A true story of sex, drugs and rock and roll . . .

Now for the first time, INXS band members tell their own story about the meeting (and sometimes clashing) of minds that produced their music. In this gritty, in-depth narrative, one of the most influential bands of the last two decades reveals the truth about the way the band lived: the drugs, the sex, the super models and the in-fighting. They also divulge everything they know about Michael Hutchence: his relationship with Paula Yates, his drug addiction and what they really think about his death. Like "The Dirt", this is a book about rock 'n' roll out of control. It gives a fascinating insight into the life and death of a superstar, by the people who knew him best.

In 1979, three brothers and their three best mates from Sydney formed a band called INXS and recorded an album that would launch them on an incredible journey, from playing Australia?s beaches and pubs to the world?s biggest concert venues. Along the way, they?d sell 30 million albums, rack up seventeen hit songs in the United States alone, and experience a life of sex, drugs and supermodels to rival any in rock history. This is their story.

INXS broke new musical ground. In songs like ?Need You Tonight?, ?New Sensation?, ?Devil Inside?, ?Never Tear Us Apart? and ?Suicide Blonde?, they turned rock, pop and funk into a cutting edge, danceable style that took the world by storm. Touring the world, they grew up together and made new fans on every continent. In this autobiography, they reveal for the first time everything they experienced in their more than two decades of making music: the partying, the women, the clashes in the recording studio, the wild times on the road, the heights and depths of rock star life, the bonds of brotherhood and friendship that got them through the tough times. They talk about the sadness of watching their closest friend and collaborator, Michael Hutchence, slipping away from them and offer their own thoughts about why he left them too soon.
Much has been written about INXS over the years, but nothing before has been authorized by them or has reflected their point of view. This is all the history that INXS was never willing to talk about until now, and the book that every rock fan will need to own.

Anthony Bozza:
is a very well respected former Rolling Stone journalist, who wrote the first big profile of Eminem in the USA and has worked with him repeatedly since.

2006-02-14 Persist with the early bits, it all comes together

I wasn't sure what to expect from this, and to be honest having grew up with INXS and seeing it all decline like it did, wasn't sure I wanted to read it. The early third of the book seems quite disjointed and disparate in a lot of ways. Not necessarily badly written, but it's a bit tough to keep track of who is "talking" at times, and it jumps across time periods too. Which can be a bit tricky to keep up with, and at times detracts from the read.

But then it gels and you end up realising it was all quite necessary because of how things that happened early on in INXS's career impacted later. Before you know it, you are engrossed and becoming completely lost in what was unfolding for the band. It's very no holds barred but without being the slightest bit sensationalist and I was very impressed that the band, Chris Murphy and all significant others from over the years didn't gloss over or glamorise what went on.

Did my love of the band over the last 18 years influence my opinion of the book? No. It prompted interest to pick it up, and it certainly made the closing chapters about the decline of Michael and his death very hard to read, but it's a wonderful book period. I did originally agree with the other four star criticism about the lack of photographs, but in hindsight I don't think it detracted too much. There are so many other coffee table type photo heavy books about the band, I'd say it was probably a good thing leaving them out and not having to compromise on the text or pictorial content.

A well written book, engrossing and hard to read from an emotional point of view, but if you want to get a good view of what happened in INXS through the years, I wouldn't trust or recommend any other book.