- 6 hours ago
The Assembly AU S03E03 H 264
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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. Hi, Jimmy. Hi, guys. How are you? Good. Nice to meet you, Jimmy. Big fan
00:43of yours. Oh, wow. There he is. I'm Willow. Thanks, Liam. Thank you. I'm Abby. Nice to meet you, Jimmy.
00:52Abby, 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
01:01right. 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? 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? That'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.
02:02Let'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.
02:26What 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 bells 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, ladies.
03:25Hello, everybody.
03:27How are we all?
03:29I'm good.
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 than 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.
03:58That man'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 band is anyway.
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 due.
04:21Oh, wake 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.
04:34Good 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.
04:59Yeah, great.
05:01James?
05:01He lives in my town and I passed him in the street the other day.
05:05Oh, my God.
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.
05:22This is adorable.
05:24What do you guys know about Jimmy Barnes?
05:28He has managed to, in some ways, get out of the working class.
05:32Yes.
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, I'm sure.
05:44Yes.
05:44Yes.
05:45Yeah.
05:46Okay.
05:47Are we ready for action?
05:50I'm having fail 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.
05:58That's good working on your ideas.
06:03Welcome to my world.
06:04Let's go for a tour.
06:08I just draw this not long ago.
06:10It's my brain.
06:11My brain can't control everything.
06:12Everything's happening.
06:13It goes wild.
06:15It's the way I do all my trophies, drama and dancing.
06:19I 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 of my disability.
06:31Off she can't make friends because she's different.
06:33Uh-oh.
06:34That's it, of course.
06:35Ah, okay.
06:36She's mumbled.
06:37She's not perfect.
06:39Oh, I like that.
06:40Being part of assembly means that I still got friends who like me.
06:44Come on, Flash. Flash.
06:47I'm loud.
06:48It's good.
06:48Why?
06:50Endetic.
06:51Unique.
06:52In my way.
06:54Jimmy Barnes.
06:56Jimmy Barnes.
06:57Jimmy Barnes.
06:58This one I definitely want to ask him is, uh, when the song Big Enough was released,
07:04did you expect 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?
07:20I wonder because of this 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, like, everything
07:40she's been through.
07:42Okay, hit me with your questions.
07:44Questions, 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.
07:52Like, I've grown up 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 ticks 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.
08:52I'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 spew word salad.
09:17Autism can allow you to hyper focus.
09:20Tourette's often does the opposite.
09:22It distracts you.
09:24It affects your memory.
09:26It's like a constant sneeze.
09:32Since being on the assembly, I've learned what I'm capable of and feel a sense of word.
09:40I haven't said that for a while.
09:44Now I'm more optimistic about the future.
10:05Hi guys, how are you?
10:07Good.
10:08I'm Finn.
10:09Nice to meet you, Jimmy.
10:10Nice to see you.
10:18How you going?
10:20Hey Dan, how you going mate?
10:21So 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.
10:32I'll get on well.
10:34So Finn is going to start us off with the inclusion statement today.
10:37Alrighty, okay.
10:38So I'll just start us off.
10:41So this is a safe space.
10:43Everyone can relax and be themselves.
10:45There'll be no judgement.
10:47Please do what you need to join in.
10:49For example, fidget, move, take a break.
10:52Ask if you need anything to help you be included.
10:55And Anastasia, would you like to welcome Jimmy?
10:57I definitely will.
11:00Hello Jimmy.
11:02We 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 and welcome to the assembly.
11:21Yeah!
11:21Thank you guys.
11:23Mitch is first up today.
11:25Sure.
11:29Hello Jimmy.
11:31Hi.
11:31As an Australian from Glasgow,
11:34what is the most bogan thing you've ever done?
11:36Oh!
11:39Bogan.
11:41Bogan.
11:42Let me think.
11:43I've done lots of bogan things.
11:44Oh man.
11:48I don't know.
11:50It's hard to say.
11:51You know.
11:52I did.
11:54I'll tell you.
11:54One Australia day.
11:56I got a phone call, right?
11:58And it was a friend of mine.
11:59Brian 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,
12:08Walter Matilda.
12:11At my barbecue while we're cooking prawns.
