| Author | Message | ||
     Eelco de Jong Member Username: Eeloc Post Number: 3 Registered: 10-2006 |
Does anybody know if the Go-Betweens book by David Nichols is going to be extended with the final chapter? I understand this book came out in 2003. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 698 Registered: 03-2005 |
David sometimes visits this board. Perhaps he'll answer. | ||
| david nichols Member Username: David Post Number: 91 Registered: 09-2004 |
There is talk of it but no immediate plans. | ||
| Stuart Wilson Member Username: Stuart Post Number: 11 Registered: 10-2006 |
A tale should never stay half-told. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 936 Registered: 05-2005 |
I wonder how easy it would be to finish the tale though...Grant although very much in his audiences eyes over the last few years remained pretty private, it seemed that w3ay to me anyway, where would the source come from, I kinda like the fact that he left us with a great big question mark... | ||
| david nichols Member Username: David Post Number: 92 Registered: 09-2004 |
Both of these are good points. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 435 Registered: 10-2004 |
Those *are* both good points. Although, as for the argument of "finishing" the story, it might be nice to wait until Forster records his next solo album (if that actually does happen) to really see the journey through to its end. My thought is that Grant's passing and the resulting demise of the Go-Betweens will undoubtedly have a big impact on whatever he does next. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 310 Registered: 01-2005 |
All good points. Does anyone know if Robert is writing any new material yet? He could be waiting until 2007 to start anew. | ||
| Andy Robinson Member Username: Andyblue Post Number: 56 Registered: 03-2005 |
Sometimes a story never ends . . . And anyway if we have found a way of keeping up so far, then the important thing is the music anyway, isn't it? So I couldn't pretend to want to know Robert's emotions anymore than when I've lost a friend I would want anyone to readabout/hear about mine, so I guess that I will wait and listen to whatever Robert wants to do or not. And what could David really add to that in a book. Jeff, who's to say that Robert's next musical step is an end? Maybe it is a new beginning. Looking at my other favourite books it's like they are finished? What could possibly ever be added by another chapter? I would kinda like Bleddyn Butcher to finally finish or publish The Triffids book, though . . . . I guess what I am saying is that for me the best bit of the story leads in to the music and "Here's Where The Story Ends" (I had that running through my head all through this message). Although I can't be sure . . . | ||
| Charles Coy Member Username: Coy Post Number: 13 Registered: 10-2006 |
...I think to bring closure on the Go-B's story as we grew to know, deserves some thought. There were a number of things that happened and were happening up to that Autumn (Aust) day in May. I cherish the book I have, it is autographed by Robert, Grant and Lindy I often return to certain chapters, particularily the Melbourne days. Maybe the end can bring the start to Robert as journalist,musician and writer. I do pang for what music was recorded and what may be released, anything from Robert will be just fine..I will be there.. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 436 Registered: 10-2004 |
Andy, I wasn't implying that Robert's next musical step is an end at all. I was simply trying to convey that it would make for a better "ending" to Nichols' biography. Kind of ending on a "high" (albeit perhaps bittersweet, given the context) note; that being the beginning of Robert's musical journey, post-Grant. I mean, maybe I'm projecting, but Robert's next album, if he does, in fact, choose to make one, will undoubtedly be extremely important to him, but also to his fans, given the context of its existence. It just seems like a key development or step, you know, something that would be worth discussing in the biography. The book can never truly be finished, I suppose, and closing it with Robert's next move does leave a lot of unanswerable questions as to the trajectory Forster's musical path will take in the years following that. And maybe that's partly why that would appeal to me. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 878 Registered: 04-2005 |
I don't see why we need a new edition of the book at this point; the "closure" of the story is pretty obvious, and from being part of this board, we're privvy to most of the information and speculation on the band's final years. Not that we could write it as gracefully and compellingly as David... The book I would want to read is an autobiography by Mr. Forster. Or perhaps a collection of his essays, reviews, etc. Obviously, either book is going to be years down the road. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 970 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'd love a big heavy hard back oversized mammoth paged book of photo's all weird stuff like master tape box spines, studio receipts, clothing, unused studio shots, fan pics,gi g pics, GB's personal pics of their life within the group etc etc etc etc on the beloved Go Betweens, now that would really interest me. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 754 Registered: 03-2005 |
