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Working Class Boy #1
Working Class Boy: Winner of the ABIA Biography of the Year
A household name, an Australian rock icon, the elder statesman of Ozrock - there isn't an accolade or cliche that doesn't apply to Jimmy Barnes. But long before Cold Chisel and Barnesy, long before the tall tales of success and excess, there was the true story of James Dixon Swan - a working class boy whose family made the journey from Scotland to Australia in search of a better life.
Working Class Boy is a powerful reflection on a traumatic and violent childhood, which fuelled the excess and recklessness that would define, but almost destroy, the rock'n'roll legend. This is the story of how James Swan became Jimmy Barnes. It is a memoir burning with the frustration and frenetic energy of teenage sex, drugs, violence and ambition for more than what you have.
Raw, gritty, compassionate, surprising and darkly funny - Jimmy Barnes's childhood memoir is at once the story of migrant dreams fulfilled and dashed. Arriving in Australia in the Summer of 1962, things went from bad to worse for the Swan family - Dot, Jim and their six kids. The scramble to manage in the tough northern suburbs of Adelaide in the 60s would take its toll on the Swans as dwindling money, too much alcohol, and fraying tempers gave way to violence and despair. This is the story a family's collapse, but also a young boy's dream to escape the misery of the suburbs with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to join a rock'n'roll band and get out of town for good.
Working Class Boy is a powerful reflection on a traumatic and violent childhood, which fuelled the excess and recklessness that would define, but almost destroy, the rock'n'roll legend. This is the story of how James Swan became Jimmy Barnes. It is a memoir burning with the frustration and frenetic energy of teenage sex, drugs, violence and ambition for more than what you have.
Raw, gritty, compassionate, surprising and darkly funny - Jimmy Barnes's childhood memoir is at once the story of migrant dreams fulfilled and dashed. Arriving in Australia in the Summer of 1962, things went from bad to worse for the Swan family - Dot, Jim and their six kids. The scramble to manage in the tough northern suburbs of Adelaide in the 60s would take its toll on the Swans as dwindling money, too much alcohol, and fraying tempers gave way to violence and despair. This is the story a family's collapse, but also a young boy's dream to escape the misery of the suburbs with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to join a rock'n'roll band and get out of town for good.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2016
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March 1, 2022
3.5★
“. . . as usual there is a nagging voice in the back of my head screaming, ‘You don’t deserve to be happy, you are no good.’ I have never really been chasing a dream. I’ve been running from a nightmare. I still wake up in the middle of the night, short of breath and afraid.
. . . The truth is I have felt like this and heard this voice since I was a child, long before I was capable of doing anything wrong. Long before I ran away from home, long before I escaped from life through drinking or taking drugs.”
By rights, Jimmy Barnes should be dead and pickled, with his organs shrivelled by drugs. He certainly did everything possible to escape the pain of the hell that was his lot from birth.
Quick to act, quicker to react, he is lucky to have survived the violence inflicted on him or instigated by him before finding the success and family that he now enjoys.
Born James Dixon Swan in 1956 in Glasgow, Jimmy was brought to South Australia as a ‘ten-pound tourist’, an assisted passage migrant. His unhappy, hard-drinking, always-fighting family hoped to exchange the slums of Scotland for sunny Australia.
Surprise! The migrant hostel falls a bit short of expectations.
“The hostel made the Scottish tenements look luxurious. . . open drains that smelled of sewerage, just like the ship, and the food in general turned out to be as good as the first day – terrible.”
This is a memoir about his childhood and school years in and around Elizabeth, South Australia, barely touching on the music career that made him a household name nationwide. He's saved that for the next book.
He was the smartest kid in his class, but also a terrible trial for his teachers. Cheeky, badly behaved, and determined to never toe the line if he could find a way to rebel.
His dead-drunk father was a boxer and street brawler, which Jimmy picked up, as did older brother Johnny, whom he seems to have idolised. Mum was just about as rough, and when she finally had enough, she just left. Just up and left. Nary a goodbye. Disappeared, leaving 5 kids with a drunken father who drank everything he earned. He did work, but money stopped at the pub.
Abandoned, starving, cold, miserable – what a way to grow up in a country that should be reasonably well off. Barnes points out that they were not the only poor family in Elizabeth, and he shares this story:
“I’m not sure when or why this next thing happened but it was horrible. I remember we were eating with them one night and things went really wrong. Lots and lots of alcohol had been consumed by everyone old enough to drink. And by some of the kids who weren’t old enough.”
Two of the brothers had a fight over a pack of cigarettes and were separated.
“We were all sitting at the table when the older son came out of the bedroom, walked up to the table then pulled out a knife and cut his brother’s throat. Right at the dinner table.
. . .
“Who knows what else had happened to these boys at home. Whatever it was, it had taken its toll – and one of them snapped.
The brother with the knife, who was covered in blood and crying, walked out of the house and down to the local shops. He picked up a concrete block and threw it through the window of a shop. He walked inside, picked up a pack of cigarettes from behind the counter and sat down. Then he lit one up and waited for the police to arrive. His brother didn’t die, but he never spoke properly again.”
There is scarcely a paragraph in this book that isn’t dripping with alcohol or blood. Girls come into the picture near the end, but it’s really about the terror he felt all his life, even after his mother came back with a new partner, Reg Barnes, whom Jimmy refers to as his guardian angel and whose name he was proud to accept.
Jimmy loved to sing and tried to sing in the school choir, but he was told he was too loud for a choir. His voice didn’t “blend in”. All I can say is, thank goodness for that!
Jimmy Barnes will never blend in with anything – he’s a force of nature, which must be why he survived the grog, vicious punch-ups, drugs and pretty much all-out war everywhere he went.
It would have been a tighter, better book without quite so much unmitigated violence. The boys and men out spoiling for a fight, the hunters and the prey, the stomping of heads, the crunching of bones, it all became repetitive, which is probably his point. That was his whole life over and over again, no matter where he went. I think we would have understood that without being beaten over the head with it (metaphorically speaking).
The sequel to this, Working Class Man, will no doubt cover his music career, but I’d rather have had it all in one book – one life in one place with many chapters, brutality, success and all. There were no photos in the ebook I read. I don't know if the hardbacks have them, but there should be some here!
Here’s a young Jimmy singing Working Class Man with good vision of the life he’s singing about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erSJG...
“. . . as usual there is a nagging voice in the back of my head screaming, ‘You don’t deserve to be happy, you are no good.’ I have never really been chasing a dream. I’ve been running from a nightmare. I still wake up in the middle of the night, short of breath and afraid.
. . . The truth is I have felt like this and heard this voice since I was a child, long before I was capable of doing anything wrong. Long before I ran away from home, long before I escaped from life through drinking or taking drugs.”
By rights, Jimmy Barnes should be dead and pickled, with his organs shrivelled by drugs. He certainly did everything possible to escape the pain of the hell that was his lot from birth.
Quick to act, quicker to react, he is lucky to have survived the violence inflicted on him or instigated by him before finding the success and family that he now enjoys.
Born James Dixon Swan in 1956 in Glasgow, Jimmy was brought to South Australia as a ‘ten-pound tourist’, an assisted passage migrant. His unhappy, hard-drinking, always-fighting family hoped to exchange the slums of Scotland for sunny Australia.