12:14I'm thinking,
12:14this sounds like pretty Australian sort of thing.
12:17And he said,
12:17and I've got another friend,
12:19Billy Thorpe.
12:20And Thorpe was my hero when I was a kid.
12:22He said,
12:23Thorpe is going to play guitar and he's going to sing it with you.
12:25No way.
12:25So I'm sitting here and I'm thinking,
12:27there's nothing more Australian than singing
12:30Waltz and Matilda with Billy Thorpe at Brian Brown's barbecue.
12:34So I said,
12:34yes, I'll be right over.
12:35So we sat down and it was great because we're sitting by,
12:39there was the opera house was there in the Harbour Bridge
12:41and we're sitting around,
12:42the barbecue's cooking.
12:44Billy's got the acoustic guitar.
12:45I'm singing.
12:46And Brian's son, Joe,
12:49who was only little at the time,
12:50had like a,
12:51like a super soaker sort of water pistol.
12:53And he just kept going 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.
13:03It was good.
13:03But it was one of the great moments in my life.
13:06Wow.
13:07Thank you, Jimmy.
13:08No worries, Pat.
13:09Do you want to pass the mic to Thomas?
13:12Okay.
13:14You've been with your wife, Jane, for over 40 years.
13:17Yeah.
13:17How did you two meet?
13:19And was it love at first sight?
13:21Oh.
13:22Absolutely.
13:23I remember the minute I seen her.
13:26It was four o'clock in the afternoon,
13:29November 26, 1979.
13:31I remember I was,
13:33we were on a tour called Pooled Resources
13:36and we played at all different cities.
13:38We got to Canberra
13:39and the guys from the Angels,
13:42who are dear friends of mine,
13:44they were having a bit of a party
13:46and they invited me over
13:47and I came across this hotel room
13:49and I remember walking in
13:50and in the corner,
13:51Jane was sitting in the corner
13:52and she didn't look at me,
13:54didn't talk to me,
13:55didn't say anything,
13:56didn't say a word in fact.
13:57And I remember walking in
13:58and I was so taken aback by how beautiful she was
14:01that I had to go out of the room
14:03and sort of compose myself
14:04because I didn't want to make an idiot of myself.
14:06So I went outside,
14:07took a few deep breaths,
14:08you know,
14:08like you do when you're focusing on yourself
14:10and I came back in
14:11and I was sort of trying to sort of be nice
14:13and talk to her
14:14and she didn't say a word.
14:16And so because she's so exotic looking
14:19and Thai,
14:21I made the assumption
14:22that Jane didn't speak English.
14:24And so I just sort of like smiled
14:26and sort of tried to get her attention.
14:28Later on,
14:29after we played the show,
14:30I was standing watching the Angels
14:31and Jane walked up next to me
14:33and spoke to me
14:34and speaks better English than I do actually.
14:36And she walked up to me
14:37and invited me to a party afterwards.
14:40But I remember the first time I seen her,
14:41it was love at first sight,
14:43although she didn't see me.
14:44Aww.
14:45So it was a one-way love at first sight.
14:49Thanks, Thomas.
14:50Pat.
14:53So in Cold Chisels' early years,
14:55you left and came back quite a number of times.
14:58How was your relationship like
15:00with all your bandmates at that time?
15:03At that time?
15:04We were always very volatile.
15:06Cold Chisels were touring
15:08and we were filling stadium,
15:11not stadium,
15:11auditoriums around the country
15:13for five years
15:14before we could get a record deal.
15:16Nobody would sign us
15:17because every time they'd come and see the band,
15:18we'd have a fight.
15:20Steve, the drummer,
15:21him and I used to fight a lot.
15:23And then I'd storm off and leave the band,
15:25hitchhike down to Sydney
15:26and get in about four in the morning,
15:28knock on Jane's door.
15:29You know, when I met Jane in 1979,
15:32all I wanted to do was be with Jane.
15:33I didn't even want to be in the band anymore.
15:35So I'd run away,
15:37knock on Jane's door,
15:37she'd take me in
15:39and I'd sit with her
15:40and tell her my troubles
15:41and she'd give me a cuddle
15:42and I'd think,
15:44I'm not going back.
