FEATURE:
Kate Bush: The Tour of Life
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed in 2005 (this image appears on the front of the latest edition of UNCUT, which features a ‘lost’ 2011 interview with Kate Bush)/PHOTO CREDIT: Trevor Leighton
Vanilla Swarm: Dissecting a ‘Lost’ 2011 Interview
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EVEN if I have quoted…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for 2011’s 50 Words for Snow/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
parts of this interview in other features before, a new publication of the full interview transcript reveals fresh layers and fascinating quotes. Thanks to UNCUT. The late Andy Gill (who died in 2019) interviewed Kate Bush in 2011 for 50 Words for Snow. I am not going to quote everything, but there are some highlights that I want to explore. If you can buy the magazine then please do. 50 Words for Snow is back in focus, as the Polar Edition is out and would make an ideal Christmas present. Kate Bush’s most recent album remains underrated in my view. We need to appreciate its brilliance and explore interviews with Kate Bush from the time. The full version of the interview between Kate Bush and Andy Gill is fascinating. You would not necessarily be compelled by the UNCUT cover (and a photo from 2005 and not 2011). The quote from Bush, “I never wanted to be famous”, is something that she has said a lot through the years. It is not exactly an exclusive or a tantalising snatch that will compel you to buy a copy. Instead, if you delve deeper into the interview, there are plenty of more original and compelling quotes! The first interesting exchange is when Bush discussed working with Stephen Fry. He provides narration/words on 50 Words for Snow’s title track (as Professor Joseph Yupik). Gill asked Bush if she needed to give Fry much instruction and coaching. She (rightly) responded that Stephen Fry is not someone you really need to give instruction to! He brought his own gravitas and authority to the song. Bush (as producer) knew it was a case of focusing and homing in on the tone of his delivery. The softer he said the fifty words for snow, “the more beautiful they became”. Bush loves the softness and atmosphere of snow. The silence. She noted how snow “puts this great muffler around everything”.
I do love learning more about the recording of the title track. Bush had an initial run of alternate words for snow. Rather than coming out with phrases, she invented words instead. She had quite a few building up in her mind. Some that would come to the front of her brain at random times. However, she was still working on some of the words a few minutes before Stephen Fry arrived! Rather than the title song being recorded in one go, there were sections. Fry listing down those fifty words for snow and Bush interjection with encouraging lines (such as “Let me hear your 50 words for snow!”). After being asked about what it was like working with Elton John (he duets with Bush on Snowed in at Wheeler Street), where she reveals “He was always a big hero of mine when I was younger and started writing songs”, Andy Gill asked Bush about her unorthodox approach to song theme and subject. Wondering why she had a liking for “abstruse fictional strategies” such as fairytales, myths and time-spanning, Bush sort of confirmed that a straight narrative bored her. She stated how she is ”sort of attracted to things being a little quirky”. The imaginative and almost child-like wonder you get through 50 Words for Snow ties back to Bush’s 1978 debut album, The Kick Inside, and further back. Bush has always been inspired by filmmakers, authors, philosophers and less traditional sources. Beyond love and the mundane. She told UNCUT how she had trolls when she was a child. When she was a little girl, she had this enormous imagination and did not have time for imaginary friends. She had too much going on. One of the most startling revelations from the 2011 interview is when Bush almost burned her house down! She had an outdoor party with her trolls and constructed a bonfire on the windowsill. Her parents’ alarm meant that the young Bush never did that again!
