FEATURE:
Flower of the Mountain
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional photo for 2011’s Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
What Should Be the Next Kate Bush Book?
__________
IT may well already be…
in publication or about to be released. There may have been some self-published Kate Bush books but, in terms of books this year, I have not seen anything announced. Perhaps there will be some later in the year. It has been quiet on the articles front. Normally, you would get something about her. Last year did see three of her studio albums have big birthdays. Never for Ever turned forty-five. Hounds of Love turned forty, and Aerial turned twenty. There was a bit more activity and necessity last year. Though it has been unusually quiet, so I wonder if there is not a call for a Kate Bush book now or if people suspect that she might announce a new album very soon, in which case there would be spreads, articles and books to coincide with that. That is fair enough. Even so, artists get books written about them all the time, and most of them are not provoked by an anniversary or anything specific. An author takes a particular angle or focuses on a particular part of an artist’s career. With Kate Bush, we had Leah Kardos’s 33 1/3 book on Hounds of Love. Max Cookney’s Kate Bush: On Location – is a brilliant book. I think a Netflix Kate Bush documentary is in the works. There have been a couple of smaller documentaries released fairly recently. It is a period where Kate Bush is still very much active and relevant. Kate Bush’s video/short film Little Shrew (Snowflake) recently picked up an award:
“The animated short film, Little Shrew, that Kate directed, inspired by the war in Ukraine, is now a prize-winner! The four-minute film, which was released in late 2024, picked up the Animation prize at this year’s Carmarthen Bay Film Festival in Wales.
Kate has expressed her delight on the win in a short statement: “How wonderful! Little Shrew is incredibly excited that she’s been awarded such a huge honour. Thank you so very much from her, myself and all the team. We are over the moon!”.
I think I misgendered Little Shrew when writing a feature about the song, but I love how that incredible and powerful character is a she! Also, the fact Kate Bush is delighted to get awards after all these decades. It always means so much to her. It also shows that her work and music is very much highly regarded and important.
I have not seen any announcements of new Kate Bush books. Is she an artist harder to write about, or is there another reason? The Beatles have had thousands of books written about them, and we get a few a year. Or more. I do feel like there is scope and potential for more Kate Bush coverage. In terms of her modern influence, perhaps that will be covered in a documentary. Though a book that gets interviews from artists influenced by Kate Bush and their experiences of her music would be amazing. I have said before how very few of her albums have made it into books. The Dreaming and The Kick Inside were covered by Laura Shenton, though both could well fit into the 33 1/3 series. And Aerial. I also feel that Never for Ever gets overlooked. I feel that there is a lot to write about Bush’s third studio album. Despite there being some great biographies written about Kate Bush, there are ways we can be forensic. Max Cookney’s Kate Bush: On Location is brilliant highlighting the spaces and places Kate Bush was in and how they connect with her music and legacy. So many different musicians have played with her. How they added to her work. Writing about them. I am still doing a series where I explore characters in Kate Bush’s work and discuss themes connected to them. I feel something similar to that in a book would be awesome. There are superfans, tribute acts and those who have been with Kate Bush since the start. It is wonderful we have documentaries and podcasts where they can get together, but rarely do they make it into a book. I have also said how it has been a long time since a photobook came out. In terms of filling gaps without going too far or producing a book with no merit or purpose, I think that there are many ideas. It would be a shame if 2026 saw no new Kate Bush book. Or very few.
I am not sure whether Kate Bush needs to grant permission. I don’t think so. Such an important and genius artist should have more written about her. You can’t force a moment or a book. Writing one has to be earned and justified, I think. An interesting and original idea. I don’t think any new biographies will be written, though this is not to say that everything about her career and life has been covered. A book could cover a specific period. Perhaps pre-The Kick Inside and that time before 1978. The road to the debut. I do feel that we will get a Kate Bush album this or next year. It is a prediction, as you can never truly know when things will arrive when it comes to Kate Bush. That is one of the great pleasures! It gives impetus to new works. I feel the past four or so years have been among the most exciting and important of her career, and yet only articles written about it. Icons like David Bowie have had books published about them this year. A couple of Madonna books coming. The summer marks fifty years since Kate Bush finalised her record deal with EMI and it sort of began her career. It would be another catalyst, if any were needed, for authors to get writing. By the time you read this, something might well be announced. There are so many ideas I have, though I don’t think I am a good enough writer and have the time to commit to a book. Will a new Kate Bush fanzine or a one-off fanzine edition be published at any point? I am sort of itching for some new text. Having a Kate Bush book on the shelf later this year (or next) would be something all fans…
WOULD love to see.