Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Grant & I Inside and Outside the Go-Betweens by Robert Forster Grant & I review – Robert Forster writes moving, definitive portrait the Go-Betweens deserve. F ifty pages into this long-awaited memoir, songwriter, critic and author Robert Forster gets very meta. “If a film of Grant & I is ever made, it could start here,” he writes. It’s 1978, and he and Grant McLennan, the co-founders of the Go-Betweens, are driving from Brisbane to Sydney for the first time. After crossing the Tweed river into New South Wales, McLennan dashes into a shop, and emerges triumphantly waving a copy of Playboy, which was banned in Queensland at the time. Of course, this being the Go-Betweens, they’re reading it for the articles – in this instance, Bob Dylan’s first full-length interview in three years, which McLennan ecstatically reads to Forster as the car races past canefields on their left, Mount Warning on the right (“Cue thundercrack,” Forster says). The Go-Betweens always were the most self-referential of groups, as well as the most literate. Grant & I would make the most bookish of buddy films. That’s not to say they were square. “On many occasions dark rock bands would encounter the Go-Betweens expecting namby-pamby, book- besotted, cocoa-drinking wimps, to find themselves partied under the table. We were a rock’n’roll band,” Forster declares. Yet it’s both a strength and a weakness that this often very moving book avoids the cliched recounting of rock’n’roll excess – until those excesses inevitably begin to catch up with them. The obvious stylistic inspiration for Grant & I is Patti Smith’s Just Kids, which centres on her enduring friendship with the late photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. But whereas Smith’s book skirts around her years of fame (like Dylan’s Chronicles, another reference point), Forster revels in his: each album, each single of the Go-Betweens’ career is lovingly charted – if only they had actually charted. This is a tale of cult stardom, of missing hits and hits-that-missed. Grant McLennan and Robert Forster of the Go-Betweens. The heart of the memoir is their close friendship. Photograph: Penguin Random House. At one point, Forster writes of “the lengthy entry in the rock encyclopaedia that we felt the group deserved”. With Grant & I, he has all but written it himself. Some of the best passages of this book are clear-eyed critiques of his own band’s work as they navigate the usual artistic pitfalls: grinding poverty, unrecouped advances, unsympathetic producers, and drum machines used to tame a true original – Lindy Morrison, with whom Forster was in a relationship for eight years. The heart of the book, though, is about a close friendship with someone who remained unknowable: a “naive boy” who kept a close watch on his inner life, only to pour it out in songs such as the revered Cattle and Cane and its companion, Dusty in Here. Both songs reference McLennan’s father, who died when he was six. Yet as Grant & I (and the band’s career) unfurls, McLennan recedes; as his friendship with Forster is attenuated to a few words or glances, it’s easy to lose sight of him. And in this, there is an omission. The shadow of heroin hangs over this book, but we don’t know of it until Forster drops the bombshell of his own diagnosis with hepatitis C, a likely consequence of his own dabbling with the drug. It’s well known in rock circles that McLennan was a long-term user; Steve Kilbey’s book Something Quite Peculiar speaks bitterly of McLennan introducing him to opiates, and the journalist Clinton Walker has also written of his habit. It’s obviously a charged topic. Yet towards the end, as McLennan begins to fall apart physically and emotionally – alcohol, Forster notes, was “eating him out, destroying him, and he knew it”, and songwriting sessions between the pair occasionally lapsed into therapy – it’s impossible for anyone familiar with the Go-Betweens’ story not to question the toll it took not just on McLennan, but on everyone in and around the band, not least his best friend. The awful ending is already known and, as Forster has conceded publicly, McLennan’s death at the age of 48 from a heart attack came as a shock, but not a surprise. That’s another rock’n’roll cliche, and it’s to Forster’s credit that he avoids it in the beautifully written final chapters, which still manage to build tension leading up to the tragedy that finished the band 10 years ago. “I’ll carry it on,” Forster says, a promise to ensure the group’s