The conversation moved to Michael Powell. Part of Powell and Pressburger filmmaking partnership of Michael Powell (1905–1990) and Emeric Pressburger (1902–1988), they inspired Bush for her 1993 album, The Red Shoes (referencing the Powell and Pressburger film of the same name that was released in 1948). Powell wanted Bush to compose music for one of his film. They met in New York in 1989. He is referenced in the song, Moments of Pleasure, which was a single from 1993’s The Red Shoes. Andy Gill asked how inspirational Michael Powell is to her. Bush said how much she admired him and was sad he was ostracised from the film industry after the release of Peeping Tom. Gill noted how he was rescued by American directors like Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. Bush discussed how the English have been pretty nasty to their own through history. Where creative spirits have left England and been embraced by America. Only later for critics and people here to sort of say they were alright all along. Sort of trying to walk back their venom and harshness. Andy Gill highlighted Charlie Chaplin as a classic example. Bush then recalled a speech by Elizabeth Taylor and how, when she collected an award, she was surprised as she thought you (critics/the film industry) didn’t like her. Bush recognised how the English have a kind side to them but also we have this side that “doesn’t like success”. There is more to that exchange and conversation point so, if you can get a copy of the new UNCUT, it makes for incredible reading! Before coming to the first interval and diversion, Bush was asked by Andy Gill whether she was bored of Pop. Someone who always had an affinity for World music, Bush noted how Pop songs like The Tracks of My Tears (by The Miracles) are so beautiful and genius. You can get some brilliant Pop moments but some trite ones too. Bush reminded us how she pushed away from conventional Pop from 1982’s The Dreaming onwards. How The Ninth Wave (the second side from 1985’s Hounds of Love) and Aerial (2005) took that even further. 50 Words for Snow was an example of that. Bush stretching these songs into a different territory. Longer songs that can open up and move through different stages.
Before coming back to 50 Words for Snow and more of that full 2011 interview between Kate Bush and Andy Gill, UNCUT have also published words with two people who have very distinct roles in Kate Bush’s life. Paul Simmons (founder of the Timorous Beasties studio) collaborated with Bush for 2014’s Before the Dawn. He worked on the programme and since has designed the logo for Bush’s label, Fish People. He has also created new covers for the Illustrated Editions of The Dreaming, Hounds of Love and 50 Words for Snow. As Simmons’ studio is better known for designing wallpapers, that was the way in. Bush knew about Timorous Beasties’ wallpaper and loved it. She said she couldn’t afford it. Simmons wondered if this was true. In fact, Bush said there was this huge wardrobe on the wall so it didn’t make sense (to buy the wallpaper). Bush initially wanted something more akin to the Timorous Beasties wallpaper for Before the Dawn but they realised that nobody would go to gigs to buy roils of wallpaper! It then transitioned into the ticket, lithograph and programme. Paul Simmons said that, when you work with Kate Bush, you need to be prepared for that – “it’s about having the initial idea and not worrying too much about where it goes from there”. For the 50 Words for Snow reissue, it started with the idea of a yeti eating rhododendrons. Snowflakes and hares were also considered before the final idea. Simmons clarified that it isn’t the case Bush didn’t like working with him. It was more about her not liking a particular idea. How Bush can only make a decision when she sees the physical thing. When designing the Fish People logo, Simmons started drawing lots of fish and Bush responding to his emails. One example of her feedback was, “Oh that squid’s eye is a bit too squinty, can you change that?”. How meticulous and involved she is. Bush doesn’t do nine-to-five, and emails are usually a quicker way of doing things. She would respond at night or over the weekends. A nice insight and behind-the-scenes from a great artist who has created some enduring recent images.
UNCUT spoke with the man behind the illustrations used for the recent Illustrated Editions. They also spoke with the man behind the typography, Jonathan Barnbrook. Someone who worked with artists such as David Bowie, he got a call from Paul Simmons regarding Bush’s plans for a new project. His initial commission was to produce the typography for the Fish People logo. Barnbrook created a fantastical story for each idea. Hidden in Bush’s website is one of the stories that they (Barnbrook and Bush) wrote about the typography. When it came to the reissues, Barnbrook highlighted how Bush is very clear about what she wants. She wanted to put the albums in a more modern context. Typography that was a good fit. Jonathan Barnbrook had to find the right lettering. Something that was “sympathetic with the design and the voice of the artist”. When it came to 50 Words for Snow, Barnbrook recalled seeing a book showing Canadian Inuit lettering. There is a puzzle to the lettering. The playfulness was also important. Bush loves handwriting, so Barnbrook’s handwriting is on the back of the Hounds of Love reissue. Someone else’s is used for The Dreaming. So many different versions were created, because Bush wanted to get it right. The communication with her was direct and clear. Bush knowing what she likes and does not. Exciting and quite rare. Bush chose state51 to manufacture the new reissues. They are quite small and boutique. Something that appealed to Kate Bush. Jonathan Barnbrook noted how Bush even works with the printers. Someone who liaises with people at all levels! Barnbrook also stated how David Bowie and Kate Bush both have this sense of clarity and collaboration. They want ideas from others but are very sure about their vision: “They release the journey is quite important rather than just focusing on the destination”.