Surprise! The migrant hostel falls a bit short of expectations.
“The hostel made the Scottish tenements look luxurious. . . open drains that smelled of sewerage, just like the ship, and the food in general turned out to be as good as the first day – terrible.”
This is a memoir about his childhood and school years in and around Elizabeth, South Australia, barely touching on the music career that made him a household name nationwide. He's saved that for the next book.
He was the smartest kid in his class, but also a terrible trial for his teachers. Cheeky, badly behaved, and determined to never toe the line if he could find a way to rebel.
His dead-drunk father was a boxer and street brawler, which Jimmy picked up, as did older brother Johnny, whom he seems to have idolised. Mum was just about as rough, and when she finally had enough, she just left. Just up and left. Nary a goodbye. Disappeared, leaving 5 kids with a drunken father who drank everything he earned. He did work, but money stopped at the pub.
Abandoned, starving, cold, miserable – what a way to grow up in a country that should be reasonably well off. Barnes points out that they were not the only poor family in Elizabeth, and he shares this story:
“I’m not sure when or why this next thing happened but it was horrible. I remember we were eating with them one night and things went really wrong. Lots and lots of alcohol had been consumed by everyone old enough to drink. And by some of the kids who weren’t old enough.”
Two of the brothers had a fight over a pack of cigarettes and were separated.
“We were all sitting at the table when the older son came out of the bedroom, walked up to the table then pulled out a knife and cut his brother’s throat. Right at the dinner table.
. . .
“Who knows what else had happened to these boys at home. Whatever it was, it had taken its toll – and one of them snapped.
The brother with the knife, who was covered in blood and crying, walked out of the house and down to the local shops. He picked up a concrete block and threw it through the window of a shop. He walked inside, picked up a pack of cigarettes from behind the counter and sat down. Then he lit one up and waited for the police to arrive. His brother didn’t die, but he never spoke properly again.”
There is scarcely a paragraph in this book that isn’t dripping with alcohol or blood. Girls come into the picture near the end, but it’s really about the terror he felt all his life, even after his mother came back with a new partner, Reg Barnes, whom Jimmy refers to as his guardian angel and whose name he was proud to accept.
Jimmy loved to sing and tried to sing in the school choir, but he was told he was too loud for a choir. His voice didn’t “blend in”. All I can say is, thank goodness for that!
Jimmy Barnes will never blend in with anything – he’s a force of nature, which must be why he survived the grog, vicious punch-ups, drugs and pretty much all-out war everywhere he went.
It would have been a tighter, better book without quite so much unmitigated violence. The boys and men out spoiling for a fight, the hunters and the prey, the stomping of heads, the crunching of bones, it all became repetitive, which is probably his point. That was his whole life over and over again, no matter where he went. I think we would have understood that without being beaten over the head with it (metaphorically speaking).
The sequel to this, Working Class Man, will no doubt cover his music career, but I’d rather have had it all in one book – one life in one place with many chapters, brutality, success and all. There were no photos in the ebook I read. I don't know if the hardbacks have them, but there should be some here!
Here’s a young Jimmy singing Working Class Man with good vision of the life he’s singing about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erSJG...
June 16, 2021
I heard about a person who had a broken heart
With nothing to drive him on, no hope no spark no flame
He couldn't see at all tears they were blinding him
He kept it all inside, the guilt and all the pain
You know I say I tried to warn him
They had him backed up against the wall
I hope I'm not too late
- No Second Prize, Jimmy Barnes 1984
Born to a struggling family in Glasgow, Scotland, Jimmy Barnes arrived in this world as James Dixon Swan. The neighbourhood was rough, really rough and days were spent spluttering and coughing in coal smog, drinking, and fighting. The Swan family were no different and so to straighten up their lives, they packed their bags and with Government incentives moved across the globe to Australia. They landed and began their new lives in South Australia - a part of what has been termed the ten-pound poms.
Eventually, they got Government housing in a newly established township, North of the State capital, Adelaide called Elizabeth. This town would grow to hold one of Australia's biggest car manufacturing plants where thousands of Holden cars were pumped out for the domestic and international markets. Elizabeth was hot, open, and had fresh air and trees, all things that Glasgow was not. But nearly everything else caught the ship to Australia with them - drunks, fighting, desolation, crime, domestic violence, poverty became the norm in Elizabeth, not the exception.
Jimmy Barnes is an Australian icon. From the time he began to front the legendary Australian rock act, Cold Chisel, and up until this day as a solo artist, a career spanning nearly five decades. The quote above is from his song, No Second Prize, which became a hit single off his first solo album, Bodyswerve, and it is a raw look at what Jim survived and endured well beyond his childhood.
Jimmy has written two big biographies, this one, Working Class Boy, deals with the early days of Scotland, through his early years in South Australia and up until the first days of Cold Chisel, before the band ever recorded. Some people will bullshit you about how tough their lives were, some say they never had anything as a kid but Jim lays it out. He apportions no blame to anyone, and at times seems to make excuses where we probably would lie blame squarely at the feet of some. He admits that he was his own worst enemy, got sucked into the wrong crowds and scenes, and just did what he had to do. He doesn't hide from the shitty relationships he had with family nor does he gloss over the people who he came to call friends but he does say that this was all just the way of the times.
Elizabeth was not the cure-all for the family and after the shutdown of the Holden factory a couple of years ago I can only imagine how hard it is to find work in the area. While he does not mention the town by name, Jimmy recently released a song called Shutting Down Our Town which is obviously about Elizabeth. The video for the song is film footage of the Holden plant. Many people internationally will not know Jimmy Barnes as he is predominantly an Australian musician but ironically the song clip from the Holden plant is much like the movie Working Class Man starring Michael Keaton about a struggling car manufacturer. The theme song from this movie is Working Class Man, the title track from Jimmy's second solo album.
On to Working Class Man, the second biography.........
With nothing to drive him on, no hope no spark no flame
He couldn't see at all tears they were blinding him
He kept it all inside, the guilt and all the pain
You know I say I tried to warn him
They had him backed up against the wall
I hope I'm not too late
- No Second Prize, Jimmy Barnes 1984
Born to a struggling family in Glasgow, Scotland, Jimmy Barnes arrived in this world as James Dixon Swan. The neighbourhood was rough, really rough and days were spent spluttering and coughing in coal smog, drinking, and fighting. The Swan family were no different and so to straighten up their lives, they packed their bags and with Government incentives moved across the globe to Australia. They landed and began their new lives in South Australia - a part of what has been termed the ten-pound poms.
Eventually, they got Government housing in a newly established township, North of the State capital, Adelaide called Elizabeth. This town would grow to hold one of Australia's biggest car manufacturing plants where thousands of Holden cars were pumped out for the domestic and international markets. Elizabeth was hot, open, and had fresh air and trees, all things that Glasgow was not. But nearly everything else caught the ship to Australia with them - drunks, fighting, desolation, crime, domestic violence, poverty became the norm in Elizabeth, not the exception.
Jimmy Barnes is an Australian icon. From the time he began to front the legendary Australian rock act, Cold Chisel, and up until this day as a solo artist, a career spanning nearly five decades. The quote above is from his song, No Second Prize, which became a hit single off his first solo album, Bodyswerve, and it is a raw look at what Jim survived and endured well beyond his childhood.
