Australian group The Go-Betweens founding members Robert Forster and bandmate, the late Grant McLennan have been hailed as ‘the Lennon & McCartney of indie’
Their music inspiring bands from Franz Ferdinand to Teenage Fanclub and a favourite of music journalists.
But what has never been discussed before- is how Irish writers like James Joyce – whose work Grant and Robert studied in Queensland University – inspired The Go-Betweens to write about their own country, Australia in classic songs like Cattle and Cane.
Life long Go-Betweens fan and documentary maker Ken Sweeney, (RTE radio docs ‘REM Out Of Athens’ and ‘In Search Of The Blue Nile’) asked Robert Forster to join him at Beacon Studios in Dublin to tell their story and play some of the Go-Betweens classic songs on acoustic
guitar. But the 50 minute special also features, an unreleased interview Ken did with Grant McLennan in August 2000, prior to his death in May 2006.

The Go-Betweens and The Irish Writers

"Tender Years"

The Brisbane-born Robert Forster is perhaps best known as a founding member of the legendary band The Go-Betweens. How legendary are they? Well, let’s just say this: There’s a bridge in Brisbane called The Go-Between Bridge. I was going to say they were one of the most critically-acclaimed bands of the last 40 years, but that falls short of the mark—
they’re one of the most critically acclaimed bands ever. Their nearly ten-album discography is a rare one in that every entry is a classic. The band ceased to be after the death of Grant McLennan, but Forster has pressed on with a winning solo career that got started back in 1990 and has yielded a classics like Danger In The Past, I Had A New York Girlfriend and his new one The Candle And The Flame. The Candle And The Flame is astonishing work. Recorded after the news that his wife
and musical partner Karen was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer, Forster’s normally meticulous process was put aside and he and his family—his son Lewis and his daughter Loretta and his wife Karen sat down and, unsure of the future, recorded the nine songs on the record with urgency and heart. The Candle And The Flame is a spellbinding listen. It’s filled with the wondrous poetic precision that Forster is known for, but it also showcases a raw and dynamic feel that make every song brim with and sonorous grace It’s truly wondrous work—an artistic and personal achievement that shows the power of art, the power
of family and the power of hope. 

www.robertforster.net
www.bombshellradio.com

Stereo Embers:

Twitter: @emberseditor
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Email: editor@stereoembersmagazine.com

Alex's Album

Stereo Embers The Podcast 0316: Robert Forster (The Go-Betweens)

Der australische Musiker Robert Forster gehört zu der Sorte Musiker*innen, denen man großen musikalischen Einfluss aber überschaubaren kommerziellen Erfolg zuschreibt. Als Gründungsmitglied von The Go-Betweens prägte er die Lo-Fi-Indie-Musik der 70er- und 80er-Jahre mit, hat sich aber auch in den 90er-Jahren schon als Solomusiker betätigt. Als Singer-Songwriter hat er seither bereits acht eigene Alben herausgebracht. Sein neuester Wurf, „The Candle And The Flame“, erschien im Februar dieses Jahres.

Kreative Energie scheint Forster mehr als genug zu haben. Während der Arbeit am neuen Album kamen ihm bereits Ideen für das nächste, wie er unserer Moderatorin Vanessa Wohlrath bei seinem Besuch im ByteFM Magazin am 27. März 2023 erklärt hat. Das gesamte Gespräch können Mitglieder im Förderverein „Freunde von ByteFM“ jederzeit in unserem Archiv nachhören. Für uns spielte er vom aktuellen Album „The Candle And The Flame“ schließlich noch den Song „Always“.

