1.)What's in your CD player right now?
'CHANGE OR DIE" BY SUNSCREAM
2.)Do you believe in ghosts or UFO's?
YES, BOTH
3.) What are you proudest of?
MY DAUGHTER, APRIL
4.) What kinds of things do you draw when you're bored?
POKER CARDS
5.) What is your earliest memory?
HIDING IN BUSHES FROM CHURCH AT AGE 4 OR 5
6.) What was your first pet?
LABRADOR DOG CALLED "RANDY"
7.) What's your most overused word and/or phrase?
WAIT
8.) Who was the first celebrity you ever had a picture of on your wall?
NEVER DID
9.) May I call you Kirkamus....ha ha?
???????
(inside joke, someday i'll get to explain it to him hopefully)
10.) Who are your biggest musical inspirations?
EARLY JOHN COLTRANE/HENDRIX/DAVE GILMOUR
11.)What's the last book you read?
HARRY POTTER
12.) What was your favorite childhood toy?
LEGO
13.)Is Foster's REALLY Australian for beer?
NO ITS AUSTRALIAN FOR "SHIT"
14.)When you were still in school, were you ever sent out of class for goofing off?
YES, BUT IT WAS ALWAYS TIM FARRISS' FAULT.
15.) If you were an ice cream flavor what would it be?
CARAMEL 16.)What is your favorite color?
RED
17.)What song would you most love to do a cover version of?
ANYTHING FROM A PORN FILM SOUNDTRACK
18.)What is your favorite movie?
MEN IN BLACK / ORCHESTRA WIVES
19.) What is your favorite cartoon character?
DAFFY DUCK
20.)What was the first instrument you learned how to play?
GUITAR..

10 More Questions With Kirk!
Recently Kirk did another Q&A with me and this time he included a recipe!
1. Do you like scary movies?
NO.
2. What is the strangest dream you've ever had? (one where you wake up going what the *&^%#!!??)
RECENTLY MY GIRLFRIEND TURNED INTO MY BROTHER AND I HAD TO TELL MY FAMILY THAT WE WERE GAY..!!!@#*%
3. What would be your perfect date?
A WARM NIGHT, AT AN EXPENSIVE RESTAURANT, AT AN OUTSIDE TABLE, WITH A SPECTACULAR VIEW, IN AN EXOTIC LOCATION, NEAR WATER, WITH MY PARTNER.
4. What was the weirdest thing a fan has asked you to autograph: (my husband asked Type O Negative to autograph a brick..this was his question, the weirdo :-)
THE DASH BOARD OF A CAR.
5. Would you ever get a tattoo, and what would you get if you did?
NO
6. Do you like any Gothic music?
YES. LOVED MARILYN MANSONS VERSION OF "TAINTED LOVE"
7. What is your favorite song of all time?
NEW YORK NEW YORK
8. Were you in band in high school? (we former marching band geeks at TFA wanna know :-)
YES. TIM AND I HAD A BAND ALL THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL
9. Favorite websites?
http://www.HUGHIEONLINE.COM + http://www.INXS.COM + http://www.JAPANESEENGRISH.COM
10. Your soup recipe (from the charity book) was very popular on INXS.com, got another one for us?
I'VE GOT A MILLION BUT HERE'S A SIMPLE ONE FOR: BASIL PESTO.... 2 X LARGE BUNCHES OF BASIL 8 X CLOVES OF GARLIC 2 X PACKETS OF PINE NUTS 1 X PACKET OF PISTACIO NUTS (SHELLED) 100 - 200 grams ITALIAN PARMESAN CHEESE (To Taste) 300 - 500 mls OF GOOD QUALITY EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL (To Taste and to Consistency... Needs to be fairly moist) BROWN GARLIC, PISTACIOS + PINE NUTS TILL PINE NUTS ARE BROWNED. (Doesn't take long and you don't need oil in the pan). COMBINE ALL INGREDIENTS IN A FOOD PROCESSOR (with the lesser amounts of Parm.cheese + Olive Oil) AND MIX TILL ALL BLENDED. (Taste and add more Parm Cheese if needed and Olive Oil to reach a slightly creamy looking consistency). IT MAKES QUITE A BIT AND WILL LAST AWHILE IN THE FRIDGE. MAKES A GOOD HEALTHY GIFT FOR FRIENDS.

