We wish precious Tiger a very happy birthday. We hope your day is very special, filled with fun and surrounded with love from family and friends.

Happy Birthday to our dear Kell Hutchence. You are affectionately remembered and never forgotten.

The horror that has taken place in London has reverberated around the world. Ian Patterson, one of our Co-Directors has worked with some of his London music students to try and counteract hatred and violence with the creative and peaceful spirit of music, something Michael would have really identified with. One of Ian’s 15 year old female students, Kalliopi, has written a poignant song that contrasts the images of horror with those of love and peace. With the help of her older sisters, Eve and Madona and Ian’s musical backing, the song was completed on the weekend and placed at SongRamp.com which is the arena for new works in the USA. The song’s creation and its subsequent travelling around the world is lifting the kids spirits in London during a time of great uncertainty.

After one day it has made it to number one in the Inspirational Charts and after two days also in the overall category. We ask you to take time and listen as an act of support for love and peace, not just for London, but for the entire world.

We know that all fans of Australian music will join with us in expressing our deep sorrow at the passing of another great Aussie musician this Easter weekend, 2005. Paul Hester, 46, father of two young girls and well known drummer with the internationally revered Crowded House will be greatly missed. His funny antics and excellent musicianship skills were an integral part of Crowded House’s image world wide. It’s sad to know that another great group, though now disbanded will always have an empty chair. We convey our heart felt condolences to Paul’s family and friends. We understand your shock, grief and disbelief. We encourage you in these sad times to be thankful and take comfort in all he was and for the music that he left behind for generations to enjoy.

Our prayers are with you.

Happy 45th Birthday Michael

To celebrate Michael’s 45th birthday we are delighted to present two new exclusive articles and an unreleased third version of “Deliver Me”.

Jodie Patterson, an Australian freelance reporter living in the USA, caught up with INXS’ Kirk Pengilly at the Penfolds Gala Black Tie Dinner in LA last week. Her interview with Kirk, his personal reflections on Michael and pictures can be found here.

Ian Patterson completes his article on “How Hutch Composed a Song” with the addition of a Middle Version of Deliver Me that links in with our exclusive interview with Michael’s writing partner, Andrew Farriss. This version has never been released so we are grateful to Andrew and INXS for their permission to include it here as part of Michael’s 45th birthday celebrations.

Happy 45th Birthday, Michael. In our hearts and minds you will always stay young.

With love from Susie, Mario, Jacqui and Ian.

 

INXS’ Kirk Pengilly attended the Penfolds Gala Black Tie Dinner in LA recently – to honour Nicole Kidman, Mel Gibson and Keith Urban for their excellence in promoting Australia in the United States – part of Australia week celebrations in Los Angeles. Freelance reporter Jodie Patterson spotted Kirk at the after party and called him into the kitchen to request a few words for the fans… Kirk was more than happy to oblige!

Jodie Patterson: Fill us in on what’s been happening with the band lately, your thoughts…
Kirk Pengilly: INXS is heading into unchartered territory now. We are about to do a TV show in partnership with Mark Burnett, CBS have bought the show here in America, and we are doing a world wide search for a new singer. But we are not trying to replace Michael, we just want a new singer, because he’s no longer our singer, and he’s absolutely irreplaceable. One of our criteria, or briefs to the casting agents and all the people involved with doing all the editions is “what we don’t want is another Michael Hutchence”, because you cannot replace Michael. We want someone that is different. Personally, I hope it’s a female, because then there are not the comparisons with Michael.

Do you still have thoughts about Michael, do you miss him?
Always, absolutely. When Michael died it was a huge shock to all of us, and we all left town – got out because of the press – for about four or five days. I went down to my farm, I got really, really drunk, and I went to sleep. I woke up in the middle of the night after having a dream that Michael visited me. In my dream he came to me as an owl in a field and said: “Don’t worry; I’m finally free, I’m finally happy – don’t worry.” I woke up, balled my eyes out at 3am in the morning, and went back to bed. Ever since then I’ve felt very comfortable about it all, but at the end of the day I miss him very much… but we are a great band, and Michael was very much a part of that.