Oh, but no underpants shots. Please. | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 880 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'll second that. | ||
| joe Member Username: Dogmansuede Post Number: 18 Registered: 07-2006 |
nonplussed here <arbitrary> | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 888 Registered: 04-2005 |
You know, thinking about that shot of Robert in his undies in David's book, I'm wondering if me calling RF the classiest man in rock was a mistake. Well, maybe he's the classiest man in rock now, but not in the '80s. We all do things in our youth that we regret later... | ||
| Matthias Treml Member Username: Matthias Post Number: 165 Registered: 05-2005 |
Who says he regrets it? ;-) Has anyone seen the Replacements All or Nothing booklet? It has quotes from fans and celebrities alike in it. That would be a cool addition too in the book. Coupled with pictures of all of us in our underpants. | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 893 Registered: 04-2005 |
But to keep the peace on this board, no celebrity testimonials about the Go-Betweens from Bono or The Edge, please!  | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1167 Registered: 03-2006 |
I know this is pipe dreaming, but I'd love to see individual bio's of RF and GM. Particularly Grant. I'm a big fan of his solo work (much more so than Robert's. Sorry. I do really like "Danger", though) and I'd love to gain insight into the forces that shaped such a great artist and noble soul...There were so many great anecdotes on the tributes page - they really painted an intriguing picture and made me think there must be a lot more in that particular well... | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 900 Registered: 04-2005 |
But, as is so often true, what we might want to know about Grant can only be told by one person. And that person's no longer with us. I feel like we've probably gotten as much insight into Grant's soul, life, and motivations as we're going to from Robert and others who worked with him. I suppose a bio by a family member, longtime friend, or partner might tell us more. | ||
| Guy Ewald Member Username: Guy_ewald Post Number: 186 Registered: 02-2005 |
I honestly feel that Robert's tribute/remembrance in The Monthly is as close as we can ask for. He didn't go into a full-blown psycho-analysis of his friend... who can know where the darkness comes from? Any fan could point to Grant's father's death as a trigger/catharsis; maybe it was the foundation, maybe it was a convenient hook. Obviously, 'Cattle and Cane' expresses a deep sense of loss and guilt. But as a parent I can say with conviction that people are born with their souls intact and I think we sometimes seek out an explanation (not necessarily an excuse) for things we can't control. Maybe that's true of Grant or maybe it's not, but I thought it was very truthful of Robert to put Grant's darkness on the table, offer a convenient explanation, but not pound it into the ground. In any event, the work speaks for itself. Grant McLennan was a perceptive artist of the highest order. | ||
| Charles Coy Member Username: Coy Post Number: 15 Registered: 10-2006 |
LK 'Fireboy-Jack Frost-In your Bright Ray'...I think his early life must have been a journey that no-one may ever be able to retell...however, may imagine.....from dreams to his vision and his passion for finding words that told of his experiences....with Robert 'Calling from a Country Phone'believe reformation was in his sights...as we tracked to 99-00. ..just thought there was plenty of merit it what you said. | ||
| Matthias Treml Member Username: Matthias Post Number: 169 Registered: 05-2005 |
I wish Grant would have written honest blurbs on each song he wrote solo and in the band about what they were about to him. I have a hard time believing that Right Here is about the Morticians he knew as he writes in the liner notes on 1979-1990 LP. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1172 Registered: 03-2006 |
Actually, what I had in mind wasn't any grand, psychologically probing character study - certainly such an undertaking would be too silly and pretentious and just wouldn't fly. Besides, no one can ever really know any one else in that way - it's impossible to even really know ourselves, let alone someone else. No, what I had in mind was something more "external", perhaps a book based on interviews with "witnesses", contemporaries of Grant's, a la "Please Kill Me", the great punk rock history by Legs McNeil. The technique is also used to great effect in a lot of those wonderful Stephen Ambrose WWII books. I think such an approach would be incredibly illuminating and provide much insight into GM the man, even if it wouldn't penetrate into the deepest, darkest psychological mysteries of Grant. It might even give a glimpse of what the inspiration behind some of the songs was...how? Because he probably TOLD people what those sources of inspiration were. The anecdotes on the tribute page were so touching and delightful - I'm convinced there's a lot more material to be mined there. And there are time periods not covered by the Nichols book that would be worthy of addressing - at the very least, the 10 year "down period" for the group (or was it 11?). Just one fan's wish...as I said, I'm a very keen admirer of GM's solo work. IMO, Horsebreaker Star and Bright Ray easily rival anything in the GBs catalog. | ||
