FEATURE:
Room for the Life
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush met with Delia Smith in 1979/1980 (the episode aired on 29th February, 1980) for her T.V. show, Delia Smith’s Cookery Course (which, at that time, was something of a novelty) - “Our future will not contain as much meat”, Delia said in the introduction
Kate Bush and Vegetarianism
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ALTHOUGH the title (the first part) of this feature…
refers to a song Bush recorded for The Kick Inside concerning pregnancy and human life, I am applying this to animals and eating meat. I am going to include a little bit about Kate Bush’s vegetarianism, as it is a side to her that I really like. I will bring in an article from Far Out Magazine as they covered the subject back in July. I think that diet, actually, is quite important when it comes to artists. Through reading various interviews and testimonies, I know that Bush is a wonderful host. Musicians who have worked with her have said how she offers tea (and snacks) regularly - she wants to make sure everyone is well looked after. Maybe that stems from her mother, Hannah, who was a legendary host. At the childhood home, East Wickham Farm, guests would be excellently catered for and there was this warmth ands geniality that brimmed from the mother Bush. Taking from her mum and Kate Bush, whether she was busy recording or rehearsing, wanted to ensure that people around her were happy. I have discussed before how Bush’s diet took a turn towards the unhealthy when she was making The Dreaming. She recorded that album between 1980 and 1982 (and I will talk about her meeting Delia Smith in 1979/1980 very soon). I think the reason why Bush indulged in takeaways, chocolate and less healthy food when making that album was the stress and fact she was keeping so busy.
Barely emerging from the studio and spending much time cooking healthy meals, she was more reliant on quick fixes and handy snacks. This did change when she set up to make Hounds of Love; Bush overhauled her diet and, as such, I think that improved her psychological state and inspired her to take up dance again. I am just trying to think of any famous music vegetarians in 1979/1980 – Paul McCartney is the only one who leaps to mind! Whilst one cannot directly link vegetarianism to better music and fitness, when Bush was immersed preparing The Tour of Life, she was subsiding on this lighter and healthier diet. I will bring in a video below where one can see (from 15:42) how important food was to ensuring Bush was fuelled but not weighed down. There, her sister-in-law was making the meals, and I think that, if Bush was a meat-eater, then that might have impacted her physical regime and energy levels. The Nationwide documentary of 1979 gave us a look at the interesting dishes that Bush and her team were eating whilst putting together this immense tour. I think a balanced and nutritious diet can influence mental-health and creativity in addition to physical well-being. I am going to end with a bit of a cheeky/strange video of Kate Bush preparing cups of tea – that got some reaction when someone shared it on social media earlier this year -, but I think of her recording and immersing herself in work and being kept energised by these vegetarian meals and a good old cup of tea!
I want to bring in an interesting article before I get to Far Out Magazine - where we hear Bush discuss her vegetarianism and approach to animals being killed:
“If vegetarians are against the killing of animals for food, why don't they object to them being killed for leather?
I think there are a lot of vegetarians who are against animals being killed to make leather, and they do go out of their way to wear rubber and plastic shoes and belts, but I think that there is a practical side to it, as well. Leather is very warm, and it's nice to look at, but it does require a lot of effort for most of us to make a different choice from the normal, and I find myself that I do wear quite a few leather shoes. Not that I consciously buy them because they're made of leather, but I do have a few, and I think it's something to do with the tradition of leather being used in clothing. But there's no excuse for the mass production of leather, and I think it comes down to effort and how far you really want to go. It's up to you in the long run.
You are a vegetarian and yet you wear fur coats. Why?
I don't wear fur coats. I haven't got one. I don't own one and I don't believe in wearing them - I may have occasionally been in photos with one, but it wouldn't have been mine. It would have been one that I'd borrowed because it was very cold; for instance in Switzerland, when I did the Abba special. [In fact, as far as I know, that was the only time Kate has ever been seen in a fur. - IED] But I don't believe in people wearing fur coats, I think it's very extravagant and again, I think people don't tend to associate the clothes with the animals they come from, especially the rare animals that some of the coats are made of. You can get incredibly good imitation ones now - I've seen ones that I thought were real fur and they weren't. They're really fantastic, and they cost less, too.
