| Author | Message | ||
     steve michener Member Username: Fenway67 Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
How heartbreaking to hear the news today. Grant's best songs were instant classics that sounded like they had always been around. It is heartening to hear that so many found his songs so touching and inspiring. I was lucky to share a bill with them in 3 different bands. I remember begging a club owner in Boston to let our band open for the Go-betweens on their first trip to Boston. I remember standing next to the stage at the Channel in Boston watching them and thinking that they were the greatest band in the world. I remember showing up for a gig in Germany and having the club owner tell us that he had turned down the Go-betweens who wanted to play there that night with us because their show with r.e.m. had been cancelled. I called him a 'dumkopft' in my best Hogan's Heroes german. I remember making a Go-Be's mix tape for every girl I ever dated and hoping that she would love them as much as I did. I'll always remember his beautiful songs. | ||
| Cameron Herbert Unregistered guest |
This is all so very very sad. I was sad on Sunday and am still struggling to function normally. Especially to happen when things were going so well. Heartfelt sympathies to Grant's family and friends from someone who never met him, but maybe knew him just a little through the music. A big thank you to Grant, Robert and the band in all its various manifestations over the years, for all the good times. Especially for the gig at the Ambassador in Dublin in April 2003, which is probably the best night of my life thus far. I will raise my glass to you Grant at 1.30pm on Friday. | ||
| Nick Jewlachow Unregistered guest |
I can't find the words to express how sad I am about this, so I thought I'd share some recent memories. I was travelling in Spain just over a year ago when Oceans Apart came out, so I made a point of stopping at FNAC in Madrid on Dos de Mayo, before jumping on a train to Bilbao. Before I started listening, I read the lyric sheet and guessed - successfully - which of the songs had been by Robert and which by Grant. Robert was often a bit bombastic, but Grant was usually the more poetic one. Two months ago, my wife and I had Bye Bye Pride played at our wedding reception. (Maybe it was a good pick, maybe not. The vid shot partly at Clovelly did the trick though.) The outpouring of grief here on this messageboard and the memories recorded just underline how you touched people. Thanks for sharing your poetry over so many years. Goodbye, Grant. Nick | ||
| Scott Forbes&Cath Campbell Unregistered guest |
Our puzzled toddler is wondering why we've been so sad. Some day we'll explain to him how the man we are mourning wrote many of the most beautiful songs we have ever heard. How we've been listening to those songs for 23 years and will listen to them for the rest of our lives. How a shared love of those songs was part of what brought us together. How those songs accompanied, delighted and comforted us. How they were part of what drew us to Australia, where we are still living. How some of our happiest times were spent listening to and, joy of joys, watching Grant and Robert play those songs from the Glasgow Barrowlands in 1984 to the Tivoli in Sydney in '86, from the Hoochie Coochie Club in Edinburgh in '87 to the Sydney Theatre this January (and aren't we glad and thankful we made it there). We got to talk to Grant just once and had a chance to say a quick but inadequate thank you and he was as charming and warm and genuine as we had thought he would be and everyone else seems to have found. Thanks again, and again and again, Grant. It's so cruel that you'e gone just when you seemed to be getting the rewards and acclaim you so richly deserved and when you were writing material that was as good as anything you had written. And that we didn't get another 30 or 40 years of wonderful songs. Love, sympathy and thanks to Grant's family, especially his mother, his friends, and particularly, of course, to Robert (to whom all of the above also applies). | ||
| Mark Turner Member Username: Mark_turner Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
Grant's songs have become a sanctuary for me. A place where love, romance, warmth, understanding and forgiveness can always be found. I first became aware of the Go-Betweens with the release of 1978-1990. The joy of discovering this incredible band and the irritation of knowing that they had recently broken up was a strange combination. Another case where I arrived too late and a door that had been open for years had just closed. The solo outings that followed were strong, but I felt that Grant shined his brightest when he was by Robert's side. This feeling was confirmed when I heard The Friends of Rachel Worth. I had the opportunity last June to see the band in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. My favorite moment was the way Grant sang the end of "This Night's For You" with the emphasis on the "you's." Heartfelt, passionate, intense. Some people here wonder why the Go-Betweens haven't been more successful in terms of airplay and sales. The answer is so simple and yet so sad - not everyone is capable of recognizing and appreciating such elegant beauty. | ||
| Janie Heath Unregistered guest |
Robert and I have spent the last few days (metaphorically) with Grant. We laughed as much as we cried, which caused me to remember Grant's laugh. God, it was a joy to see that man laugh his spontaneous, unaffected laugh. It was beautiful to be able to read the many tributes from all over the world, both in the message board postings and in the online news. I kept checking my beloved New York Times online, hoping they would recognize my friend. They did. I really liked the LA Times piece. I hope these links work for anyone who is interested. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/arts/music/09mclennan.html http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-mclennan9may09,1,6148029.story?coll =la-news-obituaries&ctrack=1&cset=true | ||
| Stu in Canada Unregistered guest |
As much as I always liked The Go-Betweens, I was more than a little disheartened when they got back together again. That's only because I loved those four solo records so much and I knew that would probably be the end of that road. Still, it's so nice to know that Grant finally, deservedly, enjoyed some new recognition in recent years. As monumentally sad as this time is, it's equally joyous knowing that this music of his that I've been listening to for the past few days is resounding all over the world in so many other ears and hearts right now. That can only be good. Thank you, Grant. | ||
| Caz McDiarmid Unregistered guest |
What a privilege to have had the past nearly 20 years of my life be influenced by the sound of the Go-Betweens. For every facet of my life there seems to be a relevant Go-Betweens song,except maybe now. Thank-you Grant McLennan. | ||
| Lucky Kikidopoulos Member Username: Lucky Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
"When word gets around" You dared to "dream about tomorrow" "over stones for you" I would travel, I thought by now we'd be further on" Have'nt I been a fool" " In your bright ray, caught in your light wave, spinning sideways" "easy come, easy go" R.i.P. mate | ||
| Bob Unregistered guest |
Like everyone here, I was stunned to hear the news, and I've been reflecting on it for a while now. I've been a big fan of the Go-Betweens and Grant McLennan's solo work since 16 Lover's Lane. Grant's music was so clearly straight from his heart, and I keep finding snippets of his songs going through my head now ("Quiet Heart" is currently playing). To hear the beautiful music that the band has continued to make just makes this news all the more tragic. This a major loss, and I hope that Grant's family can take some comfort in knowing how positively he impacted the lives of others. His songs have sure had an impact on mine. | ||
| Peter Applegarth Unregistered guest |
