Don't Know If Anyone Read The Sunday Mail BUT

Darren Hayes responded on his myspace page about the article. Hope you don't mind me posting it but I can't see the Sunday Mail making a retraction or correction:

www.myspace.com/darrenhayes

Open letter to Editor of Brisbane's Sunday Mail

In response to the article in your news paper that
suggests I 'dissed' the town I grew up in I have to say I'm appalled.
The story is completely false and you didn't even get my Father's
name right. You just printed a lie.

The opinions you expressed as mine are not even my words.
They have been lifted from press release written by a U.K
journalist.

For the record, Peter is my brother. Not my father.
So much for getting basic facts straight.

Considering my love for Brisbane is actually a part of my new record
(I name check, with love, the street I grew up in on 'How to Build a Time Machine')
the idea that I would say negative things about Brisbane is preposterous.
I adore my home town and I'm proud of my 'poor' upbringing.
It was a struggle as most people's lives are. But one of the biggest themes in my music and in my life is that which does not break us makes us stronger.

There's a whole history of my love affair with Brisbane that you've chosen not to
report because the truth is kind of boring.
It happens to be mine and my English partner Richard's favourite Australian
city. When he was on tour with me in Australia last year he proclaimed
Brisbane his 'top spot' in Australia, much to the horror of my Sydney and
Melbourne friends. After performing at the Sydney Opera House we stayed at
Brisbane's Stamford Plaza for a week - If you bothered to ask any of the
staff there, I've been calling that hotel my second home for the past 7 years.
I return home more times a year than you would know because I do not
publicize it. l don't live my life as a celebrity and I value
my time in Brisbane with my family in a private and treasured way.

As for my views on gay marriage, there is nothing 'veiled' about my
remarks on Civil Partnerships and John Howard's refusal to
make it a reality for gay men and women in Australia.
I consider the recognition of Civil Partnerships to be a basic civil right and it's about time this archaic law was changed. Gay Australians deserve this.

There. Words from my mouth. Feel free to quote them.

To my actual Australian and Brisbane audience who have stood by me
and supported me for the past 10 years - I'm sorry you had to think for
even one second that this tabloid fodder was in any way an indication
of who I am.

I'm a Brisbane boy and proud of it. And I'm completely offended at the accusatory nature of this article.
I defended myself as a child against small minded bullies and I'll do the same
thing as an adult against media ones.

Brisbane Rules : Bullshit doesn't.

Sincerely
Darren Hayes