Jimmy has written two big biographies, this one, Working Class Boy, deals with the early days of Scotland, through his early years in South Australia and up until the first days of Cold Chisel, before the band ever recorded. Some people will bullshit you about how tough their lives were, some say they never had anything as a kid but Jim lays it out. He apportions no blame to anyone, and at times seems to make excuses where we probably would lie blame squarely at the feet of some. He admits that he was his own worst enemy, got sucked into the wrong crowds and scenes, and just did what he had to do. He doesn't hide from the shitty relationships he had with family nor does he gloss over the people who he came to call friends but he does say that this was all just the way of the times.
Elizabeth was not the cure-all for the family and after the shutdown of the Holden factory a couple of years ago I can only imagine how hard it is to find work in the area. While he does not mention the town by name, Jimmy recently released a song called Shutting Down Our Town which is obviously about Elizabeth. The video for the song is film footage of the Holden plant. Many people internationally will not know Jimmy Barnes as he is predominantly an Australian musician but ironically the song clip from the Holden plant is much like the movie Working Class Man starring Michael Keaton about a struggling car manufacturer. The theme song from this movie is Working Class Man, the title track from Jimmy's second solo album.
On to Working Class Man, the second biography.........
December 3, 2021
Working Class Boy by Aussie Rocker Jimmy Barnes was mostly enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I read a collection of short stories of his life, it was interesting enough.
However, this effort is his first book that takes us from the time he was a little boy in Glasgow, to a hoodlum in Elizabeth, South Australia, up until he joined the Rock Band, Cold Chisel.
His childhood in Glasgow was a thick soup of violence, misery, poverty and adult alcoholism. His parents fought constantly, his mother tried to feed the 6 kids with no money as Father spent it all on whiskey at the pub. This is a real gritty expose of life in this type of environment.
Then the family decided to move to Adelaide, South Australia and ended up in the Northern Working-Class suburb of Elizabeth. Now, this is the area I spent my adolescence. So, there were heaps of familiar aspects to this part of his story – Elizabeth, the shopping centre, Gepps Cross, the Abbatoirs, the Drive-In and so, so much more. It was good to revisit those places. But his adolescence was violent, drug and alcohol ridden and full of crime and thuggery.
His stepfather, Reg, was an absolute saint. He took the responsibility of raising 6 kids (not his own) with relish. He loved them all selflessly and unconditionally. Amazing. In fact, Jimmy called him Dad, and took his name, Barnes.
The book ends as Jimmy joins the band that makes him famous – Cold Chisel.
I enjoyed this, it was familiar in a way, but a great depiction of a life surrounded by violence, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse.
For any Jimmy fans out there, I recommend this.
4 Stars
For those of you who haven't hears any Cold Chisel songs - e.g. Rebecca below
This one you might find him a bit 'shouty' - those who don't like him say he shouts, but I love him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BiJK...
Then there's this one, another favourite (less shouty) - this clip was made not far from here in Cairns, Far North Queensland - see the bits with the sugar cane on fire (a common thing up here, when they burn off the cane) - enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erSJG...
......and this one is from this year (apparently he's clean now - I'm surprised he's still alive) - this at his home with a couple of his kids and his wife Jane - Happy Days :)))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpsLl...
However, this effort is his first book that takes us from the time he was a little boy in Glasgow, to a hoodlum in Elizabeth, South Australia, up until he joined the Rock Band, Cold Chisel.
His childhood in Glasgow was a thick soup of violence, misery, poverty and adult alcoholism. His parents fought constantly, his mother tried to feed the 6 kids with no money as Father spent it all on whiskey at the pub. This is a real gritty expose of life in this type of environment.
Then the family decided to move to Adelaide, South Australia and ended up in the Northern Working-Class suburb of Elizabeth. Now, this is the area I spent my adolescence. So, there were heaps of familiar aspects to this part of his story – Elizabeth, the shopping centre, Gepps Cross, the Abbatoirs, the Drive-In and so, so much more. It was good to revisit those places. But his adolescence was violent, drug and alcohol ridden and full of crime and thuggery.
His stepfather, Reg, was an absolute saint. He took the responsibility of raising 6 kids (not his own) with relish. He loved them all selflessly and unconditionally. Amazing. In fact, Jimmy called him Dad, and took his name, Barnes.
The book ends as Jimmy joins the band that makes him famous – Cold Chisel.
I enjoyed this, it was familiar in a way, but a great depiction of a life surrounded by violence, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse.
For any Jimmy fans out there, I recommend this.
4 Stars
For those of you who haven't hears any Cold Chisel songs - e.g. Rebecca below
This one you might find him a bit 'shouty' - those who don't like him say he shouts, but I love him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BiJK...
Then there's this one, another favourite (less shouty) - this clip was made not far from here in Cairns, Far North Queensland - see the bits with the sugar cane on fire (a common thing up here, when they burn off the cane) - enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erSJG...
......and this one is from this year (apparently he's clean now - I'm surprised he's still alive) - this at his home with a couple of his kids and his wife Jane - Happy Days :)))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpsLl...
October 9, 2016
I picked up this book as a fan of Barnesy and Cold Chisel, and I guess expecting a story of the man behind the band, how they came to be, anecdotes from thd road, that type of thing.
What I got instead, however, was the hard hitting story of a boy growing up poor, in a house filled with violence and neglect, struggling to survive and find his place in the world. The rock star was a mere mention in the last few chapters.
Heartbreaking reading, and a book that was difficult to put down.
What I got instead, however, was the hard hitting story of a boy growing up poor, in a house filled with violence and neglect, struggling to survive and find his place in the world. The rock star was a mere mention in the last few chapters.
Heartbreaking reading, and a book that was difficult to put down.
November 26, 2016
When I was 10 years old, my drum teacher would tell me stories of Jimmy Barnes beating him and other band members up on a regular basis. Reading this book has helped me partly understand why.
It is unlike any “rock biography or memoir” I have ever read - and I’ve read a lot. Jimmy has truly bared his soul in writing this, which is so refreshing among books of this type. In fact, barely any music-talk features in this book. So if you’re after wild rock n roll stories of Cold Chisel, you may be disappointed.
What it does feature, is a gritty re-telling of Jimmy’s first 17-18 years of life and the overwhelming set of challenges he endured. It’s often incredibly heartbreaking, (I was on the verge of tears); especially his early childhood, complete with hiding in cupboards. The candid honesty Jimmy writes with is to be admired. You can’t help but read it hearing Jimmy’s voice.
Could you write over 50 pages about your life until the age of 5? I probably couldn’t, but Jimmy does. Where some books of this type may dedicate a page or two to such a period in life, Jimmy manages to blow it out to 50-odd. His interesting life certainly justifies this, but at times, it can slightly drag too.
Fights and violence. The book revolves around this topic to a point I found tiresome. Jimmy reminded me of bogans I went to school with who would brag about who they had bashed on the weekend. The one instance that mentioned him losing a fight, ended with “I never picked another fight in my life.” Jimmy was only 16 and would go on to tragically develop a 2 bottle of vodka-a-day habit - so factually this memoir leaves a little to be desired at times, but with the book’s opening lines of “It might not be completely accurate”, this is no surprise.
