In the week we remember and reminisce about the life of Michael Kelland Hutchence, it only seems appropriate that we hear from the man who arguably was closest to him from an artistic point of view, Andrew Farriss. We thank Andrew for his preparedness to be vulnerable and share intimate and revealing memories of the times he and Michael penned some of the most stunning melodies and hooks together. We cover lyrics, Michael’s cosmopolitan and cultural awareness borne out of a youth traversing many countries, and the legendary vocal duet with Jimmy Barnes on ‘Good Times’ for Australian Made. With praise for Mark Opitz production, Andrew was in awe of the gravelly vocal of Barnesy offset by the honey dripped delivery from Michael as they essentially compete in a “song-off”! The pride Andrew has in recounting Michael’s mastery is heart-warming and indicates the massive respect he has 24 years after he left us.
Interestingly, Andrew veers into a fascinating discussion about INXS’ travails in Argentina not long after the end of the Falklands War and takes immense pride in INXS being the first international band to tour there thus paving the way for others to follow. He delves deep on Beck, the technology debate modern music faces against traditional instrumentation, and the importance of INXS of mattering musically to Michael and the band. As we wrap up, we do get to the last few songs from Welcome to Wherever You Are to complete our album discussion. With Mark Opitz chipping in with valuable asides we no doubt felt a lot of love in the room for the legacy of what INXS created over 35 years and thank both Andrew and Mark for allowing us to delve deep.
