That's because I'm a big fan of Kate Bush.
On one level, it's about the music. Kate Bush, in my mind, is unparalleled as far as singer-songwriters go. Her music works on a basic emotive level, she's proven, and I don't know of any other artist that has done this, that it is not about crafting a commercial product, it's about the love of the craft, artistic integrity, and the fact that she's got the ability to pull this off is just another plus really, and makes it all the more impressive.
Throughout her career, which has now spanned over 30 years, (albeit with long periods of silence), she's never been musically complacent, or pandered to mere commercial interest, her sound is constantly changing, evolving, and the fact that she still manages hits is testament to her skill really.
Part of this is, for me, concerning music, lyrics really matter, and this is an area in which Kate Bush really, unequivocally excels. You never feel short-changed when listening to her work, the subjects she approachs are varied, and daunting, and she hasn't through the course of her career been one to shy away from controversial topics; incest, suicide, pedophilia, gender politics, mental instability, martial infidelity, drowning and abuse. Other singers always seem to have a limited number of areas that they're prepared to write about, the lyrics seeming mundane, vapid and asinine. And even so, it's never convincing, It never feels as though they mean it. Kate Bush on the other hand, even though her subjects are diverse, alien even, and despite her often adopting a different character, a whole new personality, within the song, it feels as though she means every syllable. She doesn't so much push boundaries musically, she quite simply redraws the map.
She's entirely unique within the subject matter and unparalleled regarding the execution, having hits with songs based on figures as diverse and divisive as Wilhelm Reich, (Cloudbusting), and G. I. Gurdjieff, (Them Heavy People).
And then, of course, there is another, altogether more superficial level. One of the things I dislike, loathe even, (and am mildly hypocritical about), is celebrity culture. You know, I'm sure, exactly what I'm talking about. Heat magazine, seeing some random celebrity, on the front page, with rings drawn around her (I'm not being sexist, they're usually female) waist, commenting on how fat and overweight this celebrity looks, who usually by the looks of things, has a below average Body Mass Index to begin with. And that's just the start of the problem. The phrase 'celebrity' now makes me think of Jordan or something, it's no longer a recognition of an entertainer's excellence in a particular field, it's referring to all this Big-Brother tabloid bollocks. Kate Bush, on the other hand, rejected this. She's an artist, a musician, who doesn't indulge in the so-called celebrity lifestyle, who can balance being an extraordinary artist, and at the same time maintain her privacy, and raise a son. She's living proof that it is possible to work, to be a proper celebrity, a national icon, without pandering to The Mirror and Heat magazine, without having to leave her dignity at the door.
And if all this sounds like poorly-written fanboy bollocks that's because it is.
And hell, if John Lydon is nice to her, she must be doing something right. (Type Kate Bush John lydon into youtube to see what I mean).
(P.S- As of writing this it's her 50th birthday. Good for her).
