Rock's Backpages

< back to list of all episodes

Episode 49 : INXS' Michael Hutchence + Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood

18 October 2019

In this week's episode of the RBP podcast, cocktail-lounge trio Mark, Jasper & Barney kick things off by discussing Oz rockers INXS. Ahead of the release of new documentary Mystify, they consider the tragic death of frontman Michael Hutchence.

The week's featured writer is Tim Riley, whose articles on roots rock, 2 Live Crew and Buddy Holly's influence on John Lennon spark discussion of the intersection between nostalgia and authenticity, the disproportionate censorship of black voices... and Lennon's inner geek.

The trio then listen to excerpts from Andy Gill's 2003 conversation with Jonny Greenwood about the Radiohead guitarist's first film soundtrack Bodysong – and early electronic instrument the Ondes Martenot. 

Finally, they each pick highlights from the articles added to the RBP library this week – among them a Brian Case interview with tenor-sax great Sonny Rollins and Jamiroquai's Jay Kay, a.k.a. "the prat in the hat", plus a piece from the early days of the internet and an interview with Charles Mingus' son Eric.