After huge success at the Australian box office, the hit documentary John Farnham: Finding The Voice is available on DVD and Blu-ray as of today (August 23). Farnham’s son Robert spoke to NME about the film and shared a positive update on the beloved artist’s health ahead of the physical release.
When the Farnham family planned to address the media in August last year, they were hoping to share the exciting news of an impending documentary about the life of the family patriarch – not to mention ARIA Hall of Famer and Officer of the Order of Australia. Instead, they went public with far more sombre news: the veteran pop-star, affectionately known as “The Voice”, had been diagnosed with mouth cancer.
“Everything was just kind of happening at once,” recalled Robert Farnham – John’s eldest son, who spoke to the press on his father’s behalf alongside his brother James in the wake of the family’s shocking announcement. “The documentary was almost finished by that point, and they were just putting the finishing touches on it just as Dad got sick and wound up in hospital. We were so excited to tell people about it, but it was just the wrong time.”
Farnham’s surgeries (including a jaw reconstruction) and ongoing care have, thankfully, gotten him to remission – last month, the beloved Australian pop icon was declared officially cancer-free. “He’s practically tap-dancing again now,” Robert joked to NME. “He’s on the path to leading a full life again, and we’ve even heard him singing again – and sounding fantastic, too.”
One of the key things that got the Farnhams through this extremely difficult period was the outpouring of support that came following the news of the diagnosis. A website was set up for fans to write messages to Farnham, and thousands upon thousands sent their love to the singer and his family at a time when it was needed the most. “That was absolutely amazing,” Robert reflected.
“Being in this family can be a double-edged sword. Yes, you have to live a lot of your life in the public eye – but, at the same time, because of that, you’re able to get all of this incredible support from all these different people from all over the world. It made us all feel pretty special, and it definitely made Dad feel pretty special. On those really tough days, hearing those messages really helped him to move forward and to stay positive.”
Another motivating force for the Farnhams was the impending completion of Finding The Voice, which arrives on DVD and Blu-ray today (August 23). A comprehensive look at Farnham’s career, from his teen idol days as Johnny Farnham in the ’60s up to the present day, director Poppy Stockell paints an impressive portrait of one of the country’s most beloved cultural figures. Since its May release in cinemas nationwide, it has become the highest Australian-grossing feature-length documentary of all time (excluding IMAX), raking in $2.24million at the box office within two weeks of release.
Robert, James and their mother Jill Billman were originally “at arm’s length” from Finding The Voice, Robert shared, but the more that they got to know Stockell – and thanks to the persuasion of the late Glenn Wheatley, Farnham’s longtime manager who passed in February 2022 – the more involved they became.
“I knew Dad’s story was in good hands with Poppy,” he said. “She’s a lovely, passionate person – and watching her at work, you can really tell she is a fan first and foremost. She really did her research, and I think she really made an effort to tell the story truthfully. There’s no fluff in the doco, and she deserves all the praise and accolades for it.”
Robert recalled to NME seeing Finding The Voice for the first time at a private, pre-premiere screening for him and James at the Sony Pictures offices in Sydney. The siblings were originally on a reconnaissance mission for their father – “we had pen and paper at the ready to take as many notes for Dad as possible”. Within 10 minutes, however, the Farnham brothers put their notepads down and simply took in the documentary. “I didn’t feel the need to pick away at it,” said Robert. “Poppy really found a way to capture everything.”
When the premiere came, Billman was able to see the documentary herself for the first time: “Mum just wept through the whole thing,” Robert said, with a smile. The junior Farnham also found himself getting particularly emotional at points, too – especially when deceased family friends such as Wheatley and Olivia Newton-John appeared on screen. “It hit me pretty hard seeing Olivia,” he said. “She was so beautiful and amazing, but by the time she filmed her part for the documentary she really didn’t sound well. I spent a lot of time with Olivia – I actually starred in a film with her [2001’s The Wilde Girls] many years ago – and she was so close to us; she was basically family.”
As someone who knows John Farnham better than any of us ever would, Robert was satisfied with how his father is portrayed in Finding The Voice. If viewers get anything out of the documentary, he said, they should know that “there is no difference between my dad and John Farnham”.
“You see him on-stage, and he’s always so personable and charming and fun,” he said. “That’s exactly what he’s like. We’d bring friends to our house growing up, and dad would pull out all the stops to entertain them. He’s always been full of beans, and that personality really shines through in the doco.”
The Farnhams have all seen Finding The Voice, and pronounced their full support for it upon viewing – except for one, the subject of the film itself. “He’s a difficult sell,” Robert said, laughing. “He’s never really been one to be all that self-interested – he doesn’t like reading about himself, he never listens back to his own music, and he’s not the kind to watch himself either. I also think it might be a bit difficult for him, given there’s a lot of people in the documentary that aren’t with us anymore. Besides, as he’ll tell you, he doesn’t need to see a film about himself – he lived it.”
John Farnham: Finding The Voice is out now on DVD and Blu-ray