Kate Bush

lol i knew she was lib dem all along

lmao

It's highly unlikely that one writes a song like 'Breathing' and then becomes a Torycan.

did people genuinely think she was a Tory?

like I've seen some people being all "so relieved!!11!!one" on Facebook and I'm like... did you ever listen to anything she's ever done and think this was the work of someone who would lean that way politically?

If you read the article at that time, of course people genuinely thought she was a Tory. She basically said so (something she now retracts).

I mean, the original quote was just along the lines of "it's wonderful to have a woman in charge" which is a sentiment I've heard fairly often from people, generally older, moderate-ish women, who would not otherwise say they support the Tory and/or Republican party if phrased that way

"We have a female prime minister here in the UK. I actually really like her and think she’s wonderful. I think it’s the best thing that’s happened to us in a long time. She’s a very intelligent woman but I don’t see much to fear. I will say it is great to have a woman in charge of the country. She’s very sensible and I think that’s a good thing at this point in time."

Yes, it is about a woman being in charge. But in the context of Brexit and British politics as a whole, this reads as a strong endorsement if there ever was one.

I had forgot about the "I actually really like her" part - it's still not an outright admittance but it's not exactly great is it

still, I think it's easy enough to overlook - if you could only listen to artists whose politics align with yours and behave in a way you approve, you would drive yourself crazy eliminating artists from your interests

did people genuinely think she was a Tory?

yes, it was referenced a lot on this site

lol I skimmed that part because I thought it was just hype for the reissues - I'm not a massive fan tbh but the way certain corners for the music press and fans acted you'd think she had renounced her career and not just, y'know, made some very questionable political choices

ffs I am a fan of Kim Campbell despite her being a Tory and having done a really bad job

still, I think it's easy enough to overlook - if you could only listen to artists whose politics align with yours and behave in a way you approve, you would drive yourself crazy eliminating artists from your interests

― boxedjoy, Tuesday, January 8, 2019 11:37 PM (sixteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

No-one's saying we can only listen to artists whose politics align with ours. But for KB to say May is "wonderful", "best thing to happen to Britain"... Tell that to my friends struggling under Tory command.

I've enough dealing with still listening to and enjoying Death in June and a boatload of black metal bands and other pricks. I didn't need KB added to the mix, so I'm glad she clarified the matter, albeit two years later.

oh don't get me wrong, it's disappointing on a personal level - but I don't think it's difficult to seperate the art from the artist in this instance. I don't know exactly where you can draw the line: I can't listen to "Ignition (Remix)" without thinking of what a predator R Kelly has turned out to be but Bush having a vague support for May seemingly based on superficial levels of vague feminism doesn't ruin "Running Up That Hill" for me

Honestly: I draw a hypocritical, morally completely arbitrary line that somehow works for myself. I won't listen to Burzum anymore (but it wasn't that good anyway). But there is music where my love for it is stronger than my denouncing of the artist who made it. Which goes for every art form. And I'm ok with that.

Being under the impression for two years that Bush was a Tory didn't stop me from listening to/loving her music. But I am glad she addressed it, better late than never.

yeah there are definitely artists/songs where the grey area makes me feel uncomfortable, something like "Vogue" counts as a proper Guilty Pleasure in that I enjoy it but feel guilty because of the ~baggage~ it brings

and I don't think anyone can be criticised over where they draw their own lines on this stuff

Wait, Madonna's 'Vogue'?! What baggage does that bring, if any?

Having revived this thread I will say it was very nice to get both remastered boxes over the holidays -- for free, in essence. (One was a slightly unexpected promo, the other was via Amoeba store credit.)

xp https://genius.com/Dj-sprinkles-ballr-madonna-free-zone-lyrics

Yeah, the boxes put an enjoyable dent in my xmas bonus. They look and sound really good. Especially been enjoying the Aerial reissue.

xp

xp Thanks Eric, I had sort of forgotten about that but I'm fully team Sprinkles.

