The INXS saga continues in Part 2 of Never Tear Us Apart.
 |
| R.I.P. |
After part one, I had hoped for a much better conclusion. The only thing they got right was the careful treatment of Michael's death. They kept it mysterious and left out the unproven accusations of auto erotic asphyxiation, which was very nice. His death was horrible enough without the added lies that were relished by the paparazzi and news outlets. As sad as it was to relive that day, they were extremely delicate in the handling of this very fragile topic.
Part two seemed more reliant on an off kilter realization focused on hairdos and style than it did on the band's fall from the heights of stardom. While it captured several dramatic instances where the band was coming to the breaking point of self realized obsolescence and near band implosion, it offered no real character development other than Michael's tragic accident that left him without a sense of smell and the death of Mrs. Farriss, the mother of the three brothers.
Not all bands can stay at the top forever. The INXS pop funk style was wearing thin at the onset of the grunge era. But sitting there forcing audiences to hear lines similar to "We're just not cool anymore!!!" become annoying and insulting to the band's legacy. Did they really think they'd be cool forever? Bands come and go. Trends change with time. INXS were in the process of making those necessary changes to stay relevant when they released Elegantly Wasted. For some reason, Never Tear Us Apart never mentions that album and totally glosses over the fact that the boys were back writing rock oriented songs that would have redefined the next stage of their career.
Through the two parts of this movie, I can only see one thing. I see the notoriously greedy Chris Murphy leading the INXS bandwagon back to the trough for another round of album re-issues, awful t-shirts, and some type of reunion tour with another sad replacement for Hutchence. While I was a big supporter of JD Fortune fronting the band, I just don't see it happening with him. Murphy will do anything to keep our boys under reign, playing nothing but the hits. This makes me sad. Even though Hutchence was the main focal point of INXS, there could be a successful tour with Fortune that would bring some much needed energy back to their music.
On another note, if you're a fan of INXS, please check out their last album with Hutchence called Elegantly Wasted and check out the album with Fortune called Switch. No one can ever replace our beloved Hutch, but Switch was the closest they got to reproducing their definitive style. Also, check out the Michael Hutchence solo album. There are some great cuts on his final piece of work.
-Review by Chris George