Ten years ago tomorrow I was at work in a record store talking to some people when the phone rang. It was a friend and he was saying
“You're not going to believe this…”,
Not going to believe what? I asked.
“Michael Hutchence is dead!”. It took a moment for what he was saying to sink in, it seemed like an odd jumble of words that had no place being in the same sentence.
What the hell are you talking about?
“It's all over the news, TV and radio, they found him in his Sydney hotel room. It looks like he hung himself.“ The last sentence lingered in the air and was such an unbelievable and unlikely spin on the already unfathomable information that the room seemed to skew as I turned to guys I'd been talking to to tell them the news. Their expressions, I imagine, mirrored my own, shock and disbelief, doubt and denial. Surely this was some kind of sick joke. But as I turned the radio on, and INXS poured out of each station we realised there was not joke. Michael Hutchence was gone.
Only a couple of days earlier I had watched on the Channel 9 Today Show, Michael laughing and smiling through an interview at rehearsals for now impending Australian Tour. He was in fine form, his current scruffy fashion, was not the best he'd ever looked but he certainly came across as a man who was happy, enjoying life and looking forward to getting on the road.
The first time I saw INXS they were hi-octane skinny legged, spotty faced kids leaping around through Simple Simon on Countdown sometime early 1980. They weren't punk (although they had some of that energy) and it was too Australian to be New Wave, but I liked it right away. I rushed out and bought the single. A short while later I was in Sydney for the first time and after getting into the city at lunchtime I was wandering along trying to find my way and this guy steps into my path and says “there's a free concert downstairs mate! 2SM Lunchtime series, it's Free”. So I venture down the stairs and there was INXS are on the stage being absolutely frenetic, running all over the stage and playing all these great songs I'd never heard (although I have a strong memory of them covering a song by my favourite Elvis Costello – another huge plus). They were a tremendously exciting live act, good musicians, energetic performers and Michael, even at that early stage was charismatic and confident, snaking all over the stage, climbing things and exuding the kind of “star quality” you rarely get to see in an overseas artist let alone in a Sydney basement at lunchtime.
Sometime later INXS came to Adelaide for the first time and I went to the concert and the next morning went down to the motel where they stayed and they all signed autographs for me and I took a photo of the whole band together. They are so young in that photo. Every time they came to Adelaide, I was there with ticket in hand and the latest pile of records to sign, which they were always gracious and co-operative about doing so. The first time Michael called me by name I nearly fell over, I mean, he was a proper pop star, and why would he remember my name?!? But he did and that was really nice. In 1983 or 84 I was in Melbourne for the Countdown Awards and I was hanging around some hotel when Michael turned up. He was immediately swamped by girls wanting photos and autographs. He was laughing and signing and posing for photos when he saw me and came straight over sticking out his hand and saying loudly “IAN! MATE What are you doing here!?” When he went inside all the girls flocked around asking me “how do you know Michael” and “how long have you been friends”, then I realised that part of the reason for him to make a big fuss over some fan from Adelaide was he knew that it would impress the girls who I'd been talking to before he got there. He did stuff like that quite often. I have a wonderful video tape of Michael wishing all my friends a Merry Xmas one year. I would never presume to say we were friends, we never had dinner together or swapped phone numbers, but he was never anything but friendly and happy to see the regular fans, time after time.
People forget just how huge INXS were. They were a little band from Perth and we watched them touring the world, making videos in Japan, being in German pop magazines, appearing on MTV, playing Wembley Stadium, having number one records the world over. Their success was our success. It was like we were constantly going “Yeah we know! We saw them first!”. They were absolutely world class in every respect. The songs were fresh and unique, melding rock attitude with funky grooves, great production, awesome videos and classic pop sensibility with a powerful live show which was larger than life. Thanks in no small part to Michael. He's been gone for ten years and I still believe he is one the best front men of any band EVER anywhere. He was talented, sexy, playful, irreverent and funny and had charisma ten miles wide.
A few Michael memories : Him climbing the scaffolding in that tigerskin jumpsuit thing at a huge gig at Adelaide Football Park on New Years day 1985. Hearing from a reliable source that at a show at Memorial Drive Mick Jagger had turned up as a guest and offered to get up and do a couple of numbers and the band turning him down because that's all people would have talked about. Seeing them play very early on at the Adelaide Uni Barr Smith Lawns. Two sold out nights at Apollo Stadium (with Shriekback as support). Michael spending about 45 minutes going through my INXS scrapbook reading articles he hadn't seen and telling me stories about where this photo was taken or where he got that shirt. Seeing the video for What You Need for the first time and being blown away. Hanging out with the guys in the hotel bar so long after a show, that when I got to the club I was supposed to be DJ-ing in that night, they had closed up and gone home, so we just headed back to the bar! Michael introducing me to Helena Christensen outside the Hyatt. Michael seeing me down the front of the packed pub gigs (Old Lion '93) giving me the thumbs up before passing me a bottle of water.
His death hit me very hard. He was young and talented, had a young child he was clearly devoted to. Don't think we will ever know what really happened but I'd like to think it was an accident. I have certainly had mixed feelings about the band post-Michael. I have nothing against JD, he is a excellent singer and a terrific front man. He is also a really nice guy, I've met him twice now and he's been brilliant both times. Some of the new songs (Afterglow in particular) are classics and I'll always go and see them. But whilst I always enjoy the shows with JD, it's often the time I miss Michael the most.
To all the guys in the band, to Michaels family and friends, to Tiger Lily – thank you for sharing Michael with all of us. He maybe gone but he will never, ever be forgotten.