Jimmy is an excellent storyteller, which is somewhat to be expected, given he built a successful career telling stories through music. I look forward to reading his second book, the rock n roll years, and discovering the stories behind the music that made me love him in the first place. I recommend this book to others, especially those with a love for Australian music or those sitting in a housing commission house looking for a little hope.
It is unlike any “rock biography or memoir” I have ever read - and I’ve read a lot. Jimmy has truly bared his soul in writing this, which is so refreshing among books of this type. In fact, barely any music-talk features in this book. So if you’re after wild rock n roll stories of Cold Chisel, you may be disappointed.
What it does feature, is a gritty re-telling of Jimmy’s first 17-18 years of life and the overwhelming set of challenges he endured. It’s often incredibly heartbreaking, (I was on the verge of tears); especially his early childhood, complete with hiding in cupboards. The candid honesty Jimmy writes with is to be admired. You can’t help but read it hearing Jimmy’s voice.
Could you write over 50 pages about your life until the age of 5? I probably couldn’t, but Jimmy does. Where some books of this type may dedicate a page or two to such a period in life, Jimmy manages to blow it out to 50-odd. His interesting life certainly justifies this, but at times, it can slightly drag too.
Fights and violence. The book revolves around this topic to a point I found tiresome. Jimmy reminded me of bogans I went to school with who would brag about who they had bashed on the weekend. The one instance that mentioned him losing a fight, ended with “I never picked another fight in my life.” Jimmy was only 16 and would go on to tragically develop a 2 bottle of vodka-a-day habit - so factually this memoir leaves a little to be desired at times, but with the book’s opening lines of “It might not be completely accurate”, this is no surprise.
Jimmy is an excellent storyteller, which is somewhat to be expected, given he built a successful career telling stories through music. I look forward to reading his second book, the rock n roll years, and discovering the stories behind the music that made me love him in the first place. I recommend this book to others, especially those with a love for Australian music or those sitting in a housing commission house looking for a little hope.
November 20, 2016
I loved the ease of this book. It is written in what I would describe as an "Australian Style" of story telling. It would have taken some bravery for Jimmy Barnes to share his life story. As a reader, I thank him for that, because his book enriched me. If I had more time, I could have easily read this in one day. It is an enjoyable read and it flows very well.
This book has enabled me to reflect on my own life. I come from a low socio-economic background in housing commission (similar to Trust houses in the book) and I could relate to a lot of the story, especially when it came to the food parts! Hot Milk Bread and Sugar! I thought that was just my mum!
However, the biggeset thing that struck me, is I had an absence of violence and an absence of alcohol in my home as a child. Not even a bad word between my parents. This book made me very thankful for that and that growing up with no money was not the worst thing in the world. It has made me glad I have grown up with the "give anyone a go' philosophy and 'when you share, give the other person more than you' philosophy. Some people say I'm stupid and that 'people suck me in for my generosity' but I'd still rather be the kid that shared lunches and bought cordials and icy cups for others when I had money, instead of keeping it all for myself, just like in Jimmy's book.
I really warmed to Jimmy's mum in the book and also Reg his stepdad. I really felt I understood his mum. Jimmy did a great job writing about his mum. He conveys her story as authentic and believably real.
I remember watching Cold Chisel for the first time at the Countdown Rock Awards and they smashed up their guitars. I thought they were idiots for this reason with the disrespect they gave to musical instruments! I also thought how rich they must be to take these things for granted. Well, I was wrong there!
I was only around 11 then. My parents couldn't afford for me to have my own clarinet, my own brother worked so hard to buy his guitars, so anything like this disgusted me. This literally turned me off 'being a fan' Although it was just probably normal for the times.
I grew up a die hard Angels fan, not a Cold Chisel fan; but I still do like their music indeed. Even more so now I can reminisce. I do really like Jimmy Barne's solo work. This book enabled me to see Jimmy Barnes from a different perspective, than the guy in the band who smashed up their guitars.
I also enjoyed the book because my husband was brought up in Elizabeth and it gave me an insight into the area he was brought up in amongst other things.
For our contemporary times, I am hopeful that anyone who reads this book realises how the racial/religious hatred and divide we have in our culture is so wrong and stupid. Treat everyone at face value, not by other traits.
This book is essential Australian reading and very intriguing and enjoyable. I look forward to the next book.
This book has enabled me to reflect on my own life. I come from a low socio-economic background in housing commission (similar to Trust houses in the book) and I could relate to a lot of the story, especially when it came to the food parts! Hot Milk Bread and Sugar! I thought that was just my mum!
However, the biggeset thing that struck me, is I had an absence of violence and an absence of alcohol in my home as a child. Not even a bad word between my parents. This book made me very thankful for that and that growing up with no money was not the worst thing in the world. It has made me glad I have grown up with the "give anyone a go' philosophy and 'when you share, give the other person more than you' philosophy. Some people say I'm stupid and that 'people suck me in for my generosity' but I'd still rather be the kid that shared lunches and bought cordials and icy cups for others when I had money, instead of keeping it all for myself, just like in Jimmy's book.
I really warmed to Jimmy's mum in the book and also Reg his stepdad. I really felt I understood his mum. Jimmy did a great job writing about his mum. He conveys her story as authentic and believably real.
I remember watching Cold Chisel for the first time at the Countdown Rock Awards and they smashed up their guitars. I thought they were idiots for this reason with the disrespect they gave to musical instruments! I also thought how rich they must be to take these things for granted. Well, I was wrong there!
I was only around 11 then. My parents couldn't afford for me to have my own clarinet, my own brother worked so hard to buy his guitars, so anything like this disgusted me. This literally turned me off 'being a fan' Although it was just probably normal for the times.
I grew up a die hard Angels fan, not a Cold Chisel fan; but I still do like their music indeed. Even more so now I can reminisce. I do really like Jimmy Barne's solo work. This book enabled me to see Jimmy Barnes from a different perspective, than the guy in the band who smashed up their guitars.
I also enjoyed the book because my husband was brought up in Elizabeth and it gave me an insight into the area he was brought up in amongst other things.
For our contemporary times, I am hopeful that anyone who reads this book realises how the racial/religious hatred and divide we have in our culture is so wrong and stupid. Treat everyone at face value, not by other traits.
This book is essential Australian reading and very intriguing and enjoyable. I look forward to the next book.
October 10, 2016
If I'd known a second book is to be released, I wouldn't have bothered with this one and just read the second. This book could easily be condensed to two or three chapters and thereby only one book would have be necessary. I found the first half so repetitive. I am however, looking forward to the next book "the rock & roll years" though.
June 13, 2021
As the title suggests this book covers Jimmy Barnes early life. I'm not a Cold Chisel or Barnesy fan but I'd heard good things about this biography and his harrowing childhood and family life growing up in SA after his family emigrated from Scotland . I think this book could have been condensed into about 6 chapters, some of it just wasn't that interesting. Jimmy wrote that this was the book he needed to write, before he writes the story of his career, fame, marriage and family. I'm just not sure it's the book I needed to read.
