I was born and raised in the high desert of Nevada in a tiny town called Searchlight. My dad was a hard rock miner. My mom took in wash. I grew up around people of strong values - even if they rarely talked about them.

Well my dad was a pretty good player at one stage and my two older brothers played golf as well. So there were always golf clubs flying around the house.

We would make songs and the producers said we should play it for my dad. I was kind of scared I didn't know what to think cuz we were just joking around.

I had the best of both worlds when I was a kid. I'd spend a quiet week with my mum then I'd go to my dad's property in the Adelaide Hills where there were all these kids and animals running around.

The last thing I want my child to see is Dad running around in the middle of the pack. That would really upset me. And that would upset him. I would be embarrassed to take him to school with kids saying 'Hey how'd your dad do this weekend?' 'Well he finished fifth or sixth'.

So I was always around music and my dad was in his own way a progressive jazzer a big band jazzer guy.

I've always wanted to be a dad. I just can't wait to have a little rug rat running around. I used to want five or six kids but maybe I've become too self-absorbed over the years. I think two would be perfect.

I had just lost my dad and I remembered all the songs we used to go and hear at concerts and the records around the house and sometimes we'd play together.

Well Steve Vai joined my dad's band right around the time when I actually started playing guitar. So he gave me a couple of lessons on fundamentals and gave me some scales and practice things to work on. But I pretty much learned everything by ear.

I was just a kid and I didn't have a dad. That's hard because when you're a kid you blame yourself for everything. And I blamed myself for him not being around for my parents not being together.

When I was younger it was - you know my dad dressed up in drag on 'Bosom Buddies.' And that was what I was having to deal with at the time. And then around the time that I was into college was when he became statue-worthy I guess you could say.

Keep in my mind my dad didn't become a huge huge mega actor until I was halfway through high school - so right around the time he's going through his big renaissance is right when I'm starting to do my high school revolting.

My dad was a musician. He was a singer and he played the guitar so music was always around.

My dad was a musician and I traveled around with him so it was something that I knew.

I never really saw my dad around when the Iron Maiden and the AC/DC were playing. But he knew what I was doing. I was just absorbing music. So he just kind of left me to my own devices.

I didn't want to travel. I didn't want to leave my family. I heard all these stories from Dad about not having Edward around when he was young and I didn't want that to happen.

My dad doesn't get any of my jokes. He laughs at them but he doesn't understand them. He's just laughing because people around him are laughing.

A large part of my life revolves around my dad. Sometimes I even feel a strong sense of connection something very tangible when I learn something new in the martial arts.

I just went off for two months traveling around Europe on a motorcycle and pretty much turned my phone off. I did 5 000 miles with my dad. We went through Holland Germany Austria Slovenia Croatia Bosnia Montenegro Italy... and then I did Spain and France by myself.

My dad has been a big influence on me because he's always had his own business. He really taught me business sense and how to be a focused individual but also how to have fun and make everyone around you have fun.

You know not having my real dad around and having a step dad made me want to be a great dad. So now I have been one for 9 years. And now 3 daughters. So that is what I am - a dad first and foremost before anything else. It's just something that comes natural now.

When I was 7 my dad asked his friend to teach me. I played my first tournament competition when I was 8. I remember I shot around 125.

My memories are of my dad taking me to football on Saturday mornings and my mum taking me swimming. Those are the things I remember from my childhood not sitting around the table debating capitalism and the profit squeeze.

My mom and dad just loved the fact that I fooled around. They just embraced it. They'd always kind of enjoy it and they liked it when I made them laugh.