INXS sizzles with Australian rock 'n' roll

NEW YORK With his tousled tresses, insouciant pout and liquid,leonine presence, it's hardly surprising that Michael Hutchence,lyricist and lead singer for Australia's INXS, has become a suddensex symbol on the teen and MTV scene. Or that this rock dandy andhis mates are one of the hottest new bands in the business, with amillion-selling album, "Kick," and a string of arena sellouts.

The surprise is that INXS has been around for 11 years. What,you don't even know how to pronounce it? Try "in excess," a pun thatHutchence admits is lost on non-English-speaking audiences that havenonetheless embraced the band's bracing rock and dance-floordialectics.

As a performer, Hutchence has been dubbed "a cross between JimMorrison and Madonna, a young heir to the great tradition ofambisexual rock stars."

Hutchence's physical resemblance to Morrison, his penchant forpop poses and his ability to mesmerize an audience above sensuallypercolating beats don't do much to dissuade comparisons to the Doors'dead singer, a founding member of rock's Hedonists R Us fraternity.

All of which amuses Hutchence, who so far has managed to keephis head on his shoulders. Considering Morrison, Hutchence observes:"He didn't last very long, did he?"

INXS has lasted for 11 years - an eternity, in rock terms -though it's probably fortunate that only in the last few years hasHutchence emerged as the front man for a band.

INXS currently has another hot single, "Devil Inside," which isNo. 2 on Billboard's current pop chart. "Kick" is No. 4 on the albumand Compact Disc charts.

Now the unity of INXS is being buffeted by the pop media's hypehabit. "We don't want people to try and pull us apart," says INXSguitarist Tim Farriss. We want to be represented as a band."

Hutchence says he refuses to be singled out. "I hate to beboring, but I just like singing," he says. "It's what I do - it'spart of the process of my being in a band. What has been created hasbeen created fairly naturally, and I will deal with it naturally.I'm not prepared to be a big demigod of music, particularly if itgets out of control."

To that end, he has decided to reduce his drinking. "Now I havea very different attitude," he says. "I'm enjoying myself, standingback and watching it all rather than watching it all go down thedrain."