Morphing Kate Bush

[RobB]

This is very clever and beautiful to watch....and the song,'Under The Ivy' is in my top 5 Kate songs as well.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt2XML7tS5w

[blue]

That was really quite beautiful and touching. Although disturbingly, I'm finding Kate's voice increasingly annoying these days, for some reason. I don't listen to her much at all anymore, but the last few times I've found myself thinking god, her voice is so irritating.

Under The Ivy used to be one of my favourite songs of hers, now I just think, oh shut up will you.

[sound world]

Yes,I've always had that problem with her voice,much as I think she has heaps of talent as a songwriter.

[RobB]

I think I know what you both mean. Kate's voice can be a little over dramatic,over wrought at times. But in small doses its fine.I can listen to an album but I couldn't listen to her all the time.

[blue]

I think I know what you both mean. Kate's voice can be a little over dramatic,over wrought at times.

Oh no, it's not that at all - I'm a Tori fan, for goodness sake! She has one of the most breathlessly dramatic and emotional singing styles out there (non fans would say 'hysterical', 'precious' or 'melodramatic').

Um .... this is awful because it used to be one of the things I found really appealing about Kate's voice, but I think it's the childishness of it. (Not in her most recent album of course, where her voice has deepened to the quality of rich chocolate. Yummy. Pity the album's so crap.) I used to love that childlike quality about her, but when I listen now it really annoys me. It's like when I occasionally read an old interview or something, where I used to think she was simple and quaint in an appealing way, now it just reads as dumb. She comes across as not very bright, actually, sort of ... stunted, in an odd way. I wonder if it's just that I didn't see this when I was young, and now I'm older and wiser myself, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Yeah. Sad, really. I've become one of those people who don't rate Kate that much. I used to hate people like that.

[RobB]

I suppose it could be argued that 'Under The Ivy' specifically would have a 'childish' vocal as the song itself is based on childhood memories.

[blue]

Childhood memories? Wow, she must have had a weird childhood. Didn't she say this song was about 'shagging in the bushes after a party'?

I don't think she could have sung it any other way at that time, to be honest, that's what her voice was then. It'd be interesting to hear her try it now ... that could be gorgeous. She'd have to lower the key a bit though.

I dunno, I think for me Kate's kind of like an older girl I really admired when I was a kid, but I grew up and got over it.

[RobB]

Childhood memories? Wow, she must have had a weird childhood. Didn't she say this song was about 'shagging in the bushes after a party'?

I don't remember reading that anywhere!......are you sure you're not getting confused with Madonna?


The one reference by Kate about UTI that I do remember is about the 'I sit here in the thunder' line which was her memory of using the farms outside toilet....'the 'thunderbox'

[blue]

I'm sure I read it in that cringe-inducing interview that was on Lovehounds.rec years ago .... it might be on Gaffaweb, now? When she went to New York and was interviewed by an overwhelmed Doug from Lovehounds. Oh god, that was a classic.

He was bombarding her with all these typically long-winded Kate-fan type interpretations of 'Under The Ivy' and 'Get Out of My House', and Kate was like, ' .... er, I think you're reading a little too much into those songs.'

The 'shagging in the bushes' comment might actually be from a later interview where the first one was being discussed ... I can't recall exactly, but she was laughing at these metaphysical interpretations being put on a song she'd written about sneaking out into the garden with her boyfriend for a bit of 'outdoor delight' after a party.

[RobB]

He was bombarding her with all these typically long-winded Kate-fan type interpretations of 'Under The Ivy' and 'Get Out of My House', and Kate was like, ' .... er, I think you're reading a little too much into those songs.'

Its all come back to me! Although I've never read that interview I did have an audio cassette recording of it which someone sent me.....probably about 1985/86.
I lent it to a friend about 10 years ago and she's still got it.

The audio quality was a bit naff though....about on a par with Stina's 'walkabout' self-interview.

I particularly remember the bit about 'Get Out Of My House' where the discussion goes on about donkeys and the sound of Kate's voice as she's starting to get more and more exasperated.

[blue]

That's the one!

Hilarious, absolutely brilliant. The very important point Doug was trying to make to Kate was that the female character and the 'Mule' at the end of GOOMH could never find a resolution to their dilemma, because as everyone knows, mules are STERILE and therefore cannot mate. She clearly wasn't getting the point, even though she wrote the song, so Doug kept reiterating again and again how mules are STERILE and can't reproduce etc. She kept trying to point out that she hadn't had anything like that in mind when she wrote it, and Doug just went on and on trying to 'explain' to her what her song was actually about. Sheer comedy gold.

I think he had some theory about UTI being about reincarnation, or something? Mad bugger.

[RobB]

At least now I know who the interviewer was.

.and now all I have to do is get my tape back.