Innocently and completely unexpectedly, Jon Farriss poses the question, “Are you really sure that drummers want to read about me?” It was a definite “first” within my realm of experience as a music journalist. Yet, as strange as the question was, it was also slightly refresh­ing. It is with that question—and with the process of answering it—that we begin our story. Aside from the obvious fact that Farriss is a drummer, the choice to illuminate his career on these pages has something to do with his ten-year-plus participation in the Australian band INXS. With the 1987 release of Kick, and the eight months it has spent lingering solidly among the top-five albums on the charts, INXS have catapulted themselves into the major leagues of rock ‘n’ roll. Most relevant to this story, however, is Jon’s drumming experience. The beginnings of INXS go back to the late ‘70s, when Jon (still […]

December 2021 Issue