15:45And she'd say,
15:46no, the band's waiting for you.
15:47They're playing tonight
15:48in sort of wherever the next town was up there.
15:50And so I'd have to get up in the morning
15:51and hitchhike back up the coast
15:54and be in time for the show.
15:57And every night we'd walk back in
15:58and 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.
16:08The 50th anniversary tour
16:10is the first tour we haven't fought
16:12in 50 years.
16:13So that was a big accomplishment.
16:15And I remember singing on stage
16:17on those gigs thinking,
16:20something's wrong here, you know?
16:21They're all smiling at each other.
16:23What's going on?
16:24Nobody's had a fight yet.
16:25So, you know,
16:25finally I think we grew up after 50 years.
16:28There you go.
16:29It makes sense that Jane
16:30kept you all together though.
16:31She was amazing.
16:33And for a while,
16:34people were going,
16:35ah, it's like a Yoko Ono thing,
16:36you know?
16:36She's dragging him away from,
16:38you know, from the Beatles,
16:39you know?
16:39It was exactly the opposite.
16:42Jane was going,
16:42they're such a great band.
16:43Go back in there.
16:44You know?
16:45Or she'll be back.
16:46He takes his butt down and just goes off.
16:48Off you go.
16:49Get out of my sight.
16:50Go on.
16:50How interesting.
16:52So, whenever I drink alcohol,
16:55I can't do anything straight.
16:56So, what makes you able to stay so functional
17:00when 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.
17:10No, maybe.
17:10No, but listen,
17:11I could stand up.
17:12I certainly wasn't functional.
17:13But, I mean, my job in the band
17:17was to be out of control.
17:18And, unfortunately,
17:19I was really good at it.
17:21Mm.
17:22But after a while,
17:22it wore thin.
17:24And that was,
17:24and, you know,
17:25when you used to just get drunk
17:27because you're having a great time on stage,
17:29that was good.
17:30It was good fun.
17:31But when you couldn't go on stage
17:32unless you were drunk,
17:35I'd drink three, four bottles of vodka in a day.
17:39And, you know,
17:39I'd just be absolutely smashed.
17:41And somehow I could still sing.
17:43I could still stand.
17:44But I wasn't good company.
17:47You make lots of bad decisions
17:48when you're in that position.
17:50Mm.
17:50And it sort of was okay for a while,
17:53but it wore thin.
17:54Mm.
17:54Makes sense.
17:55Thank you very much.
17:56No worries.
17:57Thanks, Pat.
17:58Willow, your turn.
18:03Hi, dear Bums.
18:04Um, micro...
18:05What's that?
18:07I can't.
18:08Sorry.
18:08I'm trying to...
18:09You're okay.
18:10You're good.
18:10You're good.
18:11Everyone tells me I'm loud.
18:14You have made your career from screaming.
18:16Yeah.
18:16Do you annoy everyone
18:17as 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.
18:28Yeah.
18:28But I started singing when I was 16
18:31with Cold Chisel.
18:32And in those days,
18:34the fallback, the PA systems,
18:36so you could hear yourself sing,
18:38weren't very good.
18:40And so we had, like, a band
18:41with lots of equipment,
18:43guitars 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...
18:52I like...
18:52You know, when I go on stage,
18:53I don't want my audience to be...
18:55to be relaxed.
18:57I want to pin them to the back door.
18:59I want to go up there
19:00and be confronting
19:02and make, you know,
19:04let them know,
19:05feel the emotions
19:06that I'm singing about.
19:08But I think...
19:09Don't let anybody say you loud.
19:10It's a good thing.
19:11Being loud is a good thing.
19:13See you, Mum?
19:14I've made a career out of it.
19:18You can come and join my band.
19:24I know.
19:26Thanks, Willow.
19:27Bethany?
19:29Hello.
19:30Hello there, how are you?
19:31I'm Bethany.
19:32So happy to be here with you today.
19:35I've heard you say
19:36that your dad made you drink whiskey
19:37from an early age
19:39and he didn't realise
19:40that it wasn't normal until later on.
19:42What else happened in your childhood
19:43that now you realise wasn't normal?
19:46Oh, how long have we got?
19:48Have we got...?
