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.

The 22nd November means many different things to many people. It was the day in 1963 that John F Kennedy was assassinated. It is Thanksgiving Day in the US (whenever it falls on Thursday). In the Christian Roman Church calendar it is still celebrated as Saint Cecilia Day, who is the Patron Saint of poetry and music.

For many adoring INXS fans it is the tragic day seven years ago that Michael Hutchence lost his life. Bono and U2 where preparing to perform in San Antonio, Texas, that day when word came through about Michael’s death. Gutted by the news, Bono struggled through the concert making several references to his dear friend. “Hutch, where are you?” he cried. Over the past seven years Bono has frequently mentioned Michael at U2 concerts. He has dedicated many songs to Michael and has regularly finished the evening with a track of Michael and INXS playing over the PA system. Bono even completed the recording of the song, “Slide Away” on Michael’s solo album, as well as dedicating the Grammy award winning “Stuck in a Moment” to his friend’s memory. We too have some special material to dedicate to Michael this month.

Recently we stumbled onto an old demo track of “Deliver Me”. Michael and Andrew had recorded it in Crescent Moon Studios in Miami in 1994. We have called this track “The Miami Session”. I have researched extensively what now forms the second article in our series on “How Hutch Composed a Song”, and all that is included is to my knowledge accurate. I have tried to recapture that moment in time. We approached INXS Management some months ago with a view to having Andrew take part in this years Special Feature. Andrew was enthusiastic to help and we are delighted to have included his exclusive interview with Nathan Hull and Dan Jones on Michael’s Memorial Site this November 22nd.

We are also privileged to have V2 Records’ support to bring you six great tracks from Michael’s solo work. “Possibilities” was Kell’s favourite. Relax, close your eyes, and listen to a great song. We wish to thank Daniel from www.dgpics.com for permission to use the bright smiling picture of Michael on the “News” page. He reports it was taken in an interview in 1987. When Kell first saw this picture, I remember he sighed. It was his favorite picture. Thanks to Susie Hutchence, Mario and Jacqui Ferrari who complete the team at www.michaelhutchence.org. Mario and Jacqui have worked hard on producing this month’s very special features, including the Flash introduction of Michael, with pictures taken at Open Air Festival, St Gall, in Switzerland in 1997. We also thank Dan Jones for his informative article on Max Q. We have been able to officially stream audio tracks from the album. Finally a big thanks to the INXS team whose continued support is invaluable.

This year the third Saturday in November became even more serene as I received the sad news that my dear sister, Jeanette, had passed away. I am about to board a flight from London to Sydney to attend her funeral so I will miss the 22nd November. It will just disappear… just like all our problems disappear when we focus on the precious memories of loved ones that are no longer with us.

Two days after the Miami Session, Michael was reflecting in his room at the Caracas Hilton, in Venezuela. That day he wrote down his thoughts, some of which I will share with you now.

“I have had a thousand rooms but I am homeless”. And of those who had stayed in that room before him he said, “We shared the same space in our loneliness”. Being a creative person on the road has it’s down times, particularly following a period of intensive, creative, outpouring. After Michael left us Bono wisely admonished us all to think more often about our friends. “Make that phone call, send that email”, he said. So, who can you message today to say, “Hi, I am just thinking about you”?

Seven years are considered in the Judeo-Christian Old Testament to be a time of perfecting under trial. The rest from the struggle becomes the sabbatical year. Perhaps this year will be a sabbatical year of peace and rest from struggles for Michael’s family. We hope you enjoy the new materials in memory of the incredibly talented Michael Hutchence. We dedicate them also to his adorable daughter, Tiger Lily.

Ian Patterson
For Susie, Mario and Jacqui

 

Saturday, 20 November 2004, 8 pm at the Hard Rock Cafe, 121 Crown Street, Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia. For further information contact Ange: phone 0414 554 122.

The full streams to each Max Q track including the rare Love Man B-side are now available. For those who don’t have the album take a listen and realise that this album was way ahead of it’s time.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the re-styled Official Michael Hutchence Memorial Site.

