Gone....but not forgotten

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starsgoblue

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On Monday, it will be the seventh anniversary of Micheal Hutchence's untimely death that sadly occured by his own hands November 22nd, 1997. I wanted to take the time to remember him before the excitement of the new album sweeps through here. Micheal was a man who was close to Bono's heart....

I can remember growing up along with INXS and U2 together...as a young child I can recall pouring over the liner notes of Kick and even as a young girl, I could see the beauty of Micheal's spirit.

As an adult, I can remember being at an Elevation concert and seeing a fan toss up an INXS t-shirt during Stuck In A Moment. Bono was visibly moved and he lovingly draped the shirt across his mike stand during the song--a testament to the fact that Micheal had left a lasting impact on so many people during his short time here. I saw alot of tears during that song, my own included.

Below is an excerpt of his funeral address:
PREACHER: THE VERY REV BOAK JOBBINS,
DEAN OF SYDNEY
St Andrews Anglican Cathedral

We are here as people whose lives have been touched by Michael Hutchence -
some of us remotely, some of us in the closeness of family life and
friendship. We are here in a Christian Cathedral, brought face to face with
death, an untimely death, a death that did not come in the way we expect or
believe that death should come. What do you do in the face of death?


1. Be Thankful
All of us here have memories, recollections of Michael; some of them are
longstanding, from the intimacy of family life; for others they are more
recent, from the circles of friendship, members of the band, professional
colleagues, fans. We are grateful to those who have already spoken for
bringing these memories to our minds.
What we must do is to take the opportunity to thank God for the person
whose life we shared and who made these memories possible:
Michael, the loyal son and brother who always kept in touch;
Michael, the devoted partner, thrilled at being a father;
Michael, to those who knew him closely, the gentle and generous one;
Michael, who shared his time and talents with charities for the
wellbeing of others;
Michael, who brought joy and delight to millions.


2. Be Human
Someone you loved is dead, and you will not see him, someone you counted on
is gone, and he won't be there; someone who was your rock is no more. And
in that, there is pain, loss, hurt: and it must be.
The pain, the loss, the hurt are made worse by the suggestion that this was
a death of despair: what was it about his life- its circumstances, its
nature, its pressures - that it could be beyond bearing?
Funerals bring us face to face with questions like that. They are one of
the few opportunities we have to share our humanness with each other - our
pain, our loss, our questions, our despair. With a word, a touch, an act
of kindness to say "I hurt and I know you hurt - I feel for you - I so wish
it were otherwise".

So often, we don't say those things to each other, perhaps because we're
busy, or embarrassed or afraid, afraid we'll say the wrong thing, afraid we
won't say the right or clever thing.

There is no right thing, no clever thing to say: nothing we say will change
death or change the pain of grief today. There is simply the opportunity
to stand with other human beings and identify with them in their grief.
Our presence, our fumbled words, our practical helps, all of them ways of
being human, all of them ways of seeking to comfort and support each other.



Gone but not forgotten:
moi7n


A note from Bono and Ali
moi93



Feel free to use this thread to express sentiment of Micheal's and Bono's relationship. Or to leave your thoughts as your hearts lead.... :heart:
 
its so strange that a band/ singer so full of life ended that way. I just discovered 'Slide Away' not too long ago and its haunting...it really gives you an idea of the pain he felt as a person. I never really got into INXS/ Hutch alot but he poured his heart and soul into his work and the shows ive seen. what a loss.
 
First off I remember the news of Micheals passing so vividly..I could not believe what I had just heard!..that night my brother got home from work and told me what I had already heard eariler that day...the cause of death!..My brother told me that it was self inflicted/ suicide..It just made it worse for me to take that in!:(

I was an INXS fan before I was a U2 fan..which was in the early part of the 80's with songs such as Listen like thives, Original Sin ect..