19:50When I say my dad made me drink whiskey,
19:52it's a funny thing.
19:54My dad was a boxer.
19:56He was a wild, wild man.
20:00And when he moved here,
20:01nobody knew who he was.
20:03And he was struggling
20:04with his own identity
20:05and his own self-worth.
20:07And he dreamt
20:08about being back in Scotland
20:09all the time.
20:10So one of the things he did
20:12from an early age was,
20:13you know, New Year's Eve
20:14would be in bed at 8.
20:15At 10 o'clock,
20:16he'd wake us up.
20:18And when the clock struck midnight,
20:20he'd have this tiniest
20:21little glasses of whiskey
20:22and we all had to have one.
20:24That's probably what his parents did to him.
20:27And, you know, let's face it,
20:28I did end up an alcoholic
20:30because of her.
20:31There was a lot of bad things
20:32that happened to me.
20:33As a result of alcoholism
20:35and the problems that it brought,
20:37there was a lot of violence in our home.
20:40And it all happened in front of us as kids
20:42and we were terrified.
20:44A lot of the time,
20:44we were traumatized.
20:46When you get really badly affected by alcohol,
20:50you end up making friends with people
20:52who normally you wouldn't speak to,
20:54you know.
20:54So my parents had people
20:56who would come to our house
20:57who weren't good people.
20:59There was times where our lives were in danger.
21:02There was times when we were abused by people,
21:08you know, violence and sexual abuse
21:10and all sorts of stuff.
21:12All of that stuff stemmed,
21:13not because they didn't love us,
21:15stemmed because they were so out of control
21:17with alcohol.
21:18So there was a lot of problems
21:19but I can see where they all came from.
21:22I can't regret anything though
21:23because it made me who I am.
21:25And I quite like who I am.
21:27You are a really lovely person.
21:29Thank you so much.
21:30No worries.
21:30Thanks, Bethany.
21:31Dale.
21:33Hello.
21:34You've written candidly
21:36about growing up in poverty and violence,
21:38but also about the heroes
21:39who helped you survive it.
21:40How did that early chaos shape your voice,
21:43not just vocally but emotionally,
21:44and how much of that
21:46still empowers your performance today?
21:50You know, I don't use it lightly
21:53when I say everything I went through
21:55I wouldn't change.
21:57As dark as it all was,
21:59it 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,
22:06you were invisible.
22:07You know, you were just there.
22:08Your parents didn't care.
22:10You know, you were going hungry.
22:11You didn't have clothes,
22:13decent clothes to wear.
22:15And I used to, from five years old
22:17when I went to school, I used to sing.
22:18Because I'd sing to people
22:19and that would make people like me.
22:24And there was a thing,
22:25and there was a thing,
22:25because of all the violence
22:25that we felt at home,
22:26and we've seen at home,
22:28I spent my whole life
22:29trying to make people like me
22:31because then they wouldn't hurt me.
22:33All those things are really handy
22:34if you want to become a rock and roll singer.
22:36Look at me.
22:37Look at me.
22:37And, you know, let me try and, you know,
22:40I'm like a dancing monkey, you know?
22:42Thank you for answering that.
22:44No worries.
22:45Thanks, Dale.
22:47Fletcher.
22:49Were you really nervous
22:50performing with the Wiggles
22:51because their audience is a lot younger
22:53than your normal audience?
22:55They were a lot younger
22:56than my normal audience.
22:58In fact, some of them are about three.
23:01I was nervous.
23:02I get nervous for every show I do.
23:04So working with another act,
23:06especially an act as polished
23:08and as professional as the Wiggles,
23:10you know, for a start, they dance.
23:13Has anybody seen me dance?
23:14It's terrible, you know?
23:15So I had to learn a few moves to dance.
23:17But, yeah, I got nervous with them.
23:19But Anthony's a dear friend of mine.
23:21I know those guys all really well.
23:22And I've sang with them
23:23and written songs with them.
23:25So they made me feel very comfortable.
23:27But I get nervous for every show.
23:30Thank you very much.
23:31No worries.
23:32Molly.
23:33Hi, Jimmy.
23:34I'm Molly.