legacy is not forgotten. Grant & I : inside and outside the Go-Betweens. Robert Forster has written a deeply personal reflection and celebration of his friendship and collaboration with Grant McLennan in ‘the Go- Betweens’. Covering the background stories to some of their most well known songs, their adventures in London, Glasgow, Europe, and the US, and dealing for the first time with the devastating personal consequences of the band’s break-up… “He would have talked film, and told me that he worked part time at the university cinema – the Schonell; I would have countered with music, that I owned an electric guitar and had just started a band … “ Robert Forster met Grant McLennan at the University of Queensland, Australia in the mid 1970s as two undergrads with a shared passion for music, film, poetry and pop culture, and a reputation for duelling sword fights across city traffic. After a bizarre audition and early rehearsals into a cassette player, they formed The Go-Betweens in 1978, and created a strand of Bohemian Pop Music full of literary allusions and local references that stood out amidst the exploding local punk rock scene at the time. Over the next eleven years the band bloomed, to release a number of singles and six acclaimed albums on some of the best Indie labels of the decade – Postcard, Rough Trade, Sire and Beggars Banquet. The markers of mainstream success alluded The Go-Betweens ; there were no stadium tours or top forty hits, despite a fine run of singles from ‘Cattle and Cane’ to ‘Streets Of Your Town’ via ‘Spring Rain’. Instead the band’s music was loved by a devoted audience that grew album to album, world tour to world tour, until the band broke up in late 1989. Now, forty years after they first met and eleven years after Grant’s tragic passing, Robert Forster has written a deeply personal reflection and celebration of his friendship and collaboration with Grant McLennan. Covering the background stories to some of their most well known songs, their adventures in London, Glasgow, Europe, and the US, and dealing for the first time with the devastating personal consequences of the band’s break-up. Grant & I also chronicles both songwriters movements and work in the nineties, for them to restart The Go-Betweens in 2000. The group were to make three more albums, their last, ‘Oceans Apart’ branded an ‘Instant Classic’ by Mojo in 2005. Beyond his time as a Go- Between, Robert documents the moments that flame his own anxieties and jubilations – from his failed University career and first love, to his Hepatitis C diagnosis, and starting a family with his German wife. Brilliantly told with heart, humour and great reverence, Grant & I is an extraordinary portrait of an intense, creative and sometimes fraught friendship that represented a genuine meeting of artistic minds. Grant & I is wise and witty, poignant and insightful, self-deprecating and knowledgeable, proving Robert Forster to be as natural a storyteller and prose writer as he is a songwriter. You can hear Robert Forster perform and talk of his musical life, art and books at the Shaw Theatre in London on Monday 25 th September. Grant & I : Inside and Outside the Go-Betweens. Available. Expected delivery to the Russian Federation in 13-17 business days. Description. Grant & I is the story of the friendship and collaboration of Grant McLennan and Robert Forster, who gave Australia The Go-Betweens, one of our best and most influential bands. It was named Book of the Year 2017 by Mojo and Uncut magazines. The Go-Betweens, one of Australia's most talented and influential bands, very nearly wasn't. Grant McLennan didn't want to be in a group, and couldn't even play an instrument. That didn't stop the singer-songwriter duo of Forster/McLennan becoming one of the most acclaimed partnerships in Australian music history. Just as The Go-Betweens always defied categorisation, Grant & I is like no other rock memoir. At its heart is a privileged insight into a prolific artistic collaboration that lasted three decades, and an extraordinary friendship that rode out the band's break-up to remain strong until Grant's premature death in 2006. Unconventional in lineup and look, noted for near misses and near hits, always a beat to one side of the mainstream - the band's unusual beginnings were followed by twists that often confounded its members as well as fans and record companies. The story of The Go-Betweens is also the story of the times, and Grant & I is a wonderfully perceptive look at the music industry and a brilliantly fresh take on the sounds of the era. As distinctive a writer of prose as he is of songs, Robert Forster is wise and witty, intimate and frank, astute and knowledgeable. There could be no better tribute than Grant & I to this partnership and band who remain loved and revered. 