FEATURE:
A Sea Full of Fish People
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1993 during filming of The Line, the Cross and the Curve (wearing the same T-shirt she wore when signing copies of The Dreaming in 1982)/PHOTO CREDIT: Guido Harari
A Desire for a New Kate Bush Fanzine, Community or Website
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WHEN writing about Kate Bush…
through the years, I have thought about what it would be like if there was a fan club. It might seem outdated and something that would take a lot of money and time. However, as Kate Bush is growing in popularity and there is this new generation of fans, it does seem a shame that this connection exists only online. I know that people hold small Kate Bush events and there are websites dedicated to her. However, as her fan collective – Fish People is what I would name us – is so loving and has this shared bond with an amazing artist, there is a real opportunity to connect us in a direct way. I know there have not been any large fan conventions for years. Bush would not attend one herself, yet it would be nice if there was a gathering. Not to say there is an absence of togetherness and celebration. Tribute acts, tribute shows and special evens are held all year round. However, I do like the notion of naming the fanbase and returning to times past. There did used to be a Kate Bush fan club. A newsletter that she would contribute to. Today, Kate Bush contributes to her official website and posts updates. It is good that we get this interaction. However, I have been looking through a books that collected together old issues of HomeGround. That was the Kate Bush fanzine, It published its last edition in 2012. Not only are old editions a treasure trove of information, career highlights and writing about Kate Bush. I also think that they show how widespread the fanbase was. Today, it is as broad as ever. How wonderful it would be to have a monthly or even yearly fanzine. Fans could contribute writing. There could be news and features. I have mused about this before. Some would argue the cost of making it happen would not make it worth the effort. Fans could pay towards the publication. I do love when magazine articles feature Kate Bush. However, with such a loving and loyal fanbase, having us show that love and appreciation in a fanzine would be amazing. So many people would be on board.
Other than that, an official fan club would be something that could recruit an army of Fish People. Annual events and get-togethers. I am sure Kate Bush would be thrilled. It would be more than annual gatherings or some form of convention. Someone could head it up. There would be this base. A chance to expand things. If Kate Bush were not running it, there is a limitation in terms of instant or obvious benefits. Many fan clubs are designed so that fans gain exclusive information or merchandise about an artist. That could work for Kate Bush. Getting exclusives about her and any music developments. That would be so cool. Also, fan-designed clothing and goodies. Again, people could say it is nostalgia and not realty relevant in the current climate. How everything is digital. Many major artists have fanbases and fan clubs. There are Swifites for Taylor Swift. Kylie Minogue has her lovers. As I have written before, Kate Bush has her unofficial Fish People. I have also been thinking about another website. There is Kate Bush’s official website, Gaffaweb and the Kate Bush Enclcyopedia. Most of it is archive. All useful information, though there is a lot of modern-day information and details that could be included. Bush’s official website has merchandise and news. Something fresh that collates everything together. All the archives, videos, albums, merchandise, plus a tonne of other stuff. The essential site that fans could contribute to. There is a lot of new love and interest in Kate Bush. This will continue for years. It would be fitting to pay tribute to that somehow. Rather than is being divided online and there being this small pockets of fandom. Events that are quite small. I am thinking wider and larger. Maybe an annual Kate Bush convention or event. Where writers, artists and academics could speak about Bush and her music. Read essays and present talks. All this love and energy for Kate Bush should be channelled somewhere.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush photographed in 1989 in an outtake for the cover shoot of The Sensual World/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
How do we go about that in a modern age where digital rules everything? The music print media is still alive, yet it is expensive to maintain. A lot of money needed. How could a fanzine realistically survive? I do know that fans would pay to make it happen. There are some fascinating archives and lots of contemporary news that could be collated. HomeGround covered a lot of it, yet they ended over a decade ago. Archive websites that have maybe stopped arching and have not been updated for years. Not really any blogs dedicated to Kate Bush. Kate Bush News is perhaps the only website that caters to fans in this way. They have been going for years and do great work. I have been a little restless. This growing legion of fans. A fan club or fanzine could get contributions from high-profile names. At the very least, we do need to name the fan collective. Whether Bush would be on board with Fish People. Is another name more appropriate? As a lot of people are leaving social media and we are become less connected, there should be new initiatives. An official annual convention. Something bigger than what is out there at the moment. A new website that could work alongside Kate Bush News and is full of everything Kate Bush-related. Also, something oldskool. Newsletters or something in the post. Bush herself loves her fans and is so pleased that she is being discovered by new people. How some consider her to be a new artist! There are great websites and books out there. I think there could be a little more. Bringing fans together. Having all the Fish People united would be an incredible thing to see. Conventions around the world or this worldwide fan club that we could all be part of. We do not know when a new album will arrive or what this year holds. However, it is going to be exciting. Great things will happen. A fan club, fanzine or new website would truly show Kate Bush…
HOW much she is loved.