It's impossible to say how many of of Grant's songs have enriched my life and the lives of millions of people around the planet. In recent years, tracks from the last few albums have been a constant source of inspiration and consolation. I never met Grant, and regret that now I never will. His songs are a precious gift. They honestly and poetically convey deep feelings about life, whether lived in a cold climate or under the gravitational force of Brisbane. Although my generation of Queenslanders ( we were born in the same year) may claim Grant as our Poet Laureate, the appeal of his music is universal and it will endure. | ||
| Gil Andrew Tiddy Unregistered guest |
Grant was a very special musician . His songs are melodic, romantic, passionate stories you cant help but feel part of . Grants recordings , wether they be solo or with the wonderful but under appreciated Go Betweens will stay with me forever. Great accolades have been bestowed upon musos with far less ability , charm and class than Grant McLennan. Each of us probably discovered his work in different ways , and at different times . Thank god we did . | ||
| Andreas, Austria-Finland Unregistered guest |
I have no words; Grant, the Go Betweens were probably the most important compagnons to my own songwriting development ever since I heard Spring Rain for the first time on Austrian radio some twenty years ago. I've always felt a very close emotional understanding to the songs of both Grant and Robert. Thank you, Grant; it will feel dustier in here from now on :,-( | ||
| Tina Unregistered guest |
Dear friends and family of Grant Mc Lennan, what can I say, no words that would be right - Saturday 6th - woke up from my sleep - as it was reported - screaming! Now I know it was when Grant moved into another dimension. Heard the news yesterday looking outside at the blooming cherry trees in the bright sunshine and the birds singing - feeling: it is not fair. Grant is dead! I am deeply touched and with my friends, admirers of his music and personality for so many years - almost all our lifes - we want to let you know our concern. We share your grief - but believe it or not. Grant is now playing his beautiful songs to all those who are already there, to Mary, Ilias and those you knew. And bet it will be a fantastic audience up there. Grant, we miss you! I am sorry not to be able to find the right words for you but this is how I take it and: Robert, don't stop the music now - he wouldn't have wanted it! Yours Tina Hamburg - Germany | ||
| Phil Christman Unregistered guest |
There is a moment during the chorus of "Dive For Your Memory" where the guitar does this thing--it's like a stirring. I can't describe it. Every time I hear it I'm full of awe. It sounds impossibly poignant and brave, like someone rallying their emotions to make one last hopeless desperate appeal for this relationship. Grant McLennan was a true artist. His songs make me face my emotions in ways other artists don't even try. I can't imagine the loss that his friends and family have experienced--just reading Robert's message made me so sad I thought I'd burst. If any of you are reading, and if it is any comfort whatsoever, know that many of us feel a deep and personal gratitude for what his art has contributed to our lives. Y'all are in my prayers. | ||
| R Unregistered guest |
Bachelor Kisses, Life at Hand, Bye Bye Pride and Surround Me, my most constant and pure sources of inspiration. Grant has been an irreplaceable part of my life, though of course I never knew him. Ever since Bachelor Kisses became my favourite song when I was 13, his music has meant home to me. It is still my favourite song to this day and I can't imagine a time when it won't be. Thank you Grant. (Hope you have a good internet connection up there so you can read all these amazing posts) | ||
| mister fusspot Member Username: Mister_fusspot Post Number: 6 Registered: 06-2005 |
I have been poring over this forum since my own first post, shortly after the news broke. It is with heartfelt thanks that I want to acknowledge the generous efforts of the site's hosts who have kept this tribute updated 'round the clock. It has been so comforting to share this loss with the seemingly endless parade of well-wishers, each with their own personal and initimate tale of connection to Grant and his music. A few names I recognize, still more stories sound familiar. But it is the collective outpouring of grief and of love that is most true. What a remarkable community Grant created, just by living his life. While it is terribly sad for those of us still here, I trust that Grant's passing came at a time when he was ready... How could one possibly exceed the beauty of this moment. Bittersweet, yes, but how fitting an end. Chin up, EVERYONE. | ||
| Gareth Bowles Member Username: Gareth_bowles Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
I can't put into words how much Grant's songs have meant to me, right from the first time I heard Before Hollywood 22 years ago in a damp Northern bedsit. So many wonderful shows and records since then - hearing the Liberty Belle songs previewed live in Kentish Town, listening to Watershed many times a day during a trip through East Africa, grinning in delight as my wife enthused about the show we saw on last year's tour. This is a desperate loss; my heart goes out to Grant's family, friends and everyone else who is touched by his passing. | ||
| Glenn Phillips Unregistered guest |
What a sad loss to the world of music. Not only did Grants songs touch me, they were a soundtrack to my life. I never get tired of listening to Fireboy; I was sure those songs were about my relationships. As for the Go Betweens-we don't have enough space on this message board do we? In this image driven souless musical landscape that exists now, GW will always be remembered as a rock solid mountain of passion and emotion. Thank you GW | ||
| Thomas Zwoerner Unregistered guest |
I will always remember moving to Brisbane as a 17 year old and listening to nothing but the go-betweens, forcing my father to drive around for hours until we found Bellavista Tce. Likewise, I will never forget the two glorious occasions I was able to see them perform. My heart goes out to his family and friends. RIP. | ||
| paul - copenhagen 2100 Unregistered guest |
Seeing the links to NYT and LA Times, I thought I should add also provide this link to the tribute published in the Danish paper Politiken on 8 May. http://politiken.dk/VisArtikel.sasp?PageID=452683 The Go-Betweens-sangskriver død Den australske sangskriver Grant McLennan døde kun 48 år gammel. Det er næsten præcis et år siden, at man i Politikens meget positive anmeldelse af 'Ocean's Apart' kunne læse, at det var den hidtil bedste af de nye udgivelser fra det genopstandne The Go-Betweens. Den australske gruppe, som i 1980'erne på adskillige plader leverede underskøn sangskrivning uden nogensinde at få et kommercielt gennembrud, der kunne matche den tårnhøje kritikerrespekt. Gruppen var centreret omkring de to sangskrivere Grant McLennan og Robert Forster. De to gik fra hinanden, men fandt for seks år siden sammen igen. Det resulterede i yderligere tre fine udgivelser, men hermed slutter det også. For i lørdags døde Grant McLennan 48 år gammel i sin seng hjemme i Brisbane. Dødsårsagen kendes endnu ikke. Følsomme australiere De tre album 'Liberty Belle & The Black Diamond Express', 'Tallulah' og '16 Lover's Lane' fra årene 1986-88 står som højdepunktet i karrieren. På dette tidspunkt udgjorde The Go-Betweens sammen med især The Triffids en opsigtsvækkende bølge af følsom og fornem sangskrivning med afsæt i Australien. Da The Go-Betweens gik i opløsning, fortsatte både McLennan og Forster som solister og i forskellige konstellationer. For McLennans vedkommende foruden fire soloalbum først og fremmest i duoen Jack Frost med Steve Kilbey fra The Church. The Go-Betweens efterlader sig en lidt for hemmelig sangskat af dimensioner. Melodisk, poetisk og med en udsøgt undertone af melankoli og humor. En karakteristik, som de to herrer levede fornemt op til på sidste års album 'Ocean's Apart'. Best wishes to all, Paul | ||
| PJFClifford Unregistered guest |
LATE FRAGMENT And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so? I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on this earth. Raymond Carver (Goodnight Grant.) | ||
| Tim Russell Unregistered guest |
