The rocker admits winning U.S. TV talent show Rock Star: INXS in 2005 and then touring with the Original Sin hitmakers as the late Michael Hutchence's replacement took its toll on his physical and mental state - and he was forced to quit the band to get help for a drug addiction problem that was spiralling out of control.
The Canadian tells Spinner.com, "If you went, 'Hey, here's the keys to a legendary rock band, we want you to drive it for a little while,' anybody in their right mind would go, 'Rock 'n' roll, man! This is great.'
"But when you start driving too fast, you realise, 'Holy s**t, I can run out of gas if I'm pushing the pedal to the metal all the time.' I feel like the detour was the whole Rock Star: INXS show; the touring, all that pressure, all the expectations - that was the detour that took the focus away from where we needed to be as a band in INXS, and where I needed to be as an individual."
Tagged in INXS