As some readers may recall, a considerable amount of the writer’s spare time has been taken up in recent months in researching the British singer-songwriter Kate Bush. While at first sight she seems an unusual focus of interest for a paranormal researcher, there is much of Fortean interest regarding her life, rumoured interests and compositions.

Bush probably represents one of the most enigmatic figures within the British contemporary music scene; not least due to her gradual disappearance from public view during the late 1990’s. As a result she has become an almost ethereal and legendary figure ; whether this indicates her becoming “a recluse” or merely “evolving” into a more private individual due to various family and personal concerns remains a matter of some debate. This contradiction between Kate Bush the famous singer-songwriter and the much less defined private individual was most evidently reflected in the publicity surrounding her recent Director’s Cut album remix release. Interviews were initially sparse, guarded and conditional …. but Bush, somewhat surprisingly became notably more open and willing to talk in two later BBC radio interviews, dealing with such difficult personal issues as the death of her father.

Her considerable, unique and accomplished musical compositions aside, Kate Bush has been the (doubtless unwilling) focus of a variety of rumours and stories; from claims she is a “white witch” (probably attributable to her composition “Lily” and her incidental friendship with a spiritual healer), to the infamous claim that she listed her name as “Catherine Earnshawe” on an electoral roll (probably a wild media invention) . There is also the now famous yarn that, when some EMI record producers visited her house and asked her whether she “had anything for us?”, she produced a cake (or cakes) from her oven…. another claim now generally considered a joke but accidentally taken as factual at the time.

Many of these wild tales doubtless take hold due to Kate Bush wishing little discourse with the media, combined with her reputation as an enigmatic “recluse”; effectively representing a tabula rasa upon which people can project their ideals and fancies.

Nonetheless, we do know that Kate Bush was (at least during the late 1970’s to early 1980’s) attracted to various esoteric ideas…. namely the writings of Gurdjieff and (more incidentally) the work of Wihelm Reich, combined with other aspects of “the unexplained”. This is evident due to such motifs appearing in some of her earlier musical compositions. In this she was far from unusual, reflecting a notable social trend within British society during that period in regard to such topics.

Hence, when one hears unusual claims about Kate Bush one cannot help but be sceptical…but also be open the possibility they may be valid, and even possess the potential to move us closer to understanding her viewpoints and creative processes.

One such story is the seemingly unlikely claim that Kate Bush was once the patron (or president) of a UFO group sometime in the early-mid 1980’s. One version of this rumour recounted on a website claimed she was “running about investigating UFO reports”. Unfortunately, during this period Bush was extremely active on a creative level, making this version of the “patron” claim somewhat unlikely, at least . But taking that factor into consideration it also implies an important clue as to the likely nature of this support, as the writer shall reveal in due course…

Nonetheless, the main written source for this claim appears to be Jenny Randles’ 1988 book “Abduction” (published by Headline Press) which states (on pp151)……”Kate Bush writes songs about the paranormal and has been president of a west country UFO group” ….

The writer also recalls being aware of a similar story around the same time, which indicates Randles was reporting something she had clearly heard elsewhere. One suggestion was that this claim related to the Warminster scene, given it was at that time the most prominent element of “west country” based Ufology (albeit in significant decline by that point). However, a trawl of UFO magazines of the period, plus some approaches to various members of the Warminster UFO scene turned up no factual backing for this claim. Thus, the writer’s faint recollections aside, he was willing to write this off as yet another Kate Bush fable….. but was somewhat at a loss to account for its existence. One suggestion (made by Steven Dewey) was that it resulted from a former female lead singer of Whyte August , a local Wiltshire band active during the mid 1970’s, being mistaken for a young Kate Bush …. given she superficially resembled her…. and even performed a few times in a white dress, albeit several years prior to the now famous 1978 KeefCo Wuthering Heights “White Dress” video. This would at least explain one version of the rumour which associated Bush in some way with the Warminster skywatch scene. Nonetheless, it felt like a puzzle-piece force-fitted into a section which it didn’t quite match….