October 8, 2016
This is an amazing journey through immigration, alcoholism, domestic violence, anger, torment and fear. The descriptions of the people in Jimmy’s early life are wonderfully drawn and I think I fell in love with the shining light of Reg along the way – what an angel. I laughed and cried as I could feel Jimmy’s torment, love and tears in every word. It’s certainly a page turner and I can’t wait for the next book.
January 6, 2018
This book went straight to my favourites list. no hesitation.
A raw, touching, sad and engaging memoir by a legend in the music industry. I grew up with Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes music. The music and lyrics are a part of my childhood and are attached to many of my own memories.
I feel grateful to have read this account of Jimmy's youth. What a harrowing experience it must have been for him to re-live his childhood and send it out into the world for all to read.
The sprinkling of humour throughout his story and the obvious love he felt for all his family really shone through for me and gave me a glimpse of the man Jimmy Barnes has become.
I can't wait to read the next installment.
A raw, touching, sad and engaging memoir by a legend in the music industry. I grew up with Cold Chisel and Jimmy Barnes music. The music and lyrics are a part of my childhood and are attached to many of my own memories.
I feel grateful to have read this account of Jimmy's youth. What a harrowing experience it must have been for him to re-live his childhood and send it out into the world for all to read.
The sprinkling of humour throughout his story and the obvious love he felt for all his family really shone through for me and gave me a glimpse of the man Jimmy Barnes has become.
I can't wait to read the next installment.
February 24, 2022
Working Class Boy is a painfully honest autobiographical account of well known Australian rocker Jimmy Barnes’ childhood. It was Audible’s free book of the month last year, and we listened to it in the car; I was interested because I was introduced to his music in the early 90s and loved his solo stuff, but am ashamed to admit that until I moved to Sydney a decade later, had assumed he was American! I’ve seen him live in concert a few times, and knew he had a wild past, and had heard good things about this book. Unfortunately I can’t say that I enjoyed it - It has taken us nine months to finish, because we could only cope with it small chunks at a time - it’s relentlessly grim and very repetitive: eighteen years of deprivation, physical and emotional abuse, with alcoholic parents unable to cope with too many children and the poverty that followed them from Glasgow to Adelaide in the early sixties. I was determined to get to the end, as some parts were quite funny, but his focus on the very worst behaviours of his family and friends was profoundly depressing.
The audiobook is narrated by Barnes himself, he’s got a screechy speaking voice - on anyone else I’d have found him hard to listen to, but I know his songs so well that it worked for me. He recalls his earliest memories of life in Scotland, where every night the adults drank and fought, drank and fought. Then the long voyage by ship to Australia which was supposed to offer them a brighter future, but somehow his parents just surrounded themselves with other Scots and continued drinking and fighting. Jimmy was a bright kid who managed to survive every scrape and scrap he got into, and things improved when his mother finally left his brutal father for Reg Barnes, who gave him a stable home and a new surname, but as he hit his teens, he went completely off the rails. I wanted to hear about his introduction to music and singing - and there is a bit about that - but mostly it’s lots of anecdotes about drinking and fighting - oh and taking drugs and chasing girls. He describes a series of so-called friends, each more violent than the next, whose only joy in life was - you guessed it - drinking and fighting.
The book takes us up to when he joins the band that will become Cold Chisel - his adult life is in the next book - which is probably the one I should’ve read. In his epilogue he gushes about how much he loved his parents and his siblings, which is shocking after thirty chapters of how awful they were - I found his acceptance and forgiveness of people who basically ruined their kids’ lives through their own selfishness quite remarkable and frankly uncomfortable: all the money got spent on booze so the children often went hungry. This is a very good book in some ways, and recommended for fans of his music, but as above, very hard to listen to, hence three stars.
The audiobook is narrated by Barnes himself, he’s got a screechy speaking voice - on anyone else I’d have found him hard to listen to, but I know his songs so well that it worked for me. He recalls his earliest memories of life in Scotland, where every night the adults drank and fought, drank and fought. Then the long voyage by ship to Australia which was supposed to offer them a brighter future, but somehow his parents just surrounded themselves with other Scots and continued drinking and fighting. Jimmy was a bright kid who managed to survive every scrape and scrap he got into, and things improved when his mother finally left his brutal father for Reg Barnes, who gave him a stable home and a new surname, but as he hit his teens, he went completely off the rails. I wanted to hear about his introduction to music and singing - and there is a bit about that - but mostly it’s lots of anecdotes about drinking and fighting - oh and taking drugs and chasing girls. He describes a series of so-called friends, each more violent than the next, whose only joy in life was - you guessed it - drinking and fighting.
The book takes us up to when he joins the band that will become Cold Chisel - his adult life is in the next book - which is probably the one I should’ve read. In his epilogue he gushes about how much he loved his parents and his siblings, which is shocking after thirty chapters of how awful they were - I found his acceptance and forgiveness of people who basically ruined their kids’ lives through their own selfishness quite remarkable and frankly uncomfortable: all the money got spent on booze so the children often went hungry. This is a very good book in some ways, and recommended for fans of his music, but as above, very hard to listen to, hence three stars.
January 1, 2017
Nowadays Australians and New Zealanders are totally familiar with the name Jimmy Barnes through his exploits as lead singer with Cold Chisel followed by a stellar career as a solo artist. None of the esteem in which he is mostly held could prepare you for the story of his upbringing in Working Class Boy, a title suggested to him by his friend Crowded House star, Neil Finn, after Jimmy's hit song Working Class Man.
In this memoir we soon discover that the early life of James Swan was brutal and violent as he grew up in first Glasgow and then the down market Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth. His parents James and Dot Swan and his five siblings had experienced the worst side of family life in Glasgow where father James spent his weekly wages on booze and gambling arriving home on payday with empty pockets. But that's not all. James was an inherently violent man and when there was no-one at the pub game to take him on he took it out on Dot.
The ten pound emigration deal to break free of the violence of Glasgow and head across the world to Australia seemed like a good idea in 1960 when Jimmy was four. But really, despite the breaks that were available it wasn't long before the drink and violence escalated to new lows. In sad and desperate detail Jimmy describes this life and its impact on him. One bright spot was the ousting of his father from their lives and coming under the influence of Dot's new partner Reg Barnes. Reg was as gentle as James Swan was violent. It didn't take long for Jimmy to warm to Reg, to call him Dad, and to change his name to Barnes.
Working Class Boy isn't an easy read because of the sheer horror of the depths of despair experienced by Jimmy and his family. Its raw and it seems scrupulously honest. The story takes us to the beginnings of his music career in his mid teens, a young man shaped by his experiences, lucky to be alive and not in jail. If you can handle a "take no prisoners" honest biography from a young man who managed to rise above his upbringing then you'll respect his story, enjoy certainly isn't the word to use though.
In this memoir we soon discover that the early life of James Swan was brutal and violent as he grew up in first Glasgow and then the down market Adelaide suburb of Elizabeth. His parents James and Dot Swan and his five siblings had experienced the worst side of family life in Glasgow where father James spent his weekly wages on booze and gambling arriving home on payday with empty pockets. But that's not all. James was an inherently violent man and when there was no-one at the pub game to take him on he took it out on Dot.