INXS - BACK ON TRACK Interview with Kirk Pengilly by Alice Roth © 2003
Over the past 25 years Australian rock legends INXS have recorded and released 10 studio albums, 1 live album and 2 compilations. They have sold over 30 million albums and performed to audiences exceeding 100 thousand people. On November 22, 1997, the band's frontman Michael Hutchence, internationally known and loved for being a sexy vibrant showman, was found dead in his hotel room in Sydney. He had had a very public and turbulent relationship with the media regarding his relationship with TV presenter Paula Yates. This event made many wonder what would become of the remaining band members and ultimately to INXS. During the subsequent years following Michael's death the remaining band members took time out to grieve the death of their friend. Many asked the question would one of the worlds most ground breaking and influential bands be finished forever... Fast forward to 2002 - it's 6.20pm, Wednesday, December 11, and I am waiting in the foyer of a very plush Cardiff hotel, for Kirk Pengilly, INXS sax player and guitarist. The band is doing a joint headline tour with Blondie around the UK. INXS are also promoting their latest album Definitive INXS. This album is a collection of their greatest hits with a couple of previously unreleased songs (with Michael Hutchence on vocal), to celebrate their 25th year. It is the first time since Michael Hutchence death that INXS have played the UK. We began the interview by talking about the weather! - most of the band had the flu and were feeling the climate change having just been touring in Mexico. Alice Roth: [I asked] Kirk if he was enjoying being in Cardiff? Kirk Pengilly: People say have you been here before? Has it changed? We stayed on the bus, we went to BBC radio and here I am. I spent one minute in my hotel room. Unfortunately we are not staying here tonight. I haven't really seen anything since we got here. AR: Are you enjoying touring again after so long? KP: Yeah oh absolutely, yeah it's good to be back together again. We didn't actually stop, we just kept quiet for a while. The first year after Hutch died we were asked to do a 3-song performance for a main independent record label that had been going for 25 years and were having an anniversary. We were asked to do a few songs. That was the first performance we did. This was the start before we asked Jon Stevens to join us -and we got our confidence back and now we are here! AR: You are recording a new album at the moment aren't you? KP: We haven't started but we have been writing. We are actually doing one of the new songs in the live set, a song called 'Sugar.' We have just spent the last few months writing in different combinations within the band - that was the plan. I think once we had made the decision we were going to continue and that Jon (Stevens) was the singer, the seventh member, that's always been our intention to record a new album. Jon's been really instrumental in pushing us and helping us get our shit together. Really, he's been fantastic. It's been good. Our next step is just to keep doing what we have been doing and at the same time promoting 'Definitive'. The plan is to go in to the studio around March and start the new record. There is a lot of music in us and you know we will see, play it by ear, and do this record. AR: What kind of direction musically do you want to take this new album? KP: It will be interesting cause Jon brings a different sort of flavour to the band. It will be interesting to see how his influence affects things. It is hard to say but we are in a position where we could take the band in a lot of directions we haven't been before, although I still feel that we always experimented with different things. It's too early to say what direction. AR: Do you get nervous before you perform? KP: Not really. It depends, sometimes if it's media orientated I'll get a little bit nervous perhaps. It helps when you've had a whole stack of hits under your belt (laughs) you can go out there and say 'I don't care if they like it or not' (laughs) The main time I get nervous is when there is family there, like when we play in Sydney and there are friends there, coz they know me as the dag that I am, and then all of a sudden I'm a rock star on stage you know. I also get a bit nervous for the first couple of shows of a tour, it takes a little while to get into the mode. It's good to get nervous, I think it's sort of humbling. AR: Proudest moment? KP: Oh god, there has been so many. There have been many memorable moments, there are too many to mention, there are different things for different reasons. There was this pretty proud moment also embarrassing, one particular year when we cleaned up the MTV awards. For the first couple I felt really proud, then it was like 'and the winner again' and I was like oh no. Those sorts of things kinda make you proud. Just last year I think it was getting our Australian awards and record industry awards and making it into the hall of fame that was a pretty proud moment. THEN I was nervous. We all decided to say something, I can't speak in front of an audience - I just can't do it you know - I just go (jibberish)! AR: What have you been listening to recently? KP: The radio a lot actually, in Sydney, when I am driving around. There is a fairly new radio station, which has really kicked all the other ones up the butt! I've been listening to that a lot. I've been listening to a lot of stuff that my daughter listens to she is 14 and I've become a huge fan of Linkin Park and System Of A Down. She and I just drive around laughing to System Of A Down, some of their stuff is so funny.