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Until
the unfortunate death of charismatic lead singer Michael
Hutchence in 1997, INXS was among the most popular bands
in the world, selling millions of albums and filling concert
halls from Sidney to San Francisco. But Hutchence's death
shattered the band and made its future highly questionable.
To the surprise of many, INXS carried on, buoyed by the
support of its legions of fans worldwide, and playing occasional
gigs in its native Australia.
Now
the band is once again embracing the limelight, embarking
on its first world tour since Hutchence's death. The shows
will coincide with the June 4th Rhino/Atlantic Records release
of The Best of INXS, a set compiled by the remaining members
in celebration of the band's 25 years together. In addition,
re-mastered versions of the albums Kick, X and Welcome to
Wherever You Are will be re-released the same day, featuring
previously unreleased material.
Supported by ex-Noiseworks frontman Jon Stevens, the group
- which is comprised of keyboardist/guitarist Andrew Farriss,
drummer Jon Farriss, guitarist Tim Farris, Kirk Pengilly
on guitar and Gary Garry Beers on sax and bass - is clearly
making a statement that INXS band is vital, relevant and
clearly once again a band. As the group readied for its
tour, founding band members Tim Farriss and Jon Farriss
agreed to sit down with StarPolish and Australian website
Undercover and answer questions sent in by members of StarPolish,
Undercover, INXS.com, and the community of the Velvet Rope.
As a bonus, Garry Gary Beers chimed in to answer some of
the questions.
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QUESTION: I think Jon Stevens is doing
a great job and takes an enormous responsibility by standing up
as the lead singer [for] you guys. How does he feel about this?
J FARRISS:
We all know that no one is ever going to take Michael's place
-- that's not possible. But we are also musicians who have a real
passion to play, and so we need to do that and to move forward.
Jon is a great singer in his own right and he understands all
this. He's fitted in really well.
T FARRISS:
Jon has also been a great friend of the band for a long time and
that has made the transition so much easier. He is very respectful
of Michael and the situation in general, so he has a great attitude
to it all. He loves this band and he just wants us to play and
he's looking forward as much as we are to the tour and going to
America. We know he's going to get a great reception.
QUESTION: It's great to have you
back. Ever since my teenybopper, drool-on-the-INXS-poster days,
I have always thought that you guys were the most down-to-earth
and rooted band around. During the enormous success of Kick, you
guys seem so [unaffected] about the whole fame and success trip.
How were you able to stay so normal and levelheaded amidst all
the fame and craziness surrounding you? And from that, what kind
of hurdles did you have to leap over to balance family, career,
and personal growth.
J FARRISS: It feels great to be back! Everyone
has been so supportive and we really appreciate it. Now to your
question… the whole fame thing affects people in different ways,
it really does. People used to comment that because we were Aussies
and we had that laid-back attitude, which really helped us to
deal with everything that was going on. I think the other thing
was that we always looked out for each other, and maybe that came
from having three brothers in the band, or maybe it came from
us being a group of guys from Australia who sort of took on the
world together. The hurdles you mention are certainly there. It's
very, very tough on relationships -- that can be very difficult.
It is a constant juggle trying to keep that side of your life
going when you are on the road.
T FARRISS: But I think we got through it all right!
(laughs) We start the tour in California, so look forward to seeing
you there!
QUESTION: I am so glad you're touring
again -- I saw you way back on Listen Like Thieves and the following
tours, and you were one of the tightest funk/rock bands I'd ever
seen. My question is, what bands are you listening to these days?
When can we expect a new album? (Yes, I said album!)
T FARRISS: I listen to the same people I have
always listened to. There are so many different bands, and to
be honest it's hard to name just a few. For anyone interested
in Australian music, there's a great band called Grinspoon that
I really like. But we all like keeping up with what's happening.
J FARRISS: I have very eclectic tastes. I listen
to everything from jazz to classical to R&B. I like music that
is interesting, whatever the genre. At the moment I'm listening
to that really cool groove stuff, like Groove Armada, stuff like
that.