The ten pound emigration deal to break free of the violence of Glasgow and head across the world to Australia seemed like a good idea in 1960 when Jimmy was four. But really, despite the breaks that were available it wasn't long before the drink and violence escalated to new lows. In sad and desperate detail Jimmy describes this life and its impact on him. One bright spot was the ousting of his father from their lives and coming under the influence of Dot's new partner Reg Barnes. Reg was as gentle as James Swan was violent. It didn't take long for Jimmy to warm to Reg, to call him Dad, and to change his name to Barnes.
Working Class Boy isn't an easy read because of the sheer horror of the depths of despair experienced by Jimmy and his family. Its raw and it seems scrupulously honest. The story takes us to the beginnings of his music career in his mid teens, a young man shaped by his experiences, lucky to be alive and not in jail. If you can handle a "take no prisoners" honest biography from a young man who managed to rise above his upbringing then you'll respect his story, enjoy certainly isn't the word to use though.
December 12, 2021
3.5 / 5 stars.
jimmy barnes narration of the audiobook is so so good, officially a fangirl.
jimmy barnes narration of the audiobook is so so good, officially a fangirl.
May 10, 2021
Surprisingly both charming and sad. I loved Jimmy Barnes as a kid and it's so nice when your childhood hero turns out to be not horrifically problematic and actually kinda ace.
March 1, 2021
A great read. Funny, sad, and insightful to the point of being heartbreaking and scary.
January 9, 2017
Giving this 5 stars for sheer, raw honesty rather than technique. Jimmy is not an author and it shows in the sometimes jumbled nature of this book. He wrote that it took a year for him to sort through all the stories and you can sense how cathartic that was. The term 'working class' can mean so many things and I never imagined the 'tough' childhood Jimmy had occasionally mentioned in passing in interviews was quite this brutal. It makes your heart hurt. What a life, and what a miracle that he survived and somehow thrived (there was definitely a lot of luck involved in him joining Cold Chisel and if he hadn't ended up in the band you can easily imagine he'd have gone nowhere fast). Will definitely be reading any follow up about his Chisel years he writes.
January 5, 2017
So it seems many people loved this book, for me it was okay! Clearly he had a very bleak and rough childhood, and if it had not been for Reg Barnes, and meeting certain people, who helped him find his way into music, goodness knows where he would have ended up!
I read this in 48 hours, not because it was hard to put down, but because I wanted it over!
Would I recommend this book, yes to a major fan of Jimmy Barnes, but to someone who wasn't, probably not!
I will say this, if he writes a book about his time with Cold Chisel, and his solo career, I will read it!
I read this in 48 hours, not because it was hard to put down, but because I wanted it over!
Would I recommend this book, yes to a major fan of Jimmy Barnes, but to someone who wasn't, probably not!
I will say this, if he writes a book about his time with Cold Chisel, and his solo career, I will read it!
February 19, 2018
This is an astonishing autobiography of a desperate childhood and adolescence, fuelled by alcohol, drugs, sex and violence. It’s a miracle Jimmy and his siblings lived through it. But survive they did, a testament to the enduring and brave human spirit. And maybe sheer dumb luck. Makes me want to read the next book...
June 17, 2019
I listened to the audiobook.
Working Class Boy narrated by Jimmy, the author of this memoir, is just as fabulous as its sequel. Honest and raw and a little heart wrenching. Had tears in my eyes when he read the acknowledgments as well.
Entertaining and interesting to learn about his childhood which was loaded with danger, poverty, violence, drugs…. and triumphs.
Barnesy, you legend!
Working Class Boy narrated by Jimmy, the author of this memoir, is just as fabulous as its sequel. Honest and raw and a little heart wrenching. Had tears in my eyes when he read the acknowledgments as well.
Entertaining and interesting to learn about his childhood which was loaded with danger, poverty, violence, drugs…. and triumphs.
Barnesy, you legend!
September 19, 2017
I couldn't review this book straight away. It left me chilled and electrified. It left me speechless. I am going to try to write a review because I can't not say that I loved this book, but I don't really know how well it will turn out. I'm still coming to grips with it.
For those who don't know (that is, aren't Australian, because all Australians know), Jimmy Barnes is a hard rocker (with all the trappings), famous as the lead singer of Cold Chisel and performing Australia's unofficial national anthem "Working Class Man". This book is the story of his childhood, not his "success", the story of how abuse and poverty creates generations of men (and women) who see themselves futureless and wanting only to numb the pain or to actively destroy themselves. Words like "raw", "unflinching" and "brave" are thrown about by reviewers so often they become meaningless, but if ever they were to apply to a book it is this one. And Barnes proves he is not just a songwriter but a prose writer as well and the description of his sister's wedding day is coiled at the base of my brain ready to be unwound and revisited when I feel that I can.
What especially interested me about this book was the explorations of what it is to be a child and especially what it is to be a boy. It is only right that Barnes would tell the story of the boy inside the man, the boy who (to borrow a phrase from another Aussie rocker), is still lost and running. There have been discussions in Australian academic and popular circles of the Australian legend of masculinity – the one valourised in “Working Class Man”:
He's a legend of his kind
He's running like a cyclone
Across the wild mid western sky
…He believes in God and Elvis
He gets out when he can
He did his time in Vietnam
Still mad at Uncle Sam
He's a simple man
With a heart of gold
In a complicated land
As a young woman in Australia (albeit born well after the period discussed by Barnes) I knew very few working class men that fit the valourisation of the song (indeed, I probably knew more women who fit the bill). But I recognise a whole lot more who fit the bill of working class boys, who have something very dark inside, inner fear waiting to turn outward. What I appreciated in this book was that there was not really too much of a dichotomy between these “boy” and the “working class man”; one can have both “a heart of gold” and on weekends kick someone’s head in. This book says something quite profound about what it is to perform masculinities – to feel inwardly one way and to warp that feeling into something that you know is wrong but is also going to help you survive in your culture. It also highlights things both base and beautiful and instantly recognizable about that culture, as only a child can see them in all of their contradictions and inevitability.
For those who don't know (that is, aren't Australian, because all Australians know), Jimmy Barnes is a hard rocker (with all the trappings), famous as the lead singer of Cold Chisel and performing Australia's unofficial national anthem "Working Class Man". This book is the story of his childhood, not his "success", the story of how abuse and poverty creates generations of men (and women) who see themselves futureless and wanting only to numb the pain or to actively destroy themselves. Words like "raw", "unflinching" and "brave" are thrown about by reviewers so often they become meaningless, but if ever they were to apply to a book it is this one. And Barnes proves he is not just a songwriter but a prose writer as well and the description of his sister's wedding day is coiled at the base of my brain ready to be unwound and revisited when I feel that I can.
