- 11 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's 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
04:53and how much he loves his wife, and 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.
05:07Okay.
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.
05:45Yeah.
05:46Okay.
05:47Are we ready for action?
05:49I'm almost...
05:50I haven't failed today.
05:51I'm failing.
05:52I need to fix it up, but I'm failing at...
05:55Okay.
05:55That's not failing.
05:56That's just editing.
05:58That's called working on your ideas.
06:03Working with 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 where 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.
06:26It's a beautiful painting day to them.
06:28People treat me differently because of my disability.
06:31Oh, 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 the assembly means that I still got friends who like me.
06:45Come on, Flash. Flash.
06:47I'm loud.
06:48It's good, right?
06:50Endetic.
06:51Unique.
06:51In my own 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.
07:21He's had this amazing career.
07:24And now he's got grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
07:28I'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 she's been through.
07:41Okay, hit me with your questions.
07:44Questions, no problem.
07:44I've got seven.
07:46Okay.
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.
08:50The 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.
09:24It 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. Nice to meet you, Jimmy.
10:10Nice to see you.
10:11You're awesome.
10:13Oh my God!
10:15Here it is, here it is!
10:16Hello, Jimmy.
10:17Nice 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.
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.
10:39So 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.
11:01We 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.
11:10Our 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.
11:30Hi.
11:30Jimmy.
11:32As an Australian from Glasgow, what is the most bogan thing you've ever done?
11:37Oh!
11:38Bogan.
11:39Oh!
11:41Bogan.
11:41Let me think.
11:43I've done lots of bogan things.
11:44Oh man.
11:46Alright.
11:49I 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,
12:02Jimmy, I'm having an Australia Day BBQ.
12:05I need you to come over.
12:07You're going to sing Walsam Matilda.
12:11At my barbecue while we're cooking prawns.
12:14I'm thinking, sounds like pretty Australian sort of thing.
12:17And he said, and I've got another friend, Billy Thorpe.
12:20And Thorpe was my hero when I was a kid.
12:22He said, Thorpe 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,
12:28there's nothing more Australian than singing Walsam Matilda 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,
12:39there was the Opera House was there at the Harbour Bridge.
12:42And 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,
12:50had like a super soaker sort of water pistol.
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.
13:01It was pretty bogan.
13:02That 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 and 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, November 26, 1979.
13:31I remember I was, we were on a tour called Pooled Resources.
13:36And 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 this hotel room and I remember
13:50walking in and in the corner, Jane was sitting in the corner and she didn't look at me, didn't
13:54talk 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 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 focus on yourself
14:10and I came back in and I was sort of trying to sort of be nice and talk to her
14:14and she
14:15didn'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.
14:48Thanks Thomas.
14:50Pat.
14:53So in Cold Chisels' 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 Chisels 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 run away, knock on Jane's door, she'd take me in and I'd sit with her and tell her
15:41some of my troubles and she'd give me a cuddle and, you know, 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.
15:57And 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.
16:04And even up to the 50th tour we just did, the 50th anniversary tour, is the first tour
16:10we haven't fought in 50 years.
16:13So that was a big accomplishment.
16:15And I remember singing on stage on those gigs thinking, you know, something's wrong here,
16:21you 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, finally I think we grew up after 50 years.
16:28There you go.
16:29It makes sense that Jane kept you all together though.
16:31She was amazing.
16:33And for a while people were going, ah, it's like a Yoko Ono thing, you know?
16:36She's dragging him away from, you know, from the Beatles, you know?
16:39And it was exactly the opposite.
16:42Jane was going, they'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.
16:53So whenever I drink alcohol, I can't do anything straight.
16:56Great.
16:57So 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.
17:10No, maybe, yeah.
17:10No, but listen, I can stand up.
17:12I certainly wasn't functional.
17:13But, um, I mean, my job in the band was to be out of control.
17:18And unfortunately I was really good at it.
17:20Mm.
17:21Uh, but after a while it wore thin.
17:24And that was, uh, and, you know, when you, when you, when you used to just get drunk because
17:28you're having a great time on stage, that was good.
17:30It was good fun.
17:31But when you couldn't go on stage unless you were drunk.
17:34Mm.
