We share 2 rare interviews from the NFSA collection with INXS lead singer, Michael Hutchence.
Stay young
Michael Hutchence publicity image. NFSA title 785957.
Often compared to Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison, Michael Hutchence was a brilliant lyricist and an extraordinary vocalist and had a stage persona that radiated sex appeal and beguiled audiences.
If you were growing up in Australia in the 1980s, chances are you had a poster of him on your bedroom wall - perhaps lovingly rescued from a Smash Hits magazine.
Born in North Sydney on 22 January 1960, Michael Kelland John Hutchence spent his childhood moving between cities, including an 8-year stretch in Hong Kong and a short time in Hollywood.
At age 15 Hutchence was back in Sydney and studying at Davidson High School on the North Shore. During this time he was profusely writing poetry and had also become close friends with Davidson classmate Andrew Farriss.
Farriss was serious about a career in music, and Hutchence felt comfortable sharing his poetry with his good friend. And so began a writing partnership that would span 2 decades. Together with Farriss’ two brothers and friends Kirk Pengilly and Garry Beers, they went on to form INXS.
