Under the Ivy: The Life and Music of Kate Bush

by Graeme Thomson

This is the first ever in-depth study of Kate Bush's life and career. "Under the Ivy" features over 70 unique and revealing new interviews with those who have viewed from up close both the public artist and the private old school friends, early band mates, long-term studio collaborators, former managers, producers, musicians, video directors, dance instructors and record company executives. "Under the Ivy" undertakes a full analysis of Bush's art. From her pre-teen forays into poetry, through scores of unreleased songs. Every crucial aspect of her music is discussed from her ground-breaking series of albums to her solo live tour. Her pioneering forays into dance, video, film and performance. Combining a wealth of new research with rigorous critical scrutiny, "Under the Ivy" offers a string of fresh insights and perspectives on her unusual upbringing in South London, the blossoming of her talent, her enduring influences and unique working methods, her rejection of live performance, her pioneering use of the studio, her key relationships and her gradual retreat into a semi-mythical privacy.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, British Literature, 21st Century, Biography Memoir, Memoir

432 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jaidee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 "honest attempt, a bit tedious, rather opinionated, but glad I read " stars !!

The Most Fun (est) Review that I Wrote in 2017 Award


STOP you OBSESSIVE READER and BOOK REVIEWER !! Take a breath, hit the link and don't read on !
Immerse yourself in the music of a Celtic godess....savour the sounds and appreciate her beauty :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1DDn...

TMI confession....when my partner wants to get me in the mood...this is one of the tunes he will play.

It almost goes without saying that my beautiful heroine Kate Bush achieves a full five stars. In my pantheon of godesses she is third in prominence after the beehived blue eyed soul of Dusty Springfield and the pure gloriousness of opera singer Montserrat Cabballe.

This book, however, had very far to go to reach a five star status and was stuck at a three for a number of reasons.

Although Mr. Thompson interviewed many people around Ms. Bush and read hundreds of articles and listened to all her music...I do not feel he captured her essence. Yes he was respectful with a befuddled admiration but tempered with a touch of condescension and a fair bit of criticism of how she chose to run her career.

He analyzed each and every song, video and film and opined in such a way that made it seem that his thoughts were truth and gospel.

I could go on and on but I would rather share some fun and personal tidbits on the impact of Kate on my life :

Jaidee at age 8 received from his aunty (after a trip to the UK she made) the album the Kick Inside. I had no idea who this chanteuse was but I played it hundreds of times and memorized each song and created a dance for each one while I sang along. Kate would have been proud ( I think ;)

Jaidee at age 14 decided to not play a Cesar Franck Organ piece for his recital but convinced his teacher to let him play a rendition with variations of Running Up that Hill. What he didn't tell his organ teacher or share prior to the concert was that the final variation was simply the drum machine and Jaidee singing in a soprano falsetto. My mother was dismayed but my aunt yelled bravo from the audience. Ha !! I think it was super fun and felt very Kate Bush-like !!

Jaidee at age 18 wrote a play in movement for his high school drama project based on the song Kashka from Baghad on the Never for Ever album. Ooops error...the Lionheart album. It starred of course Jaidee and his first real boyfriend. You have to remember it was still the 1980's. A bit risque for a suburban high school

There are other Kate memories but those are my favorites.

I appreciated this book for that very reason. Brought back so many pleasant evenings listening and dreaming with Kate with my self, various girlfriends and boyfriends all the way up to the present.


There are so many songs I could leave you with but for me this is the most exquisite. I cannot listen to this without balling my eyes and appreciating not only the beauty in Kate but all the beauty in everything.

Thank you for everything Kate !!

Please enjoy :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXzx-...

[Peter Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Kate Bush ever since the video for Cloudbusting blew my tiny young mind. But information on Kate was always frustratingly thin on the ground - just who is this reclusive, mystical pixie and how did she come to be? In this superb biography Graeme Thomson traces the origin of a musical genius, from the wide-eyed waif of Wuthering Heights to the the national treasure she is identified as today.

In the opening chapters we learn about Kate's idyllic childhood. The daughter of an Essex doctor and an Irish nurse, she had a free-spirited, bohemian upbringing at Wickham farm in south-east London. Her older brothers, Jay the poet and Paddy a musician, were a huge influence on her and have collaborated with her many times over the years. She has always been extremely close to her family and they in turn are fiercely protective of her. Teachers and school-friends remember her as a kind and diligent student but they had no inkling that this shy girl would develop into a world-renowned, critically acclaimed artist.

Thomson takes us on a journey through the making of all of Kate's studio albums, from the strikingly accomplished debut of The Kick Inside to her masterpiece Hounds of Love and most recent release, the experimental concept LP 50 Words for Snow. He captures an astonishing creative mind at work, from the blushing girl who turned up for the recording of her first album with over 200 self-composed songs to the woman who wrestled for complete control of her music and learned how to produce the records herself. He also recognises the driving ambition that lies within Bush, an artist who has always pushed the boundaries of her art, not only sonically but also visually through her groundbreaking videos and live shows.

What comes across above all is how humble an individual Kate appears to be. Not one person has a bad word to say about her - she is completely unaffected by fame by all accounts and a sincerely warm, genuine and generous woman. Her extreme dedication to her craft stands out, pushing herself to creative and physical limits time and again, often to the point of exhaustion. I was surprised to learn that she was a major weed smoker whilst recording her earlier albums, though she seems to have replaced this habit with bucketfuls of tea. The dichotomies that lie at the heart of her are intricately explored: a private individual who craves solitude but also revels in collaborating with musicians and artists she admires; a timid person who is single-minded and stubborn when it comes to her work. She even describes herself as the "shyest megalomaniac you're ever likely to meet."

It is a meticulously researched book with a host of illuminating interviews from fond friends of Kate and the many musicians who have worked with her through the years. Thomson is a true fan and his passion shines through. He brings valuable insight with his astute examination of her music. But he is always balanced and fair in his criticism, from investigating the distracted disappointment of The Red Shoes to the curious exploration of The Dreaming. The edition I read was released prior to her recent rapturously received Before The Dawn shows and he laments her enduring lack of a live presence throughout. I can only imagine his joy at her triumphant return to stage and I bet he was cheering wildly from the front row. This is a fascinating biography and a fitting tribute to a uniquely talented artist.

