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00:11I love your shirt today. Thank you. You look very smart. Good color for you. Thank you. Hi, Willow. How
00:17are you doing? I'm excited. Oh, guys, Jimmy's coming. Oh, he's coming.
00:32One and only Jimmy Barnes. How are you, mate? Nice to see you. Hi, Jimmy. Hi, guys. How are you?
00:40Good. Nice to meet you, Jimmy. Big fan of yours. Oh, wow. There he is. I'm Willow. Thanks, name. Thank
00:48you. I'm Abby. Nice to meet you, Jimmy. Abby, how are you going? Nice to see you.
00:55Yeah. I'm so excited to open my eyes. It's all right, brother. It's all right. It's all right. Yep, it's
01:01all right. It's all right. All right.
01:06Hey, how are you? See, they put tissues there. Yeah, tissues. Am I going to cry? I might cry. I'm
01:15a bit of a crier. Who knows? Who knows? You never know. It's a mystery.
01:19We're going to move these, but if you start weeping, I'll shock you. Yeah, there you go. Come on, you
01:23guys. No making me cry, okay? It's supposed to be a tough rock and roller.
01:32Straight down the barrel of the camera, okay? Everyone good? Okay, in three.
01:40Tonight, the assembly returns. And graduates from past series are back.
01:46Prep day one, prep day one. Hey, guys.
01:49And Lee Sayles is mentoring us.
01:53Hi, everybody.
01:55The students have graduated from the Journalism Foundations course and they're ready for the next step.
02:00Taking us on the road. Wow.
02:01Let's keep going. Wow.
02:03And behind the scenes.
02:05This is really awesome.
02:07To level up our media skills.
02:09Hey, Abby, we're about to record a song.
02:11Okay, I'm ready to go.
02:13On both sides of the camera.
02:15Square up to the camera.
02:17Some of Australia's most celebrated names are taking the hot seat.
02:21Oh, no. That's a really hard one.
02:23For interviews like you've never seen before.
02:25What is the biggest lie you have told?
02:27Oh, that's really one of the air. Let me think.
02:30Have you made out with anyone famous?
02:33Good, that is a good question.
02:34How do you process shame?
02:36Sorry.
02:37Tissue girl is back again.
02:38You've got this, Jess.
02:41You have proven that no questions are off the table.
02:45We are the Assembly!
02:59Since I was last on the Assembly, I'm getting better on my questions.
03:04When people say, wow, that is a good question,
03:07or wow, that is a toughie,
03:09I feel like I'm doing my job right.
03:11Yay!
03:13Another day, another prep.
03:16Stay in here, my big, big bag.
03:19How are we feeling?
03:21Pretty confident, how are you feeling?
03:22Pretty confident, pretty good.
03:24Hello, everybody.
03:27How are we all?
03:28Good.
03:29Very good.
03:30You ready to hear about our next guest?
03:32Oh, yes, please.
03:33Okay.
03:33He is a very famous Australian musician.
03:37He's had almost a 40-year career.
03:39He has had more number one records in Australia
03:42than anybody else.
03:44He is to be lead singer of a band called Cold Chisel.
03:48It's Jimmy Barnes.
03:49Woo!
03:50I know it!
03:51I know it!
03:52Jimmy Barnes!
03:53Does anyone know much about Jimmy Barnes?
03:55Ciao.
03:56He's a working class man.
03:58Back there's a working class man.
04:03Jimmy Barnes was part of my soundtrack growing up.
04:07Jimmy Barnes was part of my soundtrack growing up.
04:09Working class man was in a way.
04:10It was a very important track for us.
04:12Fletcher?
04:13He did the song Wake Up Jeff with the Wiggles for the UNICEF concert.
04:18Wake up Jeff before the day is through.
04:21Whoa!
04:22Wake up Jeff!
04:24One of his sons, David Campbell, is on Today Extra.
04:28We are talking about Aussie legend and icon DC's dad, Jimmy Barnes.
04:32Good morning to you.
04:33Good morning.
04:34How are you?
04:34Do you love me?
04:36How do you love me?
04:38Now that I can't live.
04:43Oliver?
04:44There's something really interesting about his masculinity.
04:47He's this hard rocker, but then he's also super emotionally vulnerable and open about his kids and how much he
04:54loves his wife.
04:54And we kind of see that dichotomy in men very often.
05:00Yeah, great.
05:00James?
05:01He lives in my town and I passed him in the street the other day.
05:07There you go.
05:08Shall we split into our groups and we'll get working on our questions?
05:17All right, where am I?
05:19I'm right here.
05:20Oh my God.
05:20Oh my God, this is adorable.
05:24What do you guys know about Jimmy Vars?
05:27He has managed to in some ways get out of the working class.
05:31Yes.
05:32But he still kind of speaks with him?
05:34I know he screams like, meh!
05:38How can he still talk after scraping his lungs out through his career?
05:42Very good one.
05:43That's a good one, actually, yes.
05:45Yeah.
05:46Okay.
05:47Are we ready for action?
05:49I'm almost done.
05:50I haven't failed today.
05:51I'm failing.
05:52I need to fix it up, but I'm failing it.
05:55That's not failing.
