Rod McKie

A Kate Bush fan, well known online to so many, has very sadly left us. Rod McKie (who sometimes went by Roderick) was hospitalised with a serious brain haemorrhage in the last couple of weeks and today his wife, Lis, let us know that he has passed away. Rod was an accomplished newspaper and magazine cartoonist by profession. He was an endlessly engaging, considerate and insightful online friend to so many of us – his fellow Kate Bush fans. He’ll be sorely missed.

Rod was a terrific writer and he published a superb blog post in October 2014 that must surely rank among the greatest pieces written about Kate’s Before the Dawn shows – please do read it here. It will give you a chance to get to know Rod a little. Seán (with Rod’s permission) used several excellent extracts from this article when he put together his Before the Dawn podcast series – Rod just nailed it.

The world is great, life is great. Kate Bush is smiling at us, God is in his Heaven, and all is right with the world. Strangers are smiling at one another, and patting one another’s backs, as we shuffle out of the venue. It strikes me that Kate Bush has encouraged in her audience, love, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity – those boundless states.

Rod Mckie, 2014

Sending Lis and all Rod’s family and friends our deepest sympathy. x