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Playing to Win
- The Definitive Biography of John Farnham
- Narrated by: Rob Meldrum
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
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Playing to Win
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Publisher's Summary
John Farnham is the quintessential Aussie legend. As a teenager he gave up an apprenticeship to chase his musical dreams, hitting the big time with the catchy pop ditty 'Sadie (the Cleaning Lady)'. But it wasn't smooth sailing from there.
A family man at heart and the most loyal of friends, John was sometimes uncomfortable with the spotlight and for many years struggled to make his music career as successful as those close to him - including Glenn Wheatley and Molly Meldrum - could see it could be. He finally hit his stride with 1986's Whispering Jack and the breakaway success of 'You're the Voice', which became the anthem of a generation.
John lived it up - holidaying with the Skases in Port Douglas and sharing cigars with Bob Hawke at the Lodge - but always came back down to earth. Inherently humble, the King of Pop would also become king of the comeback, proving to have a longevity rare in the music industry.
In this deeply personal and insightful biography, author and music industry insider Jeff Apter, thanks to the support of those close to John, provides a rare glimpse inside Farnsie's world, unlike any other book about the man. He reveals the drama behind John being named Australian of the Year, how the cassette demo of 'You're the Voice' was nearly overlooked, and how John once accidentally sparked the attention of ASIO. And he explores Farnham's relationships with the figures who have been instrumental in making him 'The Voice': his first manager, Daryl Sambell; his wife of 40-plus years, Jill; and longtime friend and manager Glenn Wheatley.
What listeners say about Playing to Win
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 09-03-2019
whispering Jack
Great story about a true legend of Australian rock and and true Aussie legend John fanham
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- DT
- 10-01-2020
Why Sadie had to die...
Loved learning more about Farnsy, but found the narrator's 'Farnsy voice' hard to align with the actual subject. A good listen though, if only for the insight into the trials and tribulations endured by one of this country's most endearing superstars.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 25-10-2022
What an inspiration
Wonderfully insightful, a truly lovely life story of hard work, love & of course talent
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-06-2023
Brilliant!
I listened to the Gazzo book on John and she's used so many of your writings from this book, word for word. I was very disappointed that she appears to have ridden on the back of your book to enhance her own book (which has many untruths) and to promote herself. Borderline if not absolute plagiarism.
For anyone trying to choose which one to listen to, as Molly would say "Do yourself a favour" and choose this one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-09-2020
Is There Ever Too Much John Farnham?
Not likely. So many memories in the stories of Farnsy. The soundtrack to our lives ❤
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Josh Coupland
- 18-04-2019
Whispering Jack's Life, Ealy Years, 2 Present Day
This was a really good listen as a John Farnham fan you don't learn anything any DIE-HARD Farnsey fan didn't already know however that being said sometimes you can forget something then you remember.
I love anything John Farnham so I was over the moon to have this book is well written the author knew his John Farnham life
if your new to John Farnham this is a great starter book and after reading this you will know a big amount of our beloved auddie icon. If you think you know everything there is to know about John then it's your choice but I think any fan should at least give this book a chance is very enjoyable n well worth the read even if it's just to reminisce about John Farnham
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Looshbaby
- 31-03-2023
Loved This
Despite being a massive John Farnham fan, this book revealed how little I actually knew about him, and I loved the whole journey.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wendy Cufer
- 16-09-2022
Fabulous!
What a story! What a great mate! He is not only a most wonderful hard working entertainer but a thoughtful, kind and loyal person.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-06-2023
Simply the best
I wasn’t fully aware of the downs in his career and life so that was very informative. I have always regarded him as one of the best singers in the world and that was reinforced when we saw him performing with Tom Jones in Brisbane. A great story of a great Australian.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Paul
- 05-04-2023
A great story, blandly told.
Hmmm, a somewhat interesting and encompassing story of John. Unfortunately, Rob Meldrum (the narrator) sounded like one of the Leyland Bros. His monotone delivery was dead boring, and this could have been so much better.
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