FEATURE:
My Passion Always Wins
PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Rapport
Re-Pitching the Need for an Authoritative Kate Bush Documentary Series
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I am writing this…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: Patrick Lichfield
feature on 6th March – a day after Kate Bush trended on Twitter. The reason was, I think, because there was a repeat of the documentary, The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill. Bush has trended a lot fairly recently. There is no real reason why she trends, other than the fact her music is being heard or there is a repeat of something like the BBC documentary of 2014. If you have not seen the documentary, then this feature explains more:
“Kate Bush’s return to live performance next week, after 35 years’ absence, has been one of the defining features of this musical year. Her announcement, in March, of the Hammersmith gigs left even David Bowie’s gifted coup in the shade, creating a simmering summer of speculation. It’s surprising, then, that it’s taken the media so long to create the inevitable previews and retrospectives.
Kate Bush’s return to live performance next week, after 35 years’ absence, has been one of the defining features of this musical year. Her announcement, in March, of the Hammersmith gigs left even David Bowie’s gifted coup in the shade, creating a simmering summer of speculation. It’s surprising, then, that it’s taken the media so long to create the inevitable previews and retrospectives. This BBC Four feature did a bit of both, though it ended with a sense that Bush’s reputation survived the hour despite, rather than because of, the programme’s organisation.
Though Bush was dismissed in the early part of her career as light and bland, lacking that macho edginess of her punk contemporaries, she was in fact strikingly ambitious and innovative, from her 1978 debut single “Wuthering Heights” onwards. She had the first number one performed and written by a woman, she experimented with sampling at a time when it was (still is?) dominated by men, and as several contributors noted with awe, even her earliest work displayed an unusual musical complexity.
Sir Elton John made a poor start, with a virtuoso performance of cliché bingo. His blinding insight that her songs are “not normal” will have left viewers scrabbling for a pair of dark glasses, though all was nearly forgiven when he revealed with authentic emotion that “Don’t Give Up”, her duet with Peter Gabriel, had helped him through some dark hours.
There was the obligatory comedian’s appearance, in this case from Jo Brand, who didn’t, much as I admire her comedy, appear to have anything of interest to say. Stephen Fry reminisced about his voiceover on the 2011 album 50 Words for Snow, though (undoubtedly without meaning to) turned the focus unhelpfully on himself. And for a singer who created such a diversity of original sounds, the ubiquitous Fry fruitiness seemed to mark something of a loss of nerve. Let’s hope it’s recovered by next week.
Steve Coogan wasn’t quite sure of his role. Was he still the satirist who’d made such exuberant whoopee imitating Bush in his nineties TV shows, or the friendly collaborator and sympathetic ear? His admiration for her music was irrepressible, though a degree of exasperation emerged when he discussed her reluctance to appear live, and it was perhaps unfortunate that the programme ended with a surname-related pun that certainly belonged to Alan Partridge.
Musicianship of Bush’s quality can, of course, survive much worse than some gentle smut and narcissistic banality. Somehow, through the rather babel-like confection of comments (a proper documentary with a crafted narrative would of course have been preferable), an authentic portrait emerged of a highly original singer, both homely and esoteric, shy and strangely bold, politically aware and sensitively, authentically feminine. Welcome back”.
I wanted to quote that feature/review as it raises some important points I have made. I found some benefits and positives of the documentary. The fact it got made at all was wonderful. The calibre of the contributors, for the most part, was superb. Important figures like David Gilmour, Del Palmer, St. Vincent and Big Boi got to tell their story and reflect on what Kate Bush means to them. There were a few great interview clips, and, at an hour, it was hardly taxing. The problem is that, for an artist whose career – even to that point – was so long and successful, it seemed to be short-changing her with an hour-long documentary. I was confused why there were contributors who had little to say and why people such as Steve Coogan got such a big role – seeing as his input and role in the Kate Bush story is a very small footnote. I wonder why very few musicians and people who worked with Bush through her career were approached. It would have been great to hear from producers, musicians and others who were in the studio with her. Similar, in terms of musicians and fans, there are so many artists indebted to Bush that could have been called. I was thinking about how her music has touched people across so many disciplines. It would have been interesting to hear from more musicians, directors, authors and creatives.
In terms of the tone, it was very straight and plain. There is so much interview footage and videos that could have been shown. As I have said before, the fact the documentary was made to coincide with Bush returning to the stage with Before the Dawn, why was there not more discussion about her live performances of 1979 and footage from that – and some chat with people involved in the Before the Dawn preparation? Having Bush ‘narrate’ her own story through interviews and songs would have provided a documentary more of the personal. I spoke with people around the time of the documentary arriving and it definitely split people. Many casual fans liked it because they learned new things. For those who know Bush’s music well and want more depth and passion on the screen, they were left quite disappointed. The documentary was labelled and touted as Kate Bush’s story; meaning it was going to be fulsome and career-spanning. I don’t think you can distil and cram an artist like her into an hour in terms of their story and influence. One could spend an hour alone on Wuthering Heights or Hounds of Love. In the seven years since that documentary came out, so many artists have cited Bush as an influence. I do think there has been a long enough gap since the documentary (seven years) then to embark on a new project.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush during 1993’s musical short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve
In terms of other flaws with The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill, I was a bit confused about the title. It is one of her best-loved songs (taken from 1985’s Hounds of Love), but it seems to be a bit of a missed opportunity to pick a song/lyric that would fit better. Also, when people were interviewed, they played clips of her songs on their phones! I have gone over this before but, when you have an artist who prides sound quality and warmth over anything, why have people play her music in such a cold, tinny and quiet way!? Play the music on a record player and through good speakers! Apart from the lack of depth, I felt that The Kate Bush Story: Running Up That Hill did not say anything most people already know. I have seen documentaries about David Bowie and other iconic artists where you get much investigation and more angles covered. Think about Kate Bush’s music alone and how much time could be spend discussing it. Each album warrants some time, as does the fact that Bush has broken more than one record in her time – like, as 1980’s Never for Ever reached number-one meant that it was the first album by a British female solo artist to top the U.K. album chart, as well as being the first album by any female solo artist to enter the chart at the top spot; 1978’s Wuthering Heights meant that Bush was the first female artist to achieve a U.K. number-one with a self-written track.
Bush has inspired so many female artists and broken down boundaries. She has impacted the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community and she has influenced so many people to express themselves more freely. A multi-part documentary could discuss the albums and their creation. We could also have one regarding Bush’s fashion, videos and production. Maybe another one could explore her legacy and the artists she has impacted. The albums edition could be split into two so that you’d have four one-hour documentaries that did full justice to her music. I feel there are so many artists and people lining up to discuss Bush and what she means to them. There is nothing to say that people like Del Palmer and David Gilmour could not return. I think someone like Peter Gabriel influenced Bush quite a bit – he introduced her to the magic of the Fairlight CMI -, and he would really interesting. One cannot put out one documentary and say that this is ‘the whole story’. A new documentary series would expand on what the BBC did and, more than anything, leave no stone unturned regarding Kate Bush’s enormous impact and originality! Perhaps wheels are already in motion regarding a new documentary or project of some form. There are so many great interviews out there that could be included. I love the chats Bush had with BBC Radio 4’s and BBC Radio 6 Music/Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe to promote 50 Words for Snow in 2011. There is a wealth of clips and videos that need to be seen and dissected. The BBC spent little time focusing on Bush’s love of cinema and literature. For that reason, a new documentary project should be…
AN epic work, rather than a mere novella.