05:56That's just editing.
05:57That's called working on your ideas.
06:03Working with my world, let's go for a tour.
06:08I just draw this not long ago.
06:10It's my brain.
06:11My brain cut for tour, everything.
06:12Everything's happening.
06:13It goes wild.
06:15It's what I do all my trophies, drama and dancing.
06:18I like being dramatic, saying, oh, I'm dying, but I'm not actually dying.
06:23I'm just pretending to be dead.
06:25It's a beautiful painting day today.
06:28People treat me differently because I'm a disability.
06:31Oh, she can't make friends because she's different.
06:33Uh-oh.
06:34That's it.
06:35Ah, okay.
06:36She's mumble.
06:37She's not perfect.
06:39Oh, I like that.
06:40Being part of a family means that I still got friends who like me.
06:45Come on, Flash.
06:45Flash.
06:47I'm loud.
06:48It's good.
06:48Why?
06:49Authentic.
06:50Unique.
06:52And run away.
06:54Jimmy Barnes.
06:56Jimmy Barnes.
06:57Jimmy Barnes.
06:58This one I definitely want to ask him is, when the song Big Enough was released, did you
07:04expect that it will become a meme, and have you watched any?
07:07Yeah.
07:14Surely you didn't expect it, right?
07:16Because you wouldn't necessarily know that.
07:17Yeah, you never would see it coming.
07:19Because it became so famous, right?
07:20Probably because of his scream.
07:22He's had this amazing career.
07:24And now he's got grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
07:27I'm really looking forward to asking him about his daughter, who has cerebral palsy.
07:34Ellie Mae has a physical disability, like me, so I want to relate back to everything she's
07:41been through.
07:42Okay, hit me with your questions.
07:43Questions, no problem.
07:44I've got seven.
07:45Okay.
07:46Some are definitely better than others.
07:48Interviewing Jimmy Barnes tomorrow makes me feel absolutely ecstatic, like I've grown
07:54up on his music, and I really admire him, and I'm really keen to meet him.
08:04Music is one of the most important aspects of my life.
08:09It serves as an escape.
08:11You may or may not have noticed I do have a mild case of Tourette's.
08:18When I was younger, it was more severe.
08:20My body would go into contortions, and I probably dislocated a bone or two.
08:29Whenever I'd play an instrument, the tics would dissipate or fade away completely.
08:38I'm a massive fan of books and film.
08:42This here is the book of all books.
08:45Once you've read this one, every other book's just a remix.
08:49The Oxford Dictionary.
08:51I've meticulously gleaned every page, and ticked and categorised each word.
09:00It's very important for me to be understood.
09:03When I was a lot younger, that wasn't always the case.
09:07There was a phase where I became nonsensical.
09:13I would, um, spew word salad.
09:17Autism can allow you to hyper-focus.
09:20Tourette's often does the opposite.
09:22It distracts you.
09:23It affects your memory.
09:26It's like a constant sneeze.
09:32Since being on the assembly,
09:33I've learned what I'm capable of and feel a sense of work.
09:40I haven't said that for a while.
09:41Oh, now I'm more optimistic about the future.
10:05Hi, guys. How are you?
10:07Good.
10:08I'm Finn. Nice to meet you, Jimmy.
10:10Nice to see you, mate.
10:19So, you know, I've been playing rock and roll for, like, 54 years now.
10:26So, I'm a bit deaf.
10:27So, can you talk nice and low for me?
10:30That'd be really good.
10:31I'll get on well.
10:34So, Finn is going to start us off with the inclusion statement today.
10:37Alrighty.
10:38Alrighty. Okay.
10:39So, I'll just, um, start us off.
10:41So, this is a safe space.
10:43Everyone can relax and be themselves.
10:45There'll be no judgment.
10:46Um, please do what you need to join in.
10:49For example, fidget, move, take a break.
10:51Ask if you need anything to help you be included.
10:55Um, and Anastasia, would you like to welcome Jimmy?
10:57I will definitely will.
11:00Hello, Jimmy.
11:01We are a collective of working-class autistic journalists.
11:05And we are so happy that you took the time and coming to have fun with us today.
11:09Our rules are, no subject is out of bounds.
11:12That's okay.
11:13No question is off the table.
11:15And anything can happen.
11:16So, let's all have some good times.
11:18And welcome to the assembly.
11:21Yeah!
11:21Thank you, guys.
11:23Mitch is first up today.
11:25Sure.
11:29Hello, Jimmy.
11:32As an Australian from Glasgow, what is the most bogan thing you've ever done?
11:37Oh-ho-ho!
11:39Bogan.
11:39Oh-ho-ho-ho!
11:41Bogan, let me think.
11:43I've done lots of bogan things.
11:44Oh, man.
11:46All right.
11:49I don't know.
11:50It's hard to say.
11:51You know, I did.
11:53I'll tell you.
11:54One Australia Day, I got a phone call, right?
11:58And it was a friend of mine, Brian Brown.
12:00You know Brian?
12:01Oh, wow.
12:01Brian rings me up and says,
12:03Jimmy, I'm having an Australia Day barbecue.
12:05I need you to come over.