What especially interested me about this book was the explorations of what it is to be a child and especially what it is to be a boy. It is only right that Barnes would tell the story of the boy inside the man, the boy who (to borrow a phrase from another Aussie rocker), is still lost and running. There have been discussions in Australian academic and popular circles of the Australian legend of masculinity – the one valourised in “Working Class Man”:
He's a legend of his kind
He's running like a cyclone
Across the wild mid western sky
…He believes in God and Elvis
He gets out when he can
He did his time in Vietnam
Still mad at Uncle Sam
He's a simple man
With a heart of gold
In a complicated land
As a young woman in Australia (albeit born well after the period discussed by Barnes) I knew very few working class men that fit the valourisation of the song (indeed, I probably knew more women who fit the bill). But I recognise a whole lot more who fit the bill of working class boys, who have something very dark inside, inner fear waiting to turn outward. What I appreciated in this book was that there was not really too much of a dichotomy between these “boy” and the “working class man”; one can have both “a heart of gold” and on weekends kick someone’s head in. This book says something quite profound about what it is to perform masculinities – to feel inwardly one way and to warp that feeling into something that you know is wrong but is also going to help you survive in your culture. It also highlights things both base and beautiful and instantly recognizable about that culture, as only a child can see them in all of their contradictions and inevitability.
March 19, 2020
Before reading his memoir, if I thought of Jimmy Barnes I thought of him as the lead singer of Cold Chisel an iconic Aussie band. I thought of him as "Barnsey" that widely acclaimed solo artist and popular culture personality of the 80's and 90's. More recently I may have thought of him as the father of David Campbell an Australian musician and media personality. I suppose I should have, but what I didn't think was sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. Having read part 1 of his memoir, with the catchy title Working Class Boy*, I now think of his early family life - an alcoholic father, the fear of domestic violence, poverty and a mother who left her six children. I now know of his childhood/adolescence filled with escapism in the form of sex, drugs, fights, law breaking, and all manner of wild activities. This book ended before we really got into the rock'n'roll phase of his life, before he became the famous Barnsey and a household name.
Working Class Boy brought to mind Angela's Ashes. Though I read that one some decades ago and it was set in Ireland I remember it as having the same feel and similar themes. Jimmy's family emigrated from Scotland to South Australia but at times it seemed not much had changed between the unsafe streets of Glasgow and the Australian suburbs.
If I rated this book for my level of enjoyment it would definitely come in below average. I got the gist of his life in the early chapters and the rest of the book was just more of the same.
If I rated it in terms of how he managed to make a success of his life after a dreadful beginning I would have to be more generous.
More often than not, when I read these stories of overcoming adversity I'm filled with admiration for the person who has turned their life around. For some reason that wasn't the case with Working Class Boy and I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps I'm being unfair. He definitely didn't seem to be seeking sympathy and his words about the drugs, the crime and the teenage sex sounded brutally honest although at times I couldn't help thinking they had an almost boastful sound. Again, maybe I'm being harsh. I did notice the way he tried to used humor to cover up the roughest events and perhaps that bravado was a coping mechanism. I'm sure it was therapeutic for him to write this book and I liked the way he provided links to support networks for others who may be dealing with domestic violence.
Overall, a 3 star read but I don't think I'll be fronting up for Part 2 which goes by the name Working Class Man.
*For those unacquainted with Cold Chisel or Jimmy Barnes, the title of his memoir is a play on the title of one of their very famous songs "Working Class Man". Naturally enough this is the title he's given to the second part of his memoir.
Working Class Boy brought to mind Angela's Ashes. Though I read that one some decades ago and it was set in Ireland I remember it as having the same feel and similar themes. Jimmy's family emigrated from Scotland to South Australia but at times it seemed not much had changed between the unsafe streets of Glasgow and the Australian suburbs.
If I rated this book for my level of enjoyment it would definitely come in below average. I got the gist of his life in the early chapters and the rest of the book was just more of the same.
If I rated it in terms of how he managed to make a success of his life after a dreadful beginning I would have to be more generous.
More often than not, when I read these stories of overcoming adversity I'm filled with admiration for the person who has turned their life around. For some reason that wasn't the case with Working Class Boy and I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps I'm being unfair. He definitely didn't seem to be seeking sympathy and his words about the drugs, the crime and the teenage sex sounded brutally honest although at times I couldn't help thinking they had an almost boastful sound. Again, maybe I'm being harsh. I did notice the way he tried to used humor to cover up the roughest events and perhaps that bravado was a coping mechanism. I'm sure it was therapeutic for him to write this book and I liked the way he provided links to support networks for others who may be dealing with domestic violence.
Overall, a 3 star read but I don't think I'll be fronting up for Part 2 which goes by the name Working Class Man.
*For those unacquainted with Cold Chisel or Jimmy Barnes, the title of his memoir is a play on the title of one of their very famous songs "Working Class Man". Naturally enough this is the title he's given to the second part of his memoir.
November 26, 2018
I enjoyed Jimmy’s honesty, and it was interesting to learn about his childhood and upbringing, but all the stories were the same in the end and it became rather repetitive.
I’ll give the second one a go, and read up on the stories from his music career.
In a world of sex and drugs - I’m much more interested in the rock ‘n’ roll.
I’ll give the second one a go, and read up on the stories from his music career.
In a world of sex and drugs - I’m much more interested in the rock ‘n’ roll.
April 19, 2021
As an Aussie I’ve listened to Jimmy Barnes and Cold Chisel all my life. What a fantastic autobiography this was. Working Class Boy is the story of how James Swan became Jimmy Barnes and his life in the lead up to joining his band Cold Chisel. Highly recommend.
May 20, 2021
From a Shuggie Bain type of start in Glasgow to the struggle streets of Adelaide’s northern suburbs, Jimmy Barnes tells the story of his sad and violent childhood. Listening to the audiobook read by Jimmy himself brought the story to life, trauma interlaced with humour from a talented, creative soul. I love his characteristic accent, still rich with his Glasgow roots even though he must have been only four or five when he left. His recreations of his parents dialogue are quite funny though the message was usually bleak. His stepfather Reg Barnes sounded like an absolute saint, what a blessing that he came along.
December 15, 2019
I borrowed this from my brother-in-law, who’s a big fan. I was curious to read about his experience of growing up in Elizabeth, as I’d worked in this satellite suburb of Adelaide, and met many people whose childhoods were a lot like his, and whose families had migrated from England or Scotland with high hopes. Harrowing read. A vivid account of neglect and family violence and the devastation it causes children. I felt the deepest relief when Reg Barnes came along. It sounds like Jimmy has only in recent times started to process the horror of those early years and for that reason it’s a hopeful book that says when the time is right, people can start to look at the past, see it and feel it clearly and put things in their proper place.
July 16, 2017
This is an immensely emotional, and one suspects, cathartic book as Barnes looks unflinchingly at the violence, alcoholism and poverty that obliterated most of his childhood. I haven't seen reviews from others who grew up around Adelaide's northern suburbs, but I found reading this a deeply upsetting experience, as the ferocity of Barnes' anger and disgust often feels lodged in the suburb of Elizabeth itself. As a memoir, it is courageous and impactful, but I can't help feeling a twinge at the knowledge that for thousands of people, this will be all they ever know of Adelaide's northern rustbelt.
Before I get into that though, while it is rare for me to recommend audiobook - I don't love the format - in this case I definitely would recommend picking it up this way. The narrative style, very much like an extended interview response almost, can start to feel like a barrage of anecdotes and I found it difficult to get into the rhythm of the humour, I think these would be resolved by the audiobook version.