23:36Your son only found out
23:38you were his father
23:38when he was 10 years old.
23:40Yeah.
23:40What made you decide to tell him?
23:42Well, it was very complicated.
23:46I mean, David was born when I was 16.
23:49And really, at that point,
23:51I couldn't look after myself,
23:52let alone him.
23:54And his grandmother adopted him.
23:57You know, I didn't just sort of
23:58waltz back into David's life
24:00when he was 10 and say,
24:01Hey, I'm your dad.
24:02I was going to see David
24:03from the day he was born.
24:04You know, I was...
24:06I'd 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,
24:10the Scottish uncle from, you know,
24:12who he didn't know.
24:14But I wasn't allowed to tell him
24:16that I was his father.
24:17His grandmother had made a point of that.
24:19And I think that was a mistake.
24:22And it got really complicated.
24:24As I got more famous
24:25and as he was growing up,
24:26the grandmother got more demanding.
24:28And it was harder.
24:30She'd, you know,
24:31want me to give her things,
24:32sort of like almost blackmailed
24:34to come and see him.
24:34So I got harder.
24:35And I got to the point
24:36where I had to say,
24:37No, I'm going to have to wait
24:38until David, you know,
24:39comes to me.
24:41Eventually, my wife,
24:42who's much wiser than me,
24:44she sort of said,
24:45Look, he needs to know.
24:47He needs to know.
24:48And so we told him.
24:49And it was a huge shock to him.
24:52And he was reeling for a long time.
24:55And I think music, like me,
24:57saved his life, you know?
24:59He found out who he was.
25:01And it wasn't about living up
25:02to what his grandmother
25:03or his mother thought
25:04or what I thought.
25:06He did his own thing by himself.
25:08And suddenly,
25:09all our relationships got better.
25:12Well, it sounds like
25:13you figured everything out.
25:14Yeah, yeah.
25:15He'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. How are you?
25:27Working class interviewer.
25:28How do you do?
25:29Your Majesty.
25:31What put you in a bad mood
25:34to write your song,
25:35I'm in a bad mood,
25:36from my criminal record?
25:38Oh, that's a good question.
25:41I woke up one morning
25:43and I was feeling a little bit
25:44sort of out of sorts.
25:47And I wasn't feeling good.
25:48And I was in a bit of a bad mood.
25:50So you wrote a song about it.
25:51My wife said, you know,
25:52can you just cheer up a bit?
25:53And I went, yeah, okay.
25:55So I just thought it was a good title
25:56for a song.
25:58And I just love playing the song live.
26:00Yeah.
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
26:06when you write songs.
26:07You try and write songs that connect
26:08with people through the same.
26:09They all feel the same.
26:10Yeah.
26:11Thank you, Jimmy Barnes.
26:12It's my pleasure.
26:13Thanks, Savannah.
26:14Anastasia, you'll go.
26:16Hello, Jimmy.
26:17Hello there again.
26:17Okay, so...
26:19You did a guest appearance
26:20on a song called Big Enough.
26:22And in the music video,
26:23you'll be seen as a cowboy
26:24screaming in the background.
26:26This has turned into an internet meme
26:28with 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
26:36is a friend of my daughter's.
26:38He said, I want you to scream
26:39in one of my songs.
26:40There's a 20-second interval
26:43where we want you to scream.
26:46So I went in,
26:48and I just...
26:48I literally...
26:49I just screamed like a banshee.
26:51I just...
26:52I found the key in the song,
26:53so 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,
26:58it was on, like,
26:59The Tonight Show in America,
27:01and literally, you know,
27:02100 million people watched the video.
27:04Wow.
27:04And it's very funny
27:05because my wife is from Thailand,
27:07and we go to Thailand all the time.
27:09And Thailand is sort of like my safe space,
27:12you know?
27:12People don't know who I am.
27:13And I was sitting in a restaurant,
27:15and I could see these two kids.
27:16They must have been eight or nine years old,
27:18and they were staring at me.
27:20And I'm thinking,
27:21do I look weird?
27:22Well, I knew I'd look weird,
27:23but as I said,
27:24do I look weirder than normal?
27:25And eventually,
27:26the mother came across,
27:27and she said,
27:28oh, my children,
27:29they want to know,
27:30are you the screaming cowboy?
