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Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was an Australian music scene comprised of artists who never had, nor ever would, be in Neighbours. Gruff tough pubs throughout Australia, were jam packed – long before capacity laws ruined everyone’s fun by insisting that every punter needed room to breathe – with people who wouldn’t hesitate to throw things if they didn’t like the music - even if they were sober which they weren’t, and this “rock finishing school” produced some seminal late 70s and early 80s bands such as AC/DC, Midnight Oil and Cold Chisel. Much more importantly though, this scene was the birthplace of the greatest funk rock band to come out from Down Under – and in my humble opinion – the greatest live band of all time: INXS.

In addition to their obvious knicker-ruining allure, what has always grabbed me about INXS is the raw edge of their music: the driving funk vibe that is edgier (with the exception of most of Kick) than the slick mass-zeitgeist-appeal of U2 or Coldplay yet still accessible enough to dance to. The energy and at times searing honesty of Don’t Change, Suicide Blonde, By My Side, Not Enough Time or Elegantly Wasted (to name just a few of my favourite songs) proves what a Virgin DJ (sorry had just flicked over and didn’t catch the name of the show!) commented recently after playing New Sensation, that there is “only one INXS.” It was a fitting metaphor that I once heard Garry Beers use in an interview, while talking about the reality show, he mentioned that they were effectively pulling their pants down as a band for the world. Now I realize that it is tempting to allow your mind to stray in a rather different direction at the thought of a trouserless INXS, but stay with me because it also very aptly describes their music and style of live performance. Intoxicating collisions of seductive arrogance and vulnerability, of punk and funk, of hard rock riffs and gently poetic lyrics feature heavily on every album, in every performance, that strike me as a direct result of their baptism by fire (or on some occasions rotten vegetables) roots. Andrew Farriss said in an interview with Guitar Player magazine in January 2006: “The school we came out of was.. pretty rough audiences in Australia’s pubs, and we learned pretty quickly to get on stage, play well, and keep people’s attention. It was entertain or die!”

I realize that plenty of fans were utterly aghast at the news that they were going down the cheesiest route imaginable and using an American reality show to chose a lead singer to replace the irreplaceable Michael Hutchence. I didn’t have an issue with the idea of the band collaborating with a new singer: to me, INXS have always had such a strong instrumental identity that while I wouldn’t dream of under estimating the unquestionable influence of one of the greatest voices, lyricists and charismatic presences in rock, I never felt that their sound boiled down to the vocals. I happily admit, however, to being one of those who reeled in horror at the thought of some Idol-esque travesty and swore never to watch. Naturally within weeks I had to eat my words and by the end of the summer was completely obsessed and screamed and toasted with a cocktail or eight when they made the brilliant decision to name not a replacement, but a worthy successor, in J.D. Fortune.
I could go on forever about the brilliance of this band - and in fact have spent most of the morning editing this post to less than a novel. My most recent concert experience is posted here: Vegas Trip but, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. The newly recomplete INXS will play their first UK concert in 4 years at the Shepherds Bush Empire on October 12th (yes I do believe that they deliberately chose my birthday week ;) ) There aren’t many tickets left but I do highly recommend grabbing the last couple – I’ll see you there.

My Blog where I first posted this (for other random ramblings... !)

The whole band:

If you could guarantee that your next album would sell double as much as Kick and the following double as much as that and so on by one member of the band marrying Mrs Mangel from Neighbours who would you nominate to do it?

(and there must be no "I'm already married" cop outs - every member of the band must be considered equally!)

A helpful visual:


P.S.
Tona helpfully pointed out that she thought Mrs Mangel was dead. I am fairly sure she is (I think that she might have been electrocuted with a vacuum cleaner - damn good tv, that was) but I would hazard a guess that that isn't the main thing that would stop the gentlemen of INXS jumping forward to marry her. She wasn't a very nice person, old Nell Mangel, although maybe, like JD on Rockstar, she was simply misunderstood.

It was the crying over the Don't Change video incident that prompted me to decide, with all the stubborn determination of a 4 year old Glaswegian, on my very first ambition: I was going to become Mrs Jon Farriss, or bust.

(This particular goal was further consolidated by my second introduction to INXS a few years later, when I couldn't possibly have fallen in love with Michael as most of my friends did, out of respect for Kylie, my heroine, who was then going out with him.)

I won't going to lie to you. Progress hasn't been great. So far, I have managed to date:

a) a bloke called Jon.
b) an Australian bloke (Called Ben, if you are interested.)
c) a bloke who was born in August, 1961 (Slightly confusingly, called Andy. And no, he had no idea that I was 17 years younger than him thanks to the trowel load of make up I wore at 21.)
d) a drummer (Well, "date" might be a slight exaggeration. "Did stuff with behind the Electric Ballroom in Camden" is a little more accurate. Ummm, anyway..)

But yet am I to manage all four at once. I would just like to point out, that none of this was a conscious part of my "Mrs Jon Farriss or bust" plan (the truth is, I don't really have much of a "Mrs Jon Farriss or bust" plan, which might be a part of the problem) it just so happened that these blokes came along and offered to buy me dinner in exchange for a chance to get in to my knickers, and I accepted, only noticing later that I was in the midst of building myself Jon Farriss (a shame, as I missed the opportunity to rub my hands together and cackle "it's alliiivvvvvvveeeeeee.")

Which I think will have to do, given that whole "lovely wife" nonsense that he has going on at the moment. Excuse me while I cruise internet dating sites in search of a man with a penchant for wearing sparkly trousers...

*little dance of joy to have a reply on my very own thread*

*okay, it is a big dance of joy and there is a little song to go with it..*

*collegue looking at me funny, so I'll sit down now*

Oh you're all lovely! When I said I wanted everyone to join in, I didn't just mean that you all had to say nice things about me (although don't let me stop you) - I just meant so that I wasn't talking to myself!

Now pardon me while I attempt to shoot down my ego which is currently floating above West London and causing something of an eclipse...

I am thinking about building myself a JD. I've dated plenty of lanky Canadians (had them coming out my ears... as in, lots of them, not literally in some strange sex trick kind of way) one of whom had been in the army and another of whom has a dog. I am fairly accident prone myself, so a bit nervous about going for a bloke who is as I suspect one of us wouldn't survive that relationship, and I am not sure where to go about finding one who has a habit of sitting in cakes or licking microphone stands (I once knew a bloke who'd lick street lamps in winter to see if it was true that his tongue'd stick to it - it was - but that was in junior school)... bugger, I am not building myself a very good JD at all.

Yes I am having a very boring afternoon, mind keeps wandering...

The whole band
Is the (to my mind) Eastern feel of Afterglow (in both sentiment, that - based on my incredibly basic understanding of Buddhism - idea of the permanence and continuing influence and comfort of spirit after passing, and in the atmosphere of the music) a tribute to Michael's history with Hong Kong, both as a child and in later life with Jon?

Andrew
Did working with the Aboriginal collective Yothu Yindi, in particular experiencing the relationship that Native people have with music and storytelling, affect the way that you now approach songwriting for for INXS?

JD
Do you have a particular method in mind in the way that you approach the back catalogue, in terms of respecting the original message or story behind the song, while also singing it as your own?

Are there any songs that you struggle to relate to because they refer to experiences or feelings that you haven't yet come across?

The band
If Michael could give JD one piece of advice, what do you think it would be?