Working Class Boy by Jimmy Barnes: book review

Working Class Boy (2016) begins in Glasgow, Scotland, the birthplace of songwriter and lead singer of the Australian band, Cold Chisel.

James Dixon Swan (Jimmy Barnes) was born on 28 April 1956, the fourth of six children, in a poor, dark, and tough part of town: ‘I doubt that it ever felt safe.’ The family migrated to South Australia in 1962 to the land of opportunity, moving to the newly-established city of Elizabeth in late 1963: ‘I knew I would be fine here.’

He takes the surname Barnes when his mother leaves his alcoholic father and lives with Reginald Victor Barnes.

He writes of his school and teenage years, by remembering the songs, bands, films, and television programs of the times. One of the schools he attended was Elizabeth High School for a few months, ‘the roughest school in the area – and that was saying something … We would fight and drink and run amok all over Elizabeth …’ It was exactly the school I went to, and in the 1970’s the voice of Jimmy Barnes became part of my life.

When his brother, John Swan, joined a band, Jimmy wanted to do the same. At nearly 17, in 1973, sneaking into music concerts was the turning point – ‘I learned something from every band I saw … This was to become my apprenticeship.’ Rebelliousness, crime, alcohol, drugs – music became his escape from boredom – and the suburban life of Elizabeth.

The memoir ends in 1973 – before his life as a rock star – before he finds his place in the world. As he looks back at the sad bad past, honest about his faults and feelings – he also has an optimistic outlook. He is not bitter, he is better.

It was a nostalgic read for me – going back to the days in Elizabeth when parents hoped for a better life for themselves and their families. But life still wasn’t as easy as they expected. Written colloquially, as if he’s sitting in a bar, with a beer, Jimmy Barnes recalls his inspirations and the challenges in life that made him who he was, for better or worse.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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