So it was after the one-hour walk listening to Cold Chisel and arguing with an imaginary Jimmy Barnes in my head that I realised my own reaction to this book had to be as much about my own hang ups as his. I spent the first decade of my life in Gawler, north of Elizabeth. My beloved 'grandma' lived in Elizabeth, and my parents taught in high schools of the region through the 70s and 80s. Most of our early babysitters were kids from those schools. And yep, it was a rough area. I always understood that there was violence there, after dark. But the coffee shop that Barnes describes as a hang-out of gangs at night was the same shop we bought double scoop icecreams at. The Elizabeth Library was one of the most magical places in the world for me as a kid. And most importantly, the people I knew may have been poor, but their values weren't. I knew no-one in Elizabeth or the area with a drinking problem, or who seemed violent. I remember the kids from the high schools lecturing me about basic values like being polite, working hard and trying your best. The relatives I knew who lived in the area were passionate about equality, involved in the community and their double-brick home - identical in build to the Barnes' - were meticulously maintained. My parents knew kids who endured enormous amounts just to get a basic education. Kids who responded to being respected with intense affection and commitment. There were many Elizabeths, and while all were plagued by poorly paid and often dangerous industry, and poor social services, they weren't all dysfunctional. There is strength in working class communities, capacity and pride as well as the bad stuff.
None of that, of course, belies any of the content here. Barnes' intent is not a social history of a suburb, it is a look at how he ended up who he is, and it is unquestioningly honest, and painfully raw. I guess it was just a bit of shock for me, given the hero status Barnsey has among my generation in the Northern suburbs, living proof that the rustbelt could produce something worthwhile, to realise he believes he succeeded despite, rather than because of, his experiences there. I probably shouldn't have read this around the annual anniversaries of my father's death and birthday, given the pride my father had his whole life in what he achieved in the region, and the lives he touched. Hindmarsh, viewed by Barnes as a haven, is where my parents moved when I was 10, and was a much more difficult environment for me, adding to the disjuncture (although all my memories of living in Semaphore and around the Port, like his, are pretty wonderful). So there's all my own emotional baggage here in this review, not just his (you don't have to tell me that in the comments, people, I know). I guess I just really wanted Barnesy to be as proud of Elizabeth as it is of him.
Before I get into that though, while it is rare for me to recommend audiobook - I don't love the format - in this case I definitely would recommend picking it up this way. The narrative style, very much like an extended interview response almost, can start to feel like a barrage of anecdotes and I found it difficult to get into the rhythm of the humour, I think these would be resolved by the audiobook version.
So it was after the one-hour walk listening to Cold Chisel and arguing with an imaginary Jimmy Barnes in my head that I realised my own reaction to this book had to be as much about my own hang ups as his. I spent the first decade of my life in Gawler, north of Elizabeth. My beloved 'grandma' lived in Elizabeth, and my parents taught in high schools of the region through the 70s and 80s. Most of our early babysitters were kids from those schools. And yep, it was a rough area. I always understood that there was violence there, after dark. But the coffee shop that Barnes describes as a hang-out of gangs at night was the same shop we bought double scoop icecreams at. The Elizabeth Library was one of the most magical places in the world for me as a kid. And most importantly, the people I knew may have been poor, but their values weren't. I knew no-one in Elizabeth or the area with a drinking problem, or who seemed violent. I remember the kids from the high schools lecturing me about basic values like being polite, working hard and trying your best. The relatives I knew who lived in the area were passionate about equality, involved in the community and their double-brick home - identical in build to the Barnes' - were meticulously maintained. My parents knew kids who endured enormous amounts just to get a basic education. Kids who responded to being respected with intense affection and commitment. There were many Elizabeths, and while all were plagued by poorly paid and often dangerous industry, and poor social services, they weren't all dysfunctional. There is strength in working class communities, capacity and pride as well as the bad stuff.
None of that, of course, belies any of the content here. Barnes' intent is not a social history of a suburb, it is a look at how he ended up who he is, and it is unquestioningly honest, and painfully raw. I guess it was just a bit of shock for me, given the hero status Barnsey has among my generation in the Northern suburbs, living proof that the rustbelt could produce something worthwhile, to realise he believes he succeeded despite, rather than because of, his experiences there. I probably shouldn't have read this around the annual anniversaries of my father's death and birthday, given the pride my father had his whole life in what he achieved in the region, and the lives he touched. Hindmarsh, viewed by Barnes as a haven, is where my parents moved when I was 10, and was a much more difficult environment for me, adding to the disjuncture (although all my memories of living in Semaphore and around the Port, like his, are pretty wonderful). So there's all my own emotional baggage here in this review, not just his (you don't have to tell me that in the comments, people, I know). I guess I just really wanted Barnesy to be as proud of Elizabeth as it is of him.
April 9, 2017
I was really lucky to have the opportunity to read this book all at once in a night and day. This allowed me to immerse myself in the story completely, and to love it. Not all memoirs follow a nice, clear narrative arc, and this one begins in a disjointed fashion, which made me turn back at times thinking I'd missed what I needed to know, but then it flows into a more linear story which was easier to follow. There were many gaps and silences in the story that suggest that the experiences of the author were more awful than those described, which were heartbreaking as they were. This to me did not detract from the story; people don't need to sell their souls to write a memoir, after all. Barnes describes a bleak and cruel childhood ruled by two parents who just had no idea of how their selfishness would destroy the childhoods of their children, who grew up with uncertainty, fear, abuse, and hunger. For me, this story said so much about poverty and the prisoners it takes, and about how childhood neglect makes your children desperate to fit in but stand out at the same time (so they're never satisfied), to feel like fakes and disappointments to everyone (thereby rejecting love when it's offered), and to be horribly self destructive. It was a very sad tale, but one that I could tell that Barnes tried to document honestly and to emphasise the redemptive qualities of love and hope. My only criticisms would be of the awkward jokes that pepper the first third of the book, and of the repetitive descriptions of street fights in the third third of the book. I think they could have been edited more effectively. I admire any person who can recount their imperfect life and stand by their choices, and there was some beautiful writing here. Ultimately, I felt I learnt a lot from reading this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it despite its difficult subject matter. Highly recommended to memoir lovers.
November 16, 2017
I would give this book a 3 and a half to 4 star rating. The first third of the book is a little repetitive, in the sense we learn that all good Scots like to drink and fight. We're told that a lot by Jimmy. But as his story progresses, we see just how much of that shapes his life. Jimmy lived a childhood that no child should ever have to endure. But he blames noone. That makes him an incredibly strong person. It would be easy to blame a lot and hold grudges with what Jimmy went through. Working Class Boy covers his life from birth to joining a band called Orange which would become better known to the world as Cold Chisel. I'm excited to read the next chapter...
November 3, 2016
This was an interesting read. I grew up watching Cold Chisel on a Saturday night at the local pubs. I knew he partied hard and had the Rock n Roll lifestyle but I didn't realise how much of this was because of his childhood. I enjoyed the book, but just felt by the end there was too much about him and his mates fighting and beating up whoever they wanted to. I didn't realise that this book was just about his childhood and it finished when he just joined Cold Chisel, so am looking forward to the next one.
February 16, 2017
I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would. Was fascinated by immigrant life in Elizabeth. In several parts, I admired Barnesy's honesty and openness. Heard he's writing the next memoir, which he says is tougher than this one. Looking forward to that one.
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