Bonus Disc: My Favourite Kate Bush Songs (liable to change on a daily basis)
Hounds of Love
Yes I know it's an obvious choice, but to me it is perfection. Bush imagines Love as a wild animal "coming for me through the trees." She is frightened of being consumed by its passion but at the same time she admits: "I've always been a coward/And I don't know what's good for me." The pounding drums and breathless vocals give the song its irresistible kinetic energy. In the end she surrenders with an ecstatic "I need la-la-la-la-la love!" Oh my. Magnificent.
And Dream of Sheep
The character in this gorgeous ballad only has a life-jacket to keep her afloat in a limitless sea during the darkest night. She battles against sleep when it would be easier to just give in and drown, but she knows she must stay awake and her memories help her to survive. The line "Come here with me now" is spoken by Kate's mother Hannah, who often whispered it to her as a child when she awoke from a bad dream. The song is mostly comprised of gentle piano and Kate's pleading voice - sea whistles and shipping broadcasts add to the watery atmosphere.
Cloudbusting
I clearly remember stumbling on the strange video for this song as a youngster and *needing* to find out more about it. It's based on a memoir Kate read in the 70s called A Book of Dreams, in which Peter Reich discusses his childhood relationship with his father William, a philosopher and psychiatrist. William was quite the eccentric and had some bizarre ideas, at one point enlisting his son to build a machine that would form clouds and create rain. He was later imprisoned by the FDA and died when Peter was 13. The song is an incredibly moving exploration of their deep bond and the happy memories Peter retained: "Every time it rains/ You're here in my head."And that cello melody is absolutely stunning.
Moments of Pleasure
This is the one I can't listen to in public, for fear of blubbing like a small child. Kate looks back on her life and remembers happy times with close friends and family who have since departed. Bill Duffield, a lighting director who died tragically before her first tour and guitarist Alan Murphy are among those commemorated. Her mother was also very ill during the time of recording and passed away shortly afterwards. "Just being alive, it can really hurt" is the key realization, as she understands her list of lost loved ones is only going to grow. Her soaring vocals are accompanied by a lush string arrangement and the most beautiful piano melody.
This Womans's Work
One of Kate's most accessible and memorable songs, which was composed for the John Hughes film She's Having A Baby. It's written from a man's point of view as he waits for his wife to give birth and complications arise. He is terrified of losing is unborn child and his partner in one go. Thoughts race through his head as he waits helplessly outside: "All the things I should have said that I never said." It is one of her best vocal performances, intense and powerful. It is also my favourite video of hers, a poignant re-imagining of the song's events, full of swirling flashbacks and raw emotion.

[Michael Burke · Rating 2 out of 5]

And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God
And I'd get Him to swap our places…

The 12” extended version of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” echoed throughout Fox Hills Mall from a music store in 1985. While the song did hit the US top 30, I did what I could to convert people, to expose them to a brilliant and refreshing artist. The critics here loved her, but she was much more successful outside of the US. Flash forward 37 years later and "Stranger Things" resurrects the song and awakens an appreciation for Kate Bush.

The problem with creating a biography of Kate Bush is that she is an immensely private person and if you know this going in, you are not going to know that much more about her at the end of these 432 pages. This is Graeme Thomson’s third edition of her story, updated whenever she reappears in public, and it relies heavily on third-party insights due to Bush's reluctance to discuss herself.

What I did take from the book was some biographical background, how she was able to control her destiny with record companies, and a pretty thorough look at her discography. I recently finished Robert Hilburn’s exhaustive bio of Randy Newman, but– unlike Thomson– he did spare me opinions of his subject’s songs and career choices. I am not interested in how the author would have steered the artist’s career.

Put on the headphones, play the second side of the “The Hounds of Love” album. Listen to just about anything in her catalog and you will come much closer to finding the Kate Bush essence.

“My life and my work are very interlocked. That's partly why I like to keep my private life private.” – Kate

Thank you to Omnibus Press and Edelweiss for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I ws 15 and first fell under her spell, the genius of Kate Bush has accompanied me along the journey to manhood through enchanted but quiet fan wallflowering my way through any discussion of music and performance to ardent man of action defending her art from all comers and my huge posters from flying tea bags....of that more perhaps later...and now as Middle Aged man still adoring her beauty but even more admiring of her genius.

Thomson has written what i found to be a really useful and thought provoking study of her musical journey. The first few chapters are perhaps a little breathless in their adoration and he strays a little into overblown imagery but maybe that is inevitable when dealing with someone as wonderfully challenging as Kate Bush.

'Shamanistic ritual, cajoling, caresing, chipping away at the chrysalis of her art until the longed-for butterfly of emotional truth emerges'

or again

'She is no Icarus, striving publicly and failing heroically. Instead her work simply appears like Zeus' thunderbolt'.

Kate Bush is famously private, and indeed why shouldn't she be, but as a result this is a book written without an interview with the main subject or indeed with any of the directly important protagonists. He quotes from interviews and chats with any number of people but never really getting to the centre of the mystery. There is, in the first few chapters, a number of people who appear to be her first love, her best friend from school, an influence on her early music....yeah well, perhaps but it was a bit embarrassing all that scraping around and allowing x list celebrities or no-hopers longing to catch a bit of the virus of fame to cling on to her coat tails, coat tails which she herself appeared to have taken off a long time ago and left in the wardrobe.

Having said that you did get the impression that she was a normal, gentle and kindly woman. There seems nothing of the diva about her and certainly Thomson suceeds in putting a line under many of the weird and quite unwonderful cruelties and untruths that were levelled at her from time to time.

However, in all honesty I did not come to this book to delve and dig into Kate Bush's private life. She has been a fabulously important part of my life since 15 but I never feel that that gives me the right to look in her knicker drawer or read over her love letters. The real strength of this book and what i actually really enjoyed was Thomson's own take and exploration of her journey of creativity. His dissection of the various albums and their coming to birth, the comments and opinions he garnered from the men and women with whom she worked and the exploration of her own journey through her music and the way she created was fascinating and sent me back to listen to the works themselves, though it has to be said that me listening to Kate Bush is not an unusual occurrence at the best of times.

I loved the debate he entered into concerning her quest to find a way of expressing herself in her music clearly.