I'm not usually one to feel grief at the passing of people I've never met but such was the empathy and generosity of spirit in Grant's songs I can't help but be moved. It's even more tragic in that his contributions to "Oceans Apart" (especially Finding You and Boundary Rider) showed an artist back on absolutely top form. Like everyone else who's left messages here Grant's (and Robert's) songs have soundtracked the highs & lows of my last 20-odd years. "16 Lovers Lane" in particular has got me through many long dark nights of the soul. RIP Grant, & thanks for all the music & some great London gigs. Love goes on. | ||
| Drew Morrison Unregistered guest |
I only met Grant and the rest of The Go-Betweens once and that was at the New Merlin Cave in London in August 1985. I had travelled the 500 miles or so from Aberdeen to get to the gig and the band hearing of my journey did me the honour of taking the time to talk after the event. A year later I moved to London where I took the opportunity of seeing the Go-Betweens every time they played live in the metropolis. Gigs such as the Boston Arms in Tufnell Park and the Forum in Kentish Town will live in the memory. Truly awesome stuff. I met my Wife in London in 1986 and suffice too say she became and still is an even bigger Go-Betweens fan than myself! When I read all the ‘magnificent’ tributes to Grant on this forum I thought to myself how could I get across to the rest of the world what the Go-Betweens actually meant to me. Well all I can say with any certainty at this time is that The Go-Betweens not only inspired me to pick up the guitar but they made me want to write songs, to become a songwriter just like them and that is something which not even Bob Dylan himself can claim to have done. My condolences to Grant’s family and thanks Grant for everything. Robert, ‘Keep on keeping on like a bird that flew’ Yours Drew Morrison London. | ||
| J Savvy Unregistered guest |
Love to your family, friends and fans. We will be having a drink for you on Friday in London. | ||
| sebastian Unregistered guest |
So sad. Condolences to the band and the family. | ||
| Tyrone Noonan Unregistered guest |
Grant, the beautiful soul, and I had become good friends over the last few years; in fact his current partner Emma and Grant met through me one blissful night at ric's in brisbane. Grant, being the perfect gentleman that he was, asked after she had left If I could request her permission to pass on her number to grant. It was one of life's true pleasures to watch their love blossom and grow..... I will never, ever forget one particular night when i watched them hang out in an alley before one of Emma's shows and sit under the stars, canoodling like two angelic teenagers.. I first met Grant, Robert and Lindy when I was 10 years old, hanging out after school and on weekends as a punk kid at the Toowong Music Centre. They were like giant gods to me (and of course Lindy and Robert are both rather tall!), making their own music, releasing it on their own label and proving to everyone that you actually could start something from Brisbane, and with expat compatriots and brief UK flat mates The Saints, setting up the very foundations for the Brisbane music scene as it is today. I had their posters up on my walls, one of which Grant later told me he had personally screen printed (complete with pink lips, very andy warhol), and I remember ripping off label stickers for their first Able Label singles which were hanging off a mounted toilet roll holder behind the shop counter. It was there and then that I got the initial inspiration and drive to one day be in my own rock band, george. I loved Grant very much; he and The Go-be's were the soundtrack to my teenage life, and in particular, Grant showed many of us mere males that it was okay to be sensitive, foolish and romantic, and be dedicated to love. The recent times I spent working with grant will be moments I will treasure to the grave.. He was a gifted, intelligent, thoughtful, conscientious, generous, loving, beautiful man. "The light always shines the brightest In the Core of a Flame". "Love goes on anyway!" My prayers and thoughts go to everyone who was touched by his music, his lyrics,his passionate voice and his wonderful self. Tyrone Noonan Brisbane | ||
| Susie from Perth Western Australia Unregistered guest |
To not have personally known Grant, but to have been so attached and influenced by his music has been, and will continue to be a privilege. Thoughts to those who knew him and will miss him. | ||
| Guy Charles Pickles Unregistered guest |
TO G.M. When she told me, she cried. And now we'll never see you again, Standing slightly off to one side, Helping Robert sing the refrain, Just outside the spotlight. Oh, it was Forster she fancied, But you she loves to hear. 'Cattle and Cane' they will cite, But you made magic night after night. You didn't wane. Something gentle and good has fallen, Just like spring rain. | ||
| Sevinc MacCue Unregistered guest |
I didn't know Grant but I know his sister, Sally (shes my teacher) and I know she was really proud of Grant and she will miss him. | ||
| Garry Unregistered guest |
I have posted at various sites already, but want to add my own little tribute here of all places. The great memories of The London Forum, Jazz Cafe, Barbican and Kashmir Club shows will never fade, I can almost taste the shows that are still so fresh in my mind, some as much as 9 years on. Indeed as I write, I can still see Grant and Robert coming down to the Jazz Cafe stage along the narrow walkways to a rousing reception, Grant beaming as he always did. Then that manic grin at robert as Robert did one of his 'performances' of Danger in the Past as Grant played the guitar unable like the rest of us to keep his eyes off Robert's showmanship..breaking into great wide smiles as though he had never seen it before. The great humility shown as he would chat to the fans and do the necessary signing of cds and the like, he was an ordinary bloke like most of us, no delusions of grandeur. I feel like part of my life has been stripped away by this cruel twist of events, and my heart goes out to Robert particularly at this time - God bless you both! Also to Grant's nearest and dearest and the legions of Go Between fans old and new, who were possibly to see their star rise higher than it ever did. Thanks for everything Grant, you will never be forgotten as long as I have my photos and a cd player near at hand. Garry x | ||
| D K Unregistered guest |
My husband logged into his computer at work on Sunday, saw the news on the ABC website and immediately rang home. Shock, disbelief, great sadness. Born in the sugar town of Mackay, older than Grant by a few years and a Brisbane girl since the age of ten, I completely missed the Go-Betweens the first time round.Then, I was introduced to them by my son around the time of Bellavista. I was instantly smitten. Collected all the Cd's, saw them live at the Zoo and the Tivoli and, best of all, on a Sunday night at the Jubilee - a benefit gig with Grant, I think, switching to bass to play Lee Remick. Just wonderful. Grant, yours was a life lived well. So much poetry, so many emotions in your songs, but magically, always the sunshine. | ||
| Mark Unregistered guest |
I just heard. We had the privilege to play with The GB's on a couple of occasions and have remained firm fans ever since. I remember the Astoria with Lindy threatening to beat me up and Robert desperate to dye my hair grey for some reason, with Grant just grinning in the background. You couldn't help but fall in love with them. Music really has lost someone special. Mark Matthews The Dentists | ||
| Michael Holmes Unregistered guest |
Such a shock. Grant will be missed, but he has left a legacy of wonderful music. It is such a shame that its over so suddenly. Despite having picked up on the Go Betweens in the around the time of Spring Hill Fair, I only saw the band once (The Barbican - London 2004) - a wonderful show. I sincerely regret this was my only live memory of the band. Like Steve Kilbey said in his blog you take things for granted, always too busy etc. For me that was thinking that there will always be another opportunity to see the band, or there will always be another album. Now its over and there won't be either of these things. It is a truly sad time, condolences to all who knew Grant, he will be sorely missed. I only hope that in time people can celebrate Grant's life through his music. He will not be forgotten. | ||
| MelanieHick Unregistered guest |
