The unfortunate collaboration between Kate Bush and Rolf Harris
The sad truth is that music, much like all entertainment and media industries, is littered with abuse and exploitation. The notoriety and power that come along with success too often end up as a breeding ground for people who will manipulate and use their status for evil. Thankfully, in the age of the #MeToo movement, big names and powers that be seem more willing to use their voice for good. But it’s always unfortunate when that call comes too soon, and good art is tainted by bad people. Kate Bush knows that feeling well.
Music history requires a critical and nuanced lens when it comes to sensitive topics. Every month seems to bring about a new targetted track with spiralling conversations over whether certain lyrics should be rewritten or songs should be removed from Spotify. Some artists handle it well, such as The Pogues’ response to the modern controversy towards ‘Fairytale Of New York’. “I am absolutely fine with them bleeping the word,” Shane MacGowan said of the omission of a homophobic slur in the song, with the band liking and retweeting tweets in support of the switch.
However, that becomes a little harder to handle when the issue is the very existence of a certain artist or voice. When it comes to acts like Lostprophets, whose lead singer Ian Watkins was jailed for multiple disturbing sexual offences, or like convicted sex offender Gary Glitter, it’s easy enough to vow to never listen to their music again as a way to clearly cut ties and refuse to put money or power into the pockets of abusers. But what if they were a featured artist on a track by your favourite musician?
That’s the problem Kate Bush stumbled into. On her 2005 comeback album Aerial, Bush dedicated the second half of the record to an extended concept piece, tracking the night sky from day to night. It’s more of a musical theatre project than any typical rock album, as the musician is found making bird noises, painting settings with her words and bringing in other voices to play different characters. The issue is that the other voice is that of Rolf Harris, the musician, entertainer and convicted sex offender who was found guilty of 12 assault offences in 2014.
Obviously, back in 2005, Kate Bush didn’t know that. When she recorded the album and cast Harris as The Painter to lend his voice to the interlude tracks ‘The Painter’s Link’ and ‘An Architect’s Dream’, she was simply looking for the right sound for the character. As Harris could play the didgeridoo as well, adding another texture to the record, the well-known name seemed like the right choice, having met years prior when he played on ‘The Dreaming’ in 1982.
However, after Harris’ abuse came to light, Bush made moves to distance her artistry from the figure and allow her fans to continue to enjoy the piece without having to engage with such a man. Harris’ trial coincided with Bush’s landmark comeback shows at Hammersmith Apollo. When she cast her son Bertie in the Painter role, a solution became obvious.
In 2018, when she re-released the record, Bush removed Harris completely, re-recording his parts with her son in his place. While she’s never commented on the change or made any statement regarding her connection to Harris, the musician made her standpoint crystal clear as she separated his name from her work and encouraged fans to listen to the remaster and relegate the original to a sad blip in musical history.