27:33And I went,
27:34yes, I am,
27:35as a matter of fact.
27:36And so,
27:37that film clip was not only seen by,
27:39you know,
27:40100 million people,
27:40but it sort of got me seen in places
27:42where, you know,
27:4350 years of playing rock and roll
27:44had never been played before.
27:46Thank you, Jimmy.
27:47No worries.
27:48Daniel.
27:50Hello there.
27:51Jimmy, how are you, mate?
27:52Good, mate.
27:53Alright.
27:54As someone who has faced mental illness
27:56in my lifetime,
27:58what were the defining moments
27:59that, in your life,
28:01that made you realise
28:02you needed to turn your life around?
28:04Well, there was,
28:05there was a few of them.
28:08I think it was probably the,
28:10I'd been on a bender for,
28:12must have been about 35 years.
28:14No, that was for a long, long time.
28:16I'd been on a bender,
28:17and I was actually on tour,
28:19and I went to New Zealand,
28:22and, and I remember,
28:23Jane was just trying to tell me
28:24to see something positive.
28:26Everything's okay.
28:26And I was just getting
28:27more and more depressed.
28:30And, and I remember,
28:32we went to, went to bed,
28:33and Jane went to sleep,
28:34and I got up,
28:35and I drank the whole mini bar
28:36in the hotel,
28:37and I took copious amounts of drugs
28:39and all sorts of stuff,
28:41and, and I thought I went to sleep.
28:45I woke up the next day,
28:46and I went in to the walk-in wardrobe
28:48at this hotel,
28:49and I seen this cord hanging there.
28:53And as soon as I seen it,
28:55I remembered what happened.
28:56And I'd gone, I'd,
28:57Jane had gone to sleep,
28:58and I'd drank the whole mini bar
29:00and done everything,
29:01and I was lying there,
29:02and I, and I wanted to see,
29:04it must be an easier way out.
29:06I thought it must be,
29:06it'd be easier to die.
29:08Yeah.
29:09And I just must have got up,
29:10went to bed.
29:11And then I took it off,
29:13and 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,
29:20drinking's not that important anymore.
29:22I can stop, you know.
29:24I went from being a person
29:25who wouldn't get out of bed
29:27without taking stupid amounts of drugs
29:29and 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,
29:36and I like seeing,
29:37I like clarity,
29:38and I like, you know,
29:39I like to be able to look someone in the eye.
29:41Yeah.
29:41And, and, you know,
29:42and connect with them.
29:43I couldn't, before I never looked at anybody,
29:45I looked at the ground.
29:47I had to go and see a therapist,
29:48and the first time I did that,
29:50that's when I started to change.
29:51And that's when my mind got better.
29:53And I, I went and seen,
29:55I got, I got a therapist five,
29:56six times a week,
29:57and until I was strong enough
29:59to where I felt I could deal with it.
30:01Yeah.
30:01And every now and again,
30:02I just still go,
30:03just to get topped up.
30:04You know, I just, I just need,
30:05need a bit of advice here and there.
30:06And it's a really good thing.
30:07Yeah.
30:08And I really don't care
30:09if anybody thinks that's weak,
30:10or anybody thinks I'm not a man,
30:12or anybody thinks I'm crazy,
30:13because I am.
30:15Oh yeah.
30:17But I need help,
30:18and I'm, I'm willing to ask for it now.
30:19Yeah.
30:22Evie, would you like to have a go?
30:25Hi, I'm Evie.
30:28How do you find the courage
30:30to open up about 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.
30:45And I had to reach out to other people.
30:48And when I got to that point,
30:49it was, it was like, you know,
30:50they say it's a low, you know,
30:52you reach the lowest point and all that sort of stuff.
30:54I, you know, I see it was probably my highest point,
30:56you know, because that's when I started to heal.
30:59And since then, you know, I, I realized that, you know,
31:02what I went through happened to a lot of people,
31:06happened to a lot of people.
31:06And, and, and because I spoke about it,
31:08it gave them an opportunity to talk about it.
31:11So I found that by dropping your guard,
31:15and, and, and being open and open enough to share the,
31:19the darkest and, 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,
31:39just to name a few.