| david nichols Member Username: David Post Number: 93 Registered: 09-2004 |
You may have noticed there's not much of Grant's life outside the group in my GoBs book (eg no mention of his son). He specifically asked for that to be the case. Personally, I don't think he would have been very pleased by an individual bio, though perhaps it would have depended on the tone/ approach. Others closer to him would obviously have a better sense of this. | ||
| david pestorius Member Username: David_pestorius Post Number: 57 Registered: 08-2005 |
I was not close to Grant McLennan. I did know him, saw him socially from time to time, and had a bit to do with him on a semi-professional level in Brisbane, initially in the early '80s, and then during the "down period" and afterwards. One thing I do know is that he had a very dim view of the way David Nichols' book covered the "down period" and the circumstances of the subsequent 'reunion'. In this regard, I believe Grant promptly returned the copy which the author sent him shortly following publication. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 447 Registered: 10-2004 |
Oh geez, not this again. | ||
| Donat Member Username: Donat Post Number: 227 Registered: 11-2004 |
Spence's idea sounds great and I know that there's enough of those curios out there to make quite a compelling coffee table book. Writing a book on the Go-Betweens would be a tricky notion. I have thought about writing a Go-Betweens specific book for a while, but it's a really a minefield as there's still a lot of deep-seeded conflict between former band members over a variety of issues. The thing is, you don't want to appear like you're taking sides. And another thing: who would read a technical book on The Go-Betweens - is there an readership out there who'd want to know which type of guitar Forster played on the solo of 'Bachelor Kisses'? Does it need a forward by Bono or Tom Verlaine? Would you need a display year book photos of various band members...? I appreciate David Nichols for being brave enough to undertake writing a book at a time when no-one really cared all that much about the Go-Betweens or the members solo careers - well, aside from the French. Like so many band biographies, it leaves a lot of questions unanswered and for that, his work has been harshly criticised by those close to the band. Lindy's toyed with the idea of doing an autobiography which would of course include her nine years in The Go-Betweens. Her book would be something I'd love to read about, as she was essentially was the go-between in those early days, wedged between Forster and McLennan when the band dropped the throwaway bubblegum pop songs and got a little more serious. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1046 Registered: 05-2005 |
Donat Yeah I second you, Mr Nichols was brave and deserves a medal for producing that book, by the sheer nature of The GoBEes existance anything that is written about them other than by themselves will and would always be ridiculed as they were such fine purveyors of the written word and how to turn it into a song. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 799 Registered: 03-2005 |
I'm with the both of you. David did a great job. It's always easy to pick at something someone has done. But try actually creating it. Next, David can write about the eternal Cannanes! Personally I'd love to read more about the years in the proverbial desert because my sense is that both Robert and Grant grew enormously as individuals during that time. I figure there was a lot of frustration and heartbreak during those years. The mental picture of Grant traveling across the U.S. in a station wagon to play his superb "Horsebreaker Star" songs in little tiny places just blows my mind. And I wonder, did Robert's period of writer's block possibly have something to do with not having Grant around as a catalyst. Let's hope not, for obvious reasons. | ||
| Little Keith Member Username: Manosludge Post Number: 1234 Registered: 03-2006 |
Well put, Randy, and I agree, that would be a helluva book. I think there's a real story to be told there, about the "wilderness years"...They obviously did grow tremendously - you can tell from the exponential increase in depth and richness of the songs, particularly Grant's... The story would have a real arc - culminating satisfyingly in the reunion and (relative) triumph of Mk II. Who would buy this book, you ask? Beyond the folks on this board, that's a good (and vexing) question... | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 448 Registered: 10-2004 |