Do you follow vegetarian recipes from books, or do you make up your own?
I do follow recipes from books, but I find that normally I don't stick to them, especially if I haven't got all the ingredients, and I tend to substitute different vegetables. If I'm feeling really brave, occasionally I base a meal on a recipe and make the rest up. Cooking is quite a logical thing, really, and you soon learn the things that go together - what works and what doesn't.
You say in interviews that you don't eat meat because you don't believe in eating life. But you eat plants, and they are living things. Why?
I do eat plants, and I know they're living, and I'm fond of them, but I think you have to find your own level. I could live on pills, but I don't think it's very human to do that - that is something we dream of in the space age: food without texture or mass. I don't think plants mind being eaten, actually. I think they'd be really sad if no-one paid that much attention to them. I appreciate them very much for the things they give me. I'd be very sad if there weren't any vegetables, and normally it isn't the actual plant that's killed - it's the fruit or vegetable that's taken off. I think this is the purpose of plants, that they grow to be eaten. The only problem is that it has become a very mass-produced market, again, and that the really natural, unchemicalised environment doesn't really exist. Too many chemicals are used on plants, but while there is a demand for brightly coloured food in pretty packets, that's how it will carry on. But you can get fresh, organically grown vegetables. You can grow them yourselves, and if you look around and ask, you'll find that there are a few shops and some local farms that sell vegetables that have not been grown in chemically fertilised ground. (1980, KBC 5)”.
This takes me to a wonderful video where Kate Bush met with Delia Smith to discuss her vegetarianism - where she also talked about some of the dishes that she particularly likes. Far Out Magazine provide us with some background:
“It would follow a run of genius moves for Bush who, in 1980, was one of the world’s most creative and captivating artists. In 1978, her debut single ‘Wuthering Heights’ had become the first self-written number one by a female artist.
In support of that traction, Bush went out on tour. Her 1979, ‘Tour of Life’ had been met with a fever pitch of exclamations on her talent. In 1980, she was crowned as the first British female solo artist to top the UK album charts, and the first female solo artist ever to enter the UK album chart straight in at No.1 for her album Never For Ever. Kate Bush was a bonafide pop star.
That fact makes it all the more surreal to see Kate Bush talking Delia Smith through her favourite salad recipes. But then again, should we be surprised, this is British television, after all, an institution built on the most awkward of foundations.
Clearly, though, Bush was a rather welcomed guest, despite Delia’s consternation, as she offers some vital tips for any Waldorf Salad-lovers out there. “I notice you’ve left the skins on the apples and I like that,” says Delia. “Yes, there’s so much natural goodness in the skins,” the wise Bush responds, offering up her cooking knowledge.
The cooking tips don’t end there either as Bush also offers up some top tips for vegetarians looking for some extra protein: “There are things that I think people miss out on because they think there’s a very select area where you use nuts but I think you can use them in anything.” She continues: “You can just sprinkle them over salads, which is fantastic,” Delia still a little bemused adds.
Bush offers another idea too “in fact it’s quite nice by itself. It makes you feel a bit like a parrot.”
The tips come after Kate starts the section with a view on her new-found vegetarianism confessing that “I didn’t have a clue you know, I had no idea what I could eat”. While this sentiment may feel quite alien to us now 40 years on, in 1980, vegetarianism was still an unusual concept and Bush’s knowledge and education was probably largely the first time much of the public had been introduced to the concept outside of the McCartneys”.
I opened by saying that, in addition to her vegetarian diet, Kate Bush also is a big tea fan. In any case, she always offers people a cup and, as a terrific host, people who work with and visit her are provided with this warmth. I have not heard of anyone complaining of her tea-making abilities but, earlier in the year, I saw a video shared online of an old interview/documentary where Bush was being followed…and we sort of got a glimpse into her daily life. The video below, perhaps, shows how not to make tea – but, her being her, she does it in this sort of magic and wonderful way! Really, I wanted to talk about Bush’s vegetarianism and how it not only changed her energy levels and health…but it showcases her wider humanity and ethical stance. I think Bush might have turned other people onto the benefits of a vegetarian diet and revealed something interesting about herself. It is just one more reason to love…
THE incredible Kate Bush.