I will have another interval later. Let’s go back to that 2011 Andy Gill interview. I love how Gill told Bush her melodies have become more diffuse lately. How she is more likely to be appreciated by an ECM aficionado these days. Bush took that as a compliment! That reference is to ECM Records. Bush loved that comparison as one of her favourite artists, Eberhard Weber – who played on Hounds of Love and featured on Pi from Aerial –, was on that label and released one of her favourite albums, Pendulum. Andy Gill asked Bush why she decided to have playbacks for 50 Words for Snow. She wanted to keep music safe and pure. How there is this movement through culture making music more disposable. The irony was that, for people like him (a journalist), you have to hear it in “some poor-quality form”, or go to some environment that “isn’t conducive to listening”. Bush was frustrated by the way she spends a lot of time making an album sound as good possible, only for people to hear it in download-form or something that is inferior. I can imagine her viewpoint on technology and whether it is detrimental to the album listening experience has heightened. Maybe another reason for the Illustrated Editions of some of her albums. She also cited how people bootleg films and it the opposite of enjoying it in its finished, best form that you can see at a cinema. Whilst agreeing that the digitalisation of music was a bad thing, Bush also stated how it is “still such a time of transition for us all, on a planetary level”. Like other great transitions through history, you have this bumpy start and then it settles. Bush keenly noted how it is another case of an old structure dying and a new one starting. That was thirteen years ago. I wonder how she feels about the music economy now and how we digest and experience albums. One question I have always wanted to ask Kate Bush – in a hypothetical interview setting – is whether she has considered Classical composition. Andy Gill asked her. Someone I could see scoring films and creating these beautiful wordless songs, she provided an interesting answer.
She had never considered herself to be a Classical composer. If the seven songs on 50 Words for Snow sound almost Classical in their scope and ambition at times, Bush said she tries to emulate Classical music in her work. Bush cannot orchestrate, though she give directions and instructions. Maybe the lack of vocals in Classical music means Bush has never considered it. Bush said, although she is not Classical-minded, 50 Words for Snow has Classical elements. She remarked how she has heard operas and pieces featuring trained voices. Quite unnatural in her view. I still hold hope Bush will compose a score for a film or T.V. series one day! Bush was also asked about Director’s Cut in the interview. An album released in May 2011, she was questioned why she wanted to approach her older work. One big reason was that she got to work with drummer Steve Gadd. Rather than Director’s Cut being an old album or something cobbled from the past – the album is Bush re-recording and reworking songs from 1989’s The Sensual World and 1993’s The Red Shoes -, she views it as a single piece. Songs reimagined as a modern-day Kate Bush. Andy Gill observed how childhood is a big part of her work. A recurring theme. Bush answered that in many ways she feels people are always stuck in that age between five and eight – and that we just pretend to be grow-ups. “I think that our essence is there in a much more powerful way when we’re children and we’re lucky enough to be treated reasonably well, and can hang on to what we are…”. Bush said how she was lucky enough to have a stable and good childhood. That idea of having that childlike spirit comes with caution: you have to be wary of people. If you have a spirit of trust then that is important. Interesting how there is so much child-like imagination and curiosity through 50 Words for Snow. Bush was asked how motherhood (her son Albert was born in 1998) changed her working approach. Creating in small bursts and having to adapt. Bertie was still quite a young child (thirteen) when 50 Words for Snow was being finished.