12:07You're going to sing Walsam Matilda at my barbecue while we're cooking prawns.
12:14I'm thinking, this sounds like pretty Australian sort of thing.
12:16And he said, and I've got another friend, Billy Thorpe.
12:20And Thorpey was my hero when I was a kid.
12:22He said, Thorpey's going to play guitar and he's going to sing it with you.
12:25No way.
12:25So I'm sitting there and I'm thinking, there's nothing more Australian than singing Walsam
12:31Matilda with Billy Thorpe at Brian Brown's barbecue.
12:34So I said, yes, I'll be right over.
12:35So we sat down and it was great because we're sitting by, there was the opera house was there
12:40at the Harbour Bridge and we're sitting around, the barbecue's cooking.
12:44Billy's got the acoustic guitar.
12:45I'm singing.
12:46And Brian's son, Joe, who was only little at the time, had like a super soaker sort of water
12:52pistol.
12:53And he just kept going, whoosh, in my face.
12:55Oh, no.
12:56So I'm singing this song while I'm getting drowned in water.
12:59It was pretty bogan.
13:00It was pretty bogan.
13:01That is pretty bogan.
13:03It was pretty bogan.
13:10It was pretty bogan, Mike Thomas.
13:12Okay.
13:14You've been with your wife, Jane, for over 40 years.
13:17How did you two meet and was it love at first sight?
13:21Absolutely.
13:23I remember the minute I seen her.
13:26It was four o'clock in the afternoon, November 26, 1979.
13:31I remember we were on a tour called Pooled Resources and we played at all different cities.
13:38We got to Canberra and the guys from the Angels, who are dear friends of mine, they were having
13:44a bit of a party and they invited me over and I came across to this hotel room and I
13:49remember walking in and in the corner, Jane was sitting in the corner and she didn't look
13:54at me, didn't talk to me, didn't say anything, didn't say a word, in fact.
13:57And I remember walking in and I was so taken aback by how beautiful she was that I had to
14:02go out of the room and sort of compose myself because I didn't want to make an idiot of myself.
14:06So I went outside, took a few deep breaths, you know, like you do when you're focusing
14:09yourself and I came back in and I was sort of trying to sort of be nice and talk to
14:14her
14:14and she didn't say a word.
14:16And so because she's so exotic looking and Thai, I made the assumption that Jane didn't
14:23speak English.
14:24And so I just sort of like smiled and sort of tried to get her attention.
14:28Later on, after we played the show, I was standing watching the Angels and Jane walked
14:33up next to me and spoke to me and speaks better English than I do, actually.
14:36And she walked up to me and invited me to a party afterwards.
14:40But I remember the first time I seen her, it was love at first sight, although she didn't
14:43see me.
14:45So it was a one-way love at first sight.
14:49Thanks, Thomas.
14:50Pat.
14:53So in Cold Chissel's early years, you left and came back quite a number of times.
14:58How was your relationship like with all your bandmates at that time?
15:03At that time?
15:04We were always very volatile.
15:06Cold Chissel were touring and we were filling stadium, not stadium, auditoriums around the
15:12country for five years before we could get a record deal.
15:16Nobody would sign us because every time they'd come and see the band, we'd have a fight.
15:20Steve, the drummer, him and I used to fight a lot.
15:23And then I'd storm off and leave the band, hitchhike down to Sydney and get in about four
15:28in the morning, knock on Jane's door.
15:30When I met Jane in 1979, all I wanted to do was be with Jane.
15:33I didn't even want to be in the band anymore.
15:35So I'd just run away, knock on Jane's door.
15:38She'd take me in and I'd sit with her and tell her my troubles and she'd give me a cuddle
15:44and I'd think, I'm not going back.
15:45And she'd say, no, the band's waiting for you.
15:47They're playing tonight in sort of wherever the next town was up there.
15:50And so I'd have to get up in the morning and hitchhike back up the coast and be in time
15:55for the show.
15:56And every night we'd walk back in and it was like, we're brothers, you know.
16:00We fought and then we just got over it.
16:02So it was a volatile band.
16:05Even up to the 50th tour we just did, the 50th anniversary tour, is the first tour we
16:11hadn't fought in 50 years.
16:13So that was a big accomplishment.
16:15And I remember singing on stage on those gigs thinking, something's wrong here.
16:21They're all smiling at each other.
16:23What's going on?
16:24Nobody's had a fight yet.
16:25So, you know, finally, I think we grew up after 50 years.
16:28There you go.
16:28It makes sense that Jane kept you all together, though.
16:31She was amazing.
16:33And for a while, people were going, oh, it's like a Yoko Ono thing.
16:36You know, she's dragging him away from, you know, from the Beatles.
16:39You know, it was exactly the opposite.
16:41Jane was going, they're such a great band.
16:43Go back in there.
16:44You know, push me back.
16:46He kicks his butt down and just goes off.
16:48Go on, off you go.
16:49Get out of my sight.
16:50Go on.
16:50Well, how interesting.
16:53So, whenever I drink alcohol, I can't do anything straight.
16:56So, what makes you able to stay so functional when you're performing while intoxicated?
17:02Would you say I was functional?
17:03Have you looked at those videos?