'It is interesting how much of a struggle her quest for greater directness becmame. Spelling out what she was once able to suggest and imply, the net results were a significant drop in artistry'

'In her quest for direct communication, everything becomes overstated'

but then

'there is no need to join every dot, or explain every reference. that is a game for those who can't trust their own responses without first looking for an intellectual hook on which to hang it'

This is my entire struggle with Kate Bush writ large. I love this woman's work but still struggle to understand so much of it. For example, I have always loved with a total love 'The Ninth wave', the concept piece on the B side of 'The Hounds of Love' album. I have always loved it whilst never understanding it. Thomson analyses it with Kate Bush's own comments and I can now return to it with a different idea. However, i love Bush's work not because she tells me what to think or hear but because she sets the bird free and lets you watch it fly and swoop.

Thomson's book is excellent if you want to read adn reflect about her music and her journey of creativity. It is of no use if you want to find out what her fave colour is or her favourite drink or what she wears in bed.

[Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

TL;DR: I found Under the Ivy to be at times informative, boring, detailed, testing, sexist, infuriating, often badly written, and at all times oddly uninterested in exploring its subject in any meaningful way, or through any rigorous mode of analysis other than personal opinion.

First the good:
- Thompson snagged a lot of interviews with a huge array of Bush's collaborators and friends, which yields fruit particularly in the sections regarding album sessions. Definitely learned things I didn't already know (especially in the section concerning The Dreaming, which was the period I was most interested in!).

- The book starts off really strong, with an affecting introduction, and a very well-researched look into Bush's childhood. I especially loved the details of her life during school, as well as her experiences on East Wickham Farm as a kid. Really lovely stuff. I also was touched by the epilogue of the book, and felt that Thompson gave a great overview of Bush's influence on the current cultural landcape.

- The book was updated in more recent years to account for the major chapter that was the Before the Dawn performances in 2014, which I really appreciated, it made the book feel relevant to Bush's current work, and provided a really cathartic final set piece from which to take the arc of her career in.

- As an American Kate Bush fan, I was appreciative of the British perspective, especially in terms of the beginnings of her stardom in that country. Of particular note is the focus given to straight male fans of Bush, a phenomenon which is not entirely common here in the US... however this leads straight into my...

List of bad things:

- Thompson seems a bit sexually obsessed with Bush, and that is, unfortunately, the primary frame of analysis by which he operates (or at least, with the amount of times he brings such things up, it feels primary). He takes every opportunity given to include quotes from people regarding her beauty, her sex appeal, her innate eroticism (there is an extended anecdote about a coat she wore that I found slightly disturbing and I will say, more generally, how uncomfortable the way many of Bush's collaborators over the years spoke about her body and her sexuality). As stated above, I am not fully privy to this world of straight male fans of Kate Bush, and I do understand this was a major part of her appeal in the market at the time of her debut and onwards. However, after the 17th anecdote about the knowing eroticism of this or that, I just found myself getting frustrated, as it seemed as if Thompson felt that this was the only worthwhile way of looking at Bush's career. He seems too close to the nexus of this discourse about Bush, as a straight male fan himself, to fully divest it from the other equally (or more) important elements of Bush's artistry.

- On a similar note, Thompson was very interested in noting all the times that the artist noticeably gained weight, a detail that I personally think was not that valuable in understanding anything at all about her life or her career.

- This is Graeme Thompson's book, and who am I to begrudge him the chance to put his opinions into print, but the amount of subjective commentary about Bush's albums, songs, and music videos was probably the single most infuriating (and distracting) thing about this book for me. My understanding from reading the book is that Thompson thinks that the only true Bush masterpiece is Hounds of Love. Everything else is subject to tedious running commentary about its failings, especially the lack of live performances, as well as most of the albums and singles post-Hounds of Love. I am all for an even-handed approach to biography, even to the most beloved of figures, but I just did not find it necessary for Thompson to be chiming in to state his opinions on songs and albums constantly, as it took me out of the flow of the story of Bush's life, and, often, felt uncharitable to her artistry (see: my points below about Thompson's tone). It was especially bizarre as these moments were often immediately before or after paragraphs detailing the contemporary reception of these works. It just felt completely superfluous, and honestly cheapened the book for me, and looking at the other reviews, others feel at least partially the same. We all have different perspectives on what we find Kate's best works, and what we see as her weakest links in her artistic chain. I want to give a few examples of this just to clarify:

In the chapter on The Sensual World, Thomspon says,

"In the end The Sensual World turned out to be a songwriter's album filtered – not always successfully – through the available technology, neither terribly elaborate in design nor particularly conceptual in its ambitions."

He says later in the chapter, "The album reviews were generally strong, though many contained a ghostly subtext of minor disappointment, a lurking sense of feeling somewhat underwhelmed which was given full vent when the later single releases attracted some highly uncomplimentary comments, as if many of these songs sounded unconvincing stripped from their context – a harsh but not unreasonable viewpoint."

I bring these up because they illustrate so perfectly how superfluous Thompson's own commentary is in these circumstances. Cut away "not always successfully" or "a harsh but not unreasonable viewpoint" from these quotes and you lose nothing (save the spectre of Thompson's own middling opinion). Further than that, though, the second quote is not then followed by any quotes from contemporary reviews, no real cited evidence for this "feeling" that Thompson finds in the literature of the time. The Sensual World is a truly well-regarded album even today and, as Thompson notes, the contemporary reviews were extremely strong, garnering high ratings from NME, Q, and Rolling Stone. It would be more effective, if such a "feeling" exists in these reviews, that Thompson quote directly from them, rather than claiming synthesis without proof.

I will also say that these two examples are relatively minor in tone compared to other critical intercessions Thomson makes (calling the The Red Shoes, "a significant drop in artistry", for instance, a shockingly dismissive opinion from a biographer, but I claim my bias as a big fan of that album...).

Not to beat a dead horse, but similarly, he spends the final 1/4 of his chapter on Before the Dawn offering his critiques of the stage show, suggesting interventions that he deems would make the show better, as well as his weirdly couched jabs at Bertie's acting in the show (Thompson posits that there was "some credence that Before the Dawn was partly designed as a vast shop-window display for the talents of Bush's son," and saying that "Bertie McIntosh was a slightly too shrill presence in his principal dramatic roles, and perhaps not the singularly gifted actor and singer he may well become", which seem utterly needless at best, and mean-spirited at worst). As it stands, many of these interventions feel needless for the author's overall analysis, and frankly embarrassing for him as someone claiming to be an authority.