I've enough dealing with still listening to and enjoying Death in June and a boatload of black metal bands and other pricks. I didn't need KB added to the mix, so I'm glad she clarified the matter, albeit two years later.

― lbi's life of limitless european glamour (Le Bateau Ivre), Tuesday, January 8, 2019 6:00 PM (five hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Ok, she was never at risk of turning out to be a nazi.

Like at worst she was just sort of not interested in politics and wanted to show solidarity with a female PM. She never campaigned for Brexit and she didn’t burn down any churches.

that you know of

Just one man's opinion but Varg did, you know, brutally murder another human being which is kind of a big deal!

I mean it's almost as bad as making one muddled and clueless political comment in an interview once in a 40+ year career

This strikes me as a consequence of the journalist, whoever they were, failing to adequately follow up on that answer or press her for clarification or challenge her.

Kate Bush did 9/11

irl giggle

""We have a female prime minister here in the UK. I actually really like her and think she’s wonderful. I think it’s the best thing that’s happened to us in a long time."

that is quite a weird thing for someone to say in a country that had Margaret Thatcher as PM for 10 years tbh

iirc there were a couple of seasoned political hacks at the Graun - with no naivety card to play. Making similar ridiculous statements about May in her first few weeks of this golden premiership of the ages. K Bush probably is a Tory twat, albeit a bit of a muddled posho cryptoTory type one - but tbf to her she isn't exactly A L Webber jetting over from NYC to try and help Gideon's evil tax credit cuts through the House of Lords.

xpost I was thinking the exact same thing. The second most famous PM of the 20th century was female and a right-wing asshole. And not that long ago!

Tbf, Thatcher covered Tour Of Life era through to Comic Strip: GLC-soundtrack, so KB was pretty busy. She likely didn't notice who was PM.

Yes, let's not forget the Ken Livingstone tribute song..

I'm sure there is a ton of nuance I'm missing because I'm American, but Kate Bush has always screamed "eccentric out of touch rich lady who putters around the garden of her estate" so I guess I'm not super shocked she's mildly conservative leaning but probably moreso just disengaged with the real world having afaict raised privileged, super successful at a young age

I still wouldn't be surprised if she was on the hippy end of Brexit. But that's OK.

ums otm, when this originally came up someone on ilx said something funny like “how surprising that a prog rock musician who lives in an actual castle might be a bit Tory”

Was her upbringing that privileged? She was born in Bexleyheath, grew up near Welling, neither of which are exactly 'posh', and she went to a grammar school.

everyone in Britain is privileged and muddled, you can't judge us

she's probably no posher than, say, Ed Sheeran

How is poshness measured? Grams?

Grauns

I think we have a tendency to overestimate the extent to which other people, particularly famous people, actually think about politics and in particular I don't trust pop stars to make much sense when talking about it. Obvious glaring contradictions in their public pronouncements and worldview are part of that.

She was also raised Catholic which wasn't exactly a gateway drug to Tory support in the 70s and 80s.

(And Irish Catholic at that)

yeah but her English dad was a doctor and she grew up in farmhouse. I don't think he'd have been getting the accordion out after a skinful and singing Wrap The Green Flag Around Me and then falling asleep in a puddle of his own piss! Posh is relative of course and she might be considered common as muck by some standards.

I don't think he'd have been getting the accordion out after a skinful and singing Wrap The Green Flag Around Me and then falling asleep in a puddle of his own piss!

coffee through the nose lols at this

I won’t be commenting further on this, but feel it’s become so pervasive that I felt I needed to clarify this matter once and for all: my father did get the accordion out after a skinful and sing Wrap The Green Flag Around Me then fell asleep in a puddle of his own piss.

:D

poor muddled kate, a prisoner to her castle, early success, and irish catholic mother, she must find it a terrible struggle to think clearly about anything at all

That'll be the concept for her next performance run. "The Ninth Wave (of a Piss Puddle)"