Ian Bell
Adelaide
“You're not going to believe this…”,
Not going to believe what? I asked.
“Michael Hutchence is dead!”. It took a moment for what he was saying to sink in, it seemed like an odd jumble of words that had no place being in the same sentence.
What the hell are you talking about?
“It's all over the news, TV and radio, they found him in his Sydney hotel room. It looks like he hung himself.“ The last sentence lingered in the air and was such an unbelievable and unlikely spin on the already unfathomable information that the room seemed to skew as I turned to guys I'd been talking to to tell them the news. Their expressions, I imagine, mirrored my own, shock and disbelief, doubt and denial. Surely this was some kind of sick joke. But as I turned the radio on, and INXS poured out of each station we realised there was not joke. Michael Hutchence was gone.
Only a couple of days earlier I had watched on the Channel 9 Today Show, Michael laughing and smiling through an interview at rehearsals for now impending Australian Tour. He was in fine form, his current scruffy fashion, was not the best he'd ever looked but he certainly came across as a man who was happy, enjoying life and looking forward to getting on the road.
The first time I saw INXS they were hi-octane skinny legged, spotty faced kids leaping around through Simple Simon on Countdown sometime early 1980. They weren't punk (although they had some of that energy) and it was too Australian to be New Wave, but I liked it right away. I rushed out and bought the single. A short while later I was in Sydney for the first time and after getting into the city at lunchtime I was wandering along trying to find my way and this guy steps into my path and says “there's a free concert downstairs mate! 2SM Lunchtime series, it's Free”. So I venture down the stairs and there was INXS are on the stage being absolutely frenetic, running all over the stage and playing all these great songs I'd never heard (although I have a strong memory of them covering a song by my favourite Elvis Costello – another huge plus). They were a tremendously exciting live act, good musicians, energetic performers and Michael, even at that early stage was charismatic and confident, snaking all over the stage, climbing things and exuding the kind of “star quality” you rarely get to see in an overseas artist let alone in a Sydney basement at lunchtime.
Sometime later INXS came to Adelaide for the first time and I went to the concert and the next morning went down to the motel where they stayed and they all signed autographs for me and I took a photo of the whole band together. They are so young in that photo. Every time they came to Adelaide, I was there with ticket in hand and the latest pile of records to sign, which they were always gracious and co-operative about doing so. The first time Michael called me by name I nearly fell over, I mean, he was a proper pop star, and why would he remember my name?!? But he did and that was really nice. In 1983 or 84 I was in Melbourne for the Countdown Awards and I was hanging around some hotel when Michael turned up. He was immediately swamped by girls wanting photos and autographs. He was laughing and signing and posing for photos when he saw me and came straight over sticking out his hand and saying loudly “IAN! MATE What are you doing here!?” When he went inside all the girls flocked around asking me “how do you know Michael” and “how long have you been friends”, then I realised that part of the reason for him to make a big fuss over some fan from Adelaide was he knew that it would impress the girls who I'd been talking to before he got there. He did stuff like that quite often. I have a wonderful video tape of Michael wishing all my friends a Merry Xmas one year. I would never presume to say we were friends, we never had dinner together or swapped phone numbers, but he was never anything but friendly and happy to see the regular fans, time after time.
People forget just how huge INXS were. They were a little band from Perth and we watched them touring the world, making videos in Japan, being in German pop magazines, appearing on MTV, playing Wembley Stadium, having number one records the world over. Their success was our success. It was like we were constantly going “Yeah we know! We saw them first!”. They were absolutely world class in every respect. The songs were fresh and unique, melding rock attitude with funky grooves, great production, awesome videos and classic pop sensibility with a powerful live show which was larger than life. Thanks in no small part to Michael. He's been gone for ten years and I still believe he is one the best front men of any band EVER anywhere. He was talented, sexy, playful, irreverent and funny and had charisma ten miles wide.
A few Michael memories : Him climbing the scaffolding in that tigerskin jumpsuit thing at a huge gig at Adelaide Football Park on New Years day 1985. Hearing from a reliable source that at a show at Memorial Drive Mick Jagger had turned up as a guest and offered to get up and do a couple of numbers and the band turning him down because that's all people would have talked about. Seeing them play very early on at the Adelaide Uni Barr Smith Lawns. Two sold out nights at Apollo Stadium (with Shriekback as support). Michael spending about 45 minutes going through my INXS scrapbook reading articles he hadn't seen and telling me stories about where this photo was taken or where he got that shirt. Seeing the video for What You Need for the first time and being blown away. Hanging out with the guys in the hotel bar so long after a show, that when I got to the club I was supposed to be DJ-ing in that night, they had closed up and gone home, so we just headed back to the bar! Michael introducing me to Helena Christensen outside the Hyatt. Michael seeing me down the front of the packed pub gigs (Old Lion '93) giving me the thumbs up before passing me a bottle of water.
His death hit me very hard. He was young and talented, had a young child he was clearly devoted to. Don't think we will ever know what really happened but I'd like to think it was an accident. I have certainly had mixed feelings about the band post-Michael. I have nothing against JD, he is a excellent singer and a terrific front man. He is also a really nice guy, I've met him twice now and he's been brilliant both times. Some of the new songs (Afterglow in particular) are classics and I'll always go and see them. But whilst I always enjoy the shows with JD, it's often the time I miss Michael the most.
To all the guys in the band, to Michaels family and friends, to Tiger Lily – thank you for sharing Michael with all of us. He maybe gone but he will never, ever be forgotten.
Ian Bell
Adelaide