'The truest and strangest poet of his generation.' Nick Cave. 'An odyssey of friendship, ambition and the struggle of art. Clear-eyed and compelling.' Paul Kelly. 'Grant & I is a beautifully written book . . . You long to hear McLennan's voice, to view the band, and Forster, through his eyes. There is still, even after McLennan's death, a sense of potential about this relationship.' Los Angeles Review of Books. 'Right up there with Julian Cope's Head On for rip-roaring rockin' hubris . . . A brilliant page-turner . . . Few rock artists have been remembered as perceptively and unflinchingly as Grant yet also lovingly in prose.' Andrew Perry, Mojo (5 stars) 'Forster's account is melancholic, cheery, and self-deprecating all at once. It is often unruly and mischievous as well. Rather than presenting a stock-standard Australian success story, Grant & I offers up the tangled lives of two kindred spirits who decided to make music together.' Doug Wallen, Australian Book Review. 'As a survey of a sui generis carrer, as a glimpse into the formation and working methods of a superlative songwriter, and as an ultimately poignant chronicle of a friendship, Grant & I weaves a memorable story with wit, art and heart.' Readings Monthly. 'The main focus is as admirable as it is surprising. Forster's topic is rarely himself or McLennan. Instead, it's the stuff of which their days were made, the music of The Go-Betweens . . . Forster is not at all sentimental about their friendship, until he has to be . . . And their relationship is not at all dramatic, until, of course, it is, at which point, it is gutting, sudden and tragic.' The Saturday Paper. 'The Go-Betweens were fascinating for teaming two very different singer-songwriters - the sweetly melodic Grant McLennan and ragged rock poet Robert Forster. Robert's account of their journey is as compelling as it is sprightly.'The Weekly Review. 'This moving memoir . . . is a fascinating glimpse into a life richly lived and a key friendship along the way . . . Forster has gone on to honour his departed friend in many ways and now, importantly, with this warm, witty and at times searingly honest book.' The Courier-Mail. 'His writing is sharp, with an undercurrent of ironic humour but, when it comes to the big moment with which the book climaxes, he handles it with emotional precision . . . You can read this as a book about the music industry. You can read it as a book about the mysterious synergies of art. Or you can read it is a book about the non-erotic love that can exist between men.' The Age. 'An engrossing, textured insight into Forster's friendship with his fellow, but more introverted, singer-songwriter while documenting the highs and lows of The Go-Betweens' battles with record labels in the UK, US and at home. The book is also a wonderful insight into the punk, post-punk and '90s music scenes, detailing the band's brushes with REM, Nick Cave's The Birthday Party, Lloyd Cole and Scottish cult act Orange Juice.' The Advertiser (Adelaide) ' A beautifully documented account . . . The heart of Forster's story is deeper and more poetically drawn than simple band autobiography, however. It's the unveiling of a friendship, a partnership, even a love affair, of sorts, that ended in tragic circumstances . . . His natural talent for the written word blossoms from almost every page of this colourful account of his relationship with McLennan . . . Forster writes from the heart.' Weekend Australian. 'Forster's half of the tale is passionate, funny, unflinchingly honest and ultimately very moving in the hours of his friend's strange, tragically premature passing . . . What we have in The Go-Betweens is a beautiful puzzle that invites imagination to rule.' The Saturday Age 'Grace is the word that immediately springs to mind reading Grant & I . . . Remarkably Robert's story, with him as the narrator, comes across pretty much as one would hope the man might in real life- rather romantic, incredibly charming, very courteous, a little aloof, definitely enigmatic, perhaps elusive, sometimes self-deprecating, often defiantly arrogant, wonderfully wry and pleasingly discreet. How often does that happen when reading personal histories?' Kevin Pearce, caughtbytheriver.net. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body. show more. After the Go-Betweens — the Solo Albums of Grant McClennan and Robert Forster. On 25 March, music critic Ken Tucker reviewed the new solo album by Robert Forster on the NPR program, Fresh Air . In the review, Tucker said, “Along with his fellow songwriter Grant McLellan, Forster led the Go-Betweens starting in the 1990s.” In one sentence, the Pulitzer Prize -winning critic managed to get a couple of things completely wrong. Firstly, The Go-Betweens didn’t start in the 1990s. They broke-up in 1989 and reunited in 2000. The 1990s was, in other words, the only decade in which no one was leading the Go- Betweens. Oh, and Grant’s family name was McLennan , not McLellan. Today, 6 May, is the day he died back in 2006, which seemed like a good time to shine a bit of light on both his and Forster’s solo careers — which tend to be unfairly overlooked, even by the band’s fans. Forster and McClennan weren’t creatively inactive during The Go-Betweens’ hiatus. In the 1990s, the songwriters began releasing a string of exceptional but overlooked solo albums. A 2007 sampler of work culled from their solo efforts, Intermission , made a strong case for seeking out their solo albums on vinyl, aluminum, shellac, or whatever format you prefer. If you need more convincing, I’ve made a playlist of their solo compositions. For those not familiar, The Go-Betweens were a rock band formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977. Along with The Birthday Party , The Church , Crime & The City Solution , The Moodists , and The Triffids , they were part of a crop of excellent Australian bands who sought fame and fortune in the UK and were rewarded with glowing reviews and fervent but fairly small, dedicated cult followings. The core of The Go-Betweens was Forster and McLennan, who met one another at a theater arts course at the University of Queensland and were the band’s only constant members; drummer Belinda “Lindy” Morrison (ex- X ero ), who played with them from 1980-1989, and multi- instrumentalist Amanda Brown (ex- Tender Mercies ), who was an essential member from 1986–1989, were essential during their years as members. Other musicians came and went including drummer Temucin ‘Tim’ Mustafa , guitarist Peter Milton Walsh , and bassists Robert Vickers (1983-1987) and John Willsteed (1987-1989). The Go-Betweens released six albums, Send Me a Lullaby (1981), Before Hollywood (1983), Spring Hill Fair (1984), Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express (1986), Tallulah (1987), and 16 Lovers Lane (1988) before disbanding in 1989. Although The Go-Betweens were Forster and McLennan’s primary musical concern throughout that band’s existence, they did sometimes work with outsiders. In 1982, Forster, McLennan, and Morrison jammed with Nick Cave , Mick Harvey , and Rowland S. Howard . A 45″ “After the Fireworks” was released, credited to The Tuff Monks . After The Go-Betweens’ break-up, Brown and Morrison continued to collaborate musically in Cleopatra Wong , who released the albums Egg (1992) and Cleopatra’s Lament (1993) (which I still haven’t heard). McLennan later joined The Church’s Steve Kilbey as Jack Frost , who released two enjoyable albums, Jack Frost (1991) and Snow Job (1996). In 1996, Forster and McLennan again played together in Paris , but it was only in 2000 that the two revived the Go-Betweens name — albeit with the members of Sleater-Kinney and other musicians — and without Brown and Morrison. The Go-Betweens went on to release The Friends of Rachel Worth (2000), Bright Yellow Bright Orange (2003), and Oceans Apart (2005) before McLennan’s death in 2006 at the age of 48. ROBERT FORSTER – DANGER IN THE PAST (November 1990) After the break-up of the Go-Betweens, Forster moved to Germany and was the first of songwriting team to release a solo album, 1990’s Danger in the Past . It begins auspiciously with “Baby Stones.” The album was recorded at Berlin ‘s Hansa Studios and the backing band includes several Bad Seeds — including guitarist Hugo Race , drummer Thomas Wydler (also of Die Haut ), multi-instrumentalist/producer Mick Harvey (also Crime & the City Solution), and vocalist Karin Bäumler (Baby You Know). “ The River People ” was later covered by Seattle band, The Walkabouts , which are another band I’d personally like to see reunite. GRANT MCLENNAN – WATERSHED (1991) Watershed , Grant McLennan’s solo debut (attributed to G.W. McLennan) was recorded nine weeks after the dissolution of The Go-Betweens — but following the Jack Frost debut in January 1991. McLennan, like