He might have one of the most recognisable voices in Australian music history, but rocker Jimmy Barnes has admitted he also has a lead foot.
In an excerpt from the Cold Chisel frontman’s upcoming memoir, Highways and Byways, Jimmy revealed that one speedy brush with the law saw him lose his driver’s licence after being pulled over by the same police officer three times in one day.
‘That is a true story that I got done three times by the same cop,’ he revealed in one chapter, obtained by the Daily Telegraph.
‘He was just flabbergasted. I did not learn that day.’
Jimmy recalled the fateful trip that saw him driving a Mercedes 450 from Bowral to Sydney to rehearse with Cold Chisel.
Tooling down the freeway with music blaring from the speakers, he was eventually pulled over by the highway patrol.
Despite the officer recognising him, Jimmy was handed a ticket for driving at 210 kilometres per hour.
The infringement would be enough for most people to obey the rules of the road, but Jimmy, once again put the pedal to the metal after the officer was out of view.
He might have one of the most recognisable voices in Australian music history, but rocker Jimmy Barnes has revealed he also has a lead foot
Before too long, the officer was on Jimmy’s tail again and this time, he clocked an even faster speed, resulting in the loss of his licence.
However, Jimmy was able to use his charm to convince the officer to let him continue his journey, insisting he was off the road once back in Sydney.
Second time proved not to be a charm, as the Working Class Man hitmaker was pulled over a third time just five kilometres down the road.
The ordeal caused Jimmy to lose his licence for three months and he had to attend a driving course for his troubles.
In an excerpt from the Cold Chisel frontman’s upcoming book Highways and Byways, Jimmy revealed that one speedy brush with the law that saw him being pulled over by the same police officer three times in one day
The rocker, who added that he has since changed his ways, not having received a ticket in years, said that it was the music blaring from the speakers that was the real culprit.
‘My problem is I’ve got the attention span of a small soap dish so my speed goes with the music,’ he said.
‘And that car was built for the autobahn, it was a ridiculously big 6.9 litre, I’d be listening to music and look down and be doing 240km/h. And there were no cars around.’
Jimmy, who kicked off Cold Chisel’s 50th anniversary national tour on Saturday, was left in shock when the band’s 50 Years – The Best Of album hit number one on the ARIA charts.
‘That is a true story that I got done three times by the same cop,’ he revealed. ‘He was just flabbergasted. I did not learn that day’
The singer, who had been grappling with both hip replacement and open-heart surgery, recently shared his progress after enduring another health scare in August.
The Cold Chisel frontman revealed that a stubborn staph infection, which previously targeted his heart, had returned, this time attacking his hip.
‘Staph infections love to hide in places like scar tissue or prosthetics,’ Jimmy told The Daily Telegraph.
‘It decided to throw a party in my back and heart last year, and now it’s hit my hip.’
The rock icon was forced to postpone his solo Hell of a Time tour in August after being hospitalised in New Zealand, experiencing unbearable pain following a string of shows.
Despite the setback, the Cold Chisel 50th anniversary tour is unaffected.
Jimmy’s book Highway’s and Byways is released on October 16.
The ordeal caused Jimmy to lose his licence for three months and he had to attend a driving course for his troubles
