Michael Hutchence and Paula Yates were not on my short list of episodes, but after watching the Michael Hutchence doc, Mystify, I thought this couple would be worthy of an episode oh my god they had a bat-shit crazy relationship. Until I watched the documentary, I had been a casual fan of INXS. I was too young to enjoy their heyday in the late 80s and early 90s, and by the late 1990s, when their music videos were re-running on VH1, I was still too young to enjoy the quality of their music and Michael Hutchence’s tight pants. Mystify, which is directed by Richard Lowenstein, a friend and music video director for the band, showed me how much I was missing out on. I dove into INXS’ library and realized what incredible songwriters they were, particularly once I listened to their earlier stuff. What the documentary also did was make me cry for a man I never knew or particularly cared about. It’s evident the filmmaker, and Michael’s friends, family and lovers who were interviewed, had a deep love and respect for the flawed man. It is truly tragic that Michael ended his life at the young age of 37, and the documentary leaves you feeling that his death was completely avoidable. Lowenstein includes a lot of personal and unreleased footage, which gives you an intimate view of the late singer. From all accounts MIchael was a kind, playful, and deeply passionate person that others enjoyed being around. The documentary also reveals that the Michael everyone knew and loved dramatically changed by the early 90s, and I’ll save the reasons why for the podcast. Even though I didn’t know much about Michael before I did my podcast research, over the years I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of rag mags that sensationalized his relationship with Paula Yates. How could you not? The press HOUNDED the couple for YEARS, particularly in England, and their love story continues to fascinate people to this day. The Hutchence-Yates relationship is truly an epic tragedy, and while Paula was painted as the villain in the story, as was her ex-husband Bob Geldolf, I’ve come to learn that this complicated love triangle was more nuanced that what the press portrayed it as. I wanted to make sure everyone got a fair shake in this episode. Note: This episode talks about suicide, depression, and drug abuse. If you or anyone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