I have very fond memories of INXS...I had "every" cassette of INXS!...I recorded the videos off MTV, When I bought the KICK cassette, a week later I bought the KICK VHS and invited my best friend *also a U2 freak* and we sat in my room
looking at the videos all day long commenting on them and picking our fav band members. We had fun fun fun that day*Still have the vhs* I also recall calling the local radio station for three days trying to win tickets to the upcoming INXS concert *No such luck:( *
A few years ago that same friend and I went to Vegas for the weekend..at the House of Blues INXS was playing *with out Micheal of course* even though we debated on buying tickets to see them we decided not to because it was just not complete w/o the unforgettable Micheal..

And finally a not so fond memory..I was listening to Slide Away
by Micheal and Bono when I had a major car accident!...uurgh!..So it took me a while to be able to listen to that song again!

LUV YA MICHEAL:angel:
 
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Sleep, sleep tonight
And may your dreams be realised
If the thunder cloud passes rain
So let it rain, rain down on he
So let it be
So let it be
Sleep, sleep tonight
And may your dreams be realised
If the thunder cloud passes rain
So let it rain, let it rain
Rain down on he

see sig

:sad:
 
Yes, seven years ago...what tragic news when it was first revealed. I kinda owe Michael, using his song Beautiful Girl to wow this girl at work back in the day. We both really got into INXS' music, but I'll always remember that song and that album - Welcome to Wherever You Are.

I also remember trying to record an audio copy of their Live Baby Live laserdisc. I thought I was so cool being able to convert a Laserdisc show onto tape. That was a great concert show and watched/listened to it countless times. Now, they reside in my new U2 iPod.

Slide Away is one of my favorite songs. It's almost heartrending how much of his inner struggle was already present in the vocals of that song. And there's Bono...ready to catch his friend when he falls.
 
My favorite.


"Never Tear Us Apart"

Don't ask me
What you know is true
Don't have to tell you
I love your precious heart

I
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never tear us apart

We could live
For a thousand years
But if I hurt you
I'd make wine from your tears

I told you
That we could fly
'Cause we all have wings
But some of us don't know why

I
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never ever tear us apart
 

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In honor of Michael

I'M JUST A MAN

I'm just a man
My will is so strong
When I've got plans
I close my eyes to the pain
My mother ran
My father left town
But we still have
What's necessary to go on

Flesh and blood
Flesh and blood

I'm part of you
You're part of me
There's nothing said
That cannot be undone

My brothers sane
His heart is so strong
He's killed some pain
To himself nearly did the same
It washed away
Into the cruel sea
Like everything
That's built upon the sand

Flesh and blood
Flesh and blood

Sweet sister T
She loved so long and hard
Kept to herself
Until that right man came along
Some men they lie
Some men they cheat
But now she's found
Someone to be as strong

I'm just a man
My will is so strong
When I've got plans
I close my eyes to the pain
My Father ran (Flesh and blood)
My Mother left town
But we still have (Flesh and blood)
What's necessary to go on

I'm part of you
Your part of me

SLIDE AWAY

Are you gonna wake again?
Are you gonna take it down?
Oh babe, I don't wanna deal it
Oh, make it straight.

Gimme some, my love.
Away. Away. Away.

I just want to slide away and come alive again
I just want to slide away and come alive again
I will see that love again and find a life again
I just want to slide away and come alive again.

I wanted to let it go
Just couldn't let it go
I wanted to let it go
Just couldn't let you go

I would catch you
(Just couldn't let you go)
I would catch you as you fall
(Just couldn't let you go)
I would catch you
(Just couldn't let you go)
I'd catch you if I heard your call

But you tore a hole in space
Like a dark star, falls from grace
You burn across the sky
And I would find you wings to fly
And I would catch you
I would catch your fall

I just want to slide away and come alive again
I just want to slide away and come alive again
I will see that love again and find a life again
I just want to slide away and come alive again.

I just want to slide away and come alive again
(falling falling)
I just want to slide away and come alive again
(falling falling)
I will see that love again and find a life again
I just want to slide away and come alive again.