- I may be a bit too sensitive on this point, but I felt that despite this book being a Biography of Kate Bush, and despite Thompson's glowing introduction, the whole tone of the book felt a bit belittling to Bush. Thompson focuses on a lot of points where collaborators (all men) disagreed with the way she did things, and often ties this to his (Thompson's) own opinion of the resulting product's lesser value (a great example of this is the section in the final third discussing her music videos, where he interviews film collaborators at length about their frustrations with working with her, immediately followed by his own negative analysis of those videos). It felt a bit demeaning and disparaging to Bush's work, almost as if Thompson was taking the opportunity of this book less to celebrate Kate's achievements than provide a critical moratorium of it. I would hope a biographer would be much more even-keeled in their analysis of such moments.

- The final, and most damning disappointment of this book is I did not leave it feeling as if I–or Thompson himself–learned anything about Bush as a person. This is partly understandable, as I think it's clear to the reader (and–one would hope–Thompson) that Bush is not particularly interested in an undertaking such as a biography. She doesn't WANT to necessarily be known in such a way. However, there is a distinct lack of connection and understanding between Thompson and his subject that goes beyond him being unable to secure access to her for an interview or whatever. There is a distinct lack of interest. When you write a biography of someone, you are seeking to memorialize them in one way or another, to stick your claim to their relevance in the great narrative tapestry of our time. Besides all the information he put on the page, it doesn't really seem like Thompson's heart is in it for doing that for Bush. He's much more interested in talking about how sexy that one image in the pink leotard is... Let's hope the future brings a more robust, better measured, and overall more enjoyable Kate Bush biography.

[Michael Jandrok · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caveat: This is a long and somewhat ponderous review, and it was a tricky one for me to write. I don’t believe that I really did the subject matter justice. There is too much material here to condense into a review that makes thematic sense. That said, it was important to me to have it here in one place. I’ll forgive you if it bores you or you feel that you need to abandon it midway through.

My fascination with Kate Bush runs all the way back to 1982, when the then-fledgling MTV began running a video clip from Bush’s fourth album, “The Dreaming.” The song in question was the first single “Sat In Your Lap.” It had a strange rhythmic quality to it, and the video was striking and odd. The lyrics were obtuse and difficult, and Bush herself only added to the mystery by flouncing around on roller skates, dressed in ballet gear, all big hair and big ideas. It was totally out of step with the commercial pop music of the era. In short, I was hooked. I went down to my neighborhood record store the next day and bought the album. For an 18 year-old wanna-be ceremonial magician and worldly philosopher like me, it was a musical revelation. The entire album was dense and chaotic; a soundtrack for dark, eldritch magick. It opened doors for me, not the least of which was to become a lifelong fan of this eclectic and magnificent talent.

Kate Bush went on to release one of the classic albums of the 1980s, “Hounds of Love.” That record cemented her legacy as an artist, though she would never sell that many units here in the States. She was, and remains, a European star. Huge in the UK, she is truly a British national treasure. Bush has rarely performed live, doing only one full-fledged tour in the early stage of her career. She returned to the concert stage in 2014, staging a 22-date residency at the Hammersmith Apollo. Notoriously reclusive and private, Kate Bush the person remains a bit of a mystery for most casual fans.

Graeme Thomson’s “Under The Ivy” is an unauthorized biography of Bush, originally released in 2010. I was fortunate enough to purchase a hardback first edition, a former UK public library edition complete with the British library catalog code pasted in the front and a durable plastic sleeve over the dust cover. It’s a fun and comfortable edition of the book. There is a later revision of the text that covers the Hammersmith Apollo shows, but I purposely sought out the original release.

Chapter One - “All The Love” - The book begins with a thorough examination of Bush’s childhood. Reared in relative comfort by self-made and well-to-do parents, she and her two older brothers, Paddy and John Carder, were all given free reign to pursue a variety of intellectual and artistic pursuits. Music was a huge part of the family’s life, and Kate was encouraged and supported as she developed into a precocious songwriter. Much has been made in later years of the fact that Bush never had to struggle or suffer during her formative days, but it’s clear from this narrative that her close-knit and slightly eccentric family was a melting pot of creativity that formed and informed her muse.

Chapter Two - “Somewhere In Between” - This segment focuses on Kate’s school days. A quiet yet stellar student, Bush was an academic talent who breezed through her examinations. The big revelation here is that literally no one saw anything in Bush that would have prefigured her impending stardom. None of her instructors saw it coming, nor did most of her classmates. She did develop a couple of close friendships that continue to this day, but it’s clear that Kate had no interest in winning the school talent show. It’s here that you begin to get an idea of Kate Bush as the control freak, the secretive genius who quite literally walked to the beat of her own tune.

Chapter Three - “Room For The Life” - Bush is “discovered” by Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. A demo is shopped and flops. Another demo is prepped and captures the interest of the EMI recording group. Kate is signed and then told to take some time to develop and groom her craft until such time as the record label is ready to deal with her. Kate writes and records songs. Kate learns dance. Kate writes more songs. Kate hones her skills on piano. Kate writes. She puts together a pub band, calling it the KT Bush Band. Performing doesn’t come easy to her, especially when she’s covering old 1970s rock standards. She writes more songs. Finally the time is right for her to step into the studio to record her debut album.

Chapter Four - “Pulling Out The Pin” - Bush’s debut album is released. “The Kick Inside” is an odd and layered take on piano pop, and the lead single, “Wuthering Heights,” hits the charts with gale force intensity. Kate Bush becomes an overnight sensation and is thrust into the maelstrom of stardom with all of its perks and irritations. Based on Emily Bronte’s book, “Wuthering Heights” highlights Bush’s big voice and big fascination with words and images. The album itself causes some stress as the label forces her to use session musicians rather than her own players from the KT Bush Band on most of the songs. The germ of Kate’s future insistence on complete artistic control is planted here, and you can see it grow in later chapters.

