There’s no small irony that INXS‘ Andrew Farriss is in Ohio — home of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland — to visit his wife’s family on the day his band received its first nomination for the shrine.
“On the first tour we did in 1983 we ran off the road, funnily enough, in Akron,” Farriss tells Billboard via Zoom. “So we nearly died on a tour bus in Ohio, now we’re nominated and I’m talking to you from Ohio. It’s all happening here for some reason…”
Nevertheless he’s feeling nothing but joy over the Rock Hall nomination, coming 21 years after the Australian group was initially eligible.
“I think everybody in the band is thrilled and excited to be nominated, and obviously we’re very much honored to have something like that,” Farriss says. “It’s something, I guess, that goes into the history books, whatever they are. I never started writing songs and playing music to be in a hall of fame; that’s not why I started doing it — but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate it. I’m a little philosophical about all that; I think when something’s meant to happen, it’s going to happen in your life, whether you realize it or not.
“I probably wouldn’t be the first person to say I’m just amazed to be able to be in a situation like this; it comes as a surprise, believe it or not. You’re not entitled to anything; you’re kind of lucky, whatever comes your way. I’m grateful.”
INXS certainly has credentials to merit Rock Hall consideration.
Formed as the Farriss Brothers during 1977 in Sydney, the sextet has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, including six platinum-or-better albums in the United States (1987’s Kick leads those at six-times platinum.) INXS also notched 17 Top 20 Mainstream Rock chart singles and hit No. 1 on it and the Hot 100 with Kick’s “Need You Tonight.” The band was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame during 2001.
Frontman Michael Hutchence passed on Nov. 22, 1997 in Sydney, aged 37, a coroner’s report officially ruling his death a suicide. Farriss, however, is confident his primary songwriting partner would be happy about the Rock Hall nod. “I know he’d be honored with this,” he says. “One thing he said very early on in our career is, ‘One day I’d like to think whatever we did mattered.’ That’s something he said. I think this shows that it did. That’s pretty cool.
“I have to say that having my bothers in the band, Tim and Jon, and my other brothers Kirk (Pengilly) and Garry (Gary Beers)… what kept our shit together most of the time was just making fun of each other and what we were doing, thinking about ‘What do we get at the end of all this?’”. That was the mantra of “what we used to think about and talk about as we’d play and our audience kept getting bigger and we were selling more records.
“I suppose it’s a little bit Zen, but the best moment you’re having is the one you’re living at that time. The time to enjoy yourself is right now — not yesterday, not tomorrow, but right now.”
INXS did continue for a time after Hutchence’s death, working with singer Jon Stevens, J.D. Fortune (from the reality TV competition Rock Star: INXS) and Ciaran Gribbin. The group hasn’t performed live since November of 2012 but has been active with archival releases, while Andrew Farriss in particular has pursued a solo career. Planning is just beginning for anniversary celebrations in 2027, and Farriss doesn’t rule out the possibility of seeing the surviving members together again in some manner.
“It’s good timing; most of us are healthy, we’re in good shape and looking forward to seeing where this goes,” Farriss says. “There’s been some amazing (acts) out there in the world, but they lose one of their original members and something happens. You can’t replace that original chemistry; you can try, but it’s always kind of different every time you do.
“I think what we’re thinking about very carefully is if we were gonna do something, what would that be? And we don’t know, right? That’s where we’re at at the moment.”
INXS is one of 10 first-time nominees on the Rock Hall ballot of 17, joined by Jeff Buckley, Phil Collins, Melissa Etheridge, Lauryn Hill, New Edition, P!nk, Shakira, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan. Inductees will be chosen by the Rock Hall’s 1,200-member professional voting committee, while a public fan vote — which is now open via rockhall.com — will be used to assemble an additional ballot.
Inductees and other honorees are expected to be announced during late April, with the 2026 induction ceremony taking place during the fall at a date and location to be announced.