I agree: David's book, despite whatever flaws, was a noble effort, particularly when faced with numerous obstacles and potential minefields as a few folks above have alluded to. I also agree that there is probably more to mine from the above mentioned "desert years," which, at the very least, could make an update version of the Go-Betweens biography a bit richer. The idea of Lindy doing an autobiography is positively riveting. | ||
| Lawrence Mikkelsen Member Username: Simplythrilledhoney Post Number: 43 Registered: 03-2006 |
yeah, more props for David. I bought that book in 1999, having just discovered the band. I was furiously buying albums by this band I knew NOTHING about. David's book filled in a lot of gaps and, to a certain extent at least, helped the earlier stuff make a bit more sense to me. I thought it was a riviting read. I actually re-read the reprinted version when I was off work sick a few months ago, and still really enjoyed it. And, at the end of the day, no artist is ever very complimentary of their bographies. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1178 Registered: 05-2005 |
I saw this book in a sale in Waterstones at Christmas time. It looked lonely, I wanted to buy it, I alreaddy have it, but I thought, no, I hope someone stumbles across it and gives it a good reading. It was only £2, must've stopped being sale or return. One thing this little episode got me to thinking was about a new book. I did write somewhere that a book on the Gobees and in particular a more dsign/pictorial based hostory of the band would be one I woulod welcome and fully support. A bit like Wilco had their Wilco book if anyone has seen this. Full of tidbits, cuttings, pictures of their gear, contact strips from old photo sessions, hand scribbled lyrics and so on. But as this will probably only ever happen in the far distant future, I thought about what other things one could do to produce a different style of book for the group. One idea I had would be to publish all of the messages left for Grant. Not only would it be a fitting tribute to make them available in book form as reading onscreen is tiresome, ut it would promote the band even further than recent releases and reissues have, widening the audience. It could be done in a really clssic style too. A focus on tyography, and layout, different styles of typefaces laid out in a real creative way. The whold book could be broken up with nice pics of the man himself. There are some smashing stories within the book, which show many different views and opinions, most of all are good. It has publishing stumbling blocks like getting agreement from everyone to publish the words as they are the author's etc. Howvere, if anyone is in to publishing, I'd be happy to produce the whole book as artwork, i'd have to talk about the cost of doing it, as I'd imagine it would take months. i'd do it for nothing as they as many other things I have done for my fave gorups a labour of love, but with 2 kids a wife and home to support, that option is no longer on the menu. So, if anyone knows someone with a publishing company or who is connected to someone in publishing who might like to talk this through? Admin, what's your thought on this? If it never happens, so be it, but it was one of the nicest things to think about at the start of this new year. Ciao. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 1179 Registered: 05-2005 |
A book was produced for a guy called Momus about 14 years ago, called Lusts of a Moron. It was a chronological listing of all of his lyrics for everything he had released up to that point. That was laid out in the style I was think9ing of. Beautiful typefaces laid out in a classic and storytelling way. Blackspring Press. Anyone vere see it? | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 1158 Registered: 04-2005 |
Haven't seen it, but I would definitely pick up any book with the title "Lusts of a Moron"! Speaking of rock books, has anyone ever read the bio on Peter Perrett of the Only Ones? I've never found a copy; maybe it's time to try to find a grossly overpriced one on eBay. I know somebody who read it who said it was a nonstop orgy of decadence worthy of the Stones. | ||
| Nic Barnard Member Username: Nic_barnard Post Number: 13 Registered: 06-2005 |
I have a copy of Lusts of a Moron and it is indeed a beautiful piece of work. Momus's lyrics would be wonderful printed in any form, but the book fully does them justice. Momus's own lively, provocative design-and-politics imomus.livejournal.com is always worth a visit, the only other blog/board I check on a regular basis. | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 920 Registered: 03-2005 |
Spence, check your Smooth Design mail. | ||
| Michael Bachman Member Username: Michael_bachman Post Number: 407 Registered: 01-2005 |
Lindy, you would have everyone of us regulars here buying copies if you should ever decide to write your autobiography! |