The tale of JD Fortune and INXS gets weirder

Did Fortune 'Kick' himself out of INXS?
Did Fortune 'Kick' himself out of INXS?

Recently we reported on the story of reality TV star JD Fortune who was picked to front INXS. As Fortune told it, he was kicked out of the band, was homeless and living in his car.

But all might not be as Fortune led people to believe. As the singer put it, he was dumped by the group at a Hong Hong airport and left high and dry.

According to Undercover, however, under the terms of the contract, the TV prize entailed recording one album and then touring the album with the band. Which means that the contract had expired when the tour ended - so, in reality, Fortune wasn't 'sacked' by INXS, as both sides had fulfilled the terms of the agreement.

In the last few weeks, Fortune showed up in a couple of appearances on Canada's Entertainment Tonight, complaining of the shoddy treatment he received from INXS.

"He was on my list to call regarding a very big recording project I am putting together for INXS. I guess I have no reason to call him now!" INXS's label head Chris Murphy, on JD Fortune

Label prez was planning on calling Fortune

This is news to the INXS team. In a statement last week, former band manager Chris Murphy and now head of the group's label, Petrol Records, said, "Ever since Petrol Records signed INXS last December, the band has always stated to me that Fortune's services could potentially be contracted again when INXS next tour.

"In fact, he was next on my list to call regarding a very big recording project I am putting together for INXS at present. I guess I have no reason to call him now!"

So did Fortune inadvertently sack himself? Hard to tell. But his TV appearances certainly didn't help his cause any.

Guess we can look forward to more reality TV staring INXS.

Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar WorldGuitar PlayerMusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.