Chapter Five - “Rocket’s Tail” - Bush’s sophomore album, “Lionheart,” is recorded and released. A solid record, it does nothing to advance Kate’s musical vision, playing along the same themes and instrumentations of “The Kick Inside.” She is again caught in a tug-of-war with EMI regarding the musicians she will use on the record. The tension and demands on Bush’s time in the wake of success produce a tepid and somewhat timid outcome. But the stage is literally set for Bush’s first step out onto the concert touring trail.

Chapter Six - “The Tour Of Life” - This chapter chronicles Bush’s one and only full-fledged concert tour. It’s a spectacle of sublime proportions, with Kate’s control-freak tendencies finally coming full bore to the front. She assumes total responsibility for the production, exerting her influence over every detail of the tour, from the sets to the lights to the arrangements and choreography. It is an enormously draining experience, leaving Bush physically and mentally exhausted. It is quite possibly the reason why Kate quietly decides never to tour again, leaving fans with only videos and occasional television performance spots as their only way to experience her on a physical level.

Chapter Seven - “Breathing” - Kate’s third full-length album release, “Never For Ever” is recorded and released. Bush begins the transformation from quirky yet listener-friendly tunesmithing to a more eclectic and experimental sound. A mix of old compositions and new ones, Kate is more forward about using her own musicians and exerts more control over the recording process. “Never For Ever” is remarkable in that it is Kate’s first flirtation with the Fairlight synthesizer, a machine that would come to dominate her sound in future recordings. Bush was always an early adopter of new technology, and the Fairlight expands her musical vision in ways no one could adequately visualize.

Chapter Eight - “Into The Dreaming” - Kate finally takes total control and promptly jumps completely off the rails with the dense and uncommercial “The Dreaming.” It spawns no hit singles and drops off of the charts quickly, prompting EMI to begin worrying about Bush as a viable artist. It’s a challenging record that demands much of the listener. Oddly enough, “The Dreaming” begins to build an audience for Bush in the States, as college radio latches on to its truly eccentric and alternative vibe.

Chapter Nine - “A Deal With God” - “Hounds Of Love” is released and establishes Bush as a true star completely at home with her ideas and vision. Pop music has caught up with her, and she manages to hold on to her high level of control even as she knocks Madonna off of the top of the British charts. It’s a comeback of unprecedented proportions, and ensures that Bush will forevermore have total artistic control over her albums and image. She embraces pop stardom to some degree, appearing on a number of records by other artists, most notably Peter Gabriel.

Chapter Ten - “Put Your Feet Down, Child. You’re All Grown Up Now.” - Bush waits for years to deliver the follow-up to “Hounds Of Love,” in the form of “The Sensual World.” Another huge hit, the album even goes gold here in the United States, her only full-length record to do so. Not as focused as “Hounds,” it still manages to captivate her core audience. She follows that up a few years later with an almost sloppy-by-Bush’s-standards disk called “The Red Shoes.” “Shoes” adds some funk influences to her sound, but it’s clear that Bush is tired and coasting on past successes. It sells well but is far from her best work.

Chapter Eleven - “An Architect’s Dream” - Bush micromanages a long-form video to accompany “The Red Shoes,” calling it “The Line, The Cross, And The Curve.” The effort exhausts her and produces a confusing and surprisingly cheap-looking movie that does nothing to add to the appeal of the album. It’s clear that Bush is worn out, and she ends up taking a 12-year hiatus before resurfacing with an album called “Aerial.”

Chapter Twelve - “How To Be Invisible” - “Aerial” is hailed as a return to classic form and is the only one of Bush’s post-"Hounds" albums to merit comparisons to her glory days. Kate has clearly embraced her domestic persona, though, as the lyrical content demonstrates. She is a parent to a son now, and her life moves to a particular rhythm that is reflected in the grooves of the music.

The whole story doesn’t end there, of course. Bush would go on to release another album, the mysterious “Smilla’s Sense Of Snow,” and come out of performance retirement for her long stand at Hammersmith. Kate has nothing left to prove at this point, and I’d be surprised to see much more from her in terms of either live or recorded output ever again.

Her life has never been an open book. It’s always been clear that Kate Bush values her private life above all else, preferring to control her image and her art in static still-life. Her relationship with Del Palmer is well-chronicled in this book, and the reader does get a sense of Kate Bush, the human being. It’s as good a biography as you will ever get where the author didn’t have access to the primary source material. Bush herself has already written her autobiography, it’s all there in her music and lyrics. She poured so much of herself into every album and every composition that the true fan can’t help but to think that they know her quite well just from listening to her albums alone. Kate Bush always had a mystical, Pagan connection to the rhythms of her life, and all you have to do to find that rhythm and that connection to Kate is to sit down and immerse yourself in the songs.

So much I missed in this review. Kate’s sexual (and sensuous) nature is covered here, as is her refusal to market herself on those terms. Her relationship with her brothers and parents is much discussed. I could go on, but the best thing you can do if you’re a fan is to get this book and absorb it all. As for me, I’ll go settle in for another listening of “Hounds Of Love”...........

[Ash Catt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is practically how I expected it to be before I begun to read it. It's a run through of the work and life of Kate Bush with further insights from those who were around her when she wrote, recorded and performed her songs.

The great thing about this book is how revealing it is. Not revealing in terms of personal details, but it gives the reader a very close look into the writing and recording process. Not coming from a musical background, I had no idea what generally goes on when recording music or the technical side of it, let alone when it's Kate Bush doing the recording, which obviously has it's own effect on the experience due to her meticulous nature.

The author uses a copious amount of interviews from many of the people around her during this time, and (when the interviewees aren't consistently fawning over how wonderful they perceived her to be) it can be highly fascinating. The sheer number of people interviewed for this work ensured that a somewhat balanced view came across. However, as mentioned, some would be overly enthusiastic in their declarations and this would seem repetitive - though it was their job to answer honestly.

There are a few aspects in which I feel this book failed. Namely, it is highly irritating to see Kate compared to other female artists. Usually the female music artists would be denigrated in a way to raise Kate above all others, which is grossly unfair and misrepresents them. Artists like Bjork and Enya, and also more contemporary ones like Florence + The Machine and Bat For Lashes are accused of almost riding on Kate's coattails, which is quite clearly false. Male artists aren't subject to this kind of scrutiny, and when compounded with the author's fixation on Kate's embodiment of a perceived male nature, the writing can often feel far too caught up in binaries and misogyny.

