And another thing PHIL BROWN

Iwas going through old photo albums the other day and was surprised to find a photo of Mick Jagger. No, wait a minute, it was me! I had Mick Jagger’s build and hair at the time but not his lips and talent.

The photo was of me on the beach at Noosa smoking a cigarette which dates it.

Then there’s that other photo of Bob Geldof trekking in the Himalayas.

But that was me too! And it made me think, I could have been a contender.

If anyone has read my memoir The Kowloon Kid you will know that I was once in a band, The Sidetracks.

For one gig at Kowloon Junior School in Hong Kong.

When I went up to high school at King George V School a family called Hutchence moved across the road from us in Kowloon Tong.

Again, if you have read my book you know what’s coming.

If you haven’t, the name may make you wonder if this has anything to do with Michael Hutchence.

He lived across the road and the Hutchence boys – Michael and Rhett – were always at our house after school due to the fact that their rather fierce amah (servant) wouldn’t let them in the kitchen.

So they ended up at our place where they got treats. I was pop mad at the time and was constantly playing music by The Doors, The Beatles, Cream and others and I have often wondered how much of that Michael soaked up.

He was younger than me and it may not surprise you to know that even then all the girls in the neighbourhood were in love with him. In my book there’s a chapter entitled Rock Star Across The Road and it starts this way: “When I knew Michael Hutchence only one of us had ever fronted a rock band and it wasn’t him.”

I think of that at times like the other day when I was in the supermarket and some INXS music was playing for shoppers. It still sounds good but makes me feel sad.

Michael died far too young. Many years after we left Honkers we were watching Countdown and I was impressed with this hot new band performing their hit song The Loved One.

When I realised it was Michael I was blown away. “That could have been me!” I said. But it wasn’t.