Thanks for the music Grant. You will be well-remembered this Friday. I only just went down the Sister Ray in Soho last week to re-buy the Go-Betweens albums I had left back home in Australia. | ||
| Jason Wilson Unregistered guest |
Apart from the wonderful music (which will always speak for itself), Grant showed every boy from provincial Queensland that given enough integrity and heart and persistence, they too could aspire to move people and to do something great. When I lived in Brisbane I'd see him sometimes in Ric's and I was always too shy or polite to introduce myself. This I regret. Thanks for everything. Jason in Luton, UK. | ||
| Nick S Unregistered guest |
This is terrible news, I've grown up (and old) with The Go-Betweens, saw them first in the 1980's and many times over the years lastly at the Astoria, Charing Cross Road. Cattle And Cane is my all time favourite song, so evocative. Thank you Grant for all the great memories and songs I'll hum forever. Bless you. | ||
| William Payze Unregistered guest |
It is very sad news that Grant passed away. I heard driving home on Sunday afternoon just after thinking that the song they were playing, 'Finding You', was another piece of pop perfection from his pen. Unfortunately we won't get any more examples from him now but there is a rich vein to mine from his past. He was an inspiration for his individuality and thoughtfulness. One of my friends interviewed him last year and has placed a partial transcription up on the web. The adress is http://adrian-fabian.livejournal.com/ and I think it displays just how thougtful and intelligent he was. Musically he has been my best friend for the past three years and it is sad to lose him. My best wishes go out to all those close to him. William Payze | ||
| Ulrich A. Bayer Member Username: Marenhannes Post Number: 7 Registered: 03-2006 |
I'm so sorry. But also I'm very proud to be part of this message board. Thanks to all. Ulrich Bayer Love goes on! | ||
| Rene Unregistered guest |
just shocked.his wonderful music has been a constant in my life over the last 20 years. coming home you just knew his songs were (and are!) there for you like the best friend you could have. | ||
| Manuel Unregistered guest |
Goodbye, Grant McLennan! On Friday a candle will burn for you in Cologne, my thoughts will be with you for a much longer time. Your songs were with me for years of my life, thank you for that! Love and sympathy to your family and to Robert! Have a nice trip, Manuel | ||
| Veny Armanno Unregistered guest |
In 1995 I rang Grant and asked him to participate in something new: a songwriting panel for the Brisbane Writers Festival. He was too busy recording songs for a new album but took the time to be friendly, charming and genuine. He said I should ask him for the following year; I didn't. What an idiotic mistake. A friend of mine named Sally used to tell me about riding through NQ canefields on pushbikes with Grant when they were schoolkids; I always wanted to meet him and ask him if he remembered; I never did. There's a corner in Heaven for people like Grant McLennan, David McComb and other musical/literary geniuses and wonderful people taken too early from this life. Hopefully one day we'll get invited to that corner, and sit in. Thanks for decades of beautiful songs and memories; Spirit of a Vampyre will always be a favourite of mine. | ||
| Alex Morrison Unregistered guest |
I was so shocked and sadden to hear about Grant - such a terrible loss to all. I have loved Grant and Robert's music for many years, in fact it was my Husband, Drew, who first played a Go-Betweens record to me 20 years ago. I think we have seen them play in London every time since then, thank you for such great times. Drew came down to London because of their music, it inspired him, so I guess I have to thank you for that too. My condolences to Grant's family and friends, you will be greatly missed. Love Alex, London | ||
| Peter Hamilton Unregistered guest |
As someone in my early 40s the Go Betweens and Grant have been a part of my life for over 25 years, so from a selfish perspective it's hard to believe that distinctive voice won't be a part of it any more. My partner and I recently watched the Tivoli DVD and couldn't believe how blisteringly wonderful both the old and new songs are. As Robert said on the DVD they were one of the last bands to record a DVD so at least we can keep watching an absolutely wonderful talent both with the GBs and on his own solo albums. I only managed to see them live once in Glasgow around 86/87, they were incredible then and as last year's great album showed, they continued to be so. All my sympathy goes out to his friends and family. | ||
| matthew stanton Unregistered guest |
Grant's death is very upsetting. I am so glad I saw the band play often in the last few years. At their last melbourne show Grant's performance was remarkable. I grew up in Cairns, the same town Grant grew up in twenty years earlier. A number of his songs are set there ( bye bye pride & love goes on etc) and with such poetic power his storytelling summons forth the living memory of a place that has since been destroyed by greed and rampant over-development. His songs can move you on so many levels. They are at once specific yet their poetry manages to effortlessly transcend time and place. When ever I used to listen to bye bye pride I always felt so sad for the hometown that i lost. Since grant has died that sadness will be all the greater. | ||
| Simon Mills Unregistered guest |
When I was about 17, I got a cassette copy of 16 Lover's Lane. I put it into my old battered walkman and went to bed. Three hours later, I had listened to it over and over and the batteries were dead. I took the batteries from my sister's walkman and listened till they too were exhausted; then cobbled together enough batteries from the various remote controls for a few more listens. By the time I finally had to give in to the laws of physics and to sleep, I had fallen in love with Grant, Robert and the Go-Betweens. Their gig in the Ambassador in Dublin about 4 years ago was among the most electrifying I have ever seen. In his writing, his music, his stage presence and his interview, Grant came across as the kindest, most gentle and talented man I've never met. The realisation that there to be no more of the Forster-McLennan alchemy or of Grant's music seems a little too much to bear right now. To any of you reading this who knew or worked with Grant, I can only imagine how your grief is amplified. My thoughts and prayers with you all. | ||
| James Unregistered guest |
Devastating. On Saturday morning I was driving to my brothers house in North Devon with my five year old girl sitting in the back. We had turned off the motorway - I decided to put on a new cd by Richard James - Seven Sleepers Den to soundtrack the gorgeous drive across the moors. It's a beautiful album, part folk, and part pop, and at the moment obscure. Which made me think of the Go-Betweens! Grinning from ear to ear I imagined what Robert and Grant might make of it, and contemplated sending a copy to both as payback for the joy their music has put into my life. Two days later a friend from Perth e-mailed me this tragic news. "Its a front porch thing, with chilli alround - some cool lemonade...." I probably got that wrong but the positive vibe dries the tears. Huge condolences to Grant's family and girlfriend, and to Robert and the band. | ||
| Cormac Unregistered guest |
The go-betweens didn't play Dublin on the last tour so I went to Berlin with some friends to see them. It was a wonderful gig, up there with the Dublin gigs. I was looking forward to the next album and tour already. That's a gap that now will never be filled. Bye, bye Grant. Thanks for everything. | ||
| Geoff Smith Unregistered guest |
