Jimmy Barnes

Jimmy Barnes has written a gut-wrenching memoir that I couldn't stop listening to. His narration, just like his writing, is honest, funny, warm and at times heart-breaking. Barnes' early life was spent in poverty, his world ran on violence fuelled by alcoholism and, later, drugs, and he was desperately afraid most of the time. Yet there were bright spots: his beautiful mother, before life took its toll; the fierce love felt between the six siblings; most of all the shining goodness of Reg Barnes, Jimmy's stepdad. Then there was music, which gave Jimmy something to strive for. Listening to Jimmy Barnes' story has given me a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by working class immigrants to Australia from Britain in the 60s, and the cycle of poverty that continues to impact the lives of people living in Adelaide's northern suburbs to this day.… (more)

I have been wanting to read this since it was released but it never quite happened. I was not a fan of Cold Chisel as I am not Australian and probably too young. I however found this a riveting read. I know Glasgow well from the 2000s onwards and this was a fascinating read. I am also the child of Scottish immigrants to Australiasia.

The style is easy and the content is not so easy. It is worthy of the reviews and hoopla it has received as a book and due to the style and detail I am now thinking of reading the sequel even though I have little interest in pop biographies.… (more)

This is quite an amazing book. Tells the story of raw and rough life of Jimmy Barnes, singer of Cold Chisel.
Jimmy Barnes is a household name in Australia, with a reputation as a wild rocker. This autobiography lays out his life from birth in Glasgow, migration to Australia as a pre-schooler, and growing up to the point where he joins Cold Chisel.
He lays bare the deprivation and fear of a small child growing up in an alcoholic and violent family. He manages to be graphic without making the reader a voyeur. And he manages to be detail the failings of his parents without wallowing in blame.
I wondered at first if a ghost writer was involved, but could find no reports online, and gradually concluded that it really was his own work The writing certainly seems to be in the voice of Barnes - sometimes to the point that I thought an editor might have been roughing up the sentence structure for more "authenticity".
Maybe I started with low expectations, but I found this a powerful and moving read. Certainly not your average celebrity bio!… (more)