17:06I thought I was functional.
17:08More so than me.
17:09No, maybe.
17:10No, but listen, I can stand up.
17:12I certainly wasn't functional.
17:14But, I mean, my job in the band was to be out of control.
17:18And, unfortunately, I was really good at it.
17:21But, after a while, it wore thin.
17:24And, that was, you know, when you used to just get drunk because you're having a great
17:28time on stage, that was good.
17:30It was good fun.
17:31But, when you couldn't go on stage unless you were drunk, I'd drink three, four bottles
17:37of vodka in a day.
17:39And, you know, I'd just be absolutely smashed.
17:42And, somehow, I could still sing.
17:43I could still stand.
17:44But, I wasn't good company.
17:47You make lots of bad decisions when you're in that position.
17:50And, it sort of was okay for a while, but it wore thin.
17:54Makes sense.
17:55Thank you very much.
17:56No worries.
17:57Thanks, Pat.
17:58Willow, your turn.
18:03Hi, dear fans.
18:04I'm micro...
18:05Sorry.
18:07Sorry.
18:08I'm trying my best.
18:09You're okay.
18:10You're good.
18:10You're good.
18:11Everyone tells me I'm loud.
18:13You have made your career from screaming.
18:16Do you annoy everyone as much as I do with your volume?
18:20You know, I started...
18:23I don't think I'm just a screamer.
18:25People do say I scream a lot.
18:26You do.
18:27Because I do like to scream.
18:28But, I started singing when I was 16 with Cole Chisel.
18:32And, in those days, the fallback, the PA systems, so you could hear yourself sing,
18:38weren't very good.
18:40And so, we had, like, a band with lots of equipment, guitars playing really loud.
18:44And I had to get over the top of them.
18:46And I had to sort of sing as loud as I could.
18:49But I've sort of made a career out of it.
18:51But it's what I like.
18:52You know, when I go on stage, I don't want my audience to be relaxed.
18:57I want to pin them to the back door.
18:59I want to go up there and be confronting and make, you know, let them know, feel the emotions that
19:06I'm singing about.
19:08But I think, don't let anybody have to say you loud.
19:10It's a good thing.
19:11Being loud is a good thing.
19:13See you, Mum?
19:13I've made a career out of it.
19:18You can come and join my band.
19:26Thanks, Willow.
19:27Bethany?
19:29Hello.
19:30Hello there.
19:30How are you?
19:31I'm Bethany.
19:32So happy to be here with you today.
19:35I've heard you say that your dad made you drink whiskey from an early age and he didn't realize that
19:40it wasn't normal until later on.
19:42What else happened in your childhood that now you realize wasn't normal?
19:46Oh, how long have we got?
19:50When I say my dad made me drink whiskey, it's a funny thing.
19:54My dad was a boxer.
19:56He was a wild, wild man.
20:00And when he moved here, nobody knew who he was.
20:02And he was struggling with his own identity and his own self-worth.
20:07And he dreamt about being back in Scotland all the time.
20:10So one of the things he did from an early age was, you know, New Year's Eve would be in
20:14bed at 8.
20:15At 10 o'clock he'd wake us up.
20:18And when the clock struck midnight, he'd have this tiniest little glasses of whiskey and we all had to have
20:23one.
20:24That's probably what his parents did to him.
20:27And, you know, let's face it, I did end up an alcoholic because of it.
20:31There was a lot of bad things that happened to me.
20:33As a result of alcoholism and the problems that it brought, there was a lot of violence in our home.
20:40And it all happened in front of us as kids.
20:42And we were terrified a lot of the time.
20:44We were traumatized.
20:46When you get really badly affected by alcohol, you end up making friends with people who normally you wouldn't speak
20:54to, you know.
20:54So my parents had people who would come to our house who weren't good people.
20:59There was times where our lives were in danger.
21:02There was times when we were abused by people, you know, violence and sexual abuse and all sorts of stuff.
21:12All of that stuff stemmed, not because they didn't love us, stemmed because they were so out of control with
21:17alcohol.
21:18So there was a lot of problems, but I can see where they all came from.
21:22I can't be great at anything, though, because it made me who I am.
21:25Yeah, and it made you a really nice person.
21:26And I quite like who I am now.
21:27Yeah, you are a really lovely person.
21:29Thank you so much.
21:30No worries.
21:30Thanks, Bethany.
21:31Dale?
21:33Hello.
21:35You've written candidly about growing up in poverty and violence, but also about the heroes who helped you survive it.
21:40How did that early chaos shape your voice, not just vocally, but emotionally?
21:44And how much of that still empowers your performance today?
21:49Um, you know, I don't use it lightly when I say everything I went through, I wouldn't change.
21:57As dark as it all was, it did bring me to where I am.
22:01And it was a rocky journey to get here.
22:04Coming from a place where, you know, you were invisible, you know, you were just there, your parents didn't care,
22:10you know, you were going hungry, you didn't have clothes, decent clothes to wear.
22:15And I used to, from five years old, when I went to school, I used to sing because I'd sing
22:19to people and, and, and, and that would make people like me.
22:24And there was a thing because of all the violence that we felt at home and we've seen at home,
22:28I spent my whole life trying to make people like me because then it wouldn't hurt me.