I'm Geoff,56 and posting from Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. Just read the terrible news in this morning's Guardian and I thought that I'd better send my condolences to Grant's family and to Robert and the rest of Grant's family and friends and of course all his fans worldwide. My memories of Grant's music begin with my first listening of Before Hollywood and being totally overwhelmed by it's brilliance and banging on about it to all my friends and playing tracks off it on a numerous occasions when I was working as a D.J Another memory is of walking by Camden Market in London and hearing Bachelor Kisses 'blasting' from a local music store and knowing a fan was listening to the just released Spring Hill Fair and wanting the world to know it. A few years later sat in the Duchess of York in Leeds with my girlfriend of the time, Karen, who worked in a library,Yeah, while listening to the barman play the whole of Horsebreaker Star. Of course the live performances of The Go-betweens and the solo gigs by Grant and Robert are the main memories to take out of this sad event. I often wonder what Robert and Grant thought about me after the gig in Leeds at the Warehouse when I showed them the fragments of the admission ticket that I had torn up following a major argument with my girl friend just hours before or was that a common event for Go-betweens fans? So now there is to be no more screams for That Way or shouts of "Get Down off Your Horse and Come Inside". I'm still shocked and trying to contact friends and departed girl friends to tell them the news. Once again deepest condolences to Grant's family all my love to everyone involved with the band over the years who have given us all so much pleasure and paricularly to Robert, Lindy and the others | ||
| Martin Paul Member Username: Martin_p Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
For the ones in Germany and the others who may like to know how close Grant was to many indie-lovers over here. Here's a link to an article in a German nation-wide newspaper (taz-die tageszeitung). The taz from Berlin published this very warm-hearted epitaph "Meister der Herzen" (master of hearts) today (of course in German) http://www.taz.de/pt/2006/05/10/a0178.1/text A slight remark: Grant is featured in the text as the Go-betweens' bassist. The author didn't seen to know that Grant handed over the bass to Robert Vickers and to Adele Pickvance subsequently. | ||
| Michael Watts Unregistered guest |
Don,t Know why but I played Bellavista Tce in my car the day before he died...was lucky to see him perform live.. feel comforted his work will last forever...mick sydney | ||
| Tracey Thorn Unregistered guest |
reading through all these messages of love yesterday, familiar names kept leaping out at me. peter walsh, dave haslam, lloyd cole, edwyn and grace....must be edwyn collins, i thought, and all at once it was like being spun back thru time. must have been about 1982 or 83. i was in my band the marine girls, and we got a dream gig supporting orange juice and the go-betweens. if i look up just to my left now, i have the bright orange poster still on my wall. thursday 31st may at the lyceum in london. we turned up with our 2 guitars and tiny amps, probably at around 6.30 to do the gig. only to be greeted by furious soundcrew and management people, demanding to know why we'd missed our soundcheck. "what's a soundcheck?" we asked in all innocence. we'd never had one before. it took the kind intervention of edwyn himself to stop us being sent home there and then... backstage in our dressing room (another novelty) we encountered the whirlwind that was lindy morrisson, who burst in demanding to borrow lipstick. that night marked the beginning of a friendship with the go-betweens, and for the next few years they just seemed always to be there, and those amazing songs were part of the soundtrack. after some pestering on my part they even let me sing backing vocals on the liberty belle album, and after that, at every gig i'd always be singing along inside my head. "there's only one thing that precious..." such a lot has happened to all of us since that night at the lyceum, hasn't it? i was reminded of how much time had passed when i last saw the go-betweens play, maybe a year ago, at the barbican. grant sang cattle and cane, and i had to swallow hard and blink a few times. i guess i always will when i hear it now. this goes out with much love to everyone at planet go-between, especially robert. and grant, we always knew you didn't steal that line about his father's watch being left in the shower. it was just a joke...! | ||
| from germany Unregistered guest |
"i took this chance to write a message, it´s just to say that i miss you..." | ||
| E.D. Unregistered guest |
I already left a post as soon as I heard the news, but I've been reading from then on all the following messages and let me say that some of you made my tears come out often. I had previously made my small and modest homage to him, but I did not post the link before since it is in Spanish. Watching all this amazing wave of goodbyes, I don't know if someone would be collecting them for any purpose. If so, here's mine, in my music blog http://escuchasdedesayuno.blogspot.com/2006/05/go-betweens-16-lovers-lane-1988-h asta.html Two pages about why I felt this passing away as a personal one. Maybe the first in music, and I've seen some. | ||
| M. Willis Unregistered guest |
Two memories from a fan....Armadale Hotel, Melbourne, 1982...standing in front of the stage just staring and listening as the GB's made it all seem so simple...the quality, the honesty...the pure pop. It's still like yesterday. The other driving home from work on Nepean Hwy through Bentleigh, 3RRR on the radio...on comes this song and it's almost like I held my breath through it. "Cattle and Cane"...the first time I heard it. It was sunny out, in the afternoon...If I never heard it again I would have remembered it always. Thank you for the chance to say farewell. Thank you for the music that made me see a wider existance. Michael Willis | ||
| James Tunna Unregistered guest |
I was really saddened to hear about Grants'passing away.Can remember the first time I heard cattle and cane on the radio back in Liverpool England and thinking'"wow,what have we got here?".How the go betweens did'nt become superstars I don't know,but Grant was part of a supreme songwriting partnership and will be sadly missed by friends,family and fans.Condolences to his family.RIP mate. | ||
| Andrew Unregistered guest |
I met my wife at a Go-Betweens gig at the Astoria in 1989. We were both devastated to hear the sad news. I got to see the classic line up Forster/Mc.Lennan/Morrison/Vickers at the International in Manchester around '87. I'd passed my driving test a couple of days before and drove over to Manchester with a few friends as I was the only one with a car. Luckily, We got to see the Go-betweens one last time at the Shepherds Bush Empire 2005. Great Memories, great songs.... Andrew Deevey | ||
| Glover Unregistered guest |
What sad sad news. Truly. I doubt as an 18 yr old I would have got through some terrible testing times without my Go-Betweens cassettes!!! Thanks for touching my life amongst many others as this message board gives evidence of. I only found out today and will play Go-Betweens songs very loudly when i get home from work later... with a tear in my eye but joy in my life! You will be missed but you will live on. | ||
| Fredrik Christie Unregistered guest |
Dear Grant. I've been in love with your music all my life, and will miss you always. F#m G#m A G#m. Endless love and respect Fredrik Christie | ||
| Rainer Gerhard Unregistered guest |
For more than twenty years I've been a huge fan of two bands: The Pet Shop Boys and The Go-Betweens. And now I'm listening to »Was that was it was?“ from PSB, thinking about Grant, his life, his beautiful songs and his too early death. And the answer is definitely: No. Grant will live on forever in the hearts of all the people, who have written so many beautiful tributes. Grant made people fall in love, he made children dance, he made humans cry and smile at the same time. Can you reach more? The last time I've seen the Go-Betweens was the gig in Hamburg in 2005. The one with the five encores. I was happily drunk, they played „Karen“ at last, which was the name of my then girlfriend, when I discovered the band for the first time in the Mid-Eightees. Then my now girlfriend said with a very moved voice, she has never been on a better gig all of her live before. And I realised that this band was a big contribution to my whole thinking existence. So I will remember Grant as one of the very few artists, from whom you get not only fun and hope and inspiration, but an idea how to improve your fuckin' own life too. Thanks, Grant. Good bye, Mr. McLennan. See you in heaven, yes, Sir. Rainer Gerhard, Hamburg | ||
