FEATURE:
Kate Bush: The Whole Story
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed in 1983/PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Griffin
Reacting to the Incredible KBC Article, Issue 14 (Autumn 1983)
__________
I will move away…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at Abbey Road Studios in 1982/PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Rapport
from this website for the next edition of Kate Bush: The Whole Story. I will come back to it. The last feature I published in this series was Kate Bush’s writing for Issue 13 of the Kate Bush Club. I wanted to come to the next one. Issue 13 was the summer one. Though it was published at the start of summer or just before, so we did not get to know what Bush’s summer was like. The year is 1983. That is where we are. This Issue 14 piece was Bush discussing summer of 1983 – one of her best and happiest. This is the issue. I am going to comment on the article she wrote and the interview in this piece. The photo I have included at the top of this feature is Kate Bush from 1983. She was hot by Brian Griffin. Replicating Depeche Mode’s A Broken Frame (1982) cover, I am not sure whether it was shot in the first or second half of 1983:
“Dear Friends,
Since we last spoke, the weather has been incredible—it was the best July since 1659, they say—but for me it’s like 1976. Do you remember that year? It was a particularly special year, when things were full of adventure.
I was dancing every day, and singing and writing all night. I used to go to London by train every day. It was the time of bomb scares, and everyone would stare uneasily at unattended bags, and the trains were full of paranoia. It was brilliant for me—I’d get back to my newly acquired roommates, Zoodle and Pye, who were only kittens, then, and I’d open all the windows and wail away all night. I only got one complaint from someone who had to get up at 4:00 a.m., and as I was creating noisily until at least that time, they were somewhat unhappy at their lack of sleep. But only that one complained.
I feel in many ways that ‘76 and this year are linked together, for me. This year I’ve been seriously trying to work for an album, but found that in the first part of the year I just needed to rest, really. It’s hard to say how I was feeling after the last album, but I needed to breathe. There are always post-album blues, but this time I think I just wanted a break, just to think and to gather stimulus for a new direction. After the demanding lands that my last set of songs took me to, I had to think again about where to go—maybe somewhere a little sunnier. I can honestly say I feel so much more relaxed having had time to put my pieces back together; have some time with my family and friends, which I was really missing; and also to indulge in some books, films and records.
I do like Kate Bush’s memories of 1976. Whilst it was a scary or tense time in the U.K. and there was a sense of fear in the air, it was a very hot summer. 1983 seemingly the same. By 1983, she really needed a break after The Dreaming. It is quite a dense and smoky album. Quite smoggy and dense. There are lighter and sunnier moments, though The Dreaming has tension and edge. I can understand why Bush would want to step back a bit. 1976 was when Bush was she moved out of her childhood home of East Wickham Farm. I think she moved to 44 Wickham Road in her late teens. The property was owned by her father. She lived in the middle floor, in between her brothers Paddy and John Carder. It was during this time that she wrote the song Wuthering Heights and started performing live with the KT Bush Band. She wrote Wuthering Heights in March 1977. Different pressures in 1976 and 1983. Bush was putting her debut together in 1976. Demos were recorded. She had already recorded a couple of the tracks for The Kick Inside in 1975 (The Saxophone Song and The Man with the Child in His Eyes), and she was putting together other tracks.
After lasting three months on Chinese take-aways during the last part of the album, I realised food was a terribly important factor to a healthy mind and body. So now I make sure I cook one good meal a day, and have cut out all junk food--which is unbelievable for me. It is definitely true that convenience is not always a good thing. Cooking, especially when you're not handling carcasses and gristle, can be a delightful thing. I always find it a miracle to turn a few vegetables and some flour and margarine into a complete meal--it's a bit like the five loaves and two fish. It's times like this, when I'm doing a lot of cooking, that I realise how glad I am and how lucky I am to be a vegetarian, to be eating nothing but fruit and vegetables--all the wonderful colours and textures. Of course, the big trouble with cooking is time, but I make myself set aside the time to cook an evening meal, and I really miss it now if I'm out and not able to devour my nutritious foods, and it'll take a while yet before I'll be able to handle a Chines take-away.
I have also found a wonderful new dance teacher. Her name is Dyane Gray, and she is an incredibly beautiful dancer. Not only did I feel I needed to be fit again, but I really wanted the stimulus and inspiration that comes from true teachers.
Having found her, and since taking more care of my body, I feel recharged again. It's too easy to let bad food and no sleep catch up. I can't tell you how good and happy I feel since I've taken these few steps.
As you probably know, a trip to America and Canada was due, and was unfortunately cancelled. It was very disappointing, as I was greatly looking forward to trying to help The Dreaming along out there. But I feel I was probably meant to carry on with the album and perhaps also to have been able to enjoy the first British summer for seven years. [The papers printed stories that Kate's scheduled American trip was scratched solely because her planned mode of transportation, the Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner, was diverted from its schedule for service in the Falklands at the last minute. According to the news reports, Kate simply cancelled the America junket rather than consider flying, allegedly because of an overpowering phobia of airplanes. Although she does seem to have made such a decision, her heavy reliance on air transportation up until this time discredits the stories of air phobia.]