31:40You're 69 now.
31:41Mm-hmm.
31:42Nice.
31:47But seriously, how does it feel knowing you've survived
31:51everything you did when so many greats didn't?
31:55Well, you know, I feel pretty blessed, pretty lucky.
31:57I mean, I, I think I went as hard as any of those singers.
32:02You know, you talk about my childhood and, you know,
32:04my parents never gave me a lot.
32:06But one of the things they did give me was a good constitution.
32:08I'm tough.
32:11And, and 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, I'm, 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, and hold my grandchildren
32:27and, and be an inspiration to them as opposed to being something
32:30other than they look at it on an album cover.
32:32It's a tough thing.
32:33You know, and I, you know, like Michael Hutchins was a,
32:36was a good friend of mine, really good friend of mine.
32:40And Michael, when he died, when he came to Australia,
32:43that trip, you know, he, we touched base, you know,
32:45earlier in the week we'd spoke and I knew he wasn't feeling good.
32:49I knew he was struggling.
32:51And I said, we'll get together.
32:52We've got to get together and we'll have a dinner and we'll have a chat.
32:54You know, it would have been nice, you know, and we, you know,
32:57I should have just gone around and knocked on his door then,
32:59not made a plans for later in the week.
33:01You know, I think the lessons to be learned.
33:04If you see someone who's, who's struggling, don't, don't sit back and wait to,
33:09you know, until you find them, you know, and dead in the corner, you know,
33:12get out and reach out to people and stay in contact.
33:15Stay, stay close to people, especially 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 okay.
33:33Let me think.
33:35You know, shame is a very unhealthy thing.
33:38I mean, I think, I think you have to feel shame and it's,
33:43it's a, it's a, it's a bad feeling because you have to know it to recognize what you're doing wrong.
33:50I was feeling shame as a child because my parents were poor.
33:54I was feeling shame because I was getting clothes from, you know, Salvation Army,
33:58you know, and they were ugly and, you know, weren't stylish at all like all my friends.
34:03Uh, that's not healthy shame.
34:06But when I grew up and I made mistakes and I felt ashamed of, of the mistakes I made,
34:12that's healthy shame because you have to be accountable for your own decisions.
34:16When it, when it's within your grasp and something that you've made a mistake and,
34:21and if you can, if you can own it and wear it and say, I'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?
34:37You and I both call the Southern Highlands home.
34:40Hmm.
34:40Has living there changed the way you think about music or life?
34:45Well, I think the Southern Highlands has been, it's like the, it saved my life.
34:49And when I first life coaches, I started writing songs in the Highlands.
34:53So a lot of the songs were inspired by being in the Southern Highlands.
34:56I think the freedom it gave me.
34:58I had my family there.
34:59I bought my first house there, the first house I'd ever owned.
35:03And it made me, I had to work hard and I had to sit down and focus on writing songs.
35:08And these days, although it doesn't necessarily save my life,
35:11I just love going back there and breathing cold, fresh air.
35:15So I, you know, I love it.
35:17And I'm a Scotsman, so we're drawn to the Highlands.
35:19Yeah.
35:20Well, it certainly is a very tranquil place.
35:23Great.
35:24Thank 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, which as a hard rocker might not be expected.
35:35Are there any other things people wouldn't expect of you as a rocker?
35:42I'm very good at arranging flowers.
35:45You know why?
35:46I'll tell you why.
35:48If you'd have told me when I was a young rock and roll singer,
35:50that I'd be in the garden picking flowers and arranging them in a vase,
35:54I would have said they were crazy.
35:56But one day I went out, this is a few years ago now,
36:00I went out and there's some beautiful roses growing in our garden,
36:03and I went and picked some, and I brought them in,
36:06and I put them on a table for Jane, and it just brought us such joy.
36:10She loved it.
36:11And I thought, that's an easy thing to do.
36:14So I started to go out and I started to look after the roses.
36:18I sort of grow the roses now.
36:19I've got a big rose garden, and I bring out flowers every day.
36:23And I'm a good cook.
36:25I'm a really good cook, which I never would have thought either,
36:28because when I was young I didn't eat.