| Donkey Edinburgh Unregistered guest |
I was out the country so not keeping up with the news. Read 'The Times' yesterday in Starbucks, Edinburgh and glanced Grant McLennan's picture in the obituary column - it took some time to sink in.....unbelievable really....saw Go Betweens at various times over the last 20 years .....always found that Grant had the more soulful voice...rest in peace, God Bless You. I recall a bigger brighter world a world of books and silent times in thought and then the railroad the railroad takes him home through fields of cattle through fields of cane from time to time the waste memory-wastes the waste memory-wastes further, longer, higher, older | ||
| Ray McKee, UK, Tyne & Wear Unregistered guest |
I was completely gutted to hear about Grant's death this weekend. I only got into The Go-Betweens about five years ago after hearing 'Cattle and Cane'on a compilation CD, I went out and bought as much stuff as I could afford, and I can honestly say I love all of it. Played 'Finding You' from 'Oceans Apart'on Monday and started to well-up when I heard the line "what would you do if you turned around and saw me, beside you?". I'll think of him everytime I hear that now. RIP. | ||
| cameron waldron Unregistered guest |
I have never been more moved by the news of a death of someone that I never knew personally. I am sure that those close to Grant Mclennan must be devastated by the untimely death of one of Australia's best singer songwriters and my heartfelt condolences go to them all. When people asked me what defined Australian music at its best, I have always pointed them to McLennan. Whilst we are lucky to have the most beautiful songs from "Cattle & Cane" to "Stones For You", McLennan was still writing classics as part of the newly invigorated Go Betweens and it is a tragic loss that we have all lost his future classics. Thank-you for the best music to ever come out of Australia. | ||
| Paul Warmington, Birmingham, UK Unregistered guest |
The thing about the Go-Betweens is that Grant and Robert's songs had the power to make me cry, even at the best of times. They can also make me laugh. I'm old enough to remember 'Lee Remick' first being played on John Peel but, although I was aware of the band, I didn't really start listening until the double 'blue' album. Perfect timing - as I then realised they'd just broken up. I also realised straight away that Grant and Robert's songs would stay with me forever. Last December I went to Australia for the first time and made sure to take 'Oceans apart' and a mixtape! Walking through Sydney I caught that striped sunlight sound - but I already knew what they meant. You won't be forgotten. | ||
| Marla Tremel Unregistered guest |
My husband and I heard the news on Sunday night. I am so shocked and saddened to know that someone so kind and talented has left us so young. It was not even a year ago that we had the good fortune to see The Go-Betweens play here, in North Carolina. It was a great show, very intimate and special. Grant you will be missed! Robert- Carry on! My heart goes out to you! "I dont wanna have to say goodbye, don't wanna wipe the tear from your eye, I took this chance to write a message, It's just to say that I'll miss you." | ||
| K Maxwell Unregistered guest |
i remember playing the postcard single over and over, sitting in front of my record player in a cold edinburgh room aged 17. i didn't know the music and the guys who made it would always be as inspirational. i only met grant once, a long time later, briefly backstage in a dressing room in paris. but he was a charming host, poured the wine freely and justifiably drew attention to robert's finely tailored pinstriped suit. for me, it was a very good night. | ||
| Peter Bauckham Unregistered guest |
Such sad news. Grant's wonderful music has been a constant companion to me ever since I saw the video to 'Was there anything I could do?'. God bless you. | ||
| Olivier Unregistered guest |
Je me souviens de ce concert au Divan du Monde à Paris en 1999, où Grant s'était discrètement installé contre le mur du fond de la salle, juste derrière moi, pour regarder la première partie. Moi qui n'espèrais plus voir une fois dans ma vie le groupe sur scène, je n'en revenais pas. Voilà Grant, une heure avant le concert évènement de la reformation du groupe : un passionné de musique désireux de vivre cette magnifique soirée comme n'importe quel autre spectateur présent dans la salle. Puis vint le concert, Grant et Robert seuls, grandiose ! Robert en immense dandy clownesque, Grant à l'opposé d'une discrétion extrème, comme spectateur du show burlesque de son ami, mais le sourire permanent de l'homme heureux d'être là, enfin, avec ses Go-Betweens adorés. Voilà, je suis très triste maintenant. Et en écoutant les morceaux présents sur le "Live at the Tivoli, Brisbane", j'imagine Grant avec sa guitare, entrain de faire dandiner les petites fesses des anges... Moi, je me dandine encore, encore et encore. Merci infiniment Grant. Robert, on pense très fort à toi. Olivier, Paris, France | ||
| david clements Unregistered guest |
"Anyone who mourns a famous person who they didn't know is a freak and a nutter." Well I used to think that until I heard the news on Monday. It is a testament to his greatness as a songwriter that so many of us feel this way; as if we are mourning the passing of a friend. And in a way he was because his music has been a constant presence in our lives, in love affairs and breakings up,in the good times and bad. And will continue to be. | ||
| rosebedbaby Unregistered guest |
this is my favourite non-gig gobs memory: in about 86 i was renting a house in marrickville with the most abysmal walls, so we covered every inch of wall space with huge sheets of white butcher's paper and wrote lyrics all over them in crayon.... we'd have drunken nights singing along & writing as fast as possible to try and keep up with the singing.... lots of swirly pretty intricate patterns made from words.. of course, this included heaps and heaps of gobs lyrics... even after i moved, i kept the paper for years, they meant so much to me... a reminder of some very beautiful and perfect moments in time. my love & sympathy to all gobs friends and family, past and present... Grant, eternal thanks for your incredible gift to us all. | ||
| Steve Kalidoski Unregistered guest |
Having seen the Go-Betweens live dozens of times in England and Australia over the last 2 decades they have always had a special place in my heart and a band I always relished ‘turning people on to’. Therefore if will come as no surprise to know that I felt a deep sense of loss and shock when I collected the last of my emails at work yesterday evening to receive the unexpected email from Lomax records informing me of the very sad news. Grant and Robert’s music touched me like few artists really can. I recall being privileged to attend what I believe to be the last 2 English concerts they played together as the Go-Betweens in Birmingham and London nearly a year previous. A few weeks prior to these shows I had just split (amicably) with my long term partner of 9 years. Seeing the Go-Betweens really lifted my spirits: I especially recollect the moment at the Shepherds Bush Empire when Grant took the microphone from it’s stand and danced around the stage to the delight of the audience during a brilliant rendition of ‘The Statue’ - and I instantly knew that everything was all right again in the world. Fortuitously a Go-Betweens album was on hand for the 30 minute drive home yesterday evening. ‘Cattle & Cane’ blared out of my car speakers at high volume with the windows down, goose bumps on my arms on a balmy summer’s evening drive home through the county fields. Followed at home later by ‘Oceans Apart’ and accompanied by a cold beer and melancholic mood. Grant, you will be sorely missed. The music you left us is a most priceless gift. I thank you. | ||
| Oliver Unregistered guest |
Just learned this sad news last night at a concert in Hamburg, Germany. Architecture In Helsinki performing "People Say" in memory of Grant - breath-taking. The clouds lie on their backs And rain on everyone But you always stay dry You've got your own private sun Thanks for the great music & have a good trip, Grant! Oliver | ||
| Miranda Wallace Unregistered guest |