We’re hoping with this show that we are about to do that we will find some amazing fun person, male or female so that we can continue to do what we love doing, and that’s making music. I think Michael would have always wanted us to do that.

Do you have some words for the fans that come to visit Michael’s memorial site and fan site daily?
Well, I have great respect for that, but you do have to move on. Michael left a great legacy. I have respect for people that still mourn for him and miss him, we will always miss him. He was our best friend, partner, business partner, comrade, part of the six of us. There was always this chemistry between us, and that involved the six of us. Even our original manager became a seventh member, and we always thought there was a chemistry with the seven of us, and whatever we did worked.

But I know that Michael would want us to do whatever we want to do now, and would always want us to carry on the legacy of INXS – everything that we made and built as a band, he would condone. I know that he’s looking down and saying that what we are about to do with this TV show is a great idea, and a great thing, and he wants the best for us.

Copyright 2005, and granted permission for the exclusive use on www.michaelhutchence.org

As we approach Michael’s birthday, let us focus our thoughts on him and joyously celebrate a powerful, loving and creative soul who touched so many with his voice.

We decided, with Kell, that we would continue celebrating Mike’s birthday by having a drink and singing his songs. So, with Kell’s blessing, that’s what we will be doing! The celebration of a wonderfully talented man, Michael Hutchence, who touched our souls and captured our hearts. This year in Sydney, we will be begin celebrating Michael’s birthday on the 16th January 2005. There is a gig happening on this day performed by the cover band “KICK”, who will be performing three 45 minute sets of our favorite INXS songs to sing and dance along to.

Details are as follows:

“KICK”
Date: Sunday 16th January, 2005
Time: 6pm to 9pm
Albion Hotel
135 George Street (Cnr. Harris St.)
PARRAMATTA NSW
AUSTRALIA
Ph: 9891 3288
Admission free!

On Michael’s birthday, Saturday, 22nd January, 2005 all are welcome to call in at Milk Beach, Carerra Rd, Vaucluse, around 5 pm (before sunset) to watch the sun go down, as it is truly an amazing sight from the beach as you see the silhouette of the City. Michael’s ashes were scattered nearby on the same day, back in 1998. Thereafter, we will arrive at The Hard Rock Café in Crown Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney (Phone 02 9331 1116) around 8pm for drinks, and to continue our celebrations in honour of Michael.

For more info please call Ange on 0414 554122.

Love&Peace
Ange Perou

How eerie and timely our Christmas message appeal was, calling on us all to support Red Cross and other disaster agencies who work around the world. Our story of a storm at sea washing up millions of starfish will probably seem contrived to readers reading it now for the first time, but we actually published it on Michael’s Memorial Site one day before the disaster actually struck. We now appeal again for all of Michael’s fans to show their generosity and give freely to help those in desperate need in the Indian Ocean rim. Michael loved the Asian Pacific region and often holiday there.

Our deepest sympathy goes out to all those tens of thousands of people who have been affected.

You may have heard the story of a little guy throwing starfish into the ocean. An over night storm had swept millions of them onto the beach and he was throwing some of them back in.

An impossible task but nonetheless the little boy was trying to help out. A sarcastic passer by said to the boy, “Boy you are wasting your time. Do you really think you are going to make a difference?” At that the little boy picked up another starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He then turned and said to the passer by, “I made a difference to that one.”

The story has a simple message you can’t change the whole world, but any seemingly little thing you do for another less fortunate will make a difference to them. This Christmas as millions of dollars are raised through Band Aid’s “Feed the World”, why not consider getting involved too by financially supporting a less fortunate citizen of the world through a reputable agency like CARE or the Red Cross. For a few dollars a month you can “make a difference to that one”.

We take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy new year and we look forward to bringing you some more exclusive articles and media about Michael in 2005.

God bless you all from Susie, Jacqui, Mario and Ian.

The memory of a sweet spirited person is always a precious thing to hold in your heart. On this day two years ago we lost a dear husband, father, brother, grandfather, loyal friend. Kelland Hutchence is greatly missed. His laughter and impish grin, his loving heart and gentle manner will never be forgotten. He was taken from pain and heartache to the blessings of eternal rest.