We hope you approve of the lighter appearance, the new articles and media files. There is more to come! Much credit must go to Mario and Jacqui Ferrari who are always so willing and diligent in keeping Michael’s Site running in more ways than most people realise. We are also celebrating this month, five years since our team, led by our dearly departed Kelland Hutchence, banded together to launch www.michaelhutchence.org.

It was in the immensely difficult months following Michael’s death that Kell commenced communicating with Michael’s friends and fans around the world. To enable him to do this, it was necessary to help him set up on the Internet, to assist him with the learning curve and with all that that entailed. Kell never gave up on the task, as it was so important to him that he help others who were also grieving, and to ensure that his son’s legacy would live on. It was during all the computer “tech support” calls from Kell that I suggested we work on a virtual perpetual memorial site for Michael. Kell was very encouraged by the prospect, and so over the coming months we commenced writing and collecting content from Michael’s family and friends. Kelland, Tina and Rhett Hutchence, Andrew Farriss, Bono, Jimmy Barnes, Jenny Morris, Richard Lowenstein, Helena Christensen, Greg Perano and many others helped by contributing heartfelt thoughts. Sadly Paula never managed to contribute and her passing was a sorrow upon a sorrow.

During those early days Kell also conducted a number of online talks with Michael’s fans as well as meeting with those that would travel from around the world to visit him in Sydney. He gained much comfort through comforting others. It was around this time that I introduced Kell to Mario and Jackie Ferrari, two devotees of Michael and INXS, who had build an INXS fan site from their professional digital publishing office in Switzerland. Mario and Jacqui from day one were committed to seeing Michael’s Memorial Site completed, and thus played a vital role with us in the layout, design and realisation of Michael’s Site. I have many fond memories of Kell, Susie, Mario, Jackie and I in project meetings around cups of coffee at Dee Bee’s restaurant in Double Bay. It is partly due to the latter’s Web professionalism that this site has won numerous awards and has been archived by the Australian National Library in Canberra as an Australian cultural treasure.

I must admit I was devoted to seeing Kell heal from terrible grief and the Memorial Website seemed a very worthwhile project for him to divert his attentions into. At the same time we set about organising the first Memorial Service for Michael which took place in November, 1998. We continued those services every year while Kell was alive. He saw the last service in November, 2002 via video from his hospital bed. He hoped that fans would continue to gather to celebrate Michael’s birthday every 22nd January. We are in debt to Ange Perou for her ongoing support as Fan Club President in coordinating these gatherings. It was also Kell’s wish that we all carry on with our work in maintaining and expanding Michael’s Memorial Site. Susie Hutchence is faithfully realising her husband’s vision with her support and leadership at www.michaelhutchence.org

I sometimes wonder what Michael would have thought of all this, given that he was not particularly fond of the Internet. But Memorials are more for those left behind and it is a natural and healthy way of coping with such great loss. It is a joy to us that these pages are open to the whole world to see, and hundreds of thousands have visited this site since it’s inception. Thousand have encouraged us with heart-warming stories of momentary encounters with Michael, or with edifying stories of how Michael’s music and that of INXS have stirred their spirit in times of discouragement. It is also a delight to welcome, in very increasing numbers, younger audiences who are discovering the music of INXS and Hutch the Legend for the very first time. Sometimes it is by way of their parents, other times it is through the media or stumbling upon this site.

There is one Beautiful Girl yet to grow into Michael’s Memorial Site, and when she arrives it will be a rich legacy for her to enjoy. And if she so chooses, she may well fulfil her Grandaddio’s vision by taking leadship here… and thereby illuminating her Daddy’s Shining Star for many years to come.

Ian Patterson
Co-Director
For Susie Hutchence, Mario and Jacqui Ferrari

 

Precious Princess whose spirit is so young, innocent and care-free. Out of the phoenix of such sad loss your life will be lovingly shaped and moulded by the caring grace of God. You are adored and treasured always. Happy Birthday Tiger!