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Mai 1999
May 30, 1999:
Kell Hutchence
has entered a Sydney Hospital for routine surgery this evening. He will
be in the hospital for at least four days recovering. Greetings can be
sent to Kell c/o dipa@wr.com.au.
KROQ 106.7
in Los Angeles has just released the results of their poll of the "Top
106.7 KROQ Bands." INXS placed at a very respectable #42 in the survey
-- thanks to all who voted for them! The top 3 bands were Depeche Mode,
the Beastie Boys, and the Offspring. Full results are available at the
KROQ site.
May 28,
1999:
INXS held
an official press conference yesterday to announce the selection of Terence
Trent d'Arby as their lead singer for the one-off gig at Stadium Australia
on June 12. The band will perform three songs with d'Arby and will be
the final act to appear at the event, which is expected to draw nearly
100,000 people. "Terence is a fantastic singer, a versatile and soulful
singer who loves the same kind of music as we do," the band said in a
prepared statement. "We are really looking forward to playing with him
on the night." Speaking about Michael Hutchence, Tim Farriss said, "Obviously,
we miss him incredibly and the thought of anyone replacing him is an impossible
one. But we don't want the last 20 years to fall by the wayside. It's
about us continuing to play music because we love it... This is an INXS
show and Terence is merely lending us his vocal chords... Though a tragedy
this is an opportunity to work with a lot of different singers." Farriss
added that several singers, including Bono, had approached the band to
sing at the gig, but that INXS had settled on D'Arby because of the singer's
R&B/soul delivery reminiscent of Michael's vocal stylings. Kirk Pengilly
added, "It's for one night only, at this stage." d'Arby is scheduled to
arrive in Australia next week to begin rehearsals with the band. INXS
also took the opportunity to discuss other ongoing projects. "We've been
in the studio, yes," Tim Farriss said. "It's in us; we're musicians."
The band is rumored to be working on a new greatest hits compilation for
release this winter that will contain several new songs. Also mentioned
were the forthcoming book and film that the band are working on to chronicle
their 20-year history. And finally, "With regard to the future, if and
when a situation arises where we feel we want to play, we will. We are
a band and the desire to play is still there."
May 26,
1999:
Terence
Trent d'Arby will act as INXS' lead singer in a one-off gig on June 12
at the grand opening of Stadium Australia in Sydney. The official announcement
will take place tomorrow at a press conference in Australia. d'Arby rocketed
to stardom with 1987's Introducing The Hardline According To Terence
Trent d'Arby, which featured the international hits Wishing Well,
If You Let Me Stay, and Sign Your Name. His next two albums,
1989's Neither Fish Nor Flesh and 1993's Symphony or Damn,
each had a minor hit with To Love Someone Softly Is To Love Someone
Softly and She Kissed Me, respectively. His most recent album
was 1995's Vibrator. Rumors had been swirling for months about
d'Arby replacing Michael Hutchence permanently as lead singer, to which
he released the following statement in March: "No one can ever take Michael
Hutchence's place. I had and retain a vast reservoir of fondness for this
sweet soul. Although I am flattered by the rumours of my taking his place
in INXS, they have no substance beyond that. Should they continue onwards
I wish them the very best of musical magic and success." It is not clear
at this time whether the relationship between the band and the charismatic
singer will continue following the show. d'Arby has been working recently
on material for a new album tentatively titled The Solar Return of
Terence Trent d'Arby: Confessions of a Powernoise Schizophonic. (thanks
to xpressway management)
May 25,
1999:
InMusic&Media
reports that long-time Warner executive Steve Hands has lost his fight
against cancer. Hands, who turned 50 on April 30, was the recipient of
two benefit shows this year, in Sydney and Melbourne, where members of
INXS, Goanna, and Rose Tattoo, among others, played to raise money for
his medical bills. He will be remembered for his irrepressible humour
and his refusal to take himself seriously. (thanks to kerry
bergh)
May 18,
1999:
Bruce Fairbairn,
producer of INXS' 1997 CD Elegantly Wasted died in his sleep Monday
at his Vancouver home of undetermined causes, it was confirmed today in
a statement from the Bruce Allen Talent agency. Fairbairn was just 49.
When Fairbairn failed to arrive at an afternoon recording session at his
Armoury Studios, studio manager Sheryl Preston drove to his home and discovered
his body on the bedroom floor. The prolific producer had gained international
prominence by helming well-known albums by such artists as Aerosmith,
Van Halen, AC/DC, Loverboy, Bon Jovi ("Slippery When Wet"), KISS ("Psycho
Circus"), and the Cranberries. He was currently in the midst of mixing
a new album by '70s prog-rockers Yes. Details of a memorial service will
be released as soon as arrangements have been made. In lieu of flowers,
donations in Fairbairn's memory may be made to the Vancouver YMCA or a
charity of your choice. An Excess of INXS reprinted an interview
with Fairbairn about the recording process for Elegantly Wasted
in April 1997.
