Jim Swan was my father, but Reg Barnes was my dad.

No matter what day we celebrate Australia Day, let's celebrate it together and give thanks to the original inhabitants of this vast country. We are lucky to be sharing it with them.

Success isn't about reaching your goals; it's about striving for things, like the joy of trying to raise a family, trying to be a successful singer, trying to write good songs, trying to be a better person. It's that old thing about life being about the journey, not the destination.

Most people I know think that I'm crazy - but anybody who actually knew Billy Thorpe didn't think that. When I was a young kid growing up in Adelaide, he was a big pop star - a well-dressed, nice young guy seen on television every week. Mums liked him.

Kids are the best thing ever.

All the religions are basically good, but there's something about organised religion that leads to corruptness and poison.

I'm an immigrant.

I used to think that if someone asked for help, they were weak. But the toughest thing I ever did was reach out and ask for help. And that was when I started to heal.

The best times in Cold Chisel were when we were all in the back of the car together, us against the world.

My family were very poor. We never owned a house, in fact, we were lucky if we could afford the rent. So when I bought my first home, it was a very emotional time for me.

I've been writing books because it's been my way of dealing with the demons. The act of sitting down and writing the books down has started healing process that's been long overdue.

I love spending money. I always have.

I come from a multicultural family. My wife's Thai. My children are half-Asian, half-Scottish; we're all immigrants.

My dad was a prize fighter in his youth. My boxing skills are very limited. I did train for most of my youth but couldn't really see the point of getting punched in the head. I'm a lover, not a fighter, but I do enjoy the sport in its purest form. As a child, my heroes were my dad and Muhammad Ali.

'Working Class Man' is my second memoir and is a continuation of my story from where 'Working Class Boy' left off. The book is really an attempt at explaining the impact of my childhood on myself and the ones I loved as an adult.

When I was 18 in Cold Chisel, I didn't want to make it to 21. Who wants to be that old?

You should fight for every breath you have.

I have done a lot of great things. I have a beautiful family and wonderful friends. But there were many times, dark times, that I almost let it all slip through my fingers.

I like people of faith, and I believe the more people who have spirituality, the better the world will be. It's about peace and tolerance.

I think tax is tough in this country. Every time I sign a cheque to pay tax, it drives me crazy. But at the same time, I'm happy to live here. I want to have a good medical system, good education, good roads, so it's a Catch 22. I hate it, but it's a necessary evil.

For me, 'Soul Deep' wasn't an easy thing to do.

I wouldn't give Peter Dutton any of my time. It's a waste of time speaking to someone like him because they just spread lies and propaganda. He doesn't represent me, he doesn't care about people, and I wouldn't give him the time of day, to tell you the truth.

Thais are one of the nicest people I've ever met. It's not called the land of smiles for nothing.

I have very strong memories of my early years. In fact, I remember the house I was born in, and we moved from that house when I was less than ten months old. I have drawn pictures of it and shown my mother, and she was shocked because we have no photos of the place, and I was very accurate.

Everything affects you, and it doesn't measure how tough you are by being a rock and sitting by yourself. People need to talk. It's not a sign of weakness.

I got to 25, and I thought, 'I'm never going to make 30.' But now I look at it like... if you can remain true to what you do, I don't see why you can't keep doing it.

I'm really happy with the way I am, and I've got a fantastic family and a great life, and I don't need anything else.

I love my mum and dad, but they were shocking providers and carers.

I find that cooking is relaxing and makes me feel at home.

I can't stand a house to be dirty or even messy, even. I am a bit OCD. Wash the dishes when you finish eating.

I know I've made a lot of mistakes, but I've done some good things along the way.

I've had a lot of ups and a lot of downs, but I don't look back on anything with regret.

I was lucky I was blessed with the constitution of a horse.

My dad was a quiet assassin. He was really charming and smiley and softly spoken, but he could knock you out in a second.

I always thought I could be brave and charge at things and smash 'em and walk away, but it takes courage to sit and look at things and say, 'This is what I am. How do I fix it? How do I live with it?'

I grew up in poverty. I was ashamed of the fact, when we were kids, we'd be at school hungry, our stomachs rumbling so we couldn't concentrate.

One of my major regrets was that period in my life where I wasn't present in my kids' life. I was in another world.

There's something about the energy and the expectations that an audience projects at you. I get up on stage and work and work, and there's chaos all around me, then I'll shut my eyes, and boom! I slot into the zone. It's like the eye of the hurricane. Everything is easy, and I'm capable of doing things I didn't know I was.

We still had all our problems growing up as a struggling immigrant family, but Australia was like a breath of fresh air, literally. Playing on grass, having good schools - trees. I didn't even know trees where I'd come from. So from the day I got here, I've loved Australia.

The music industry is quite brutal and quite harsh and can be spirit shattering, but it's an honour to be a musician because your job is to make sure people enjoy themselves; to make people forget about their troubles.

I used to think I was tough, but there's a difference between bravado and courage, and I only started to show courage when I began to get help. So now I make a point of telling people, 'Hey, it's a good thing to ask for help, not a bad thing.'

I keep my Scottish connection. I know where I was born, and that's an important part of my history, and I think all immigrants are the same. But if I could live anywhere in the world, it would be Australia.

Politicians have been spreading fear, saying if we're letting in refugees, we're letting in terrorists. It's not the truth. We've got to recognise the difference between terrorism and people who are refugees; people who are struggling.

When I hear a singer, I want them to be passionate and intense, and soul singers like Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett always seemed to do exactly that.

Cold Chisel had their moments, but basically, they were all decent, quiet chaps. I was just a lunatic. Those guys didn't know what had hit them when I joined the band.

No matter how much poverty you grow up with, you shouldn't be subjected to violence and abuse.

I came from a tough childhood. There was a lot of stuff that I'd actually forgotten or that I'd blocked or hidden away until I started addressing it.

I learned that the public and the press don't need to know everything about you, or they might turn on you.

As a teenager, I didn't really think about anything. I was just stumbling around trying to find something.

I think I got stamina from my dad, although he didn't have a lot of drive.