A New Documentary on INXS Frontman Michael Hutchence Takes a Writer Down Memory Lane

As an icebreaker, “What was your first concert?” is a pretty good opener. Mine was INXS. I saw them in 1985 when they played at a small, dingy venue in, of all places, West Hartford, Connecticut. I was really much more of a New Wave girl, spinning Depeche Mode on vinyl, thank you. Still, “What You Need” was in heavy rotation on the radio and Micheal Hutchence was already becoming a legendary heartthrob of a frontman. I looked forward to seeing him perform, which he did with gusto.

What spurred these teenage memories is the upcoming release of a new documentary, Mystify: Michael Hutchence, which will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. Written and directed by Richard Lowenstein, Hutchence’s friend and collaborator, it’s a very personal study—including firsthand recollections, intimate home movies, and as-yet-unheard music—of the tragic rise and fall of the artist, who committed suicide in 1997.

An exclusive clip from Mystify: Michael Hutchence (2019)

Loving fashion, the first thing that pops to mind when I think of Hutchence isn’t actually that 1985 concert, but his relationship with Helena Christensen in the early 1990s. They were a celebrity couple (and a musician/model) combination that made sense to me, unlike, say, that of Claudia Schiffer and her magician. The two Hs seemed to share a certain earthy sensuality. They were bohemians of the highest order—“Elegantly Wasted” was the title of one INXS track—as comfortable at the couture (there are photos of Hutchence with Karl Lagerfeld and sitting front row with a dreadlocked John Galliano) as in a tour van.

Considered wildly good-looking, Hutchence had a mop of curly hair, a cleft chin, and eyes that conveyed his “emotional intensity.” I imagine that he would have smelled of sweat and leather. Somehow that seems to be part of the essence of this artist to whom scent, the new film reveals, was of great importance—and consequence as well, but I’ll leave it at that so as not to spoil the movie.

Not too long ago, I watched, on repeat and on both legs of a transatlantic journey, a short documentary (Feast of Friends) about Jim Morrison, another lovely-looking and lost boy. The longer I watched Mystify, the more parallels there seemed to be between the two. Was Hutchence Gen X’s Morrison? Aesthetically, maybe a bit. But the Australian frontman was a father, to Tiger Lily, the deeply loved daughter he had with Paula Yates. He was also a sort of stepfather to the children she had with Sir Bob Geldof. The complications over the custody of the children was a source of great anguish to Hutchence right up to the time of his death. Hutchence’s success and tragedy were magnified, as he lived in the MTV era when the reach of the media was so much greater than when the Doors were rock’s hottest item. Even if Hutchence hadn’t wanted to wear his heart on his sleeve, (his lyrics are said to have been deeply personal), there was nowhere to hide.

At some point in the film Hutchence is asked to name his biggest fear in life. “I think to be without at least one love in your life,” he replied. “Someone to love you.” Mystify is proof that Hutchence was, and is, much loved. Also missed, in excess.