Forster, surrounded himself with a stellar collection of musicians, mostly from Australian bands. Performers included the legendary Paul Kelly , New Zealander singer-songwriter Dave Dobbyn , ex-Go-Between/then- girlfriend Amanda Brown, and Phil Kakulas ( Martha’s Vineyard , The Blackeyed Susans ) As with Forster’s debut, its sound and quality suggest that The Go-Betweens break-up had nothing to do with either creative differences or diminishments of ability but rather, perhaps, because half a Go-Betweens album wasn’t enough for either. GRANT MCLENNAN – FIREBOY (1992) McLennan’s second solo record, Fireboy, (again attributed to G.W. McLennan), was released in November of 1992. As with Watershed , it was produced by Dave Dobbyn (who co-wrote the track, “ Things Will Change “). His musical collaborators included bassist Ian Belton ( Q E D ), studio drummer Michael Barclay , keyboardist Peter “Pedro” Bull ( Paul Kelly And The Messengers ), and several background vocalists. The opening track, “Lighting Fires,” was one of McLennan’s best solo moments. It was released as a single and a promotional video was duly made. Had it been included on a Go-Betweens album, it may even have provided a modest hit. As a solo artist, however, it was mostly ignored — even supported as it is by one of McLennan’s poppiest solo efforts. ROBERT FORSTER – CALLING FROM A COUNTRY PHONE (1993) It’s somewhat ironic that Robert Forster’s most American-sounding album, Calling from a Country Phone , was the first of his albums not to be released in the US. The collection was recorded at Sunshine in Brisbane (to which Forster had returned to live), was self-produced, and released in June 1993. Forster was joined by David McCormack on guitar and drummer Glenn Thompson — then both in the Brisbane band, Custard . McCormack would later serve as the drummer in the re-formed Go-Betweens. It’s not exactly Country (but then neither is Country anymore) but is what I call “pritnear country” — like Felt ‘s Me and a Monkey on the Moon , The Magnetic Fields ‘ The Charm of the Highway Strip , Bill Drummond ‘s The Man , or Simon Bonney ‘s Eyes of Blue — which is to say it’s more country to this Kentucky -and- Missouri raised country music fan than, say, anything to have come out of Nashville in the last thirty years. GRANT MCLENNAN – HORSEBREAKER STAR (1994) McLennan returned with Horsebreaker Star , in December 1994. The 24 tracks were recorded in Georgia over the course of just nine days with a group of musicians with whom McLennan had just been acquainted: Andy Carlson , Bill Holmes , Dwight Manning , Joel Morris , John Keane , Steve Venz , and Tim White . It was produced by John Keane . The album was then mixed in Nashville . Despite its being a double album, the album is free from filler and frequently regarded as McLennan’s best. ROBERT FORSTER – I HAD A NEW YORK GIRLFRIEND (1994) In August 1994, Forster released an album of covers by the likes of Bill Anderson , Bob Dylan , The Dealians , Grant Hart , Guy Clark , Heart , Keith Richards , King Candy , Martha and the Muffins , Neil Diamond, Ricky Nelson , Scott Walker , and Spirit . Joining him were quite a few Australian musicians including members of the Triffids and Blackeyed Susans ( Warren Ellis , Rob Snarski , and Evil “Graham” Lee ), some Moodists ( David Graney and Clare Moore ), some Bad Seeds ( Mick Harvey and Conway Savage ), Charlie Owen ( The Beasts Of Bourbon , Divinyls , The New Christs , Tendrils , and Tex, Don & Charlie ), Rod Hayward ( Dave Graney & The Coral Snakes , Little Murders ), and Susie Ahern ( Broken Voices ). It was apparently recorded during a period of creative inactivity and although the listener gets the sense that it was a lot of fun to make, few perhaps would rank it as essential listening. ROBERT FORSTER – WARM NIGHTS (1996) In September of 1996, Robert Forster returned with Warm Nights . Although the songs were largely inspired by Foster’s life in Brisbane, he recorded the album in London . It was produced by Edwyn Collins (formerly of former Postcard labelmates, Orange Juice ), who also led the backing band and played guitar. Rounding out the rest of the band was Clare Kenny (bass), Dave Ruffy of the Ruts (drums), J. Neil Sidwell (trombone), Martin Drover (flugelhorn, trumpet), M.K. Daniel (tuba), Neil Pentelow (saxophone), Oliver Kraus (cello), and Sean Read (organ and formerly of Birdie , Dexys Midnight Runners , Famous Times , and the Mockingbirds ). It was the last of Forster’s solo albums before he and McLennan briefly reunited for a