As we were in Albany over the weekend, I am backdating my #blogeverydayofjune posts to ensure that I have every day covered!
Sally did a great post on The Sharp last week… so I am going to swoop in and do a post on INXS. I know Sally is a huge fan and also Nadine and I are total INXS tragics so it is perfect to post about the band that take up major space on my iPod.
I started my INXS fanaticism back in 1987 with the release of Kick and ‘Need You Tonight’. It was beyond words and it was then that I ended up being a fan for life.
Here is the song that started it all for me. I was NINE YEARS OLD!
I also remember this famous footage of New Sensation from the Live Baby Live tour –
Going through the back catalog it is hit after hit after hit. I remember for Christmas 1994, I got the INXS Greatest Hits CD which was just perfect as all their other songs I had recorded from the radio and had bits of “You’re listening to 105.1 MMM!” over the end of each of the songs.
The Loved One –
Don’t Change – this reminds me of summer
The AMAZING film clip for What You Need –
All library peeps should love the song Heaven Sent just for these lyrics –
Tuesday she works
In the library uptown
Some useful knowledge
Can always be found
Don’t burn the library
Till you’ve read all the books
Sometimes in life
You get a second look
By my side –
Did you know they are even on the Pretty In Pink soundtrack? Do Wot You Do is such a great old school INXS track –
Just one more for fun… Devil Inside –
Contrary to record sales, I actually really enjoyed INXS’ later releases. Elegantly Wasted is a fantastic album and here is the title track –
Of course this doesn’t even touch on songs like Burn for you, Mystify, This Time, Beautiful Girl, Suicide Blonde and Disappear. If you don’t have at least their Greatest Hits, you are missing out!
22 November 1997
When Michael Hutchence died I remember I was working at Parks Victoria. I walked down to Dangerfield on Flinders Street in shock. When I walked in the store I remember the girls behind the counter saying “Did you hear about Michael Hutchence?”
That night we all went to Twister. INXS was being played on Fox FM and at Twister they played INXS through the night. It was eerie and strange. If he hadn’t died we wouldn’t have been dancing to INXS – everyone was still very much in shock. Very weird night out indeed.
With Jon Stevens
I was working at an office building on St Kilda Road when I was on my way to work one morning and saw a concert poster for INXS at the Mercury Lounge with… Jon Stevens. I promptly contacted Nadine and Chris with a “WE HAVE TO GO!” and I organized the tickets through the fan club. I can still say it was one of the most amazing shows I have ever ever ever ever ever ever seen. Being in a tiny space that the Mercury Lounge was, with INXS playing so loudly my ear drums could have burst was an unforgettable experience. Jon Stevens has it and he was so suited well to INXS. It is a shame it didn’t work out.
Here he is singing Never Tear Us Apart –
Dogs In Space –
I went to school in Richmond and I would pass a house on Berry Street when we were walking from the tram stop. I was fascinated by that that house – it was two storey and totally out of place among the laneways of old cottages. Over the years it changed but I always would look at it, wondering what it was like inside and could never get over the haunted feeling that it had.
Then, one night in 1998, I managed to get Dogs In Space on VHS. Nadine and I were watching it and I nearly fell off the couch. The famous Dogs In Space house was THE house from Berry Street. I don’t think I could tell Nadine fast enough and I remember us driving down there in the middle of the night to go and check out the house. I still cannot believe that the house was such a pivotal location for such an iconic movie – with Michael Hutchence. You can read about the movie here and the house itself is on the Victorian Heritage Database.
Also – this was also part of the beginning of the adoration for Richard Lowenstein. He is the director who was behind so many memorable Hunters and Collectors and INXS film clips. He also wrote, directed and produced He Died With A Felafel In His Hand and Say a Little Prayer which was adapted from one of my favourite books, Came Back to Show You I Could Fly by Robin Klein.
Also just for the fun of it, here is a great article on 70s punk in Melbourne.
Rockstar INXS –
My love for INXS went on and when Rockstar: INXS was announced I was hooked. It was a great show and we would NEVER miss an episode. I even remember changing my late night reference desk roster at Parliament so I would be home on Rockstar nights. As a family, we all voted for Mig and were so sad when he lost. It was a fantastic program and seriously, if you ever watched Rockstar it makes Idol look like a high school talent show. The house band were absolutely amazing. As an aside, here are some great performances from the show.
Jordis Unga’s amazing performing Man who sold the world –
JD performing The Letter –
Marty Casey with Wish you were here –
Nadine and I went to see INXS perform with JD Fortune at the Palais. It was great seeing INXS play old and new and JD Fortune really was great as a front man but it is hard to move on as a band when you are still expected to play a greatest hits show because people still want to experience Michael – as well as hear new stuff.
INXS has just always been there. It is different here as INXS isn’t on the radio all the time but the great thing is they have a very loyal fan base that keeps the INXS spirit alive and they continue to perform.
My biggest regret? I never saw Michael Hutchence perform live and for that there will always be something missing in my list of concerts I have been to.