22:33All those things are really handy if you want to become a rock and roll singer.
22:36Look at me, look at me, and, and, you know, let, let me, let me try and, you know, I'm
22:40like a dancing monkey, you know?
22:42Thank you for answering that.
22:44No worries.
22:45Thanks, Dale.
22:47Fletcher.
22:49Were you really nervous performing with the Wiggles because their audience is a lot younger than your normal audience?
22:55They were a lot younger than my normal audience.
22:58In fact, some of them are about three.
23:01And I was nervous.
23:02I get nervous for every show I do.
23:04So working with another act, especially an act as, as, as polished and as professional as the Wiggles, you know,
23:11for a start, they dance.
23:13Has anybody seen me dance?
23:14It's terrible.
23:14You know, so I had to learn a few moves to dance, but, yeah, I got nervous with them.
23:19But, but Anthony's a dear friend of mine.
23:21I know those guys all really well.
23:22And I've sang with them and written songs with them.
23:25And so I, they made me feel very comfortable, but I do, I get nervous for every show.
23:30Thank you very much.
23:31No worries.
23:32Molly.
23:33Hi.
23:34Hi, Jimmy.
23:34I'm Molly.
23:36Your son only found out you were his father when he was 10 years old.
23:40Yeah.
23:40What made you decide to tell him?
23:42Well, it was, you know, there was, it was, it was very complicated.
23:46I mean, David was born when I was 16.
23:49And, and really at that point, I couldn't look after myself and let, let alone him and his grandmother adopted
23:56him.
23:57You know, I didn't just sort of waltz back into David's life when he was 10 and say, hey, I'm
24:01your dad.
24:02I was going to see David from the day he was born.
24:05You know, I was, I, I seen him all the way through his life.
24:08But he didn't know who I was.
24:09I'd turn up and, you know, the Scottish uncle from really, you know, who, who he didn't know.
24:14But I wasn't allowed to tell him that I was his father, his, his grandmother had made a point of
24:19that.
24:19And I think that was a mistake.
24:22And it got really complicated as I got more famous.
24:25And as he was growing up, the grandmother got more demanding and it was harder.
24:30She didn't want me to give her things.
24:32It was sort of like almost blackmailed to come and see him.
24:34So I got harder and I got to the point where I'd say, no, I'll have to, I'm going to
24:38have to wait until David, you know, comes to me.
24:41Eventually, my wife, who's much wiser than me, she sort of said, look, he needs to know.
24:47He needs to know.
24:48And so we told him and it was, it was a huge shock to him.
24:52And he was reeling for a long time.
24:55And I think music, like me, saved his life.
24:58You know, he found out who he was.
25:01And it wasn't about living up to what his grandmother or his mother thought or what I thought.
25:05He did his own thing by himself.
25:08And suddenly all our relationships got better.
25:12Well, it sounds like you figured everything out.
25:14Yeah, yeah.
25:15Well, he's a clever guy.
25:16He figured it out.
25:17Yeah.
25:18Thanks, Molly.
25:19Savannah, it's your go.
25:24Hello, working class man.
25:25Hello there.
25:26How are you?
25:27Working class interviewer.
25:28How do you do?
25:29Your Majesty.
25:31What put you in a bad mood to write your song, I'm in a bad mood, from my criminal record?
25:38Oh, that's a good question.
25:41I woke up one morning and I was feeling a little bit, a little bit sort of out of sorts.
25:47And I wasn't feeling good.
25:48And I was in a bit of a bad mood.
25:51So you wrote a song about it.
25:51My wife said, you know, can you just cheer up a bit?
25:53And I went, yeah, okay.
25:55So I just thought it was a good title for a song.
25:58And I just love playing the song live.
26:00We've all been through that before.
26:02I'm sure, I'm sure.
26:03All of us.
26:04Everyone in this room has.
26:05Well, that's what you try and do when you write songs.
26:07You try and write songs that connect with people, do the same.
26:09They all feel the same.
26:10Yeah.
26:11Thank you, Jimmy Barnes.
26:12No worries, it's my pleasure.
26:13Thanks, Savannah.
26:14Anastasia, you'll go.
26:16Hello, Jimmy.
26:16Hello, Megan.
26:17Okay, so you did a guest appearance on a song called Big Enough.
26:22And in the music video, you'll be seen as a cowboy screaming in the background.
26:26This has turned into an internet meme with over 75 million views.
26:30Did you expect it will become a meme?
26:32And have you actually watched any?
26:33I've seen it a lot.
26:34Kieran J. Callanan is a friend of my daughter's.
26:38He said, I want you to scream in one of my songs.
26:40There's a 20-second interval where we want you to scream.
26:46So I went in, and I just, I literally, I just screamed like a banshee.
26:51I just, I found the key of the song, so I just screamed like a banshee.
26:55I wasn't sure what they were going to do with it.
26:57The next thing I know, it was on, like, the Tonight Show in America,
27:00and literally, you know, 100 million people watched it, watched the video.
27:04And it's very funny because my wife is from Thailand,
27:07and we go to Thailand all the time.
27:09And Thailand is sort of like my safe space, you know?