series of live performances. GRANT MCLENNAN – IN YOUR BRIGHT RAY (1997) Grant McLennan’s In Your Bright Ray , released in July of 1997, was the last of his solo albums. It also followed the last of his Jack Frost albums, released in 1995. On it he was joined by Brett Myers ( Died Pretty , The End , No Dance , Noises And Other Voices ), Maurice Argiro ( Underground Lovers ), and Tim Powles ( The Church ). It was recorded in Sydney and produced by Wayne Connolly . ROBERT FORSTER – THE EVANGELIST (2008) In 1997, Forster moved back to Germany with his wife, Karin Bäumler . He’d been dropped by Beggars Banquet . In 1999, McLennan suggested reforming the Go-Betweens and in 2000 they recorded The Friends of Rachel Worth in Portland . It was followed by Bright Yellow Bright Orange (2003) and Oceans Apart (2005), the final release before McLennan’s death. Adele Pickvance and Glenn Thompson , the final rhythm section of the Go-Betweens, joined Forster in London to record an album, several of the songs of which had been co-authored with McLennan for what would’ve been the tenth Go-Betweens record. They were joined in the studio by Audrey Riley (cello), Chris Tombling (violin), Gill Morley (violin), Greg Warren Wilson (violin), Seamus Beaghen (keyboards), and Sue Dench (violin). In April 2008 expectedly somber The Evangelist was released. ROBERT FORSTER – SONGS TO PLAY (2015) Forster had a set of more upbeat tunes completed in 2010 but felt it was too soon after the Evangelist for the shift in tone. Adele&Glenn , the rhythm section of the reunited Go-Betweens, moved to Sydney. Forster recruited his wife on violin and backing vocals along with Matt Piele (drums) and Scott Bromiley and Luke McDonald of The John Steel Singers on various instruments. Songs to Play finally appeared in 2015. Recorded on the cheap at Wild Mountain Sound , it has a decidedly analog feel. ROBERT FORSTER – INFERNO (2019) In June 2017, Kriv Stenders ‘s documentary The Go-Betweens: Right Here was released. In August of that year, Forster’s book, Grant & I: Inside and Outside the Go-Betweens , was published. To record Inferno , Forster returned to Berlin, this time producer/engineer Victor Van Vugt ‘s studio. The rest of the band, this time, was dubbed “the Magic Five” and included, again, Bäumler and Bromiley — this time joined by Earl Harvin (keyboards) and Michael Muhlhaus (drums). Grant & I: Inside and Outside the Go-Betweens. Grant McLennan didn’t want to be in a band. He couldn’t play an instrument; Charlie Chaplin was his hero du jour. However, when Robert Forster began weaving shades Hemingway, Genet, Chandler and Joyce into his lyrics, Grant was swayed and the 80s indie sensation, The Go- Betweens , was born. These friends would collaborate for three decades, until Grant’s tragic, premature death in 2006. Beautifully written – like lyrics, like prose – Grant & I is a rock memoir akin to no other. Part ‘making of’, part music industry exposé, part buddy- book, this is a delicate and perceptive celebration of creative endeavour. With wit and candour Robert Forster pays tribute to a band who found huge success in the margins, who boldly pursued a creative vision, and whose beating heart was the band’s friendship. “In early ’77 I asked Grant if he’d form a band with me. ‘No,’ was his blunt reply.” Grant McLennan didn’t want to be in a band. He couldn’t play an instrument; Charlie Chaplin was his hero du jour. Description. “In early ’77 I asked Grant if he’d form a band with me. ‘No,’ was his blunt reply.” Grant McLennan didn’t want to be in a band. He couldn’t play an instrument; Charlie Chaplin was his hero du jour. However, when Robert Forster began weaving shades Hemingway, Genet, Chandler and Joyce into his lyrics, Grant was swayed and the 80s indie sensation, The Go- Betweens , was born. These friends would collaborate for three decades, until Grant’s tragic, premature death in 2006. Beautifully written – like lyrics, like prose – Grant & I is a rock memoir akin to no other. Part ‘making of’, part music industry exposé, part buddy- book, this is a delicate and perceptive celebration of creative endeavour. With wit and candour Robert Forster pays tribute to a band who found huge success in the margins, who boldly pursued a creative vision, and whose beating heart was the band’s friendship. Advance Praise. "Few rock artists have been remembered as perceptively and unflinchingly, yet also lovingly, in prose" --Mojo. "Few rock artists have been remembered as perceptively and unflinchingly, yet also lovingly, in prose" --Mojo.