Parlez-vous INXS? - Translations

This page contains translations of some foreign language articles/reviews/interviews about INXS.

Note: The content was last updated in 2000. I'm no longer actively maintaining it. I'll be leaving it up as-is for legacy purposes (e.g. to make sure links to it don't break). However, you can still contact me about it if you want.

Maintained by Bruno Andrighetto
Adelaide, South Australia


News item from Argentina about Michael's death
From: Clarin
Translation by: Paulina Karadagian

Leader of the rock band INXS was found dead in a hotel room

Everything shows it was a suicide. Singer Michael Hutchence was 37 years old. He lived in London with her partner and his 15 months old baby. He was in Argentina with his band 3 times.

Sydney, Australia. Reuters, AP, AFP

The singer of the australian band INXS, Michael Hutchence, died yesterday in a hotel in Sidney, Australia. Little bit after noon, an employee of the luxurious hotel Ritz Carlton found him hanged with his own belt, as the local doctors say.

Hutchence was 37 years old and was found hanged on a door. Eventhough the police didn't confirm officially, everything leads that it was a suicide. The investigators didn't inform if in the suite the singer left any note.

The musician lived in London with her partner - Anchorwoman from brittish TV Paula Yates- and his daughter of 15 months, Heavenly Hirani Tiger Lily. Yesterday, after knowing about the tragic news, Yates flew to Sydney with the baby.

Hutchence was in Australia-where he was born- since thursday, to celebrate the 20 years of the band with a national tour 'loose your head' . Besides, the band had planned give a beneficiency concert tomorrow. In a conference, the musicians said yesterday that they were in a state of 'extreme shock' because of the death of their leader.

INXS was formed in 1977 and since 1981 sold 20 millions of copies. They had their peak of popularity in the late 80's with hits like: 'What you need' 'New Sensation' and 'Suicide Blonde' . The band recorded 12 albums. They were 3 times in Argentina, the first time in 1985, at the concert ' Rock and Pop' and the last, 3 years ago, when they made dance 35 thousand people at Velez Stadium, and about the same amount of people in Cordoba.

INXS was known for songs to dance, alternated with some ballads well built, with a potent combination of rock, pop, soul and funk.

Even though some local doctors suggested that Hutchence's death was caused by some overdose, Australian police assured that in the suite 524 where he was staying, was only found prescribed medicine.

Inspector Christopher Hogg said to the press that a black belt was taken for examination. And that the autopsy would be done tomorrow. ' There are no suspicious circumstances', added the investigator, so the hypotesis of murder was discharged.

A speaker for the police, said that Hutchenced did a phone call 3 hours before his body was found, and that that could help to establish the time of death.

Local media informed that the singer hanged himself at 2 PM. Little bit later, the streets that surrounds the luxurious hotel - situated in Double Bay - were fool of press cars.

Hutchence's death shocked family, friends and fans. Specially because none of them didn't see in the days before his death any kind of sign that would make them think that the singer had the intention of killing himself.

Molly Meldrum, a prestigious musical critic and friend of the leader of INXS, assured that they met a few weeks ago. In that ocassion, Meldrum told him that she had never saw him so happy and relaxed. The woman also said that Hutchence answered: I've never been more relaxed or happier.

On the other hand, an employee of the hotel, showed up in a local TV program saying that the night before his death, he saw him in a good shape when he had dinner with his parents at the Ritz's Restaurant.

"What can I say? I lost my lovely son" , declared the father of the singeene. It's a tragedy' . In the meantime, in london, his couple, Paula Yates-ex wife of the Irishman Bob Geldof, creator of the megaconcert Live Aid, with whom she had 3 kids- was extremely saddened by the death of the singer of INXS. This was communicated by her legal attorney Anthony Burton, who told her the bad news.

Hutchence had declared that Yates were his 'twin soul'. His wife defined him as the 'most sexy man in the world'. A month ago, the leader of INXS annouced that he was planning to get married. Seemed that the couple were going to celebrate their wedding in january, in Bora Bora, an island of the South Pacific.

Photo caption: Goodbye to the singer. The ambulance with the Hutchence's body leaves the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Sydney, yesterday in the afternoon. The musician lived in London.



Interview from Costa Rica
From: Nacion Digital - Revista Viva
Translation by: Jaime Castañeda Gussinyé

Who is INXS?