27:12People don't know who I am.
27:13And I was sitting in a restaurant, and I could see these two kids.
27:16They must have been eight or nine years old, and they were staring at me.
27:20And I'm thinking, do I look weird?
27:22Well, I knew I'd look weird, but I said, do I look weirder than normal?
27:25And eventually, the mother came across, and she said,
27:28oh, my children, they want to know, are you the screaming cowboy?
27:33And I went, yes, I am, as a matter of fact.
27:36And so that film clip was not only seen by, you know, 100 million people,
27:40but it sort of got me seen in places where, you know,
27:4350 years of playing rock and roll had never been played before.
27:45Thank you, Jimmy.
27:46No worries.
27:48Daniel.
27:50Hello there.
27:51G'day, Jimmy.
27:51How are you, mate?
27:52Good, mate.
27:52All right.
27:54As someone who has faced mental illness in my lifetime,
27:58what were the defining moments that, in your life,
28:01that made you realise you needed to turn your life around?
28:04Well, there was a few of them.
28:08I think it was probably the...
28:10I'd been on a bender for, it must have been about 35 years.
28:14No, that was for a long, long time.
28:16I'd been on a bender, and I was actually on tour,
28:18and I went to New Zealand.
28:21And I remember Jane was just trying to tell me
28:24to see something positive, everything's OK.
28:26And I was just getting more and more depressed.
28:30And I remember we went to bed and Jane went to sleep,
28:34and I got up and I drank the whole mini bar in the hotel,
28:37and I took copious amounts of drugs and all sorts of stuff,
28:41and I thought I went to sleep.
28:44I woke up the next day,
28:46and I went in to the walk-in wardrobe at this hotel,
28:49and I seen this cord hanging there.
28:53And as soon as I seen it, I remembered what happened.
28:56And Jane had gone to sleep,
28:58and I drank the whole mini bar and done everything,
29:01and I was lying there, and I wanted to see...
29:03It must be an easier way out.
29:06I thought it must be easier to die.
29:08Yeah.
29:09And I just must have gone to bed.
29:11And then I took it off and I untied it,
29:14and I thought, this is it.
29:15It's got to change.
29:17And once I started dealing with it,
29:19then I found, oh, drinking's not that important anymore.
29:22I can stop, you know?
29:24I went from being a person who wouldn't get out of bed
29:27without taking stupid amounts of drugs and drinking
29:30to someone who I can't imagine doing that now.
29:33You know, I can't imagine it.
29:34I love life so much, and I like seeing...
29:37I like clarity, and I like to be able to look someone in the eye
29:42and connect with them.
29:43Before I never looked at anybody, I looked at the ground.
29:46I had to go and see a therapist,
29:48and the first time I did that, that's when I started to change.
29:51And that's when my mind got better.
29:53And I went and seen...
29:55I got to the therapist five, six times a week
29:57until I was strong enough to where I felt I could deal with it.
30:01And every now and again, I'd still go, just to get topped up.
30:04You know, I just need a bit of advice here and there.
30:06And it's a really good thing.
30:07Yeah.
30:08And I really don't care if anybody thinks that's weak
30:10or anybody thinks I'm not a man
30:12or anybody thinks I'm crazy, because I f*** them.
30:16Oh, yeah!
30:17But I need help, and I'm willing to ask for it now, yeah.
30:22Evie, would you like to have a go?
30:25Hi, I'm Evie.
30:27Evie, how do you find the courage to open up
30:31about your most vulnerable experiences?
30:38Well, I think I got to the point
30:41where I absolutely couldn't help myself anymore.
30:44I needed help, and I had to reach out to other people.
30:47And when I got to that point, it was...
30:50It's like, you know, they say it's a low.
30:51You know, you reach the lowest point and all that sort of stuff.
30:53I see it was probably my highest point, you know,
30:56because that's when I started to heal.
30:59And since then, you know, I've realized that, you know,
31:02what I went through happened to a lot of people.
31:05It happened to a lot of people.
31:06And because I spoke about it,
31:09it gave them an opportunity to talk about it.
31:10So I found that by dropping your guard
31:15and being open, and open enough to share
31:18the darkest and the most painful things in your life,
31:22it not only helps you, but it helps other people.
31:25Thanks.
31:27Oliver.
31:30Hello.
31:31Hi.
31:32There are so many singers who died tragically young.
31:35Joplin, Hendrix, Cobain, Hutchins, Presley,
31:38just to name a few.
31:40You're 69 now.
31:41Mm-hmm.
31:42Nice.
31:47But seriously, how does it feel
31:50knowing you've survived everything you did
31:53when so many greats didn't?
31:55Well, you know, I feel pretty blessed, pretty lucky.
31:57I mean, I think I went as hard as any of those singers.
32:02You know, you talk about my childhood,
32:04and, you know, my parents never gave me a lot.
32:06But one of the things they did give me
32:07was a good constitution.
32:08I'm tough.
32:11And I think that's what's kept me alive.
32:14When I remember I joined cultures at 16,
32:17I didn't want to make 21.
32:19At 69, though, I'm okay.
32:21I'm looking for 90.
32:22I'm all right.
