Nov 23, 1997
Now for something uplifting. Like most of you, I’ve been awake far longer than a body should. What sleep I did get this morning was fitful at best and fraught with horrible nightmares. It didn’t help that the sun had already come up (but hey, sleep baby sleep, now that the night is over.). I’ve cried all day, sobbed over videos, cursed over news reports, and spewed my emotions over fellow inxsaries.
I told some fellow mourners this morning that my life the past two days has been wonderful. I enjoyed watching Rosie O’Donnell live out her dream and interview Barbra Streisand. I went to watch my hockey team win a game with a whole group of friends and went out for food and drink afterward. My alma mater, the Michigan Wolverines, beat our biggest rival (those nasty little buckeyes – no offense to anyone here) to go onto the Rose bowl this morning. I was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta English honor Society this evening. And I actually was inspired enough this week to drive through a great part of my thesis. When looking at my life, it should be absolutely wonderful.
Yet at 1 am last night, it suddenly wasn’t.
For 24 hours now, I’ve been tortured, broken, guilty, angry, saddened, sobbing, regretful and any other emotion you’d like to add in.
But it occurred to me that I have so many things in my life right now, so many good things – not just the things I mentioned above, but my husband, my family, my silly little dog and stuck up cat. And I realized that I wasn’t being true to what I believed.
Life needs to be lived. It needs to be celebrated. It needs to be worshipped.
So that’s what I did. After the induction tonight, I went to a friend’s party. I took a candle with me and at midnight, I lit it and said a prayer for Michael, his family, his friends and his fans. When the moon rose, I drank a toast to him. And in between, I danced. I danced like there was no tomorrow. I danced, and laughed and sang and I dedicated the whole evening to Hutch. And even though there are still a few tears in my eyes, a few regrets in my heart, I feel so much better.
So, what I’d like to suggest to everyone. Make a list of everything that’s right in your life at the moment, tap into that perfect happiness and dedicate it to Michael. Turn on any song that will get your feet moving and dance with abandon. Cry if you want to but keep dancing – sing your lungs out and give all that energy back to him. If you feel silly doing it by yourself, then have a party – a great big rip-roaring party and dance till you’re sweaty and tired. Say a prayer, light a candle, bark at the moon, set a place for him at dinner tomorrow or whatever it is you believe in. We can’t be at the funeral to say good bye, so make your own ceremony.
Just love him, remember him and honour him. We can do no more.
Stazya
“Love and Peace”
— Michael Hutchence
Dec 1, 1997
Last Wednesday before I left work for the four-day holiday (govt. worker — please, no jokes!) I posted to the list that since I didn’t have internet access at home, I’d be thinking of everyone at the appointed hour.
There I was in my kitchen, peeling over 12 lbs. of apples and playing WTWYA on my CD player, completely caught up in what I was doing, when I got this overwhelming feeling that I wasn’t alone, even tho’ my daughter was in bed fast asleep. I looked at the clock, and sure enough, it was exactly 9:30 p.m. — the time that everyone was gathering to pay tribute to Hutch.
Say what you want, but after that, I honestly believe that all of us that loved him and all the members of INXS, are truly spiritually linked.
~*~ Donna ~*~
Dec 3, 1997
Hi Stazya! How are you doing? Hope things are going better this week, I cannot say the same ’cause I’m having a fall.
Well, last Thursday the 27th of November is a day I will never forget… First of all I have to say that the difference between Spain and Sydney is ten hours, so 14:30pm in Sydney is 4:30am here…an untimely hour, but that wasn’t a problem for me, the problem was that I don’t have my own computer and my access to internet and e-mail is because of the University account… so in the moment where I needed my inxs-list friends more I was all alone, that’s why I asked you to think about me at that time in the chats, do you remember?. Well this didn’t stop me because our gorgeous Michael deserved this special celebration from his real fans. That’s why about 2:30am I searched for some Michael pictures then I put them on a shelf and lit two white candles…said a little prayer for Michael (I don’t believe in religion, I just believe in Michael) and kissed his pictures wishing him a good travel. Then I tried to have some sleep. The candles burnt during all the night…
A curious thing…well I usually sleep in one go, but that night, about 4:30 I wake up…looked at the candles and felt some kind of peace…maybe was a coincidence, maybe was the positive energy from all you in the chats, or maybe was Michael telling me “See you in Heaven…”
Well this is my story…a sad one told many times 😉
Hope to hear from you.