STUCK IN A MOMENT

I'm not afraid of anything in this world
There's nothing you can throw at me that I haven't already heard
I'm just trying to find a decent melody
A song that I can sing in my own company

I never thought you were a fool
But darling, look at you
You gotta stand up straight, carry your own weight
These tears are going nowhere, baby

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment and now you can't get out of it
Don't say that later will be better now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it

I will not forsake, the colours that you bring
But the nights you filled with fireworks
They left you with nothing
I am still enchanted by the light you brought to me
I still listen through your ears, and through your eyes I can see

And you are such a fool
To worry like you do
I know it's tough, and you can never get enough
Of what you don't really need now... my oh my

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment and now you can't get out of it
Oh love look at you now
You've got yourself stuck in a moment and now you can't get out of it

I was unconscious, half asleep
The water is warm till you discover how deep...
I wasn't jumping... for me it was a fall
It's a long way down to nothing at all

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment and now you can't get out of it
Don't say that later will be better now
You're stuck in a moment and you can't get out of it

(And if the night runs over)
(And if the day won't last)
(And if our way should falter)
(Along the stony pass)

(And if the night runs over)

And if the night runs over
(And if the day won't last)
And if the day won't last
(And if your way should falter)
And if your way should falter
(Along the stony pass)
Along that stony pass
It's just a moment
This time will pass

I have always associated these three songs together: One of Michael's last songs with INXS, a half song on his solo album completed by Bono, and of course Bono's song for him.
 
My first ever gig was an INXS concert in Maastricht, the Netherlands. I was 12 years old and I knew every song by heart (just like all the U2 songs). I was so impressed with the whole event and the band that on that night I decided I was going to do 'something' with music. I started playing guitar after that and then I decided to study journalism and become a musicjournalist (yes, I know they're all bastards to some people :wink: ). And so I did...

R.I.P. Michael... Thanks for making me realise what direction I wanted to go in life (even though I was only twelve...).
 
Not the biggest INXS fan, but I do think they made terrific music during their prime years. A lot of songs I enjoy, Original Sin, What You Need, Listen Like Thieves, etc. And most recentely, Disappear has been played a lot lately here. Michael was a terrific frontman as well. One of a kind. And I think a lot of INXS fans would be very pleased to hear that I do see many people my age (19, 20, younger) with their songs on their computers and such. So their legacy will continue on for quite a bit.

Just another quick note before I go... Duran Duran's lead singer Simon LeBon was also a very good friend of Michael's. And he too took his loss very deeply, and still often talks about him today. Anyways, I thought it'd be appropriate to recommend to you guys to listen to a song he wrote for him off their 1997 album Medazzaland, Michael (You've Got A Lot To Answer For). This was released just before his death, and it took Simon awhile to be able to perform this song again afterwards. But he did, and I think the song really stands out as a nice tribute to a good friend.

Here are the lyrics:
I came over your place today in a round-about sort of way
Nothing holding me just the company gentle killing of the afternoon

Don't ever try to be anymore Michael you've got a lot answer for
You unlocked some of the doors to my soul

And I don't see you for awhile thinking of you will make me smile
You never bother me with responsibilty misbehaving in candlelight

Don't ever try to give anymore Michael you've got a lot to answer for
You got me waking up right to the world

Trust you to get caught up in somebody's war you'll come out of it all intact I'm sure
Just remember what friends were put here for
Micheal you've got a lot to answer for and I know that you're gonna call if you need me
When you need me, if you need me
 
I was sooo into INXS in my high school days (late 80's :ohmy: ). Listened to KICK so many times, I burned through at least two cassettes before I finally got it on CD. Song for song, it still stands strong when I'm considering entire albums with little or no flaws.
So sad that Hutch couldn't fight back his demons :sad: .. the world's definately a dimmer place without his spirit & light.
 
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