Listening to the Go-Betweens soothed my homesickness during a long time living in the UK. Seeing Grant & Robert perform at the Shepherd's Bush Empire and at the Barbican was astounding - heart in my throat, listening them play song after beautiful song. Great memories. It's terrible that we will have no more of Grant's impassioned, poetic lyrics and sweet melodies, but I'm very thankful for the ones we do have. I'll be playing them for a long while yet. Thank you, Grant. | ||
| Nino Unregistered guest |
I saw you once - last year in May in Dresden. I took a photograph of you and Robert in front of the clear blue sky. The concert that day was so intensive. Now I have cried all my heart out for you. | ||
| della Unregistered guest |
The news of the passing of Grant has left me feeling cold - so sudden, the wonderful music you have left will live long. Thank you for all the gifts that you have left... TD | ||
| KS from germany Unregistered guest |
Just a few days ago I introduced a friend of mine to the wonderful music of the Go-Betweens and Grant...I also told her that I am looking forward to seeing the GB's live when possible...this is all so sad. A big fan from germany, KS | ||
| Cormac O'Leary Unregistered guest |
Condolences to Grant's family & friends. & his partner in musical magic - Robert; for the wider community of music fans everywhere. It is a true loss. I first heard the sublime Gobetweens music when Irish DJ Dave Fanning (he helped discover U2) played 'The wrong road', sometine in the 1980's, he said it was one of the best songs ever written - I was smitten and began a trawl of every bargain bin and second hand record shop. I gradually pieced together this extraordinary Australian bands story. They became the soundtrack to my lost youth - opening up great spaces in the imagination- to hear Cattle & cane is to take a train trip into the vast heartland of Australia - a place I have never visited - to hear Spring rain or Streets of your town is to jaunt about the boulevards and suburbs of Brisbane or Sydney - they made melodic soundscapes for your dreamworld - they were great travel companions, I took them everywhere with me - England, Barcelona, trying to live in the floating bohemian world they sung of, every compilation tape I made up for a friend or sweetheart had to have atleast 1 or 2 gobetween songs - Bachelor kisses, quiet heart, all chiming bright as summer rain. My copy of '16 lover's lane' is as worn as that other bittersweet classic it echoes- Bob Dylan's 'blood on the tracks' - but their sound was always unique, always very much their own - awkward, beautifull, magic - hearing Oceans Apart was like catching up with old friends after years apart- its a joy. As an artist in my studio I need to hear it to inspire me to work - Grant's music lives on in all of us, Love goes on from Cormac, County Leitrim, Ireland | ||
| Klas from Sweden Unregistered guest |
Thank you so much Grant. I was lucky enough to see you play on a few very memorable occasions. An unplugged session at McCabe's in Santa Monica, warming up for R.E.M. in Melbourne, and for Lloyd Cole in Stockholm. But probably a sunny afternoon acoustic gig at Hultsfredfestivalen is the one that best resembles my image of your music: relaxed, heartwarming yet bittersweet. You are sadly missed! | ||
| julie Unregistered guest |
Will miss you so much. Ride On Julie UK | ||
| Chris S Unregistered guest |
Absolutely tragic. No further words are needed after the other eulogies. Clocked in with my first gig in '88 for the Talulah tour (London Astoria) and have stayed ever since. I guess we would all appreciate the irony if, some years down the line (and in a more direct way than "24"), a film or TV soundtrack heavily featured a GBs song, thus generating a massive interest in the back catalogue.... all the best to the family Chris and Maria | ||
| Jon Parris Unregistered guest |
I just want to convey my own sadness at the death of Grant McLennan. I first read of the Go-Betweens in a "Trouser Press" article in 1984, and sought out the "Before Hollywood" LP soon after on a trip to the city (Atlanta, GA). "Cattle & Cane" was an immediate highlight, and it still stands to me as the band's greatest moment. Funny, when my music pals would press me on my fave go-be songwriter...i'd usually cite Robert, and his work has stirred me greatly. But now I think of "Cattle" and listening to "Bye Bye Pride" riding through the wet streets of London in 1987...magic memories, and so many more. Thanks, Grant, the door is always open wide. Jon Parris Valdosta, GA USA | ||
| Alan Kerr Unregistered guest |
Your music formed such a big part of my life and brought such joy and pleasure into it. RIP Grant. Love AlanX. | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face. All the beautiful heartfelt messages. So so many of them. I could only read a few, and had to stop. I don't think I could take reading them all, one after the other. My heart is breaking, and I've never even met Grant. Like most of us here, though, that doesn't mean we didn't feel as if we knew him. We know him through every word he sang. I don't remember when I first heard the Go-betweens. I can't recall when I first realised I loved the band. I can hardly remember when the Go-Betweens' music was not part of the internal soundtrack to my life. I remember the ache I felt in the early nineties, when I finally could afford to buy the entire Go-Betweens back-catalogue, listening to all six albums back-to-back, and then realising (at that time) that I might never hear any new Go-Betweens music. I remember the happiness I felt, when word filtered out that the Go-Betweens were reforming, and back recording. I remember bringing my sisters to the Olympia in Dublin, to see them play, only to ignore them all night, enraptured in the music. They stood and laughed at my blissful grin, but by the end of the night, there were two more Go-Betweens fans in the world.. I remember this time last year. I bought the plane ticket, the concert ticket, booked the hotel, to see the GoBetweens play at the Sheperds Bush Empire. Because a family event clashed with the gig, I didn't go. I thought there would be loads more gigs... I'll miss him like an old friend. To all of Grant's friends, loved ones, family members, my love and thoughts and prayers. Please think of this posting, and all the others here, as the nearest thing to a hug of support any of us can give you all. My last words are borrowed, from another great man of words, who was also taken too early. LATE FRAGMENT Raymond Carver And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so? I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the earth. | ||
| Cody Unregistered guest |
In the mid-eighties, in a small midwestern town, In a tiny one-sheet fanzine, I first heard of the Go-Betweens by way of a review of their first US release "Metal and Shells." That record was the first of many pleasurable experiences I had with the Go-Betweens. One day they even came close enough to my corner of[f] the world that I was able to go meet them in person and hear those songs played right there in front of me in a small bar in Kansas City. I eventually returned the favor to that reviewer of "Metal and Shells" by releasing his first single. I wish there was something I could do to return the favor to Grant and Robert and all of the other Go-Betweens. Thank You all. Grant, you will be missed, but never forgotten. Cody Lawrence, Kansas, USA | ||
| tracey andrew Unregistered guest |
growing up listening to the go-betweens , the beautiful lyrics of australian life experiences. 'thankyou grant' what a sweet timeless journey its been. | ||
| Ced Unregistered guest |
Came back from hol this morning, played Oceans apart to cheer me up and now I learn the news. I still cannot believe it. This is very very sad. My thoughts go out to Grant's family and friends. I'll miss you, Grant! Thanks for all these wonderful songs that made me cry and smile and love and live. Thank you. Cédric France | ||
| Julie-Ann Vickers Unregistered guest |
