...Performed
Ella: Jess and I played at the Violet Town March Arts Festival in 1996 to about 60 people. We were pushed into it by our friends and weren't together as a band then. They said: "Come on, we know you can play guitar, we know you can sing. You're doing it." It was awesome people were going, "More, more, more!"
...Were embarrassed at school
Adam: Very scary! My mum made me wear sandels and I thought all the other boys would be wearing sandels, but they were wearing bloody sneakers. (Everybody Laughs) I couldn't play in the ball sports. I was shunned for a few years. (Laughs) I did see a child pschologist, but we're not bringing that up!
Ella: I had this very terrible hairdo, it was actually a mullet. (Very loud laughter) I had a girl's mullet, short all around and long at the back. And my dress didn't cover my knickers and I felt hideous the whole day.
Warren: Mine's really scary! All I remember is having one of those little leather backpacks. A little satchel.
Jesse: I was a bit scared and I wore sandels. But my friends had sandles, so we had a sandels crew.
...Got their hair cut
Adam: I still have my hair from when my mother cut it, in my baby photo album. It's blonde, then it went brown, then I woke up and it was black! (Laughs)
Ella: It was probably that mullet- let's forget that. I was about seven and playing hairdressers with my best friends, Laura and Emily. I went to school with these two beautiful long plaits, and went home with one! They were like, "Oops" and I was like, "What? What?!" I was so scared that my mum and dad would be angry, so I tucked the other one into my hat. They were like, "Why don't you take your hat off, Ella?" And I was like (Shakes her head). I had to get it all cut off.
Warren: Mine was under the house, my parents used an old sheet with a hole cut out of the middle.
...Drove a car
Ella: I don't have my licence, but I have driven a car a gorgeous and funky VW panel van with a glitter ball.
Jesse: It's her boyfriend's car.
...Fell in love
Adam: First girlfriend or first boyfriend?
Ella: I remember a really tragic primary school one that I'm not going to say.
Jesse: I'll think of it and I'll tell you.
Ella: Ok, it was a boy named Bruce what a name! It's not that long ago, that's why I don't want to talk about it.
Warren: I remember going out with this girl Nikki when I was about 11 and she was 14. Then the next year I lost my virginity to her older sister!
Ella: Does she know or is she gonna read it for the first time in Big Hit? That's aweful!
Warren: She instigated it, Is swear.
Adam: I can't remember my first kiss, I had my eyes shut. My first girlfriend turned out to be a real psycho. Just completely gone. She used to bang on my window at 5am, wanting money.
Jesse: Kylie
Warren: Oh, you're still looking for her then?!
Ella: I think she has children.
Jesse: They're not mine, though!
...Bought an album
Adam: AC/DC, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap".
Ella: The first one given to me was Michael Jackson's "Dangerous". But I wanna say after that, to balance it out, was PJ Harvey's "Rid Of Me". The first one I actually bought was Veruca Salt's 'American Thighs". Jesse and I shared it.
Jesse: "Siamese Dream", The Smashing Pumpkins.
...Were busted by their parents
Ella: Doing?
Warren: I copped a thrashing with a Mattel track.
Adam: A hot wheel's track?
Warren: Yeah. This spider had something caught in its web. I was like, "Oh, check this out! Something's f***ing dead!" And THWACK! Mum caught me swearing. I was using it a second ago and now I'm wearing it!
Ella: There's so many, I couldn't say. It's all illegal!
Jesse: I've been busted pleanty of times. Once, my friends and I were swinging on the washing line. We were told not to do it and were busted 10 seconds later doing it.
Ella: I also got busted stealing chocolate. I still do that and I always get busted. Where are the chocolates? They were here a minute ago.
...Were asked for an autograph
Ella: It's still bizarre. It's like, why do you want my autograph? I'm a person who asks other people for their autograph! It's weird and a bit invasive, but flattering.
Adam: I don't know how to treat it.
Warren: It's bad when you know them.
Ella: It breaks your heart when it's a friend. If they were selling it I'd be like, "Yeah, do you want some more?"
...Heard themselves on radio
Warren: Turned it up full-blast, screaming in the car.
Ella: I was on a school bus and it came on the radio on Triple J. I was sinking into my seat and my friend's going, "It's Ella's band everybody!" But it was cool.
Adam: I heard it at work. I called out to everybody - we stopped work and cranked up the little transistor radio. I was pumpin'! Made me work really fast.
...Knew they wanted to play music
Ella: Probably that first gig. I always liked writing songs and playing guitar. I played one of my songs to my mum- she loved it so much she was almost crying. I thought, "Ooh! Maybe I can do this."
Jesse: As a little kid, watching videos, rock shows and stuff. I'd be thinking, "How do you get to be up there?"
Adam: At four, I donned KISS make-up and thought, "I wanna be on a big stage." (Warren and Adam discuss their KISS obsession). I used fake blood out of the show bags that you'd pour all over yourself, and you'd get your tennis racket. If Waz and I lived next door, our parents would've had to move house!
...Bought a guitar
Warren: A plastic KISS guitar. I used to tighten the strings up to proper pitch and the plastic thing would bend right over.
Jesse: An electric Fender Stratocaster.
...Heard they were No.1
Warren: There was screaming. I found out first.
Ella: Warren had this look on his facebuzzing. I as like, "What's up with Warren?" Our producer called us to a meeting and he's just sitting there, serious, with a straight face lookihng really sombre. We were like, "what? Why did you get us up five minutes earlier than you had to?" We all sat down and he said, "We have a No.1 hit." It was so cool! (Everybody starts shouting with excitement) We were so happy!
