No. 41 (2023) JOHN FARNHAM: FINDING THE VOICE. May 31st.

 

Film No. 41  (2023)  May 31st.  10:45 AM  LUNA SX,  Cine 1,  Fremantle.

"There was something about his voice that was so appealing. People just worshipped him" (Jimmy Barnes pays tribute to his friend John Farnham with whole-hearted honesty).

SUBMISSION : Best Documentary (Poppy Stockell) AFI Awards 2023.

John Farnham is a legend of Australian Rock n Roll. His story is captivating, and Poppy Stockell (SCRUM) has captured, with great heart, the reason for his legendary status. I hope FINDING THE VOICE finds an international market. I wasn't aware how popular he became in Scandinavia with his Whispering Jack album. 

I'm an Australian who is embarrassed to say I knew little about Farnham and the stories behind his music career. I did own a 45 RPM of his first smash hit, Sadie, in 1967. It was one of the first singles I ever bought. I was ten. Other than that I remember being surprised he became the lead singer of The Little River Band in 1982. It was big news at the time, but I didn't pay much attention and wasn't surprised when both Farnham and the band lost their gloss. Deep down I always felt Sadie pigeonholed him as a One Hit Wonder. How wrong I was.

But enough of my confession to being ignorant as to the worthiness of John Farnham's status as an icon, because Stockell has rectified all of that. FINDING THE VOICE is not just a riveting documentation of how a boy with unique vocal qualities, from a loving, working class family, created his own history, always fighting on no matter how many times he failed. It's a wonderfully entertaining feature, full of the tension that goes with an artist who loses faith in himself, but then gets back up to continue his pursuit of fame.  His friendship with Glenn Wheatley is key to John's story. Stockell cleverly uses Wheatley's wife Gaynor here to add the sometimes tension laden facts to Farnham's tale. 

Because I wasn't a great fan of Farnham's music or career, this film was never on my "must see" list. I was at a loose end, a cinema was close by, and this film fitted my time schedule. You know how, sometimes, those film going moments happen and the film is so much better than you thought it might be? Thank you Poppy Stackell, you have created a good film about an Australian worth celebrating. I cannot get You're The Voice out of my head. I've listened to it so many times since your, my Spotify account has set up a John Farnham mix!! I'm currently listening to the mix daily.  10GUMS.