Furthermore, he does imbue Kate with a goddess-like persona, hailing her music collectively as some kind of unattainable perfection (whereas he's not afraid to criticise some of her songs as being ridiculous). It seems a little bit inconsistent, and not a particularly balanced method of analysis.

One more thing, although this by no means is the fault of the author, is that towards the end of the book he makes assumptions tantamount to 'Kate will NEVER perform again'. This book was released less than a year prior to Before The Dawn (Kate's 2014 tour - the first since 1979's Tour of Life) and it's frustrating to read this, especially as I attended one of her shows. However, as I said, her tour in 2014 was extremely unexpected, so this is not the fault of the author by any means.

Overall, this book is highly entertaining and interesting to read. Often humourous, it does separate the media cliches from the facts effectively and you feel like you come away with a more well rounded view. That is if you get past the relentless iconoclastic views of modern technology, the denigration of female artists and veneration of Kate as some kind of deity. Would probably only recommend to fans of Kate Bush, but that was probably a given anyway.

[Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a problem inherent with the subject matter when it comes to writing about Kate Bush – she doesn't want to be written about.
A good biography needs, at its core, the very minimum of some collaboration with the person being put under the spotlight. And if there's one place Ms Bush has never really wanted to be its under the spotlight.
Interviews with those around her are all well and good, but what you want to know is what Kate was thinking/going through during the periods we and her care about most.
The albums.
But when you're left to scour through interviews she gave at the time – interviews where she is always famously guarded – then you leave the reader at the mercy of your whims and interpretations.
And with the best will in the world, I didn't pick up Under The Ivy to find out what Graeme Thomson thought of The Red Shoes and Director's Cut.
Rebooted off the back of Kate's Before The Dawn residency at the Hammersmith Apollo, this edition is the original version (plus a few tweaks in light of the new events) with an added bit at the back all about the biggest music event in recent memory.
What shines through from the very start is how big a fan of Kate's the author is. What also becomes increasingly clear is that she was very much the focus of his sexual awakenings. In fact her effect on men is never too far from his thoughts, especially when one of her band members muses on sunbathing next to a "nearly naked" Kate while making her second album. She was 20 at that point, but apparently we need to know she was being leered over by someone she was paying to play music.
We also get the anecdote from legendary producer Tony Visconti where her music proved to be less memorable than her backside.
The inclusion of such passages does neither the author or men concerned any credit.
Part of the problem Thomson has is he is trying to make Kate Bush interesting. He's trying to add new layers to her.
Sadly, away from her music, she is delightfully normal. She drinks tea. Other than the odd joint, her drug of choice was, for years, nicotine. Motley Crue's The Dirt this was never going to be.
And trying to twist her words into a sly dig at Madonna should really have been beneath him.
What this means is the book only kicks into gear when talking about the albums.
Her feelings and thoughts are, of course, lacking, but at least we get some sense of the process from those who were in the room at the time.
And really, given that the woman herself has only ever wanted to be known by her art, that should have been enough. But Thomson clearly had a word count to hit and a publisher who wanted more.
So what we end up with, meaningless piffle aside, is one man's view of her albums. A fan's view. A fan who, like a player-turned-pundit on Match Of The Day, feels the need to be excessively harsh on her later work so as to show no favouritism.
And, as the tone clearly shifts through the final third of the book, a fan who was becoming increasingly irked that his subject wasn't talking to him.
All of which, ultimately, leaves the reader with a bad taste in the mouth and the feeling that while we may have learnt something about one of the most enigmatic musicians of the last 40 years, we're certainly no closer to her.

[Teo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very detailed, if not at times tedious, recount of Kate’s life from when she was a child until after releasing 50 Words of Snow. It was well laid out, never once was confused with the timelines. One thing I did not anticipate going into this book was that Kate would frustrate and disappoint me. Her being one of the most influential female musicians of all time, it was rather bothersome to see how disparaging she’d be towards other women, and how obsessive she was with coming across as “male”. Majority of her inspirations are men, she constantly was surrounded by men, and as she’s stated, really loves men. That is all fine, but it’s not fine when coming across as “female”, which to Kate seems to be soft, fragile and weak, is something that you try and run away with all your might. Some quotes that show what I’m talking about:

“Being brought up with two brothers I'd sit philosophising with them while my girlfriends wanted to talk about clothes and food," she said. "Maybe it's the male energy to be the hunter and I feel I have that in me."

“Every female you see at a piano is either Lynsey de Paul or Carole King. And most male music – not all of it but the good stuff – really lays it on you. It really puts you against the wall and that’s what I like to do. I’d like my music to intrude. Not many females succeed with that.”

“She dismissed The Kick Inside as "airy fairy ... I'm not pleased with being associated with such soft, romantic vibes. I guess I want to get basically heavier in the sound sense."

“'hee-hee' high and squeaky, Bush felt the way she had previously used her voice lent her music an association of sweetness and light that undermined much of her more serious lyrical intent. She wanted, she said, to give her voice "some balls"”

“Del and I argue a great deal - over songs - but we consider it healthy. Who wins? Normally, I do. I'm not the shy, retiring, fragile butterfly creature I sometimes read about.”

Being seen as “female” seems to have been a big insecurity, who knows for what reason, maybe seeking approval from men by being “male” (unlike the other girls)? You can argue these quotes aren’t in bad intent, but judging from the first quote, where she likes philosophizing, whilst her girl friends wanna talk about clothes and food, you can see what these things can be implying. It always sits wrong with me when women say stuff like this, cause women trying to navigate the music industry especially back then was already hard enough when adhering to stereotypes, not to mention when not. Even in later years women in more experimental music barely made waves, and often times copped abuse from men. Jarboe being an example. I can imagine there were women who wanted to do what she did, but just weren’t lucky and didn’t have the resources to get anywhere. She had a privileged life which made making music easier, had good opportunities and luckily was conventionally attractive and fit in well with men. It’s disappointing. Yeah this was the late 70s/early 80s so maybe defying gender roles just wasn’t talked about much, so Kate just couldn’t help connecting strength to being “male”. But hold up a minute what’s this quote?