Take care and don’t change
Kisses
Susana.
Dec 3, 1997
To those who also love Michael as much as I do, He meant the world to me, I was sitting in my kitchen, at the bar listening to his beautiful voice, wiping out a box of tissues. I never cried so much and so hard in all my life. My heart is shattered. I just saw him two months ago. I had front row, he looked into my eyes and he touched me with his hand. I never saw anyone so beautiful in my entire life. I’m still crying and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. When he died, he took me with him, dedicated to the end.
Peace&Love,
Sharon
Dec 12, 1997
Please forgive me if this gets a bit long, there’s just so much I want to say.
While I was in high school in the 80’s I heard INXS, but I was so busy with Big Band music, playing violin, and collecting the Beatles, I never paid much attention. This past August I saw some of INXS’s Hard Rock Live set during VH-1’s eight days of 80’s and decided that I had to see them live. I found out about their Cleveland concert just two days beforehand (I was sure I’d missed them) and immediately got a ticket. For two hours, a few thousand other fans and I stood in the rain entranced by the band and by Michael.
After finding out the rest of the tour dates/locations because I wanted to send Michael a card and the poem I’d written, I decided to go to another of their shows. I got a ticket for the Pittsburgh show at the end of September (the last show of the tour). At the show, while Amy Grant was failing to amuse the audience, I wandered off to see if I could find Michael. He was in the radio sponsors’ tent by the concession stands and to get backstage had to pass behind some of the concession stands and across a small open area. I called his name and he turned to me and smiled before being hustled off by his bodyguard.
When I heard that Michael was dead I was too shocked even to cry. For the first few days I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t accept that he was gone. I had spent so much time thinking that maybe someday I would get a chance to meet him, I still can’t feel that it’s real. I started getting scared too because I found that I couldn’t listen to music anymore. Except for INXS music, everything I’d loved just made me hurt to listen to it. The music is slowly coming back, though much of it brings tears to my eyes.
I’ve had a hard time deciding which poems to include with this letter. Of the many that Michael has inspired (all of which will be in my next book), I’ve selected the one I wrote after the Cleveland concert, The New Messiah, and the one I wrote after hearing of Michael’s death, Percy’s Cloud.
Please feel free to post all or part of this letter and the poetry (provided my copyright appears with the poetry). Thanks for reading all this and for keeping Michael’s memory alive.
Jennifer E. Gladis
Dec 18, 1997
Hello, my name is Angela and I’m sending this from London, Ontario, Canada.
I basically grew up with INXS so when I heard of the death of Michael, I felt as if I had lost a family member or close friend. It has been rather hard for me because nobody around me is a big fan so it was hard for them to share in my grief. For the past couple weeks I have been wondering why this is making me so upset but it makes me feel better to know that I’m not the only one who’s upset and there are other people who are going through the same pain. You wanted to know what people were doing at the time of the funeral. Well I tried to find coverage on it and couldn’t but I’ve been told that it may have been shown on CNN. That was one thing that was making me very angry, is that there didn’t seem to be that much coverage on his death or maybe I just wasn’t looking in the right places. I have a friend who’s in Australia right now and she said they watched the funeral over there and it was very sad. She also sent me some magazines from there because she knows what a big fan I am. I really wish that I had seen the funeral because I don’t feel that I really had a time to mourn his loss and it still doesn’t seem real until you actually go through some kind of ceremony. I just feel like I really haven’t said good-bye to him. If you know of anyone who may be broadcasting it again or if there happens to be a video of it, I would really appreciate it if you could contact me. I know how horrible I feel about this loss and I can’t imagine the pain and suffering his family and friends are going through, and to know that his daughter will never really know what a wonderful man he was.
Thank you
Angela