I was a completely normal kid, the school nerd. In Year 8 and 9 I got picked on. I was a freak- no one understood me. I was the kid who wanted to be abducted by ET. Then all the losers left in Year 10. But I was quite good at school, and very artistic. In Year 11 it turned around. I became one of the coolest kids in school. I was in school musicals- the kid who could sing. It was bizzare. I loved school. It's an amazing little world. The rules inside the school are different from the outside world.

I think I have a reputation for being really serious. In interviews I use big words, but I'm just an emotional goofball. I play practical jokes all the time.

I said (to Daniel Jones), 'You realise I'm always going to be The Guy From Savage Garden'. He said, 'How do you think I feel? I'm The Other One From Savage Garden!'

It's me! It's me! It's always me! [Darren when asked who smelled so good at the MTV Live interview in New York]

That's what got me into exercise and training my body and my voice. I looked at Madonna as this G.I. Jane superstar. I used to go jogging around my neighborhood at midnight sometimes and I'd be thinking, it'll all be worth it one day.

When I realised I wasn't Michael Jackson and I was this 10 year old boy growing up in the suburbs, I was devastated

I would let my child do whatever made their heart sing