There the issue remained until a few days ago, when the writer was – quite by chance – contacted by Ian Mrzyglod. To those active within British Ufology of the early 1980’s Mrzyglod needs little introduction, being editor of the now legendary PROBE REPORT, a west-country based magazine considered one of most significant UFO publications of that era. Both PROBE and their magazine combined high production values with a critical approach to UFO reports, representing a key element of 1980’s rationalist UK Ufology. This reputation was notably consolidated when PROBE began to work closely with another UFO society called SCUFORI (Swindon Centre for UFO Research and Investigation), a body who represented one of the UK’s most critically-minded and accomplished UFO groups. As such they represented one of those brief “Camelot eras” that occasionally flower within British Ufology, a West Country rationalist “UFO Renaissance”, eventually overshadowed by what some then termed “The Neo ETH“. Sadly, as it transpired, it was not the PROBE and SCUFORI vision of a rationalist and critical Ufology that would flourish upon Albion’s ancient soil, but the American populist narrative of abductions, crash retrievals and “the cover up”. Today it seems the dominance of such ideas were an inevitability, but the work of PROBE and SCUFORI indicated that things could have been so much different. Mryzglod attempted to consolidate this vision by producing THE PROBE report under the aegis of BUFORA. However, internal group politics then dominant within the association stifled this dream; resulting in the demise of PROBE REPORT in around 1983-4. Mrzyglod left the subject shortly afterwards, disappointed that others within the subject were both unable and unwilling to support his vision.

Some could argue this unfortunate situation paved the way for the ETH domination of British Ufology, although others doubtless feel that an unstoppable social momentum lay behind this trend, being a vision supported by notable US influences and book publishers who wished to present a more exciting and profitable version of Ufology to its readership. It is, no doubt, one of the “maybe’s (or “big if’s”) of recent British Ufological history …..

Doubtless, dear reader, you are saying at this juncture “what does this have to do with Kate Bush”?Rather a lot – if only in regard to the UFO group patron rumour.

When Ian Mrzyglod contacted the writer on Facebook he noticed (on friending me) that I was an enthusiast for Kate Bush’s music. Given that he raised the topic first, I then asked him if he knew anything about the UFO group patron rumour…. being I was somewhat stunned by his subsequent reply…

“I saw her (Kate Bush) in concert on her one and only tour many years ago (The Tour of Life conducted in mid 1979 (RM)). I used to have a hand-written letter of hers to me, plus a signed photo where she scribbled comments about UFOs, I first wrote to her about her interest in UFOs and she wrote back a good letter in her handwriting. It was genuine……. I used to follow everything she did and so wanted to meet her. …”

“I used to get her official fan club magazine, right at the beginning of her career. One issue mentioned her seeing a UFO. I wrote to her at the fan club address and, as she was famous and we were just starting out, asked her to become the patron of the our UFO group. I was absolutely staggered to get the letter from her in which she agreed to do this, but also stressed that she was too busy to take on active role….. She briefly mentioned… (a personal sighting) … in her letter. I did write back offering to investigate it properly but she didn’t respond.”

Mrzyglod further recalls that:

(her note)… was addressed to “Dear Ian”, as was the signed photo on which she wrote “Aren’t the skies full?”. These would be useless to anyone else (unless they’re called Ian and held an interest in UFOs).”

Sadly as the above implies the letter itself is now longer in Ian Mrzyglod’s possession:

“…but it all got lost. I have suspicions on who stole them from me, but when it came time to move house in 1990, I couldn’t find them….I’m positive the letter was stolen, along with the photo. I have a good idea who did it too….”

Ian kindly sent me scans of the magazine-issue in question; namely PROBE Report Vol 1 no.2, published in August 1980.