I have written before how Kate Bush had an unhealthy diet when recording The Dreaming. Not giving herself time to cook meals, there were a lot of takeaways. It is not only bad for physical health. It also affects mental health. An overhaul was needed. In 1983, there were not a lot of vegetarian options. Difficult for someone like Bush, who was and is a vegetarian. More choices today. Though fruit and vegetables alone would not be all she ate. Protein and other stuff. Her body and mind healthier for having this fresh produce. Not the processed food that was often cooked in fat and grease. Bush did undertake dance. You can find out more about Dyane Gray here. There is some confusion around the date of Issue 14 of the Kate Bush Club. It was published in 1983 and not 1993. The official Kate Bush Club (often referred to as KBC) ended its primary run in 1993, wrapping up twenty-four print magazines. Issue 19 was published in spring 1987, so we cannot assume issue 14 was published in autumn 1993. In any case, it is clear Kate Bush is talking about the aftermath of The Dreaming and starting work on Hounds of Love, rather than her experience after The Sensual World and preparing for The Red Shoes (1993). Bush specifically mentions The Dreaming, so I am not sure why there are some sources feel Issue 14 was printed in autumn 1993. Anyway, there are some interesting words from Bush. She does end her writing by talking about a compilation video. It was for The Single File. The Video Collection was released in the U.K. on 28th November, 1983, this video compilation features twelve of her music videos from Wuthering Heights to There Goes a Tenner.
I had a really good birthday this year. In fact, it was definitely one of the best ever. Thank you all so much for your lovely presents and wishes. It means a lot to know you're all thinking of me.
Just a word about the compilation video that was promised in April!! (you must be used to this by now.) Unfortunately, due to delayed business transactions, there is still no release date, but we really do hope it will be settled before the end of the year! (Hopefully, there will be advertisements around the time, to let you know if we can't get an official release date to you.) But as a sneak preview, here is a proof of the artwork at this stage.
Well, I'll return to my work, and wish you a very happy autumn.
Until our next letter.
Lots of love,
Kate xx
Interview
Do you watch the chart positions of your albums and singles? Do you know their positions before they are broadcast, or do you have to wait and listen to the radio?
"Yes, I suppose I do keep an eye on the charts to a certain extent, but I don't know the chart positions until the day you hear them on the radio. I usually hear via a telephone call from the record company, and they don't know them until that morning."
Have you ever sung in any foreign language other than French?
"Yes, but only once, when I was in Japan at a Japanese business conference. I sang a well known song of their country, in their language."
Who is Tamlain, mentioned in The Empty Bullring?
"Tamlain is a girl in a traditional fairy story, who is locked up in an ivory tower."
Do you actually read up and research for your songs, or is it information already in your head--especially Breathing?
"This really depends on the subject matter of the individual song; but in the case of Breathing, most of the information came from a documentary about a man who had been following up the negative results of nuclear products."
On Never For Ever and The Dreaming, you are credited as playing a CS-80. What is this?
"The CS-80 is a synthesiser made by Yamaha. It has been a particularly favourite synth. of mine, as it is one of the few that has a touch-sensitive keyboard."
I forgot that Kate Bush sang in Japanese when she visited the country in 1978. That would have been quite a challenge! I did not know about the inspiration behind Breathing I don’t think. In the sense that Bush was taking from a documentary. The questions in this interview are quite random, though we do get some insight into older songs. It was a period before Hounds of Love came out, so it was natural to nod back to her previous two albums.
Do you ever go to concerts? If so, who?
"I very rarely go to gigs, as I don't really have much free time; but it's always nice to go and see artists whose music I enjoy, especially when the shows are as spectacular as The Wall."
Who is the man on the cover of The Dreaming?
"Why, Houdini, of course!"
Were the brightly coloured trousers with zips and ties that you wore for the Virgin p.a. last year and for a number of photos specially made for you, or did you buy them?
"Quite a few people have assumed that they were specially made. However, I did buy the trousers--from a boutique called Splash."
Do you know of any records available featuring whale music?
"I think if you look around, there have been quite a few, but I understand that some, including The Song of the Humpback Whale, have been deleted, so you would probably only find them in second-hand record shops”.
Kate Bush enjoying Pink Floyd’s The Wall. That must have been an incredible gig to go to. The Wall Tour ran between 1980 and 1981. This would have been eye-opening for Bush. Perhaps absorbing some of the sound and visions into The Dreaming in 1982. Breathing is often compared to Pink Floyd. Perhaps she had them in mind when she wrote that track. I have been trying to find photos of Bush with those brightly-coloured zips and ties. I can’t seem to find any! I have said before how Kate Bush is a fashion icon. It would have been amazing seeing her in this bright and colourful outfit! A weird final question about whale music. I am surprised we did not get whale song during Hounds of Love’s The Ninth Wave. Maybe Bush could not have found any. She was recording natural sounds by that point, although getting close enough to a whale would have been quite a feat! I will reference Kate Bush’s writings for the KBC. Their amazing newsletters. We are in autumn 1983, so I will look at issues after 14. We do get a sense of what she was doing in the summer of 1983. Rebuilding and refocused, she was taking up dance again, easting healthier and spending time with friends and family. All vital and crucial when it came to the sound of Hounds of Love. A sunnier album than The Dreaming. Hounds of Love would not arrive until September 1985, though Bush was updating fans and giving them insight into happenings. Maybe an early pioneer in terms of how she communicated with fans, though I guess a few artists and bands had fanzines?! The equivalent of Instagram posts and social media?! Today, we get the odd post from Kate Bush, though I am sort of envious of fans who read her writing in the 1970s and 1980s (and into the 1990s too). What we get from Kate Bush in Issue 14 is…
SUCH a revealing treat.