INTERVIEW:
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1985
Kate Bush and Me: James Brown
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FOR the next part of this series…
PHOTO CREDIT: James Brown
where I interview big Kate Bush fans about their experiences with her music, James Brown provides his thoughts and recollections. Brown works as part of the wonderful team behind Craig Charles’ show, weekday afternoons (between 1-4) on BBC Radio 6 Music. It has been interesting learning about what Bush means to Brown personally, what he thinks of her recent success and visibility thanks to Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) appearing on Stranger Things, and where he thinks she may head next. Here is a fascinating interview with the excellent James Brown. It is clear that he holds a lot of affection, thanks and respect for an artist…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1979/PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images
WHO means so much to him.
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Hi James. Can you tell me about the first time you heard Kate Bush’s music? I heard Wuthering Heights when I was three or four. What was your entry into her music and world?
Like you, Wuthering Heights is the first Kate track I remember being exposed to. I was sat in the back of my mum’s Citroën AX en route to a holiday in Anglesey. We were driving through the dramatic North Welsh mountains, and I remember marvelling at how well the music seemed to gel with the surroundings.
What do you think it was about Kate Bush that made you hooked and invested?
The flexibility and shear aching beauty of her voice got me hooked. It wasn’t until I became a teen and actually started understanding her lyrics that I discovered a whole new dimension to her songs, affecting this love-struck adolescent. I also love the themes she chooses - motherhood and addiction in Breathing and The Kick Inside; war in Experiment IV. The Hounds of Love album covers all her worst fears, such as being trapped under water. This is someone who puts her entire self into the music, unabridged. Very few artists are able to achieve this while making something that sells. For someone of such stature in British music, she comes across as incredibly kind and humble.
“Her impact is positive for the same reason we’re talking about her now. Her music has filled the world and made it richer”.
Is it possible to say what Kate Bush means to you personally and how she has affected your life in a positive way?
She’s definitely an artist I associate with the trying times in my life, particularly when wrestling with sexuality and unrequited love. But I’m a firm believer in the importance of sad music in our lives. While those periods were not fun, they were full of meaning and emotion. It’s so essential to feel things, and as we get older, our relationship with our senses changes. Her impact is positive for the same reason we’re talking about her now. Her music has filled the world and made it richer.
It might be an impossible question, but do you have a favourite Kate Bush song and album – or ones that mean the most to you?
Ok, this ain’t easy. I’m not of the generation that particularly appreciates whole albums…
This doesn’t count, but if I could pick a compilation it would have to be The Whole Story. It has everything. Hounds of Love, The Man with the Child in His Eyes, Breathing, Wow, it goes on. It’s an incredible showcase of her innovative approach to production. I love her use of the Fairlight CMI digital synthesizer sampler in Babooshka. Music production isn’t always about having the best and most expensive gear; it’s about how you work with what you’ve got. The smashing glasses at the end of the song I believe were factory pre-sets.
If I had to pick one album it would be The Kick Inside. There are some real belters on there - The Saxophone Song especially. And following our favourite Wuthering Heights is James and the Cold Gun. A total bop. And as I kid, it felt like she was singing to me, even if it was about a gangster who got shot by his own crew.
Favourite song, damn. It depends entirely on what mood I’m in. She can make me dance or cry. For happy, I choose Hounds of Love. For sad, The Man with the Child in His Eyes.
Kate Bush is being discovered by a new generation because of Stranger Things. How important do you think T.V. shows, films and social media is getting her music to the younger audiences?
I mean, why not? We’re living in the best time to be alive as far as music is concerned. We can consume almost the entire catalogue of every recording ever made. I always used to attract condescendence from a particular generation - usually saying things like “Bit before your time, isn’t this?; What would you know, you weren’t there?”. I detest that. The fact that younger generations can discover old music with the same wonderment felt by the people who were there is mind-blowingly brilliant. And if it earns our Kate a few extra bob, all the better. Nostalgia isn’t always a good thing; it’s nice to look forwards - but isn’t that testament to the timelessness of her sound? It’s crucial that the greats of the past are exposed to new generations. With any luck, it will inspire them to pick up an instrument and create some new art of their own. She might have faded into history had it not been for Stranger Things. The sad truth is there’s a lot of incredible art out there that doesn’t always go viral.
“I wonder if she would ever consider writing a musical for the West End”.
On 30th July, Kate Bush turns sixty-four. If you had a chance to buy her a birthday present, what would you get her?
Something in the form of a bribe to do another tour. Perhaps the plushest tour bus you’ve ever seen. And trapeze lessons for the moment she lifts off stage at the start of Wow’s chorus.
One of my dreams is to interview her. If you were sat opposite her and were interviewing her, what is the first question you would ask?
Where have you been? And what are you going to buy with your new Stranger Things dough?
It is impossible to predict, but what do you think will come next for Kate Bush? Do you think we might hear new music soon?
A new album would be amazing. Although I suspect she respects the rule of showbiz: leave them wanting more. It would have to be something different. I wonder if she would ever consider writing a musical for the West End.
Finally, you can select anything Kate Bush-related. It can be a song, interview, or live performance. What shall we end the interview with?
The Alan Partridge medley for Comic Relief 1999. Pure art.