Robert Forster – „Always“ (Live bei ByteFM)

(There's Always) Something On My Mind - The Pale Fountains
Go West - The Cult
Thinking Of You - Yhe Colourfield
Over You - Echo & The Bunnymen
Right Here - The Go-Betweens
Walk Out To Winter - The Aztec Camera
All Fall Down (Like The Rain) - The Mighty Lemon Drops
Crystal Palace - The Bible
Dance With Me - The Lords Of The New Church
No Time To Cry - Sisters Of Mercy
Moya - The Southern Death Cult (Death Cult / The Cult)
Ceremony - New Order (Joy Division)
Desperate But Not Serious - Adam Ant
Different World - INXS
Beggars Legacy - Icicle Works
Town Like This - Cactus World News
Bible Dreams - Wild Swans (Care/Lotus Eaters)
5 O'Clock World - Julian Cope (Teardrop Explodes)
Young Manhood - Wild Swans
The Price Of Love - The Lucy Show
Over The Roof Tops (Live) - Gene Loves Jezebel
A Different Man - The Church
Sunshine In The Shade - The Fixx
New Dreams For Old - The Room
Back Door (Live) - The Bodines 
Scare Some Life Into Me - B-Movie

Something_On_My_Mind

The Southern Death Cult - Mota (80's Post Punk Indie Vinyl BPM: 135-155)

I interviewed Robert Forster on 8 September 2017 for my documentary Iron Fist in Velvet Glove - the story of Microdisney. In his book Grant & I, Robert described Microdisney’s Cathal Coughlan as “one of London’s secret heroes”. Short extracts of this interview were utilised in that documentary and the section of the interview about Grant & I was broadcast on my radio show, Songs to Learn and Sing. But this is the full interview. We chatted about how The Go-Betweens and Microdisney met while practising nextdoor to each other in Camden; Microdisney supporting The Go-Betweens at the Town & Country Club in London; the tough economic realities for both bands in London; Rough Trade Records in the 80s; The Go-Betweens touring around Europe; The Go-Betweens first time in Dublin playing the Trinity Ball in 1986; the process of writing his biography, and loads more. More Information here: paulmcdermott.ie/blog/colin-bluns…-and-the-zombies

www.paulmcdermott.ie/

From the Archives - Robert Forster of The Go-Betweens (2017)

A track of many words in classic 80's Australian indie style.  Folky with narrative. 

THE BOOK

80's Gen X New Waver Mobile Disco/Club Spinner in High School & College; Silicon Valley CA Product Engineering Executive/Solid State Drive Geek; Spent most of my allowances on extended, remixes and hard to find esoteric 12" dance vinyl records, used to frequent record stores in SF Bay Area (Amoeba, Rasputins, Tower, Record Factory, Star, etc.) on weekends and after class.  Still love to visit record stores & dig through bins of used records when i go on business trips. Recorded 100's of mixed tapes for classmates/friends and hours & hours in front of the turntables. Count the BPMs, find the intros and breaks and move on the next. Enjoy Generation X underground Club Music. Happy listening! Cheers! 💾🎧📻

Paul McDermott
educator
broadcaster
documentary producer
writer

Hosted by Alex Green, Stereo Embers: The Podcast is a weekly podcast airing exclusively on Bombshell Radio (www.bombshellradio.com) that features interviews with musicians, authors, artists and actors talking about the current creative moment in their lives. 

A professor at St. Mary's College of California, Alex is the Editor-In-Chief of Stereo Embers Magazine (www.stereoembersmagazine.com), the author of five books and has served as a Speaker/Moderator for LitQuake, Yahoo!, The Bay Area Book Festival, A Great Good Place For Books, Green Apple Books, and The St. Mary's College Of California MFA Reading Series. 

Stereo Embers The Podcast Theme: Brennan Hester

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ByteFM ist moderiertes Musikradio – ohne Werbespots und computergenerierte Musikrotation. Aus dem Hamburger Medienbunker versorgen wir Euch mit guter Musik, alt und neu: Indie, Techno, Pop, Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Elektronik, Synth-Pop, Jazz, HipHop, Beats, Krautrock, Dreampop, Dubstep, Folk, Shoegaze. 

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New tracks tagged #The Go-Betweens