That's the question that, for four years, the members of INXS asked themselves while recording an album that see them return them to their essence.

Four years have passed since INXS released their last album. Previously, they recorded every year, then a long period of silence. Suddenly, they return with Elegantly Wasted, what happened?

"There are a lot of differences with this album and the way we recorded it. Before we used to record new material every year or year and a half. We felt prolific, maybe we weren't, but we were selling new 'product'. So, before doing this album, it was hard to know where we were at. We had to ask, what is INXS?, because in the past we were so busy being INXS to realize what we were doing, or if we were enjoying it."

That's how Andrew Farriss, the guitarist of the band, explains the level of fatigue that the band reached. That's why in Elegantly Wasted, an album containing 12 new songs, the recording was done calmly, carefully from the first demos, with a desire to enjoy it.

"We took the decision to use the best equipment to record the album, starting with the demos. That's why a large part of the album was recorded only once. Some demo takes were so good that we decided they'd be perfect for the album. That way you capture some of the magic. There was no producer, no one to watch us over the shoulder and say, "We had been here all day, what going on?", Andrew said.

For the six members of INXS, Elegantly Wasted means the return to their essence, to feel like when they started: wanting to make music. They didn't have to change for change's sake, because they felt they were losing their identity. "When I remember everything that INXS has done, there are some things that I love and other things that I hate. But it took time being away from the others in the band for us to realize this, it was wonderful", Farriss said.

Elegantly Wasted contains the following songs: Show Me, Elegantly wasted, Everything, Don't loose your head, Searching, I'm just a man, Girl on fire, We are thrown together, Shake the tree, She is rising, Building bridges and Shine.

INXS is Garry Gary Beers (bass), Andrew Farriss (guitar and keyboards), Jon Farriss (drums), Tim Farriss (guitar), Michael Hutchence (lead vocals and guitar) and Kirk Pengilly (guitar and sax).




Very brief item from Paraguay
From: ENSA
Translation by: Jaime Castañeda Gussinyé

INXS, the Australian rock band comprising Michael Hutchence (lead vocals), Jon Farriss (drums), Tim Farriss (guitar), Kirk Pengilly (guitar and sax), Garry Beers (bass) and Andrew Farriss (keyboards and guitar) is back with the new album Elegantly Wasted.

Pictures, lyrics and more in the oficial INXS site: http://www.inxs.com




Very brief Dutch item
From: 2 METER SESSIES
Translation by: Marcel de Natris

The Australian band INXS has just released their 11th album called 'Elegantly Wasted' and visited our country in full cast. The six-member formation, accompanied by two female backing- vocalists played some old time hits, one of them was their greatest hit 'Suicide Blonde', and of course some material of their latest record.

The group around the three brothers Farriss has a striking leader in Michael Hutchence. Aside from his role activities in the band Michael can be seen in movies occasionally.

Note from Marcel:
2 meter sessions is a TV-program in which a lot of great bands perform and do LIVE-recordings of front of just a few cameras. I think it is called 2-meter sessions because of the small size of the studio and the atmosphere (it's like the band are performing in a box sized 2x2x2 meter). But is could be that the name describes the presentor, Jan Douwe Kroeske (Kroeske being his last name), who is a very tall guy.

I remember the presenter saying they unloaded 45 flightcases and I can tell you is this recording comes out (a series of CD's is made of all the sessions over the years) it will be a collectors item for you all.




French article
From: Paris Match
Translation by: Markus Pfeffer and Mistress Kelly

Michael Hutchence: le blues du rocker

The last images of what was believed to be fortune. The 7th of November, in a park in London, Michael plays with Tiger Lily near Paula, whom he wants to make his wife. Below: in their apartment, the lovers offer themselves to the photographer like Hollywood-stars.

Michael Hutchence had it all: the fame, the love and a small daughter he adored. The singer was found hanged in a hotel in Australia.

Adored by millions of fans, the singer of australian group INXS didn't find peace unless being near Paula Yaytes who he wanted to marry the following January.

He said he is totally happy since the birth of their daughter, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily, sixteen months ago. But he was not uplifted by the mediocre results of the band's new album. The rocker with the sad heart hanged himself at age 37 early in November 22nd, after an ultimate sleepless and excessive night in a luxurious room in a hotel in Sydney.





Other Links:
An Excess of INXS Official INXS Homepage