“When an interviewer from Hot Press tried to goad her into being indiscreet about Margaret Thatcher in 1985 she was not forth-coming. She fudged the issue; she was not a "political thinker". Nor would she define herself as a feminist. “When you hear 'feminist' you go 'Ummgh!' "she said. "You get all these terrible images, like women with hairy legs and big muscles. I mean, you just think of butch lesbians."

Oh god Kate watch out! Don’t be too manly or the men will think your legs are hairy. Had to facepalm when I read that, first she complains about women not being hard enough and laying it on you, but now complains about feminists. Give me a break lady. Kate seemed extremely naive in multiple ways when she was younger, but none the less it’s just annoying to read. Anyways seems eventually she eventually got past her fear of “female”.

“The mood music surrounding the new material was obviously feminine. Now in her late twenties and having recognised some of the missteps of her past, Bush felt she had finally gained "power o'er a woman's body" and began to see the album (The Sensual World) as "a strong expression of positive female energy.””

Another thing that really annoyed me is how Kate was vegetarian who was very passionate (there are numerous quotes, even a website compiling them) about the cruelty of the meat industry, but eventually started eating fish again, whilst according to the book, at the same time as lending her name to the Vegetarian Society's campaign to stop excessively cruel practices within the meat production industry… lol. I went searching up more about this addition to her “vegetarian” diet and found a quote that is just absurd for someone who is?/was adamant against meat:

“Once, that would have been impossible for me. But later I decided we have not to be so hard on ourselves or other people in terms of eating habits or anything else. It's like me and smoking. It's such an awful thing to do, it's so obviously bad for us, but we gaily carry on. I've cut down a but I can't kick the habit. (1989, You)”

Umm ok Kate supporting animal abuse is really on par with a smoking addiction yeahhhhhh. But gaily carry on I guess?

End of my Kate rant. Besides all this I still did enjoy reading about the creations of the albums, and Kate’s need for solitude. It was comforting to read about someone who doesn’t force themselves to be more extroverted all the time to fit other people’s expectations.

Just to end this with one more complaint, the need for men to insert an objectifying comment about Kate’s body, was so stupid. Hearing about seeing her shirtless by the pool being a side benefit of working with her, and her bum swaying in another man’s face while in the studio, is just…. I feel like the author did not need to include this information in quotes from people they interviewed, but even more so why did those men feel it necessary to say this nonsense.

[Samira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would read Kate Bush's grocery lists, so these 5 stars are VERY biased.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong; I adore Kate, but this review is about the book, not her.

My biggest issue with this book is the confused and jumbled timeline it was purportedly following. It was so consistently jumbled that I still feel confused on the order of events and the cause and effect patterns of those events.

Although less frustrating, throughout the book but especially toward the end, common presses and even direct quotes were recycled to the point of distraction. If you've nothing new to say, trim the book down and stop killing trees for wasted pages.

[Jazmine Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit hesitant about reading this biography. Some parts frustrated me a bit because of how much bs Kate had to deal with media-wise. I didn't really understand the relevance of some parts eg. her putting on a little bit of weight... There was a lot of informative writing that I really enjoyed, especially bits about the Tour of Life and Before the Dawn. I felt really inspired reading this though because she is obviously such an amazing woman. Would love to read a book about KB written by a woman.

[Barry Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Updated to include the most recent developments, this study of Kate Bush's life and music is the most thoughtful and complete document we are likely to get on this most elusive of artists. Always unique, Bush has carved out a place unlike anyone else on the music scene. From No. 1 hits to the most experimental compositions, her musical abilities are astounding and if we include her accomplishments as a vocalist, stage presence, dancer/mover/mime, visual artist and lyricist she eclipses any previous or contemporary examples. From childhood, to top-selling pop artist with "Wuthering Heights," to avant-garde studio technical whiz, to publicity-adverse recluse, to resurgence as "Running Up That Hill" was featured in the hit TV series "Stranger Things," this book covers it all. An encyclopedic tome on all things Kate Bush. - BH.

[Lee Marney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! I loved how each of the chapters were split by album cycles so afterwards i could listen to the album with my newfound knowledge about how she masterfully went about composing and writing these masterpieces. Plus really excited about the b-sides and deep cuts that i didn’t pay apt attention to now getting some more recognition after revisiting due to this book! At times I felt the author lost his objectivity but I know have an absolute cannon of Kate Bush fun facts to spew to anyone that will listen x

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3247829.html

A readable artistic biography, taking us through Bush's career up to the time of publication using public sources and interviews with former colleagues (though not Bush herself as far as I can see). Bush is far from a one-shot wonder, but it's clear that her biggest (and quite extraordinary) success was at the very start of her career, with “Wuthering Heights”, “The Man With the Child in his Eyes” and The Kick Inside. It's extraordinary that those first songs were written when she was a teenager, “The Man With the Child in his Eyes” when she was 16.

After that, she was basically rich enough to do what she wanted, without too much pressure to succeed further (and clearly much more careful with her money than, say, Pete Townshend). And what she wanted was generally studio recording rather than the public stage - between 1979 and 2014 there were no Kate Bush live concerts, and few appearances. Few of her later songs are as successful as the early ones, but some are, and I get the sense that for the last forty years she has been more or less throwing artistic ideas at the wall and seeing what would stick.

I was also very interested to note that despite her eclectic performances and style, she is still very much a music industry insider - an outlier rather than a revolutionary. It was David Gilmour of Pink Floyd who spotted her when she was 16 (here's a 2002 bootleg video of her perfoming "Comfortably Numb" with Gilmour). As The Kick Inside and Lionheart came out she was providing backing vocals for Peter Gabriel (who is co-credited with her on the 1979 Kate Bush Christmas Special). The book includes chummy pictures with Midge Ure and Terry Gilliam. I don't want to exaggerate this, of course - she also cultivated the Trio Bulgarka for The Sensual World and The Red Shoes, well outside the British music industry's normal comfort zone.

Anyway, Thomson's books was an enlightening read even for a non-fan.

[Phil Syphe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of several music biographies I’ve read by an author who’s a fan of the artist but has little or no conception of how to write quality prose. As a result, what I expected to be a great read transpired to be good in parts, yet disappointing on the whole.

