Robert Forster on his friend and Go-Betweens co-founder, Grant McLennan

ABC Conversations

Robert and Grant met as University of Queensland students in the mid 1970s. Grant was from North Queensland and determined to become a film auteur. Robert hailed from suburban Brisbane, and has said meeting Grant was like finding a 'long-lost friend'. When Robert persuaded Grant to join him in a band and taught him the fundamentals of bass guitar, they ignited a creative spark that would endure for 30 years. Despite having no 'hits', their band, The Go-Betweens, made nine hugely influential studio albums, and garnered legions of loyal fans worldwide. The band's story has two chapters, the second coming after a ten year break in the 1990s. When they reformed in 2000, The Go-Betweens made three albums of new material, and their star was in the ascendant. The story of one of music's strongest song-writing partnerships ended with Grant McLennan's death in 2006. Origianl broadcast September 2016 Audio and image copyright ABC Radio For more interviews and to subscribe to our podcast: http://www.abc.net.au/conversations Robert's book, 'Grant & I: Inside and Outside The Go-Betweens' is published by Penguin