I once ranted about INXS allowing a song of theirs to be used in a McDonald's ad. That, as it turns out, was the least of it. Come July, CBS and Mark Burnett will air their latest reality television series, tentatively titled Rockstar, in which contestants from more than twenty cities around the world will compete to become the new lead singer of INXS.
For those who might not be aware, the Australian rock band's former lead singer, Michael Hutchence, died under mysterious (read perverse) circumstances back in 1997. His death has been ruled a suicide (he was found hanging in his hotel room in Sydney) but others still speculate foul play or a sex act gone bad.
Hutchence had dated singer Kylie Minogue and was later entangled in an affair with Bob Geldof's wife. (You've got to feel for Geldof--first, most of his money and efforts to end the famine in Ethiopia are blown to bits by guerrillas, then he discovers his wife is getting what she needs from another man. What was her excuse? The devil inside? Or that she was looking for a new sensation?) In a freak accident, Hutchence ended up losing his ability to taste and smell, leading him into a depression. But on stage, he maintained a powerful persona (I saw the band at Madison Square Garden in 1987).
In short, who would get to replace the talented but tortured soul that was Hutchence? Clay Aiken? Kelly Clarkson? William Hung? I shudder to think.
12 hours ago
1 comment:
I always liked INXS. I remember seeing them touring for Shabooh Shoobah. I don't remember who they opened for, but we had a good running joke for a while. Before almost every song, Hutchence said, "This next song is off our album Ssshhaboohhh ssshhoobaaahh." Think Iron Butterfly--Jim Morrison couldn't have said it less coherently. He definitely developed his stage presence as he went along.
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