FEATURE:
The Private Life of a Music Icon
PHOTO CREDIT: Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy
there was a lot of excitement and buzz because Kate Bush gave an interview to Woman’s Hour. It was her first interview since 2016. I guess, unless you have new music or a project to promote, then it is unlikely an artist is going to speak. Today, artists go through this long promotional trail and have to keep active on social media all of the time. I think we take for granted a certain privacy and limitation. Kate Bush has gone through the hectic years of her career when she was being interviewed a lot and being dragged all around the place. Now sixty-three, she is not going to have to go through what she did when she was a teen or in her twenties. As I have written before, Bush does lead a private and normal life. In fact, I came across an article last week from the Oxford Mail where one of Bush’s neighbours talked about his interactions with her:
“In 2005, she said: "I suppose I do think I go out of my way to be a very normal person and I just find it frustrating that people think that I'm some kind of weirdo reclusive that never comes out into the world.
"Y'know, I'm a very strong person and I think that's why actually I find it really infuriating when I read, 'She had a nervous breakdown' or 'She's not very mentally stable, just a weak, frail little creature'",' she added.
Speaking to Radio France in 2005, the singer said: 'I'm not reclusive, but just try to live a normal life. And I try to just try to be... a normal person, rather than live the life of someone in the industry.
"I don't think I am weird. I just have a great sense of injustice about that because... I just work.
"I have simply chosen against the lifestyle of the music industry or the world of show-business. Excessive egos, greed for power, greed for money, neuroses, psychoses, sarcasm, cynicism ," she told a German newspaper.
Speaking to the Daily Mail more recently, postman Colin Mildenhall, 67 who delivers to Ms Bush's home almost every day said: "We talk about the garden, the weather and other normal things. She never speaks about her work and I never ask her about it.
"You would never think that she's a big star and she doesn't strike me as the sort of person who's interested in that sort of stuff. She's a very quiet person, she hardly ever leaves her home and I've never seen her walking around. She goes out to check on some of her neighbours and that's about it."
Pensioner Mr Mildenhall, who lives in a cottage opposite the main entrance to Ms Bush's house with his wife Pam, said: "She's always popping over for a chat and to see how Pam's doing, because she's not been well lately. Kate is a lovely person and completely normal. I know her music is becoming popular again, but I've never spoken to her about it or asked anything about her career. To us, she's just a delightful and kind friend and neighbour”.
It is no surprise that Bush is fondly talked about by her neighbours. I guess at the stage in her life, Bush is much more concerned with living a quiet and settled life. Bush has lived in London and been in a busier, bustling environment. Especially since having her son, Bertie (in 1998), she has lived in a more family-friendly and quieter setting. I think that it suits her. I am not sure whether new music is planned. I know that she did look around Radiohead’s studio in 2016 after she saw them on tour. That was in a period where they released A Moon Shaped Pool. It is interesting to guess whether Bush was especially impacted by this album and might be thinking about that sort of sound and direction. I guess I am going off on a tangent. I am thinking about whether we will hear from Kate Bush again. Not only did the Woman’s Hour interview delight existing fans and give us a chance to hear from someone who has been mainly communicating with fans online the past few years. Young and new listeners also got a window into her life and got a sense of what Kate Bush was like in an interview setting. Maybe, unless there is new music, she will not give an interview. She seemed genuinely comfortable and happy when talking with Woman’s Hour. It has given fans a desire to hear more from Bush. Maybe not only in music terms: just hearing her speak. It is about time that a special programme or interview is given over to the Hounds of Love (1985) classic, Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God). After it topped charts following an appearance on Stranger Things, so many new artists have covered the song. That would provide an opportunity for Bush to be interviewed about the song. So many of her songs and albums have found new chart life. After a new resurgence and sense of relevance, I think a longer interview where Bush talks about this year and what comes next would be must-hear. It may well happen. Even though she is private and does not do interviews often, she is grateful for her fans and her recent success. More words from Kate Bush is a tantalising thought! Until it does happen, we all wait…
WITH bated breath.