17:35I'd drink three, four bottles of vodka in a day.
17:39And, and, you know, I'd just be absolutely smashed.
17:42And somehow I could still sing, I could still stand, but I wasn't good company.
17:47You make lots of bad decisions when you're in that position.
17:49Mm.
17:50And it sort of was okay for a while, but 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 fans.
18:04Um, my, what's that?
18:07Okay.
18:08Sorry.
18:08I'm trying my best.
18:09You're okay.
18:10You're good.
18:11Everyone tells me I am loud.
18:14You have made your career from screaming.
18:15Yeah.
18:16Do you annoy everyone as much as I do with your volume?
18:20You know, I, I started, I 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, uh, I started singing when I was 16 with Cold Chisel.
18:32And at those days, in those days, the, the, the fallback, the PA systems, and the, so you
18:37could hear yourself sing, weren'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, I've sort of made a career out of it.
18:51But it's what I like, you know, when I go on stage, I don't want my audience to be, to
18:55be relaxed.
18:57I want to pin them to the back wall.
18:59I want to go up there and sort of, and be confronting and, and, and make, you know, let them
19:05know, feel the emotions that I'm singing about.
19:07But I think, uh, don't let anybody have to say you loud.
19:10You know, it's good.
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.
19:26Thanks, Willow.
19:27Bethany?
19:29Hello.
19:30Hello there.
19:31How are you?
19:31I'm Bethany.
19:32Um, so happy to be here with you today.
19:35I've heard you say that your dad made you drink whiskey from an early age.
19:39And he didn't realize that it 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 you got?
19:48Have you got?
19:50When I say my dad made me drink whiskey, it's a, it's a funny thing.
19:54My dad was a, was a, was a boxer.
19:56He was, he was a wild, wild man.
19:59Uh, and when he moved here, nobody knew who he was.
20:03And he, and he was struggling with his own identity and his own self-worth.
20:07And, and he, and 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 eight.
20:15Uh, at 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.
20:28I did end up an alcoholic because of her.
20:31There was a lot of bad things that happened to me.
20:33As a result of alcoholism and the problems that it brought, uh, there was a lot of violence in our
20:38home.
20:40And it all happened in front of us as kids.
20:42And we were terrified.
20:44A lot of the time we 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.
21:02Uh, there was times when we were abused by people, um, you know, violence and sexual abuse and all sorts
21:11of 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 regret 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.
21:27Yeah, you are a really lovely person. Thank you so much.
21:30No worries.
21:30Thanks, Bethany.
21:31Dale.
21:33Hello.
21:34You'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?
21:45And 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.
22:00And 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 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 they 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, you know, let me try and, you know, I'm like a dancing monkey,
22:41you 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.
23:01I was nervous, I get nervous for every show I do.
23:04So working with another act, especially an act as polished and as professional as the Wiggles, you know, for a
23:11start,
23:11they dance.
23:12Has anybody seen me dance?
23:14It's terrible.
23:15You know, so I had to learn a few moves to dance.
23:17But, yeah, I got nervous with them, but Anthony's a dear friend of mine.
23:21I know those guys all really well, and I've sang with them and written songs with them.
23:25So they made me feel very comfortable, but 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 very complicated.
23:46I mean, David was born when I was 16.
23:49And really, at that point, I couldn't look after myself, let alone him.
23:54And his grandmother adopted him.
23:57You know, I didn't just sort of waltz back into David's life when he was 10 and say, hey,
24:01I'm your dad.
24:02I was going to see David from the day he was born.
24:05You know, I seen him all the way through his life.
24:08But if he didn't know who I was, I'd turn up and, you know, the Scottish uncle from really,
24:12you know, who he didn't know.
24:14But I wasn't allowed to tell him that I was his father.
24:17His grandmother 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 and as he was growing up, the grandmother got more demanding.
24:28And it was harder.
24:30She'd want me to give her things, almost blackmailed to come and see him.
24:34So I got harder.
24:35And I got to the point where I had to say, no, I'm going to have to wait until David,
24:39you 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.
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, saved his life.
24:58You know?
24:59He found out who he was.
25:01And it wasn't about living up to what his grandmother or his mother thought or what
25:05I thought.
