Michael Hutchence Quotes: Soundbites from the INXS Singer

If you search online, there are plenty of Michael Hutchence quotes out there. But the thought process behind this post is to delve a little deeper, to find the words that really do aptly sum up the story behind this beautiful man and his music.

From various Michael Hutchence interviews seen both on TV and in print, here are the ten quotes that, for me, are the best soundbites. I’ve selected those that tell his story, or reveal what the man behind the charismatic INXS frontman was really all about…

The Top 10 Michael Hutchence quotes

Incredible, isn’t it? The world may well not even have had Michael Hutchence – or at least not as we know him. In the Mystify documentary, even his sister Tina expresses her initial disbelief when this ‘shy kid’ decided to become a rock ‘n’ roll frontman.

I like to take this one as a lesson to all shy children or adults out there. As a shy kid myself, I know what it’s like to fear being in the spotlight – yet Michael managed to face and conquer those fears in the most public of ways.

Here we go again – the shyness never really stops rearing its ugly head. You really have to learn not to listen to it. No wonder he perfected the strut we know and love so well…

…and sometimes did actually lie down on the stage, most famously at Wembley in the summer of 1991.

His inherent shyness didn’t deter Michael, however: nor the rest of INXS. They worked so hard, according to so many people who were close to them.

The neverending demands of INXS surely took their toll on the frontman most of all, as he was always the one in the spotlight.

As a Brit, this one speaks to me. The UK was the last major worldwide audience that INXS had to crack – and we proved to be a tough market. Ironically the very pinnacle of INXS’s domination took place in the UK, at the now-iconic 1991 Wembley gig.

I spent a year in Australia during the 1990s, so I’ve seen both sides. For several months my local was the Coogee Bay Hotel, home of the music venue Selina’s that INXS played a number of times. Along with many other venues the length and breadth of their homeland.

Pubs down under surely are, in the main, bigger. Better? That’s for each individual to decide. They certainly stayed open for longer hours back then… and as far as I can see from over here, are still vital to the development of the Australian music scene.

This sums up the down-to-earth Aussie mentality perfectly and I just LOVE that. Maybe it’s because I’m a northern Brit (we’re known for taking no nonsense).

This is why I’ve loved Australia and her people since my teens.

Artistic integrity. Exactly. That, and teamwork. And being Australian. Again – this is precisely why I love Aussies – and INXS.

This one brings to mind an ad for Amnesty International that Michael was pictured in. Until I read Michael: My Brother, Lost Boy of INXS I had no idea just how humanitarian this man really was.

Like any art form, music really does have the power to make us think. And that’s one of the best things for me about INXS songs. Well that, and the poetic lyrics, and the wonderful musical arrangements, and the live performances…

Again, one that sums up why INXS are – and will always be – my go-to band of choice. There are fun songs (e.g. Suicide Blonde, What You Need), emotional songs (e.g. By My Side, Never Tear Us Apart) and thinking songs (e.g. The Stairs, Guns In The Sky).

For me there are definitely lighter and darker tracks on all INXS albums.

Despite what many people may think, Michael was a well-read, intelligent, thoughtful and sensitive man. A big part of the attraction between he and Michele Bennett – who Never Tear Us Apart is about – is that they both loved to read.

In fact she still read to him many years after they’d broken up. Books were more his thing than guitars – I’m sure he himself would be the first to admit he was no player in that sense!

Over three decades on I think this is still true. In many ways Michael was ahead of his time – and fortunately she seemed to experience far more in his 37 years than lots of people do who live to an old age.

Mental health is so important, as Michael’s story shows. May we never give up the fight for it to be placed on an equal footing with physical well-being.

Which are your favourite Michael Hutchence quotes?

What a man – and what music. Even in speech he was deep, poetic, thoughtful and witty.

These are the 10 quotes that tell his story for me – do you agree?

Marcy x

Related posts:

• Michael Hutchence girlfriends
• Patrick Suskind’s Perfume review
• Richard Lowenstein’s Mystify review
• Top Michael Hutchence quote
• What happened to Michael Hutchence?

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