32:23I'm happy to grow old,
32:24and I want to be around and hold my grandchildren
32:27and be an inspiration to them
32:29as opposed to being something
32:30they look at on an album cover.
32:32It's a tough thing, you know.
32:33And, you know, like Michael Hutchins
32:35was a good friend of mine,
32:37really good friend of mine.
32:40And Michael, when he died,
32:41when he came to Australia,
32:43that trip, you know, we touched base.
32:45You know, earlier in the week we'd spoke,
32:47and I knew he wasn't feeling good.
32:49I knew he was struggling.
32:51And I said, well, we'll get together.
32:52We've got to get together,
32:53and we'll have a dinner,
32:54and we'll have a chat, you know.
32:55It would have been nice, you know.
32:56And, you know, I should have just gone around
32:57and knocked on his door then,
32:59not made plans for later in the week, you know.
33:03I think the lessons to be learned
33:04if you see someone who's struggling,
33:06don't sit back and wait till you find them,
33:10you know, dead in the corner.
33:12You know, get out and reach out to people
33:13and stay in contact.
33:15Stay close to people,
33:16especially your friends.
33:17And Michael was a dear friend of mine.
33:19And, you know, it was a sad, sad loss.
33:22Thank you very much.
33:23No worries.
33:24Thanks, Oliver.
33:25Silas?
33:29How do you process shame?
33:31Oh, that's it.
33:32We weren't okay.
33:33Let me think.
33:35You know, shame's a very unhealthy thing.
33:38I mean, I think you have to feel shame,
33:43and it's a bad feeling,
33:45because you have to know it
33:46to recognize what you're doing wrong.
33:50I was feeling shame as a child
33:52because my parents were poor.
33:54I was feeling shame
33:55because I was getting clothes
33:57from the Salvation Army, you know,
33:59and they were ugly and, you know,
34:01weren't stylish at all,
34:02like all my friends.
34:04That's not healthy shame.
34:06But when I grew up
34:08and I made mistakes
34:09and I felt ashamed
34:10of the mistakes I made,
34:12that's healthy shame
34:13because you have to be
34:14accountable for your own decisions.
34:16When it's within your grasp
34:18and something that you've made a mistake,
34:20and if you can own it
34:22and wear it
34:24and say,
34:25I'm totally wrong,
34:26I feel ashamed about that,
34:28and then let it go,
34:29that's good.
34:31Yeah.
34:32Silas, do you want to pass the mic to James?
34:35Hi, Jimmy.
34:36How you doing?
34:36You and I both call
34:38the Southern Highlands home.
34:40Has living there changed
34:42the way you think
34:42about music or life?
34:45Well, I think
34:46the Southern Highlands
34:46has been,
34:47it's like the,
34:48it saved my life.
34:49When I first life coaches,
34:50I started writing songs
34:52in the Highlands.
34:53So a lot of the songs
34:54were inspired by being
34:55in the Southern Highlands.
34:56I think the freedom
34:57it gave me.
34:58I had my family there,
34:59I bought my first house there,
35:01the first house I'd ever owned,
35:03and it made me,
35:04I had to work hard
35:05and I had to sit down
35:05and focus on writing songs.
35:08And these days,
35:09although it doesn't
35:10necessarily save my life,
35:11I just love going back there
35:13and breathing cold, fresh air.
35:15So, you know, I love it.
35:17And I'm a Scotsman,
35:18so we're drawn to the Highlands.
35:20Yeah, well,
35:20it certainly is a very tranquil place.
35:23Great.
35:23Thank you, Jimmy.
35:24No worries.
35:25Thanks, James.
35:25Do you want to pass along to Finn?
35:27Hi, Jimmy.
35:28Great to meet you.
35:30Oh, I can't.
35:31You like roses,
35:32which, as a hard rocker,
35:34might not be expected.
35:35Are there any other things
35:36people wouldn't expect
35:38of you as a rocker?
35:42I'm very good
35:43at arranging flowers.
35:45Oh, nice.
35:45You know why?
35:46I'll tell you why.
35:48Like, if you'd have told me
35:49when I was a young rock and roll singer
35:50that I'd be in the garden
35:52picking flowers
35:52and arranging them in a vase,
35:54I would have said they were crazy.
35:56But one day,
35:57I went out,
35:58it was a few years ago now,
36:00I went out
36:00and there were some beautiful roses
36:03growing in our garden
36:03and I went and picked some
36:04and I brought them in
36:05and I put them on a table for Jane
36:07and it just brought us such joy.
36:10She loved it.
36:11And I thought,
36:11that's an easy thing to do.
36:14So I started to go out
36:16and I started to look after the roses.
36:17I sort of grow the roses now.
36:19I've got a big rose garden
36:20and I bring her flowers every day.
36:23And I'm a good cook.
36:25I'm a really good cook,
36:26which I never would have thought either
36:28because when I was young,
36:29I didn't eat.
36:31I've spent time in caves
36:34in northern Thailand
36:35meditating with Buddhist monks.
36:37I've, you know,
36:39I went to India with Deepak Chopra.
36:41You know, I've made sort of hard rock records
36:44and brought, you know,
36:45Buddhist monks into the studio
36:46to bless the studio before I started.