25:06He 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, there.
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.
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.
25:50So 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.
26:00Yeah.
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 when you write songs.
26:07You try and write songs that connect with people.
26:08Do the same.
26:09They all feel the same.
26:10Yeah.
26:11Thank you, Jimmy Barnes.
26:12No worries.
26:12My pleasure.
26:13Thanks, Savannah.
26:14Anastasia, you'll go.
26:16Hello, Jimmy.
26:17Hello there again.
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.
26:57And next thing I know, it was on like the Tonight Show in America.
27:01And literally, you know, a hundred 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.
27:10And 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.
27:18And they were staring at me.
27:20And I'm thinking, do I look weird?
27:22Well, I knew I looked weird, but as I said, do I look weirder than normal?
27:25And eventually the mother came across and she said, oh, my children, they want to know,
27:30are 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, a hundred million people,
27:40but it sort of got me seen in places where, you know, 50 years of playing rock and roll
27:44had never been played before.
27:45Thank you, Jimmy.
27:47No worries.
27:47Daniel.
27:50Oh.
27:50Hello there.
27:51G'day, Jimmy.
27:51How are you, mate?
27:52Good, mate.
27:53Alright.
27:54As someone who has faced mental illness in my lifetime, what were the defining moments
28:00in your life that 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, I'd been on a bender for, it must have been about 35 years.
28:14No, that was for a long, long time.
28:16I've been on a bender and I was actually on tour and I went to New Zealand.
28:22And I remember Jane was just trying to tell me to see something positive.
28:26Everything's okay.
28:26And I was just getting more and more depressed.
28:30And I remember we went to bed and Jane went to sleep and I got up and I drank the
28:36whole
28:36mini bar in the hotel and I took copious amounts of drugs and all sorts of stuff.
28:41And I thought I went to sleep.
28:45I woke up the next day and I went in to the walk-in wardrobe at this hotel and I
28:50seen
28:50this cord hanging there.
28:53And as soon as I seen it, I remembered what happened.
28:56And Jane had gone to sleep and I drank the whole mini bar and done everything.
29:01And I was lying there and I wanted to see, it 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 and I thought, this is it.
29:15It's got to change.
29:17And once I started dealing with it, then I found, oh, drinking is not that important
29:21anymore.
29:22I can stop, you know.
29:24I went from being a person who wouldn't get out of bed without taking stupid amounts
29:29of drugs and drinking to 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, I like clarity and I like, you know, I like to
29:39look someone in the eye and connect with them.
29:43Before I never looked at anybody.
29:45I looked at the ground.
29:46I had to go and see a therapist.
29:49And 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, I got a therapist five, six times a week until I was strong enough to
29:59feel I could deal with it.
30:01Yeah.
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.
30:08Yeah.
30:08And I really don't care if anybody thinks that's weak or anybody thinks I'm not a man
30:12or anybody thinks I'm crazy because I am.
30:15Oh yeah.
30:17But I need help and 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 to open up about your most vulnerable experiences?
30:37Um, well, I think I got to the point where 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 like, you know, they say it's a low, you know, you
30:52reach the lowest point and all that sort of stuff.
30:54I, you know, I see it was probably my highest point, you know, because that's when I've
30:57started to heal.
30:59And since then, you know, I've, I realized that, you know, what I went through happened
31:04to a lot of people, happened to a lot of people.
31:06And, and, and because I spoke about it, it gave them an opportunity to talk about it.
31:10So I found that by dropping your guard, uh, and, and, and being open and open enough
31:18to share the darkest and, and the most painful things in your life, it not only helps you,
31:23but 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, just to name a few.
31:40You're 69 now.
31:41Mm-hmm.
31:42Nice.
31:47Um, but seriously, how does it feel knowing you've survived everything you did when so
31:53many 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, my parents never gave me a lot.
32:06But one of the things they did give me was a good constitution.
32:09I'm tough.
32:10Uh, and, and I think that's what's kept me alive.
32:14When I remember I joined cultures at 16, I 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.
32:22Uh, I'm happy to grow old and I want to be around and, and hold my grandchildren
32:27and, and be an inspiration to them as opposed to being something they look at on an album cover.