The item reads as follows (on pp 2):

Feature Page

(first paragraph…)

Kate Bush

We (NUFOR (Southwest) read some months ago that singer-songwriter Kate Bush was a sincere believer in the existence of UFOs and the possibility of life on other planets; and now, after recent correspondence with her, we are pleased to announce that she has agreed to become a patron of our group

This suggests Ian wrote his first letter to Bush sometime in 1980; the possible date spanning the period mid 1979 through to the summer of 1980. It is known that a possible UFO sighting by Kate Bush was indeed mentioned in issue 11 of The Kate Bush Club fanzine published circa Chrismas 1981, suggesting Ian wrote his second letter to Bush (relating to the possible UFO sighting) in late 1981-early 1982.

Sadly, as Ian reports, she declined to comment on this issue further. Nonetheless this writer has located the text of Bush’s possible UFO report, which reads as follows:

….Just as it was getting dark one evening; we pulled up by a sign at the edge of the road. It told of a fort from the fifth century, B.C…. It also mentioned a phantom battle which had supposedly taken place very near to the site. As we were about to drive away I noticed three lights in the sky, descending in a diagonal line. Then they formed a horizontal line and remained static just below a layer of cloud.

There were huge circular orange lights; and we set off in the car in hot pursuit. We thought maybe they were some kind of stadium lights, but they were too near to he clouds; and we had never seen aircraft with such big lights, nor that colour. As we turned a bend we could no longer see them, but kept our eyes pinned on the sky. A few minutes later they came into view again, and this time we could see that they were completely unattached to any form of structure on the ground; and now there were only two lights. They remained stationary until we lost them a little while later, for good… We wondered if instead of finding Nessie on our search, we had found another strange phenomenon… .”

So what of this particular “strange phenomenon”? The historical site described by Bush resembles Craig Phadrig; a vitrified hillfort located south of Inverness dating from the 4th century BC. Several areas around Loch Ness – although not Craig Phadrig itself – are associated with phantom battles, including Loch Ashie located near the Loch’s north-eastern edge . This site is relatively close to Buaile Chòmhnard, a feature once considered a fort but now interpreted as a cattle enclosure! Furthermore, while Bush fails to note the alleged sighting’s date, a published general listing of her activities suggest (if this event occurred at all) it happened between May – November 1981.

One comment infers leaves were beginning to discolour and fall; indicating a late Summer/early autumn date. Furthermore, Bush’s account concludes by mentioning that a week or so after returning to London she watched a news broadcast which reported that an underwater image of “Nessie” had been taken by an aircraft. Unfortunately, the author has been unable to find a reference to such an event; only finding an apparently dissimilar (and vaguely documented) picture taken in September 1981. However, in July 1981 Adrian Shine’s Loch Ness and Morar Project experimented with taking underwater T.V pictures around the wreck of “R For Robert”, a crashed Wellington Bomber left abandoned within the loch. It is possible that Bush was referring to this – with the original newscast possibly alluding to the now-infamous Rines underwater images actually taken in 1975.

While the MoD received 600 UFO reports in 1981, only those occurring from November through December have been released under the FOIA to date – none having any apparent relevance to Bush’s sighting.The admittedly mostly inaccessible (and doubtless incomplete) U.K civilian UFO group sighting record notes the half-hour observation of a static triangle of red lights by a schoolchild on October 17th 1981; although this occurred in Stewardton, Southern Scotland, a considerable distance from Loch Ness. Otherwise, the author has yet to locate a Scottish UFO report comparable to Bush’s observation occurring around May-Nov 1981.

The now notorious Chinese (or Thai) aerial Lantern – or something comparable – represent one possible explanation for Bush’s sighting; the area around Fort William being associated with a manifestation of these luminous mini hot-air balloons in 2009 . However, these were virtually unheard of during the 1980’s and are rarely reported to descend or remain stationary for significant periods. The environs of Loch Ness (and other Scottish lakes) have been associated with unusual light phenomena from at least the mid-19th century.

