Book review: Multi-ABIA winner written with filmmaker Poppy Stockell
The Voice Inside by musician John Farnham AO with Poppy Stockell is a remarkable Australian story about finding fame and the resilience to stay true to yourself.
It is Farnham and filmmaker Stockell’s first ever book and took both creatives into uncharted territory.
However, the Hachette Australia publication has been a huge bestseller and won three Australian Book Industry Awards, including Biography Book of the Year.
So keep reading to find out more about the singer of the global hit You’re The Voice and suggestions for your own life-story creating…
What is The Voice Inside about?
This 368-page memoir starts in London, England, not long after the end of World War II.
Farnham’s family moves to Melbourne, Australia, when he is in primary school and he is given a guitar by his Uncle Alf.
Before long he is playing at kids’ parties, asked to join a band and lands a manager.
From here he hits 1960s teen stardom, meets his dancer wife Jillian Billman, tours with the famous Little River Band in the USA and eventually releases the highest-selling Australian album, Whispering Jack.
After decades of entertaining, however, Farnham is diagnosed with mouth cancer and is now on the road to recovery.
“Whispering Jack is still the highest-selling Australian album in Australia, selling over 1.6 million copies. On the night, (manager and friend) Glenn turned to me and said, ‘This will never happen again in our lifetime.’ And he was right. No Australian artist has come close to beating that record in Australia. Well, he was half right. I’m still alive so who knows what could happen.”
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Interesting stories from The Voice Inside
There are many interesting things we can learn from reading The Voice Inside.
Firstly, the difference between a good and bad manager.
For instance, Farnham said he believed his early manager drugged him to keep working while his long-term manager took a huge financial risk by paying for his hit album.
Interestingly we also find out that the musician almost went bankrupt from a failed restaurant venture.
And about how difficult it is as an up-and-comer to get first dibs on quality songs to perform.
“Back then, it was really hard to get good songs that hadn’t already been recorded. There weren’t many local Australian songwriters working in the industry unless they were writing for themselves, and all the publishers in England and the US kept the really good songs for their own local artists. Only the songs that everyone else had passed on made their way to Australia.”
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Lessons from The Voice Inside
Pick up The Voice Inside to learn some top life-story tips.
For example I love the way Farnham includes chapters by his wife Jill that share her perspectives and opinions.
Also the number of photos and memorabilia that are featured not just in one picture section of the book but on the inside covers and scattered throughout the pages.
Finally, the fact that Farnham and Stockell had never written a book and despite this decided to give it a go and not worry too much about what others thought.
“I didn’t want my story to be boring or show I’m not the brightest penny in the till, but to be honest it hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be. For the most part I’ve enjoyed sitting down with Poppy.”
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Final say
The Voice Inside by John Farnham with Poppy Stockell is an ABIA winning memoir about one of Australia’s much-loved legends.
The No. 1 bestseller is a deeply personal and entertaining life story about finally standing up for his creative instinct and finding his true voice.
So read this life-story if you want to know the candid stories behind the songs that have soundtracked our lives since the 1960s.
Or simply to feel like you are sitting down swapping fair-dinkum stories with an old friend.
“I still sing at home, though. I can barely open my mouth but still wail in the shower. I love to make noises with my throat. Since I was a kid I’ve loved to whistle, I’ve loved to sing. I was given a gift and to be able to get out there and affect people in some way was a special thing. I would like to continue doing that. So, though I am not putting all my hopes into it, we’ll see.”
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Your say
What was your hobby during childhood? Did you sing or whistle the days away like Farnham? I always love hearing from different people. Drop me an email or leave a reply in the comments section at the end of this article.
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