out three times, you sort of get resigned to your lot. Maybe the extra success of Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) has made the difference. It would be a shame to thing that without that song and T.V. show that she might not have even been considered! Regardless of scandalous omission in the past, this is very positive news! Any honour that comes her way is a great thing. I think this year is going to be another jammed and crazy one for all things Kate Bush. That post from Kate Bush sort of suggests that, against all odds, maybe she will attend. She has not appeared in ‘public’ – at a media event or anything music-related – since 2014, where she was presented with an award by the Evening Standard for her Before the Dawn live shows. Bush is someone who will turn up. It would be great that she’d come out for the Ivors and BAFTAs. It would be the first time many have seen her in the flesh for many years. Those are all based in the U.K. Would Kate Bush go to New York to perform or speak for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November?
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during 1979’s The Tour of Life/PHOTO CREDIT: Peter Still (via NME)
Although it does seem unlikely, you can never rule it out! She has a fear of flying. That was a big reason why she never did another tour after 1979’s The Tour of Life. The draining and scary experience is not one she repeated a whole deal. I am not sure how many foreign holidays she took. I think she visited Barbados after The Dreaming (1982) but hated it because it was a little too quiet – I may have got the location wrong, but away from busy cities and the noise and chaos of making an album, a relaxing and tranquil setting was slightly freaky and unnerving. Maybe she has been on foreign holidays through the years but, aside from some U.S. promotion in the mid-'80s, you figure she has not flown much. It would be a one-off, but would she commit to a trip to Brooklyn? It does seem very unlikely but, as you can never predict anything when it comes to Kate Bush, she may surprise us all! Not only does her induction cause huge relief that she will not have to be nominated a fifth time; we also add another huge honour to her growing list. This past couple of years has been a renaissance. Bush is finally firmly back in the public spotlight! It has shown that her music is still so important, original and relevant. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) might have led the charge, but it is Bush’s enormous legacy and brilliance that keeps her firmly in focus. What comes next? That fascinating possibility of an album must grow ever hotter. Knowing that American audiences are now firmly invested in her music, couple with growing vinyl sales and a gigantic desire from fans, you feel that must compel her to get into the studio and release her eleventh album. Her albums normally come out between September and November (bar The Kick Inside, and Director’s Cut) so, in terms of announcements, maybe something will come in June or July at the latest? We can but dream! It is amazing that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have inducted Kate Bush, and it means the juggernaut keeps going strong! In a year that has bestowed honours and applause on Kate Bush, we were all delighted that another big accolade was given to…
OUR queen.