VH-1's 'Behind The Music Remastered: Michael Hutchence' is scheduled for broadcast again in North America for Valentine's Day!
Tune into VH-1 Classic on Monday February 14th, 2011 at 8.00pm ET/PT
For more info on the Michael Hutchence tv special check out the blog below!
http://www.michaelhutchence.com.au/home/blog/vh-1-behind-the-music-remastered-michael-hutchence/
Triple M Radio (Australia) are currently running a poll - Who should front INXS?
Currently the results are as follows:
Fans can vote at http://www.triplem.com.au/sydney/music/artists/inxs
Today, January 22nd, 2011 marks what would have been Michael's 51st birthday.
We would like fans and friends from all over the world to join us in remembering the remarkable life of Michael Hutchence.
Leave your own birthday message to Michael in the comments below, or in the birthday topic on the forum.
To millions of people growing up in the 80's and 90's, Michael Hutchence was one of the greatest front men of their generation.
Even though Michael isn't here to celebrate his birthday with us today, his music and the memories we have of him, will still live on in all of us.
Rhett Hutchence sent us this birthday message for his brother Michael today:
"Mate. Happy Birthday. Thank you for your continuing guidance. Couldn't do it without you. I owe ya one. Peace, spect, and double chin. Xx."
All of us at www.michaelhutchence.com.au would like to thank Michael's many loyal and dedicated fans from all around the world, who keep Michael's memory alive year after year. The love you show for Michael is very much appreciated by Michael's friends and family.
This year is looking like it will be a big one, with Producer Danny Saber recently revealing on VH-1's 'Behind The Music Remastered: Michael Hutchence' that a feature-length doco on Michael's life is in the works with the backing of Michael's Trust, also the recent discovery of a number of unreleased songs!
Competiton!
We would like to give 3 lucky fans the chance to win a copy of the ARIA chart top 20 DVD – INXS 'Mystify' (Live in Loreley 1997) as well as a special Michael Hutchence guitar pick key chain! These are actual guitar picks with Michael's name on them made for 1997's Elegantly Wasted tour!
For your chance to win simply answer the 3 questions below, and email your answers into info@michaelhutchence.com.au Winners need to be members of the Michael Hutchence forum, so if you are yet to sign up for free head to http://www.michaelhutchence.com.au/home/forum
Question 1:
What song on the album 'Elegantly Wasted' did Michael Hutchence play guitar on?
Question 2:
What year did Kylie Minogue bake a birthday cake for Michael, and hold a party in Sydney for his birthday?
Question 3:
What surprise did Michael get on stage during 'Never Tear Us Apart' at a televised concert in Argentina on his birthday in 1991?
The 3 lucky winners will be announced on February 12th, 2011.
Happy Birthday Hutch!
Matthew Marsland
(Michael Hutchence Global Creative Director)
Thanks to Lisa Antunes for designing the MH birthday collage.
Michael & Kylie photo by Ronnie Stein
We send our love and support to Nile Rodgers as he battles aggressive cancer.
Michael & the band were big fans of Chic's 1983 album 'The Adventures In The Land Of The Good Groove'. Nile came along to a gig in Canada in 1983 where INXS were supporting Men At Work, they got chatting which then lead to the band recording 'Original Sin' with Nile at the Powerstation in New York! Nile also played guitar on the track.
This month also happens to mark 27 years since 'Original Sin' became INXS's first no.1 single in Australia.
Michael & the band also covered the Chic track 'Yum Yum' many times live during 1997's 'Elegantly Wasted' tour.
Nile has also produced top albums for the likes of Madonna, Duran Duran and David Bowie.
Nile revealed his battle with cancer in a blog on his official website today…
http://nilerodgers.com/blog/walking-on-planet-c#
This weekend is the 4th week of Rage's Retro series featuring more classic 'Countdown' episodes.
One of the episodes this week is a summer special titled 'Australian Made in 1981' which aired on Dec 20th, 1981 which plays top Australian artists who featured on Countdown that year.
Michael & the band originally recorded the performance of 'Stay Young' on September 25th 1981.
Don't forget to check out Michael's hat he wears in this performance!
Tune your TV in to Ch.2 (ABC) RAGE: Saturday night, January 22nd, 2011
http://www.abc.net.au/rage
Beargarden have released a digital album of their b-sides, outtakes and demos recorded between 1982 – 1985. Containing 14 tracks the album is titled 'The Word That Refers To The Word That Refers To Walt Disney'.
The albums opening track is 'Sixty Perfect Windows' that Michael Hutchence co-produced with Andrew Farriss (INXS). Michael also performs backing vocals on the track. Until now the track had only been available on vinyl as the b-side to Beargarden's 'I Write The News' 7" single in 1985.
Download the 14-track album now for only $12 AUD!
http://beargarden.bandcamp.com/album/the-word-that-refers-to-the-word-that-refers-to-walt-disney
Beargarden formed after the post punk band 'The Ears' broke up in 1981, that band was later portrayed in the movie 'Dogs In Space', with Michael playing the character based on their lead singer Sam Sejavka.
