1
00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:04,920
Speaker 1: This is gam Nation with jonesy Amanda.

2
00:00:04,559 --> 00:00:05,200
Speaker 2: Our next guest.

3
00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:07,920
Speaker 3: I spent decades performing to sell out crowds as a

4
00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:10,320
Speaker 3: solo artist and as the lead singer of the legendary

5
00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:13,399
Speaker 3: band's Noise Works and in Excess. John Stephens is an

6
00:00:13,400 --> 00:00:17,880
Speaker 3: Aussie rock icon. In two thousand and nine, a routine

7
00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,200
Speaker 3: health check found an anomaly in his heart that has

8
00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:25,560
Speaker 3: resulted in open heart surgery. Today's Heart Day and to

9
00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:33,600
Speaker 3: tell us more, John Stevens, Hello.

10
00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:32,199
Speaker 2: Hey John, how are you?

11
00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:35,760
Speaker 1: Hey? Guys here, I'm very well. Thank you yourself.

12
00:00:35,920 --> 00:00:38,000
Speaker 4: I always think about you in two thousand and nine.

13
00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:39,720
Speaker 4: So you went along to the doctor. Were you feeling

14
00:00:39,760 --> 00:00:40,240
Speaker 4: I'm well?

15
00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:43,840
Speaker 1: No, that's just the thing. I wasn't feeling I'm well

16
00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,120
Speaker 1: at all. I was very fit and healthy at the time,

17
00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:53,400
Speaker 1: and I just went for my really my first check up.

18
00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,880
Speaker 1: And I was forty seven years old at the time,

19
00:00:56,920 --> 00:01:01,000
Speaker 1: and I was about seven years past but the date

20
00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:03,840
Speaker 1: of going to have a check up, and my GP,

21
00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:08,280
Speaker 1: God bless her, she made sure I went and did

22
00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:11,080
Speaker 1: that and I passed every test. In the very last

23
00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:14,840
Speaker 1: test was an MRI scan or a CAT scan, and

24
00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:20,800
Speaker 1: that showed that my heart, my main left heart the

25
00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:27,720
Speaker 1: vein was ninety nine percent blocked. And the doctor called

26
00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,279
Speaker 1: me straight after and she get the Prince of Wale's

27
00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:35,959
Speaker 1: emergency immediately, and so I drive myself there and you know,

28
00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,720
Speaker 1: they I said, what's going on? They said, you're about

29
00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,440
Speaker 1: to drop dead. I said, what do you mean, I'm

30
00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,240
Speaker 1: from bad heart. I said, no, you're about to drop dead.

31
00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:48,600
Speaker 1: Your main left artery is notely nine percent blocked. We

32
00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,320
Speaker 1: call it the widow maker. And that's you know what

33
00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,480
Speaker 1: happens when you hear about people that you know seemingly

34
00:01:55,520 --> 00:02:00,480
Speaker 1: healthy and just fall over. That was what happened. Were

35
00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:02,080
Speaker 1: they make it? So I was very, very lucky. And

36
00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:07,280
Speaker 1: you know, obviously today, the fourteenth of September is gives

37
00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:12,320
Speaker 1: with Heart Day and as an ambassador for the Australian

38
00:02:12,320 --> 00:02:15,880
Speaker 1: Half Foundation, I just urge, you know, everybody out there

39
00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,440
Speaker 1: who's forty plus years old to do the right thing

40
00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:24,680
Speaker 1: for themselves and get their GP to recommend a full

41
00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:25,240
Speaker 1: heart test.

42
00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,280
Speaker 3: Wow, I mean, the sliding doors of your life. What

43
00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:33,399
Speaker 3: a head game that is. That's incredible, you know what

44
00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:33,760
Speaker 3: it was.

45
00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:38,320
Speaker 1: Once I sort of realized the position I was in,

46
00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,760
Speaker 1: I felt like the luckiest person in the world really,

47
00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:45,480
Speaker 1: because it was. It was a sliding doors moment. I'd

48
00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:48,800
Speaker 1: just come off the road. I had the test on

49
00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:54,320
Speaker 1: a Thursday, and you know, within twenty minutes I was

50
00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:58,480
Speaker 1: at Prince of Wales and you know they said I

51
00:02:58,560 --> 00:02:59,960
Speaker 1: wasn't going to last the weekend.

52
00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:01,600
Speaker 3: Wow wow.

53
00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:02,880
Speaker 1: Yeah.