In regard to Loch Ness itself, Drumnadrochit was the focus of several waves of reports in 1990 and 2003, while Ted Holiday cited details of a fast, low-level light seen near that region in 1971. The area was also associated with a notorious 1971 hoaxed UFO landing case subsequently unmasked by Steuart Campbell. In regard to events elsewhere, the 1973 Loch Ryan, Scotland event shares the closest similarity to Bush’s account; the witness observing 3 orange spheres hovering for several minutes before the forms departed suddenly. Widely-spaced quadruple light configurations are a common “UFO” stereotype; repeated observations of this stereotypical form observed around the Pennines termed “the pawnbroker” by Jenny Randles. It is notable that both the Pennines and the Loch Ness region possess significant geological faulting; the latter region being host to a feature termed the Great Glen Fault. Hence, it is possible Kate Bush’s 1981 reputed “experience” may have involved an observation of earthlight phenomenon (postulated by Devereux, etc.) generated by this particular feature.

A major note of caution must be made at this juncture, however. Given Bush’s playful sense of humour, it might be appropriate to note that the version of her song “Kite” featured in the 1978 “Tour of Life” video Kate Bush – live at Hammersmith, concludes with a depiction of a circular configuration of lights over a mesa scene, panned to seemingly resemble a UFO in flight. Additionally, included amongst the material Bush personally authored for her fan club are several fictional short stories on supernatural topics (only one of which – a ghost story – is told from her perspective). This may well reflect Bush’s alleged fondness for telling such stories during her teenage years, as reputedly attested to by various childhood friends .

Could the Loch Ness mystery lights tale be one of these? While the original article appears to be a factual account of a holiday break made during a recording session (with known aspects such as citing the actual names of her two cats, along with other significant actual events and a likely description of Craig Phadrig) there appears to be no Nessie event as described by Bush occurring in 1981.

This reputed sighting therefore remains a enigma on several levels…

It may (or may not) be significant to note that Bush’s song “Hello Earth” (HOL) has a few lines which describing someone – which appears to be Bush – stepping out of a car at night and seeing “something bright” moving quickly through the sky. While the details do not completely this line does seemingly echo some aspects of her 1981 report.

To conclude.

So it transpires the Kate Bush UFO patron story does indeed have a basis in fact. It is notable that Kate Bush was quite open with Mrzyglod that her busy schedule didn’t allow her to be activity involved in the subject, a fact testified by her known creative workload at the time. It also explains how knowledge of this vanished from the subject’s collective consciousness following the demise of PROBE several years later….being only recalled by Jenny Randles and by the writer as a faint memory.

Ian Mrzyglod kindly remembered that the writer’s initial involvement with Ufology began with PROBE (being based in Bristol, therefore being the nearest UFO groups to him). It is ironic that he was involved, albeit peripherally, with a UFO group associated with this unique but albeit brief connection to Kate Bush!

Of course, little is known of Bush’s present interest in such topics. But the writer nonetheless respects Bush for being willing to give her support to one of the UK’s most significant and objective UFO societies of that era. While an exotic subject, the PROBE vision of Ufology was a worthy one. It is unfortunate this link between Kate Bush and British Ufology was broken by circumstances beyond anyone’s control…. Mrzyglod moving to the US in 1990, while Bush became a legendary but distant figure within British contemporary music. It is also equally ironic that the various Bush “biographies” have all missed this (albeit minor) fact, further indicating Bush’s hidden personal depths; a factor further highlighted by her ( unknown until 2010) brief romantic connection with Steve Blacknell and his possession of a hand-written transcription of “The man with the child in his eyes” .

While such “revelations raise the issue of “how much more?” one is strongly tempted to leave such secrets to lie in the past, to be claimed by the realm of dreams and forgotten memories, to ensure this remarkable woman acquires the peace she now seemingly craves….. On the other hand the allure of understanding her influences and creative processes pull with an equal strength. It is certainly a powerful clash of ideals within this particular writer’s psyche.

But at the end of the day such matters prove once again that the only real Kate Bush “expert” is Kate Bush herself. Bush has proved an adept keeper of such matters, a formidable guardian who has left all those attempting to place her in context bemused. The greatest and enduring Kate Bush mystery of all is the allure and mystique that continues to surround her, an enchantment much akin to the mist of that famous wiley, windy moor she sang of back in 1978…

Robert Moore.