BEERS: I'm
listening to Silverchair's new album, and a couple of Aussie bands
called Something For Kate and George. I'm also listening to Alison
Krauss, the country singer -- she's great. And as far as a new
album, yes, hopefully sooner rather than later. I'm there.
J FARRISS: Yes, we all want to get back to the
studio as soon as we can. We've been writing new material but
it's a case of doing this tour first and that's really what we
are focusing on at the moment.
QUESTION: How did the band handle the
massive success of Kick, with all the tours, and gold records
flying in like Frisbees? Were you prepared? Did you know when
you finished the disc you had a winner? Did you ever stop and
think during the times of X or Elegantly Wasted if you were going
to be put through that sort of times again?
BEERS:When
we finished Kick we knew we had a great record; pity the record
company didn't know it -- they were trying to tell us to re-record
it! Funny thing was, we didn't really feel the success. We were
working to hard to notice it. The Kick tour was 18 months long
and we were always on the bus. But I think we handled the whole
thing pretty well. We were six albums in by then, though, so it
wasn't like an overnight success.
QUESTION: My best wishes to all the
boys on the tour -- I hope we get to see you in an Australian
tour soon. As a fan of the band since the early '80s, I would
like to know what you think has been the greatest moment in INXS'
life 1977-2002?
T FARRISS: Deciding to go back on the road with
the guys again now. That's it for me.
BEERS: I'd
have to say Wembley Stadium; you don't get any bigger than that.
When we were growing up, Wembley was the pinnacle of success,
and for an Aussie band to go there and sell it out, and play so
well on the day, it was incredible.
QUESTION: Which record was the most
fun recording? Which one was the most difficult?
T FARRISS: Shaboh Shabah was the most fun because
it really extended me as a player. Chris Thomas was a great producer
because he made me feel like what I was as a player, and really
extended my capabilities. The toughest would have been Elegantly
Wasted. It was just a difficult record for me. I didn't get to
play as much as I like to and it was just a tough experience all
round.
BEERS: Welcome
to Wherever You Are was the best for me because we were all very
open to everyone's input. It was the last record we made at our
own studio, Rhineroceros, and we brought in the huge orchestra
at the end to play with us - it was our Beatles! The most difficult
was the next record, Full Moon Dirty Heart. It was [recorded]
in Capri… weird surroundings, bad vibes. Michael wasn't himself,
and I didn't enjoy it at all.
QUESTION: Will we be hearing any new
songs on this tour? I'm so glad you guys are coming back - you
were very missed!
T FARRISS: Come and find out! We've missed you
guys, too.
QUESTION: Are you afraid of touring again?
J FARRISS:
I've been thinking about touring for the past 4 ˝ years, and now
it feels like the right time. I feel very excited and very positive
about the whole thing. I wouldn't say anyone's afraid of touring,
but I think we all know it will just be different without Michael.
BEERS: Afraid, no -- everyone is incredibly excited.
QUESTION: I think the new website, INXS.com,
is great! I think your website offers a lot more than other band
sites in that we see you guys on the message board and hear about
your side projects and stuff. I love how you guys are so personal
with fans. Is this hard to keep up with?
T FARRISS: It's never hard for me to keep it up
(laughs). It means a lot to me -- and to all of us -- to have
personal contact with the fans. By the same token, I don't take
some of the criticism too much to heart, but I love to hear the
compliments!
J FARRISS: Glad to hear you like the site. We've
tried to make it as personal as possible and it's good to hear
feedback like yours.
QUESTION: First of all, I have to tell
you how happy I am that you will make this tour. It's really fantastic!
I can't wait! When will you come to Europe?
J FARRISS:
Hello to everyone in Norway. How are you all up there? Yes, definitely,
we hope we can get to Europe later in the year.
T FARRISS:
Yeah, we're in the U.S. until mid-July, and I know there are some
discussions happening at the moment for Europe, and as Jon says,
it would be for later this year.
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