To me, a biography, be it about a musician or a king of England, should follow events in chronological order. This book, however, flits back and forth through the years many times, leading to certain episodes and quotes being repeated.

The author also tends to state his opinions as facts. A good biographer should try to be non-biased. It’s fine to mention personal tastes, but to state things like, “Blow Away” is the weakest track on the “Never Forever” album, or “Violin” isn’t a great track, are his opinions stated as facts. Personally, I think “Violin” is not only a great track, but it’s one of my favourite Kate Bush songs.

Anyway, despite the above-mentioned gripes, certain aspects of Kate’s life related in this volume were of interest. The time before she was famous, how she wrote her first songs, the road to fame and how she coped – or didn’t cope – with it, and the way she developed as an artist over the years all make for good reading.

[Sarah Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge Kate Bush fan, always eager to know more about the origins of her music, the methodology behind her career moves (or lack thereof). Though I got a lot of great information as well as a new appreciation for her later works, I found the author’s tone to be highly patronizing and oddly opinionated for a biographer, and often the result was that he was an outdated misogynist. I don’t think he could decide if he was in love with her or if she was just a sexy, odd mommy. Either way, it reeked of that kind of subtle misogyny that marginalizes and trivializes this woman’s work (see what I did there).

The only comfort I have in that gross tone that permeated the book is that I know Kate doesn’t know and wouldn’t care.

[Pandora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Far and away the best Kate bio out there, and as she'll never agree to an authorised one, this is a close as we'll get, with Thomson talking to a lot of important 'Kate' people (Charlie Morgan, Stewart Avon-arnold) who don't usually get a look in. Great to see a book that's not afraid to be critical, but it's no hatchet job - Thomson genuinely loves Bush's music and isn't afraid to point out how much the rampant 'boy's club' attitude of the English music press made her first a joke and then an idol. (She's neither...just a brilliant musician.)Don't bother with any of the other biographies (well, the Paul Kerton one from 79 is pretty awesome for nostalgia value.)This is the one to read.

[Marcos Navarro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Está bien por algunos datos biográficos y la información acerca del proceso de grabación de los álbumes, pero hay momentos en los que el fanatismo del autor es demasiado evidente y juega en su contra, por no mencionar que, en varias ocasiones, al verse falto de información (especialmente cuando habla del final de la carrera de Kate), Thomson recurre a opinar sobre su trabajo, algo que encuentro molesto, pues sus opiniones acerca de álbumes como The Sensual World o The Red Shoes me son indiferentes.
Tampoco me parece necesaria la manera tan condescendiente en la que el autor compara a Kate con artistas femeninas como Joni Mitchell, Björk o Madonna.

[Kurt Reighley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the course of her career, Kate Bush has become a very private woman, which means that as this book progresses, the details surrounding the progress of her art and personal live become more scant. Regardless, Mr. Thompson does a commendable job of sourcing enough collaborators to ensure that this book is packed with new insights. More importantly, he is a thoughtful fan and critic. You may not always agree with his opinions about Bush's music and life, but they provide welcome food for thought.

[Mateusz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Kate Bush so I was looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, I am very disappointed. It's badly written and full of mistakes. Moreover, the author's personal opinions were quite disturbing. Kate Bush is an exeptional artist and human being and I truly believe "Under The Ivy" does now show it.

[Nicola Upson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a Kate Bush fan since I was seven, when Wuthering Heights came out, and I've loved her music ever since - but this book showed me how little I really knew about her. Balanced, informative and really well researched.

[shannon]

Oh right. White guy music critics. Rightrightrightrightright.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Goddess deserves better than this.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kate Bush is my summer 2017 infatuation, and I've been quickly making my way through this serviceable biography - about as good as one might expect without access to a lot of personal interviews with artist and family. I began in the middle with the chapter featuring her "Dreaming" recording sessions, and after getting to the end, I'll read the beginning chapters. I bought this big crazy drawing of her on Etsy that I either need to bravely take to the frame shop and hang in my bedroom or to sensibly stow in my closet. We'll see.

[Iiris]

The author has done a huge work and this book was a journey, even though the finnish translation wasn’t that good. The book was at its best when enjoyed with Bush’s vinyl records one at the time. First listening and thinking about the texts and songs and then reading what others have said about them.

Though the book is really appreciating Bush as an artist (like it should be), sometimes there could be less mentions about her appearance and how stunning etc. it is. Like almost always in books about artists that happen to be women.

[Lewis Ashfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only recently become a fan of Kate's work (within the past year or so). I knew about her artistry and how she wasn't a fan of performing, but reading this book has made me appreciate her much more!

Hounds of Love, is probably my favourite album. I feel like with 'Hounds' she found her footing as an artist, so learning about the ins and outs of the album within the book was beautiful.

I really loved this and has made me appreciate Kate so much more.

[Vilde Ulriksen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read. The book reveals many interesting details about Kate's music and the recording processes behind her albums which adds another dimension to my listening experience.

My main critique is that the author has a tendency to throw shade at other female artists like Madonna and Björk in comparison to Kate Bush, which I find uneccessary.

[Abbie Kopelowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Legend

[Sanna lukee]

Todella harvoin jätän kirjoja kesken, mutta ekat 100 sivuakin olivat jo niin väkisin vääntämistä, että pakko. En arvostele nyt Kate Bushia artistina, sillä pidän hänestä kyllä kovasti, mutta jokin tässä kirjassa tökkii ihan hirveästi. Kirjoittaja on musiikkitoimittaja ja teksti onkin kuin hyvin, hyvin ylipitkä artikkeli. Se töräyttää pöytään faktoja, mutta myös aimo kasan kirjoittajan omia mielipiteitä, jotka tuntuvat pahimmillaan suorastaan kiusallisilta. Jos jotain tuli sadassa sivussa selväksi niin ainakin se, että Bush on nero, joka ei ole koskaan tehnyt mitään väärin ja jos onkin niin sille on olemassa jokin hyvä ja järkevä selitys, joka korjaa sen väärän oikeaksi. Äh, en jaksa. Haluaisin mielelläni aina nähdä elämäkerran kohteen kokonaisena ihmisenä, enkä siloteltuna kiiltokuvana.