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The Go-Betweens.
Ultra-influential musical types have normal lives too, apparently:
the day I talk to The Go-Between's Robert Forster, he's been
busy cleaning up his Brisbane house before his family arrive
and replacing the dead battery on his car. He's only just flown
into Australia after touring for seven weeks in Europe and the
US, so he's also understandably tired and jetlagged. Despite
all that, he's a very chipper guy, talkative and friendly.
When I speak to him, Forster isn't sure if The Go-Betweens will
be playing The Governor Hindmarsh again when they return to
Adelaide. I confirm that they will. "That's a really nice place,"
he coos. "That's a lovely room to play into, a room with a 180-degree
view, I really enjoy playing there. But they are also playing
the same night as Interpol. "I know. We sort of wanted to go
to Adelaide and Perth to get away from Splendour In The Grass,"
he explains. "We will play a couple of Interpol numbers so you'll
get that feeling of seeing The Go-Betweens and Interpol at the
same time." Unfortunately, your poor interviewer dashes any
chance of this happening: Forster takes it all back after I
advise him that Interpol have sold out, although he does threaten
to bring out Daddy Cool's Come Back Again instead. It's
hard to tell how serious he is.
While we're on the topic of covers, I ask what he thinks of
groups such as Ivy covering the 1988 Go-Betweens hit, Streets
Of Your Town, or Preston School Of Industry's penchant for
playing Make Her Day on their last Australian tour. "They're
a really good band, Ivy," Forster admits. "They've just brought
out a new album. Glenn [Thompson, formerly of Custard] our drummer
just bought it in New York, he quite likes them. I was thrilled
that a band as good as that would cover our songs. Preston School
Of Industry, I liked their last album. I met this guy who is
in the touring band a couple of weeks ago in North Carolina,
of all places, and he told me that they'd been playing it on
tour. It was great, wonderful to hear."
Forster describes the Go-Between's ninth album, 'Oceans Apart',
as being very "London" in its sound. "And this is in a good,
non-detrimental way. It has more of an artificial sound," he
explains. "A little bit more of a processed sound, more layered
production, which is what we wanted to do this time. I really,
really like it." Forster is also very happy with their latest
video for Here Comes The City. "I'm looking good," he
boasts affably. "That's always a big story. They caught me on
one of my good days. That only happens three times a year."
While all the recent reviews for 'Oceans Apart' have been more than positive, it seems to have been at the expense of the last two post-reunion albums, 'The Friends Of Rachel Worth' and 'Bright Yellow Bright Orange'. I tell Forster that while 'Oceans Apart' is undoubtedly impressive, the previous albums are also great. "I know!" Forster agrees. "A lot of the set that we've been playing has been taken from these last three albums. And it's not because we're trying to ram anything down people's throats. It's because the songs are really good. I'm very happy with what we've done. I know that 'Oceans Apart' is getting a lot of praise and at times critics, to justify it I guess, put the other two down a bit. Which I really don't see: I find that the last two were really strong too. And the way the songs feel when we play them live definitely backs that up."
'The Friends Of Rachel Worth' featured Forster and co-songwriter Grant McLennon recording with all three members of Sleater-Kinney as the backing band. Seeing as that band has just brought out another album (which Forster describes as "visionary"), I ask if he still keeps in touch with the trio. "Oh no! No!" he bursts. "I haven't seen them for a long time; I'm too much in awe to speak to them. Oh yeah, I'm the knobble-kneed fan at the end of the autograph line."
I would have thought it was the other way round? "No," Forster continues, "I can't. I'm too much of a fan to speak. I can't go near them!"
Eddie Chan
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The Go Betweens play at the Governor Hindmarsh on Fri 22 July.
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