(Laughs) I've been letting her influence me a bit at the moment. Prior to that, the last few years I have been listening to a lot of dance stuff. My now ex-girlfriend is a DJ so she used to rule the roost as far as the hi-fi went at home. A lot of good dance stuff like Leftfield, Sunscream and Fluke, things like that. I like all types of music. I find it difficult these days, I think most people's attention spans are shorter. I find it hard to listen to a whole record of someone, I get about half way through and drift off, so compilations are kinda cool! AR: If you could play on any album which one would it be? KP: Never heard that one before! There is a lot of albums really I don't know why this one comes to mind, I just think it was one of the greatest albums no one has ever heard of it. There was a drummer called Alan White, he came to fame in the band 'Yes'. He made a solo album called Ramshackled in the 70s, it was a drummers solo album. I wish I'd played on that cause it was an awesome album and it was exploring different fields, especially for its time. I liked Ramshackled. AR: Have you heard Joe Cocker`s cover of ´Never Tear Us Apart´? KP: I certainly have! Actually I think it's flattering. It's a very similar arrangement, very similar sounding recording in terms of instrumentation, definitely very good. The funny thing is they replaced the sax solo, (as you know I play sax) with a guitar solo and I was like 'uuuugghhh' (laughs) It's really good actually, Joe Coker was out in Australia recently and I was very tempted, you know I was really going to contact them to see if I could get up and play a live version with them - I would be taking his solo away from him (laughs) Funnily enough the same song got covered by Tom Jones and Natalie Imbruglia for Tom's album Reload. They did a version of 'Never Tear Us Apart' on that. It wasn't as good as Joe's. Don't tell Tom I said that! We are in Tom territory now aren't we? We're in Tom town. (laughing) AR: What do you do when you are not making music? KP: Cook, I like to cook. Drink, I like to drink (Do you have a favourite chef?) As far as TV chefs go I really like, what's his name?, Ainsley! I like Ainsley he's fucking great. I'm a big fan of 'Can't Cook, Won't Cook' I used to love that show. We don't get it in Australia, I haven't seen much lately. What's that one that he did recently where he goes round the world. I think it`s called Mr Cuisine, or something, great show always watch that! I think Jamie Oliver is a dick! But he is good, he is a rock star chef, which is really cool, I like that about him. the fact that he goes on tour ya know, such a great concept,chef on tour. I know quite a lot of chefs in Sydney personally, and also there are great restaurants in Australia. I love cooking I enjoy it, always dreamed of owning a restaurant. What else do I do? I´ve got a farm, so I spend a bit of time down there - ya know digging holes and stuff. I guess my favourite hobby is sailing. I have a yacht for a couple of weeks a year. AR: Are you here or at home for Christmas? KP: I get home on the 21st. I've got my mum coming up from Tasmania. She is coming up for about 5 days, and is staying with me. On Christmas day we are going to my daughter and her mother's place for Christmas lunch. Other than that I don't know. Soon as I get home I will be cramming all my Christmas shopping in, I can't do a lot out here coz of the weight restrictions on baggage, it was tight getting over here coz my baggage was already over weight you know what I mean? So I will have to do a lot of my Christmas shopping when I get home, then I dunno just relax. AR: What inspired to you play sax? KP: Not any one in particular, but what inspired me was 30s and 40s swing, you know like mostly Dorsey, the big swing bands. I loved it, there was just something about it. I really liked the dynamics of big bands. I just thought sax was a really expressive instrument. Saxophone predominately has been the most common brass instrument in rock music over the years more than say the trumpet or the trombone ya know. I liked swing music and jazz and I thought what can I pick up coz I learnt guitar I was playing guitar till I was 20. So yeah, it is a great instrument, as I said it's the most expressive. It's the closest sort of instrument in expressiveness to the human voice. I just love sax! (Laughing) AR: How did you come to tour with Blondie and are you enjoying it? KP: Yes I am enjoying it. It was a concept that come up with this management company that we have been using, and we thought this could be cool you know? We have known each other over the years. It just got thrown around, and we did want to do something in the UK coz we played North America earlier this year and south America and did some shows in Europe last year We really wanted to do some shows in the UK to introduce Jon and keep it not too high profile and we thought it worked in really well with the release of the 'Definitive' record. It sort of all fell into place for a bunch of different reasons. And so, here we are, half way through, and it's been really good. The band's been playing really well. We have passed members of Blondie in the hallway and had a chat. We haven't really had time to socialise with them at this stage. We make a good double act, even though it's like an 80s revival. We were 80s/90s and she was 70s/80s it actually works really well. No complaints. After the interview, INXS went on to play one of the most captivating gigs I have seen in a long time. They played all their well-known songs 'New Sensation', 'Suicide Blonde', 'Don't Change' and 'Never Tear Us Apart' to name but a few. Alongside the music, one of the most memorable aspects of the night was the visual side of the performance. For example during 'Never Tear Us Apart' (which they dedicated to Michael) they had pictures of him on the screens in the background. Another unforgettable scene was when Jon Stevens went into the audience, walked around singing and shaking hands with people - it is refreshing to see a band that interacts with the fans. Jon also persuaded the security to let the audience come up to the barriers in front of the stage instead of being confined to their seats. This allowed everyone to get up and really get into the music, lots of dancing in the aisles so to speak! After 25 years they are still rocking. At this gig the band seemed to be having a good time too, which clearly rubbed off on everyone else. This was a gig worth waiting for... Welcome back boys!

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