The Kate Bush Christmas Special by Joe Cortez It seems as though the older we get, the more difficult it becomes to get in the Christmas spirit (especially if you happen to be an atheist). We reach an age when we realize that Santa doesn't exist, trying to kiss someone under the mistletoe can be considered a criminal offense and video games are really, really expensive. But whereas the superficial appeal of the holiday season has long since faded in the face of paying bills and making the rent, let it be said there are still precious few things that can rekindle the imagination of even the most hardened Scrooge 'round this time of year, one of those being the enigmatic Kate Bush's 1979 Christmas Special. Anyone that knows me personally knows of my admiration for Kate's music. She is, in my view, the most important songwriter of the past half century. There has never been anyone quite like her, a performer able to craft searing and indelible pop hooks ("Wuthering Heights," "Running Up That Hill") while pushing the song form further than anyone else has. Here is a talent capable of nearly anything she set her mind to and always managed to leave her indelible mark on everything she touched and created, her television special being no exception. It's no coincidence that I am writing this piece the day after I attended Aimee Mann's Third Annual Christmas Show at the Wiltern Theater. I enjoyed myself at last night's show to be sure but whereas Mann's show was much more in the lineage of more traditional variety fare, Kate's special dares to be more, to do more and because of this manages to be far more memorable than anything that has come before or since. The show itself has no real format to speak of, other than to serve as a showcase for performance and song. It eschews a monologue, comedy interludes, or pathetic banter and instead gives us a young performer only beginning to spread her wings. I had heard that as a child Kate would put on shows for her family and you get the sense as a viewer that we are privy to the most elaborate of these private performances. Kate has long been known as a bit of a control freak and perfectionist on the level of a Stanley Kubrick, spending years toiling away on her albums and unwilling to present anything less than a final, finished product to the masses. This special was recorded while prepping for her one and only tour and the freedom of a television studio afforded her greater creative luxury over the details and can be seen as a truer version of her live show than even the filmed concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon. Because she seemed intent on delivering the best possible performance several songs, such as the opener "Violin," were pre-recorded album versions to which she lip synched and danced to. This doesn't detract from the experience as much as one might think as the staging of these sequences is so complex yet engaging that you almost regard it as an excised moment from a Gene Kelly Hollywood musical. The show is also notable to fans for having the only filmed performance of "Ran Tan Waltz." Also featured in a guest appearance is fellow Brit Peter Gabriel performing "Here Comes The Flood" and in a duet with Kate on the Roy Harper song "Another Day." It's the closest thing that comes to cinema in the special as Gabriel and Bush are seated at opposite ends of a table while a dramatic exchange between the two plays out in a picture frame above. The special also displays Kate's audacity in not performing her first U.K. chart topper, "Wuthering Heights" where so many others would have gone the easy route and pandered to their audience. The song is only heard briefly at the end over the credits. It's a shame the special, much like the majority of Kate's filmed catalog, remained a bit of an obscurity for many years, available basically through tape trading among fans. Now, though the magic of the internet, the special can be viewed in its entirety online and in much better quality than had previously been available. It's a god send and the best gift of all for fans cautious of wearing out years old VHS cassettes and those curious about this little piece of television craftsmanship. I can't imagine a better way to spend the holidays than with this remarkable display of imagination and craft the likes of which we've yet to see replicated. There's no one quite like our Kate and in the columns to come I hope to explore even more of her work but for now, enjoy her special. The Kate Bush Christmas Special can be viewed in its entirety at her fan My Space page: http://www.myspace.com/cathybush