Chrissy Amphlett

Chrissy Amphlett: They say that we act out in the workplace. My workplace happened to be the stage. There were a lot of men in the audience, and I wish there were more women, but I think I offended women, as they possibly interpreted me as being submissive.

Definitely I was never submissive.

I suppose in a man’s world of rock and roll, I perpetually had a finger raised to people because I copped a lot of flak. So I was often called temperamental, as were Divinyls.

I don’t like to feel powerless. I know ultimately I am, in the whole scheme of things. On stage, when I put on that school uniform, I felt powerful. I associated diva with an opera singer full stop. I’m definitely not a opera singer. I think a diva is bad behaviour, and that’s fine by me.

Isn’t she a bitch, a diva?

I can be manic. I think a lot of artistic people can be manic. I have always been conscious of not just hardening up and not caring. I’m pretty hypersensitive, which sometimes is a worry because I wish I was a bit … I was more thick-skinned.

I think you can instantly look at that painting and have a sense of the biography of my life.