One more interval before the final bits of that deep and ‘lost’ interview between Kate Bush and Andy Gill from 2011. Within the interview is a chat with Gayle Martin. The executive producer of Inkubus Animation Studios, she was responsible for bringing to life the Little Shrew (Snowflake) video. Released to raise money and awareness for War Child, Inkubus Animation Studios worked with illustrator Jim Kay’s drawings. Bush directed and wrote the video. Gayle Martin said how Bush is a true workaholic. Finding the studio through a friend of hers, Bush was determined that her vision was followed almost to the letter. Someone who knew what she wanted to see! Martin noted how Bush came up with a “100 per cent idiot-proof concept about war and a fragile creature caught up in something that’s out of our hands”. Bush did not want the Shrew to be Disneyfied and fake. Working with one animator, Nicolette Van Gendt – who did the Felix adverts -, there was this small and dedicated crew. Gayle Martin did a lot of Zoom calls with Bush. Although Bush came into the studio a few times, most of the interaction was online. A line animation was sent to Bush, who would add notes and revisions were made. She would sometimes send emails at three in the morning. Going through every frame and making notes and adding details, Martin and her team wondered if anyone would notice such small issues. However, when looking at the revised animation, they saw what Bush had seen at three in the morning! No doubt working all night on it, it shows she has the same drive and puts in the same hours she did for an album like The Dreaming back in 1982! Bush was very supportive and complementary. Her notes on everything were definitely thorough. Working as part of a team of six, Gayle Martin has kept in touch with Bush and had dinner with here recently. Commenting on how Bush’s positive nature and assertiveness is an effective mix, Martin ended by saying she sent Bush a message saying that she never thought she would say this, but she would miss her notes. Bush responded: “Well I don’t!”.
Let’s get back to the interview and finish off. On the theme of motherhood, Kate Bush told Andy Gill how being a mother has been hugely positive regarding her work. How it feed s creativity. She found it interesting when being at nursery with Bertie and noticing how the girls were much more independent and the boys more fragile. How the girls were independent and strong-willed and how the boys were more unhappy about that sense of independence. Bush said how “you look at things in a different way from feeling protective and wanting to nurture – it’s very interesting”. Andy Gill then talked about boys on a dancefloor trying to pluck up the courage to dance with a girl; thinking how the girls “have the whip hand, emotionally”. Bush countered by saying that girls are much more assertive these days. She explained how she never wanted to be famous and wanted to spend less time promoting and more time in the studios. How she loved working on visual pieces and how she came to prefer standing behind the camera. Bush got a real buzz from that. Gill asked Bush about her career arc. How she has become less visible over time. It is hard for her, as she wants to make interesting work. How she wants to promote the work and not herself. However, Bush needs to be out there talking about the music. Do so without being a “celebrity” or “personality”. So much of today’s music promotion is about personality and that celebrity aspect. Can modern artists exist in the same way as Kate Bush? So many really should!
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in a promotional image for 2011’s Director’s Cut/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
So over-exposed are some artists, things are less about the music and more about branding, imagery and things outside of music. Bush said how she liked making videos and doing things one way. Now, the way she approaches it is to write concepts and envisage something filmic. Like she did with Deeper Understanding (the single released from Director’s Cut, it originally featured on The Sensual World). Bush explained how she did not appear in the video as it would have been “rubbish” – “because I can’t act!”. Bush observed how she was working on something for the new album (50 Words for Snow) but everything is expensive. Unlike film, where you have a big budget because you get returns from film-goers, music is not like that. How actually a smaller budget can be good and not an obstacle. How it can lead to more interesting work. I would advise people to donate to War Child and also read Kate Bush’s words about making the Little Shrew (Snowflake) video. Also, if you can get a copy of the Polar Edition of 50 Words for Snow. It was fascinating reading the full-length interview between Andy Gill and Kate Bush from 2011. Go and get the new copy of UNCUT. It is another nod to an artist who has had a busy year indeed. I guess there will be more magazine features in 2025. Hopefully some other unseen interviews. Some great revelations, insights and observations from Kate Bush. Some excellent questions from Andy Gill. It gives new light and layers to the…
EXTRAORDINARY 50 Words for Snow.