Just a Man: The Real Michael Hutchence
This odd biography will primarily appeal to hardcore fans of  INXS, a wildly successful Australian group of the 1980s whose  waning popularity in the 1990s ended abruptly with the 1997  suicide of its charismatic lead singer, Michael Hutchence.  Written by the singer's sister and mother, the book combines  basic facts of Hutchence's early life and his rise to stardom  with an almost too-intimate view of the authors' feelings ("That  night I was so exhausted: it felt as if all of my emotions had  been drained and laid on the sidewalk for strangers to  trample"). Payback is the book's primary raison d'?tre: the  authors have clearly not forgiven the singer's management for  attempting to bilk him out of money, his various  girlfriends especially the late Paula Yates, Bob Geldof's ex for  spreading rumors that Hutchence's suicide was some mysterious  and kinky sexual adventure gone wrong, and the Australian media  for hounding the grieving family. The narrative, split between  the sister and the mother, repeats itself frequently, especially  about the singer's childhood; a more conventional biographical  style (or a professional co-writer) could have sidestepped that  problem. Also, while INXS was popular, the authors are too close  to make any hard critical judgments about the band's merit.  However, the last 80 pages or so, which detail not only the  horrible, secretive financial management given to Hutchence but  also his family's difficult and expensive efforts to find out  the truth, is a gripping tale that every would-be pop star  should read. Photos. (July 1)Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.