36:31I've spent time in caves in Northern Thailand meditating with Buddhist monks.
36:37I've, you know, I went to India with Deepak Chopra.
36:41You know, I've made sort of hard rock records and brought, you know,
36:45Buddhist monks into the studio to bless the studio before I started.
36:49I do all sorts of things that are sort of not normal for rock and roll singers.
36:52Wonderful.
36:53Great.
36:54Thanks.
36:54Thanks, 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 can be happy,
37:03or can you only be happy when you are more wealthy?
37:07Oh, absolutely not.
37:08I think some of the happiest people I 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, and when I joined the band and cultures,
37:20and we were successful, I made money.
37:22That didn't mean I disconnected from my working class roots.
37:26Whenever I sing, I feel, I still feel working class,
37:29because, you know, that's where I came from.
37:32Growing up in a working class environment is what shaped me
37:35in being, you know, who I am.
37:38And I'm very proud of coming from a working class background,
37:42and I'm very proud that I can make myself happy still.
37:46Money has nothing to do with it.
37:48Jimmy Blance, thank you so much.
37:49My pleasure.
37:51Abby?
37:53Hello, Jimmy.
37:55Your daughter, Ellie Mae, lives with cerebral palsy.
37:59What's one thing that she has taught you that no one else could?
38:03Oh.
38:03I love that question.
38:07Listen, you know, listen, Ellie Mae,
38:10she fights with chronic pain every day.
38:13And Ellie was born at 26 weeks.
38:18And when she was born, they said there's more than 50% chance she wasn't going to live.
38:24And she fought from then, from this tiny little baby.
38:29And she's still fighting to this day.
38:32You know, she's a gorgeous girl who fights against pain and being trapped in it.
38:39Her body just doesn't do what she wants it to do.
38:41That's what she says, just my stupid body won't do what I want it to do.
38:44So I guess she teaches me about real courage.
38:50Quite often, it'll all be too much for her.
38:52But she still manages to pick herself back up again.
38:56And it's that just not giving in, not giving in.
38:59And even though it's completely overwhelming, picking yourself up and keep moving forward.
39:06Thank you very much for coming in today.
39:09My pleasure.
39:10Jimmy, would you mind singing us one of your songs?
39:14Yes!
39:17I just happen to have Mahalia's husband Ben here with me.
39:19This is Ben Rogers, my son-in-law.
39:23I'm singing you a campfire song.
39:28Mm-hmm.
39:34Mm-hmm.
39:38I'm working hard to make a living.
39:42Bringing share to find the rain.
39:46Our father's son left to carry on blue denim in his veins.
39:54Oh, he's a working class man Well, he's a steel-town disciple
40:11He's a legend of his kind Running like a cyclone across the wild
40:21Australian sky Oh, he's a working class man
40:31Oh, yeah, yes he is
40:39Oh, yeah, well, he's a working class man
40:46Yeah, oh, oh, yes he is
40:54Oh, oh
40:58I tell you, he's a working class man
41:13Oh, he's a working class man
41:15That was fun
41:16Yeah, that was
41:18Awesome
41:18Thank you so much, Jimmy
41:19Nice to see you in Ireland
41:20Yes
41:21Come and say hello if you see me in the street
41:22Do you mind if you sign my card for me real quick?
41:33Yes, of course
41:33That was incredible, that was a legend
41:36Best day ever
41:37Such raw talent
41:38Simon says looking at the lens
41:41Simon says full of funny face
41:43Asking Jimmy about his daughter's experience
41:46I think it did feel a bit of a connection
41:48And I did get a bit emotional when he opened up about it
41:52Everybody be in a bad mood, no?
41:54Okay, big smile
42:01Bye-bye Jimmy
42:02See you Jimmy
42:04Jimmy's such a nice bloke, I like him
42:08Our next guest is one of Australia's most popular comedians
42:12He's had a career of a couple of decades on both television and radio
42:16Oh my god
42:16It's Dave Hughes
42:18Oh yes
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 will 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?
42:41She was my biggest supporter
43:05I am not going to the first one
43:06How much money will it take for you to theえ?
43:06Yeah, it's a big reason
43:08You can t'er, it's been a big vak
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