FEATURE:
Waking the Witch
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993/PHOTO CREDIT: John Stoddart
Has the Media and Public Perception of Kate Bush Truly and Fully Changed?
_________
MAYBE the answer seems obvious…
though I don’t think it is unreasonable of me to say that, about a month until Kate Bush’s sixty-sixth birthday, there does seem to be this perception of her that has not entirely shifted since 1978. I can draw in what songs are played on radio and the relative lack of Kate Bush features. I still think that, for the most part, when we see articles written about Kate Bush, many of them are from news sites. Reactions to various bits of news. The same words keep coming up when discussing Bush. They either limit her to one song – usually Wuthering Heights or Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) -, or they use words like ‘recluse’, ‘private’ or even ‘weird’. That sense that, decades after her debut album, Kate Bush is still this witch-like figure. Maybe someone who shuts herself away and does not engage in public. This perception that an artist like Kate Bush needs to go to events and is out and about. There has been some change and more positivity towards her yet, again and again, you get the same sort of perception about her. I think that there really is a lack of Kate Bush features. Various sites do run some, yet there most features are tied to news or anniversaries. I do like how there is more attention her way now. How the U.S. has embraced her in a way they have never done. I still find it a little dismaying more is not written about Kate Bush. Why do we need to wait until some news breaks?! I write about Kate Bush all of the time. I can appreciate how magazines do features and articles. Look at news relating to Kate Bush and articles written about her. You will find there are weird and annoying clickbait and tabloid things – one recent one where Simon Cowell was amazed at how much Kate Bush was worth when he found a cheque for her; other ones talking about Kate Bush’s wealth -, plus people reaction to news items. Very little that goes deeper and looks at her music and various aspects of her personality. I am actually going to quote from a feature that was published quite recently. There is a website, Far Out Magazine, that publishes a Kate Bush feature every week or so. Most of it consists of short features that are not really original features but they are more to do with Kate Bush’s influence, the album that meant the most to her, her connection to David Bowie. Basic stuff that does not really go beyond a single fact or thought. I think that, the more we write about Kate Bush and the more we explore, the better understanding we have. That perception will change.
Having recently interviewed Graeme Thomson about the reissue of his book, Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush, I would urge people to read this. Journalists. Get a real feel for the real Kate Bush. Even though she is in her sixties, the same sort of words and attitudes are applied to her. A preconception that is based on nothing but misinformation and cliches. She is a complex and remarkable artist that deserves more words written about her. Features that go beyond talking about her wealth, things to do with Stranger Things. News items are great, as we are aware of what is happening in relation to Kate Bush and her world. Kate Bush has always faced this. In the 1970s onwards, the media often focused on sexuality. An over-sexualisation of her. Louder wrote about Kate Bush’s early years for a feature. They make some interesting points:
“The tour triumphed, though reviews ranged from “her unabashed obsession with sex” to “you’re distracted by Katy being wheeled around in a giant satin-lined chocolate box.” Others praised “a dazzling testimony to a remarkable talent” and “the best welding of rock and theatrical presentation that we’re ever likely to see.”
We need more people like her, especially as so much music amounts to little more than formulaic copying of genres
She baulked again at the over-emphasis on her sexuality, and began to loathe anything that fell under the banner of promotion. With her family, she took control of her business affairs, producing her next EP (Live On Stage) alone, and then the 1980 album Never For Ever. This, yielding the hit singles Babooshka and Army Dreamers, was to be her first Number One album, and the first by any British female artist.
A durable paradox emerged: the more she distanced herself from public life, the more the public were intrigued by this individual, idiosyncratic, influential talent. As David Gilmour has proclaimed: “We need more people like her, especially as so much music amounts to little more than formulaic copying of genres. Those who have followed in her shadow are but pale imitations”.
There are a combination of factors that mean we have not really transitioned from an old perception of Kate Bush. I will talk about it in another feature but, speaking to so many people in their twenties and thirties, it is shocking how few know about her. Maybe know her for one song. The words they use to describe her often relate to her being odd, reclusive or weird – none of which is true! It is frustrating that there is still a lot of people who do not really know about Kate Bush. Maybe one can say because she has not released an album in over a decade, that is fair enough. There are plenty of artists who have not released an album for longer – or have died – that are better known and understood. I think the media does not help when it comes to a certain ignorance and perception. Bush, in the 1970s and 1980s, had to face a lot of misconception, sexism and judgement. It did not really stop. Even up through the 2000s and 2010s, whenever she released an album, there would be articles discussing how eccentric she was. How this supposed reclusive artist was back. Discussing how she was mysterious or odd. Things have improved a bit. I still feel that there is such a narrow focus and idea of who Kate Bush is. When her songs are played on radio, a relatively small number are selected. Media coverage is quite sparse. You get some interesting deep dives, yet most articles are not really going beyond the surface. Even if she has not released an album since 2011, that does not mean we should stop digging and exploring. Artists like her are inspiring so many others. Because of that, we need to write more about Kate Bush. Even if more generations know her work and she is not being portrayed the same way as she was at the start of her career, there is still so little beyond the stereotypical and incorrect. Radio stations need to embrace her. Words need to be written. More love and understanding. Uncovering her full body of work. Get rid of those words and phrases always associated with Kate Bush. This hugely important and legendary artist is worthy of…
THAT at the very least!