Earlier this year Matthew Marsland asked lead singer Sam Sejavka how Michael came to be involved with the Beargarden recordings.
Sam Sejavka: "Well, we were very tight with INXS at the time. It started when Michael and Andrew saw us when we supported them at the Ballroom in Melbourne and took a liking to us. They were looking for a band to produce and thought we might be the ticket. Michael & Andrew did wind up producing some tracks, both demos and actual releases but I'm not certain exactly which without going into the archives. We toured with them probably four or five times, I think and signed up to the same music publishing company".
Even though Beargarden is probably most known for their single 'I Write The News', Sam believes 'Sixty Perfect Windows' was actually a better song!
Sam Sejavka: "One of the better Beargarden songs. Should have been the a-side".
'Sixty Perfect Windows' was recorded earlier than Beargarden's album 'All That Fall', and was recorded at Richmond Recorders in Melbourne.
Sam Sejavka: "There was a song called 'Close But No Cigar' which we haven't been able to access [as well as some others we recorded in the session with MH/AF] which INXS were thinking of covering, but of course never did".
The other main member of Beargarden keyboardist Gus Till went on to work with Michael Hutchence & Ollie Olsen in Max Q in 1989.
Sam Sejavka continues to work as an actor and playwright in Melbourne. The past year has seen 'The Ears' play a couple of gigs at The Espy in Melbourne performing a few new songs, with the possibility in the future of releasing some new material.
Also available now for download is the original versions by 'The Ears' of the songs 'Dogs In Space' and 'Golf Course' that Michael performed in the movie 'Dogs In Space'.
Download 16-track album now for only $14 AUD!
http://theears.bandcamp.com/album/dogs-in-space
Check out a recent 6-part video interview with Sam Sejavka on the Countdown Memories website too!
http://www.countdownmemories.com/links/beargarden.html
We would like to wish Michael's family, friends & many fans a very Merry Christmas & happy and safe New Year!
The year ahead is a very exciting one! With details revealed in the new year of the feature length documentary on Michael Hutchence that has the backing of MH's Trust. As well as previously unreleased Michael Hutchence songs! So it's going to be a big year ahead in 2011!
Thanks everyone for all the support this year and your dedication and love for Michael means so much. You all keep Michael's flame burning so his legacy can live on for generations to come.
Have a wonderful Christmas and see you all back at http://www.michaelhutchence.com.au in the new year!
Matthew Marsland.
(Michael Hutchence Global Creative Director)
Teaser Trailer 2!
"Behind The Music Remastered: Michael Hutchence" VH-1 Classic
When Michael Hutchence died the world lost a rock star, his fans lost a man they each felt they knew and his daughter and his partner Paula lost the centre of their worlds.
Three years later Paula was dead too and their beloved daughter Tiger Lily was soon living with Sir Bob Geldof and her half-sisters in London.
Meanwhile Michael's last solo album was being finished in Los Angeles by producer Danny Saber, but unknown to him there was more of Michael's music yet to be found.
In this update of the original "Behind The Music" episode, which told the complete story of Michael's musical career and the many twists and turns in his private life, we hear again from his family and friends and bring the story up to date – with the joys and sorrows of the intervening years – the undiscovered recordings, the tragedy of Paula Yates' last days, the undying love of his family and fans and the musical legacy this extraordinary man left behind when he was so tragically taken from us in a lonely Sydney hotel room.
The Michael Hutchence program is scheduled to be aired first in the US on Saturday December 18th, 2010 at 9pm ET/PT on VH-1 Classic.
U2 dedicated 'Stuck In A Moment' to Michael Hutchence & Michele Bennett tonight at their first of 2 Sydney shows.
They also played snippets of 'Need You Tonight' and 'Never Tear Us Apart'.
Bob Geldof was in the audience tonight as well.
Video of U2 performing 'Bad' with snippets of 'Need You Tonight' & 'Never Tear Us Apart'…
Watch the exclusive video trailer for VH-1 Behind The Music Remastered: Michael Hutchence! Another trailer to follow this week on http://www.michaelhutchence.com.au
"Behind The Music Remastered: Michael Hutchence" VH-1 Classic
When Michael Hutchence died the world lost a rock star, his fans lost a man they each felt they knew and his daughter and his partner Paula lost the centre of their worlds.
Three years later Paula was dead too and their beloved daughter Tiger Lily was soon living with Sir Bob Geldof and her half-sisters in London.
Meanwhile Michael's last solo album was being finished in Los Angeles by producer Danny Saber, but unknown to him there was more of Michael's music yet to be found.
In this update of the original "Behind The Music" episode, which told the complete story of Michael's musical career and the many twists and turns in his private life, we hear again from his family and friends and bring the story up to date – with the joys and sorrows of the intervening years – the undiscovered recordings, the tragedy of Paula Yates' last days, the undying love of his family and fans and the musical legacy this extraordinary man left behind when he was so tragically taken from us in a lonely Sydney hotel room.
The Michael Hutchence program is scheduled to be aired first in the US on Saturday December 18th, 2010 at 9pm ET/PT on VH-1 Classic.