54
00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,120
Speaker 4: But when the doctor rang you, how did she deliver

55
00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:08,960
Speaker 4: the news? Was it really panicky or was it like John,

56
00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:10,800
Speaker 4: You've got a situation here?

57
00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,120
Speaker 1: He said, John, what are you doing? This? This is

58
00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:17,320
Speaker 1: quite I've never forget he says, John, what are you doing?

59
00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:19,359
Speaker 1: He says, I'm better sit down, have something to eat.

60
00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:22,560
Speaker 1: She's get in your car and drive yourself to Prince

61
00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,560
Speaker 1: of Wale's emergency. Now, I said, what are you talking about?

62
00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:27,440
Speaker 1: She said, get in your car, drive yourself to Prince

63
00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:30,800
Speaker 1: of Wale's emergency. Said don't go home, don't stop and

64
00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:35,800
Speaker 1: talk to anyone, and whatever you do, don't exert yourself. Now.

65
00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,720
Speaker 1: It was a beautiful day and Sidney here and in

66
00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,280
Speaker 1: Bondla Beach, it was a beautiful day. I was going

67
00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:43,520
Speaker 1: to go for a swim that morning. I'd been for

68
00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:47,240
Speaker 1: a run for Bronte the Bondai, I'd been to the

69
00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:50,440
Speaker 1: gym and then I'd gone for the MRI scan. So

70
00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:55,240
Speaker 1: I've done all the exercise before that anyway, so you know,

71
00:03:55,280 --> 00:04:00,200
Speaker 1: I drive myself to to emergency and you know what

72
00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,000
Speaker 1: happened They told me is well they're going to last

73
00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,600
Speaker 1: the weekend. So but that's my story. And there's these

74
00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:11,480
Speaker 1: countless stories out there, you know. And heart diseases is

75
00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:17,440
Speaker 1: the biggest killer of Australians, all these diseases, so you

76
00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:20,280
Speaker 1: know it really need to get checked up, especially if

77
00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:24,000
Speaker 1: you have children, get checked up for them. You know,

78
00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,080
Speaker 1: it's just you want to stay around for them, you know.

79
00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,280
Speaker 4: And look at it. Two thousand and nine, we've had

80
00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:31,120
Speaker 4: you for all those extra years. Now we might have

81
00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:33,440
Speaker 4: lost you. That would have been That would have been terrible.

82
00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,080
Speaker 1: It would have been terrible for a lot of free family.

83
00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,200
Speaker 1: You know, that's the thing free family friends. So yeah,

84
00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,600
Speaker 1: I just genuine out there. If you get a chicken,

85
00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:48,120
Speaker 1: go to you a GP that's for a referral to

86
00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:52,960
Speaker 1: cardiologists and do the chicken. The technology today is so amazing,

87
00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:56,560
Speaker 1: he's nothing really afraid of. It's just the routine thing

88
00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:58,360
Speaker 1: that you get done and just take it off your list.

89
00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:00,520
Speaker 3: Amazing. What a story.

90
00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,599
Speaker 4: Hot Day is today for more information and to donate

91
00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,440
Speaker 4: the head to Heart Foundation.

92
00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,800
Speaker 2: Dot org dot Are you John Stevens, When can we

93
00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:10,400
Speaker 2: see you next week? Are you're performing next?

94
00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:14,640
Speaker 1: By the way, see let's look at my calendar. I

95
00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:20,000
Speaker 1: think I'm Noise Works is the next thing I'm starting with.

96
00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,760
Speaker 1: We're releasing the album and heading out on the road

97
00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:26,520
Speaker 1: and playing all around.

98
00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:28,719
Speaker 4: The play And I don't want to put any pressure

99
00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:31,479
Speaker 4: on your ticker, but you are currently coming last in

100
00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:33,280
Speaker 4: our mystery footy tipping competition.

101
00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:37,760
Speaker 2: Well you got too out of eight, mate, I don't

102
00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:43,719
Speaker 2: know you're coming last. Yeah, you were the first one

103
00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:47,000
Speaker 2: in a long time ago. You can you've completely forgotten

104
00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:49,320
Speaker 2: about it. It was earlier this year. But it wasn't

105
00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:52,200
Speaker 2: your fault. It's not your fault, John, it's not your fault.

106
00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:53,120
Speaker 1: Thanks.

107
00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:55,400
Speaker 2: Thanks for joining.

108
00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,480
Speaker 1: Us, mate, appreciate it.

109
00:05:57,480 --> 00:05:59,120
Speaker 2: Thanks regard to yourself, John Stephens