32:32It's a tough thing, you know, and I, and I, you know, like Michael Hutchins was a, was
32:36a good friend of mine, really good friend of mine.
32:40And Michael, when he died, when he came to Australia, that trip, you know, he, we touched
32:44base, you know, earlier 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 got to get together and we'll have a dinner and we'll have a chat, you know, which would
32:55have been nice, you know, and we, you know, I should have just gone around and knocked
32:58on his door then, not made of 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, you know,
33:09until you find them, you know, and dead in the corner, you know, get out and reach out
33:13to people and stay in contact.
33:15Stay, stay close to people, especially your friends.
33:17And Michael was a dear friend of mine and, 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, it's, it's, it's a bad feeling
33:45because you have to know it to recognize what you're doing wrong.
33:49I was feeling shame as a child because my parents were poor.
33:54I was feeling shame because I was getting clothes from the Salvation Army, you know,
33:59and they were ugly and, you know, weren't stylish at all like all my friends.
34:04That's not healthy shame.
34:06But when I grew up and I made mistakes and I felt ashamed 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.
34:35How 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, you know, I love it.
35:17And I'm a Scotsman, so we're drawn to the Highlands.
35:20Yeah.
35:20Well, it 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?
35:27Well, Jimmy, great to meet you.
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.
35:48Like, if you'd have told me when I was a young rock and roll singer,
35:50I'd be in the garden picking flowers and arranging them in a vase.
35:53I would have said they were crazy.
35:56But one day, I went out.
35:58This is a few years ago now.
36:00I went out, and there's some beautiful roses growing in our garden.
36:04And I went and picked some, and I brought them in,
36:06and I put them on a table for Jane.
36:07And 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.
36:17I 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, 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,
36:35meditating with Buddhist monks.
36:38You know, I went to India with Deepak Chopra.
36:41You know, I've made sort of hard rock records
36:44and brought, you know, Buddhist monks into the studio
36:46to bless the studio before I started.
36:49I do all sorts of things that are sort of not normal
36:51for rock and roll singers.
36:52Wonderful.
36:53Great.
36:54Thanks.
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 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, it'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.
37:37And 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 Barnes, thank you so much.
37:49My pleasure.
37:51Abby?
37:53Hello, Jimmy.
37:55Your daughter, Ellie May, 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 May, she fights with chronic pain every day.
38:14And Ellie was born at 26 weeks.
38:18And when she was born, they said there's a more than 50% chance she wasn't going to live.
38:25And 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.
38:42It's 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?
39:14A book?
39:15Yes!
39:16I just happen to have Mahalia's husband Ben here with me.
39:19This is Ben Rogers.
39:21Hi Ben!
39:21Hi Ben!
39:23I'm singing you a campfire song.
39:29Mmmmmmm.
39:35Mmmmmmm.
39:37Working hard to make a living
39:41Bringing shell to find the rain
39:45A father, son left to carry on
39:50Blue denim in his veins
39:54Oh, he's a working class man
40:07Well, he's a steel-town disciple
40:11He's a legend out of his kind
40:16Running like a cyclone
40:19Across a wild Australian sky
40:25Oh, he's a working class man
40:31Oh, yeah
40:34Yes, he is
40:39Oh, yeah
40:43Well, he's a working class man
40:46Yeah
40:47Oh, yes, he is
40:54Oh, I tell you
41:00He's a working class man
41:05Oh, he's a working class man
41:15That was fun
41:16Yeah, that was
41:18Awesome
41:18Thank you so much
41:19Nice to see you in Ireland
41:20Yes
41:20Yeah
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 if I didn't ask for a quick hug
41:29Come out of there
41:31My pleasure
41:31Send the card to your mum
41:34That was incredible
41:35That 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
41:50When he opened up about it
41:52Everybody being in a bad mood
41:53No
41:57And big smile
42:01Bye-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
42:16Oh, my God
42:16It's Davey's
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
42:35Can you tell us a story about your mum that shaped who you are?
42:41She was my biggest supporter
42:43She made a look at what you are
42:45Come to me
42:45She voi
42:49You can tell us a story about how you will find it
42:50She's got here
42:50There are so many movies
42:50She's got here
42:51I'm young
43:05I'm pregnant
43:06So
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