Paula Yates
is dating Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley, it was reported yesterday.
The couple became involved after meeting at a showbiz party, Sunday
People said. But friends said neither Yates nor Flatley felt ready
to plunge into a big commitment. Yates, 38, is still devastated by the
suicide of her lover, INXS singer Michael Hutchence. She and Flatley "have
been dating for a while", a friend said. "They are just enjoying each
other's company and seeing what develops." (thanks to matthew
marsland)
Most of
the final details of Michael Hutchence's will have apparently finally
come to light. According to the New York Post, Yates, who left
her husband Bob Geldof for Hutchence, gets "only" about $1.5 million from
the $16 million estate. On the bright side, Michael did leave almost half
his fortune to their daughter Tiger Lily, now 3. Estranged mother Patricia
Glassop and the rest of the grown-up Hutchence family wouldn't seem to
have much to complain about, though. After bequests of about $750,000
each to Green Peace and Amnesty International, Michael left the rest -
some $6 million - to them. (thanks to deirdre jennette)
May 16,
1999:
KROQ Los
Angeles, arguably the most influential radio station in the United States,
is currently conducting a poll for the top 106.7 KROQ bands. Please vote
for INXS! The URL is http://www.kroq.com/contests/memorialday/index.html.
Tiger Lily's
godmother Belinda Brewin was a surprise guest at the fashion show of Sydney
designer Collette Dinnigan's last Tuesday night. "I have just slipped
into the country for a few days over Tiger's money," she explained. Brewin
is helping Tiger to fight for an unspecified lump sum of money plus interest
from the estate of her late father Michael Hutchence. Brewin's visit came
as news to Tiger's grandfather Kelland Hutchence. "Wouldn't you think
she'd have the decency to call," he thundered. "It's all really quite
distasteful." Kel is apparently upset because he has heard no news at
all of the only child of his late son Michael Hutchence. (thanks
to ellie lever)
May 7,
1999:
INXS have
confirmed rumors that they will play at the official opening of Stadium
Australia (the site of the 2000 Olympic Games) in Sydney on June 12, playing
prior to a football match between FIFA All Stars and the Socceroos. It
is understood the band are considering a female vocalist for the one-off
gig. Former Baby Animals lead singer Suze DeMarchi and long-time INXS
collaborator Jenny Morris are among the contenders to perform two songs
when the band headlines the entertainment extravaganza. Other names being
floated include former Souther Sons singer Jack Jones and Noiseworks vocalist
Jon Stevens. Other acts scheduled to perform at the concert include Phantom
of the Opera star Rob Guest and the recently re-formed Men At Work. Jimmy
Barnes, who recorded "Good Times" with INXS and sang with them at the
Mushroom Records 25th Anniversary concert, will not repeat the performance
for the opening. A crowd of between 80,000 to 110,000 including Prime
Minister John Howard is expected. (thanks to kimberly turner,
kerry bergh, angus ted, and david edwards)
Rolling
Stone has revealed that the forthcoming solo Hutchence disc is entitled
simply Michael Hutchence and will be released in August 1999. "It's
quite different [sound-wise]," says Michael Hutchence executive producer
Steve Abbott. "INXS was a great democracy to a certain extent, and this
is exactly how he wanted a record to be if he made a record." Abbott says
Hutchence completed all the vocals for the album, which is co-produced
by collaborators Danny Saber and Andy Gill. The magazine also revealed
some more information about some of the songs included on the album. One
song is titled "Slide Away" and includes the line "I wish I could slide
away and be reborn again." However, Abbott is quick to defend Hutchence's
state of mind. "You have no hint that this could be a guy that's anything
but reflecting on the past and looking to the future," he says. Another
Michael Hutchence song, "Neo-Junkie Philanderer," deals with the press
perception of Hutchence, while "She Floats For England" was inspired by
the singer's girlfriend, Paula Yates. Check out An Excess of INXS's
comprehensive guide to the new record
for more information.
May 4,
1999:
As the millenium
approaches, it's time for the definitive poll of the "Top INXS Songs of
All-Time." This is a completely fan-based exercise, so your input is absolutely
necessary! Please email a list of your top 10 INXS songs to topten@inxsweb.com
as soon as possible. The polls will close in June unless we're under 200
entries, in which case the polling will continue.
INXS added
perennial #1 "Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain)" to 1997 set lists
as a direct result of a past poll on the INXS Email List, which will also
be participating in this definitive polling.
Some quick
rules: only ten songs can be submitted, and they must be in numeric order
with #1 being your favorite INXS song of all-time. Remixes and live versions
are not allowed, and "Need You Tonight/Mediate" is not a choice (they
are two separate songs!) B-sides, album tracks, and soundtrack cuts are
all fair game. Good luck choosing your favorites!
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