36:49I do all sorts of things
36:50that are sort of not normal
36:51for rock and roll singers.
36:53Wonderful.
36:53Great.
36:54Thanks, Mark.
36:55Thanks, Finn.
36:55Do you want to pass that one to me?
36:57Ciao.
36:57You're up.
36:58I grew up in the working class.
37:00Do you think working class people
37:02can be happy
37:03or can you only be happy
37:05when you are more wealthy?
37:07Oh, absolutely not.
37:08I think some of the happiest people
37:10I know are from working class.
37:12I grew up in a working class family.
37:15We were very poor.
37:17And when I grew up,
37:18and when I joined the band
37:19and cultures
37:19and we were successful,
37:21I made money.
37:22That didn't mean I disconnected
37:24from my working class roots.
37:26Whenever I sing,
37:27I feel,
37:27I still feel working class
37:29because, you know,
37:30it's where I came from.
37:32Growing up in a working class environment
37:34is what shaped me
37:35in being, you know,
37:36who I am.
37:37And I'm very proud of coming
37:41from a working class background.
37:42And I'm very proud
37:44that I can make myself happy still.
37:46Money has nothing to do with it.
37:48Jimmy Grants, thank you so much.
37:49My pleasure.
37:51Abby?
37:53Hello, Jimmy.
37:55Your daughter, Ellie Mae,
37:57lives with cerebral palsy.
37:59What's one thing that she has taught you
38:01that no one else could?
38:03I love that question.
38:07Listen, I, you know,
38:08listen, Ellie Mae,
38:10she fights with chronic pain
38:12every day.
38:13And Ellie was born
38:15at 26 weeks.
38:18And when she was born,
38:20they said
38:20there was a more than 50% chance
38:22she wasn't going to live.
38:24And she fought from then,
38:27from this tiny little baby.
38:29And she's still fighting
38:30to this day.
38:32You know,
38:32she's a gorgeous girl
38:34who fights against pain
38:36and being trapped in it.
38:39Her body just doesn't do
38:40what she wants it to do.
38:41That's what she says.
38:42It's just,
38:42my stupid body
38:43won't do what I want it to do.
38:45So I guess
38:46she teaches me
38:47about real courage.
38:50Quite often,
38:50it'll all be too much for her.
38:52But she still manages
38:53to pick herself back up again.
38:56And it's that,
38:57just not giving in.
38:58Not giving in.
38:59And even though
39:00it's completely overwhelming,
39:02picking yourself up
39:03and keep moving forward.
39:06Thank you very much
39:07for coming in today.
39:09My pleasure.
39:10Jimmy,
39:11would you mind
39:12singing us
39:13one of your songs?
39:14Yes!
39:15Yes!
39:16I just happen to have
39:17Mahalia's husband Ben
39:18here with me.
39:19This is Ben Rogers,
39:20my son-in-law.
39:21Hi, Ben!
39:22I'm singing you
39:23a campfire song.
39:29Mmm-hmm.
39:35Mmm-hmm.
39:38Working hard
39:39to make a living
39:42Bringing shelter
39:43from the rain
39:45A father-son
39:48Left to carry on
39:50Blue denim
39:52In his veins
39:54Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
39:58He's a working-class man
40:06Well, he's a steel-town disciple
40:10Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
40:15Running like a motorcycle
40:19Across a wild Australian sky
40:24Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
40:27He's a working-class man
40:32Oh, yeah
40:35Yes, he is
40:39Oh, yeah
40:42Well, he's a working class man
40:46Yeah
40:47Oh, oh
40:51Yes, he is
40:54Oh, oh
40:59I tell you, he's a working class man
41:13Oh, he's a working class man
41:15That was fun
41:16Yeah, that was
41:17Awesome
41:18Thank you so much
41:19You've seen the islands
41:20Yes
41:21Come say hello if you see me in the street
41:22Do you mind if you sign my card for me real quick?
41:25And I think my mum wouldn't forgive me
41:27If I didn't ask for a quick hug
41:29Come here
41:31My pleasure
41:31Send the card to your mum
41:34That was incredible
41:36Best day ever
41:37Such raw talent
41:38Simon says
41:39Looking at the lens
41:41Simon says
41:42Full of funny face
41:43Asking Jimmy about his daughter's experience
41:46I think
41:46It did feel a bit of a connection
41:48And I did get a bit emotional
41:50When he opened up about it
41:52Everybody be in a bad mood, no?
41:57And big smile
42:00Bye-bye, Jimmy
42:02See you, Jimmy
42:04Jimmy's such a nice bloke
42:06I like him
42:08Our next guest is
42:09One of Australia's most popular comedians
42:12He's had a career of a couple of decades
42:14On both television and radio
42:16It's Dave Hughes
42:20How many times have you been to the ABC?
42:22I've been having nervous wheeze in this building since 2003
42:26How much money would it take for you to permanently walk away from comedy?
42:30Turned into Oprah, has it?
42:31Have you made out with anyone famous?
42:34Ooh, kiss and towel, yeah?
42:36Can you tell us a story about your mum that shaped who you are?
42:40She was my biggest supporter
42:42She was my biggest supporter
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