Four days later, disbelief and sadness still mark the time. One of the first gigs I went to (with my older sister, my mother, and my aunty!) was the Riptides/Go-Betweens joint effort at the old UQ refec. Both lyrically and musically, the Go-Betweens have set the standard ever since. I only ever saw Grant McLennan play in Brisbane; and so it will be hard to comprehend a Brisbane without him and the GOBS. All thanks to Robert F. for encouraging Grant to pick up an instrument in the first place - an action that set in motion a truly wonderful musical life. Deepest condolences to all who knew him Julie-Ann Vickers (and the rest of the Vickers family) | ||
| steve swann Unregistered guest |
"I remember a schoolboy coming home...." I remember being not much more than a schoolboy, scrambling into the back of my mate Mark's new work van and a bunch of us, teenage boys from a small town in North West England, driving up to Frank's club in Colne to watch the Go-Betweens. It was the early 80's and though we shouted long and loud for "Eight Pictures" you didn't play it. You thought we were taking the piss. It didn't matter because you were brilliant, Lindy winked at Mark and you and Robert spoke to us afterwards. Through the grim years of Thatcher's decade the Go-B's provided the soundtrack to the lives of many of the people in my circle. I once wandered around Europe in a daze to the sound of 16 Lovers Lane after being dumped. When one of my friend's asked you at a gig in Manchester: "how do you write such brilliant lyrics?" You replied "with a pen." In truth I think most of us were a bit scared of Robert but you were the lovable, sensitive older brother. You'll be greatly missed, our rock n' roll friend. Love and sympathy to your family, friends and of course to Robert. Steve St Albans, UK | ||
| Kolja Becker Unregistered guest |
The Go-Betweens were my companions during the warm summer of 1987 when I had just finished highschool. I was young, free, full of plans and full of ideas. I fell in love a lot then, and the Go-Betweens were with me all the time. I never missed a concert of Robert or Grant in Hamburg during the following decades, and my life changed step by step: I graduated, went to do my duty at the hospital every day, married, became a proud father of two kids. How overwhelmed I was when I saw the Go-Betweens' concert in Hamburg in 2005: Nearly twenty years after I had seen them for the first time, they were still able to move me that deeply - with new songs! They were so vital, yet so grown up and dignified. Oh, how I wished that Grant could have stayed with us for at least another twenty years - too sad he went so early. My heartfelt condolences to his family and close friends. | ||
| Brett Leigh Dicks Unregistered guest |
It is funny how you venerate your life with appropriate markers. For me, when I think of the early eighties, I think of those early Go-Between shows back home in Australia. The energy, the good will, the humor, the total lack of pretension, and the music, the wonderful, wonderful music. When I think of 1988, I think of "16 Lovers Lane". Has there been a more beautiful collection of songs ever recorded? Masterpiece is a word too often used, but "16 Lovers Lane" not only falls into that category - it defines it. Mention the year 2000 and I think of “The Friends of Rachel Worth”. After ten years, another Go-Betweens album. I was so excited when I heard that news! And last year it was “Oceans Apart”. Thirty years strong and a band can still surprise me. Why do we equate the word star with celebrities? Grant McLennan was a true star. A guiding light. A shimmering union of beauty and wonder. Let's reclaim the word and bestow it upon someone truly worthy of the accolade. "Watershed", "Horsebreaker Star", and the remarkable "Jack Frost" collaboration. The shows, the songs, and the love. Grant once told me that he likes to make recordings that sound like you are right there in the room with him. I am listening to “Finding You”. And just as he and The Go-Betweens have been throughout my life, Grant is right here in the room with me now. Love, peace, and strength to all. | ||
| atl_markus Unregistered guest |
In 1987, while rummaging through some used CDs at a local shop in Atlanta, GA, I came across a "promo" copy of Liberty Belle and purchased it. As the first CD I ever owned, it has always been special - not just for the songs - but for opening up a door to a beautiful world of the Go-Betweens, a love affair that has lasted nearly 20 years. For a long time, the band's music was a special personal treasure that I felt fortunate to discover and to eagerly share with friends. During the tour for 16 Lovers Lane, had the good fortune to catch the shows in New York, Atlanta and Phoenix - which proved to be the last US show of that tour. I remember snatching Grant's copy of the set list from the stage in Atlanta and scribbling about a dozen more song titles to the end of the list in the misguided hope that perhaps they would play all night. I didn't want that feeling to end. A few years later, while working in Sydney for a year, managed to catch 2 solo solos shows of Grant's and one of Robert's - each in their own right wonderful memories. My friends thought I was out of my mind to fly cross country last year to LA to catch the show there. While lingering in the bar, Robert suddenly walked in to the club and was standing a few feet away, casually chatting to some friends. Somehow, I summoned the courage to approach him, rather awkwardly, to shake his hand and thank him for coming to America and playing their music for us. It was a great show and meeting Robert in person was something very special. Learning of Grant's passing was like losing a close personal friend. In the past days, it has been a great comfort to read the tributes and see the outpouring of affection for Grant and the band - here and elsewhere in the media. I think it was Joni Mitchell who said "doesen't always seem to go - you don't know what you've got till it's gone". Thank you Grant, Robert and band mates for making the world a better place through your music. Mark Atlanta, GA (USA) | ||
| eric seftel Unregistered guest |
i had the opportunity to speak with Grant very briefly during their tour to NYC last year. he seemed, in person, to be the same warm, kind, deeply feeling individual that came thru the beautiful songs he wrote. i feel so badly for us, the longtime fans, given the band's recent resurgence, but more so for his lifelong friend and partner Robert.... | ||
| Mikko Unregistered guest |
Thanks for the moments and memories Your music brought and will always bring to my world. from Mikko (Finland) | ||
| John Papadopoulos Unregistered guest |
So many of the happiest parts of my life involve a Go Betweens song in my head. Summer breaks, lonely bus rides...When I lent my future wife my spare copy of 16 Lovers Lane (how many times have so many of us bought that album and still felt it was worth it!) and she came back loving all the songs, us seeing Grant and Robert play a few years ago in Toronto, Ocean Apart being the soundtrack to our baby's first days... Thank you - my deepest sympathies to Robert and all of Grant's loved one's. God rest his soul. | ||
| Paul McClennan Unregistered guest |
First heard the Go-Betweens on the John Peel show. Cattle and Cane sounded so different from everything else, it was instantly memorable. For some reason it was only when I re-read the lyrics to that song today on the website that the news really sunk in. Only got to see the band play twice, both in Germany 88/89. The second time supporting REM. I'll always remember Grant's enthusiasm that night. It was a great gig. I so wish now I had gone to the London gig a couple of years ago. My thoughts go out to Grant's friends and family, and to Robert. Thank you both for writing so many fantastic songs. | ||
| Thomas, Berlin DE Unregistered guest |
Sympathies to all those who knew Grant McLennan as a friend and loved one. As for someone who only got to know him through his music, I would just like to express my sincerest thanks to Grant, not only for all the great songs and records, but for being the kid from out back of Rocky who gave us a new angle on Love, Home and other things and, in the process, became a truly great songwriter. An inspired life. | ||
| Six white horses Unregistered guest |
It was in 1983 when me and my friends took a ride from our hometown near Regensburg up to Hof in the north of Bavaria, Germany to see an Austrailian band called "The Go-Betweens" at the "Alter Bahnhof". It was the time of punk and new wave and we expected one more band like this.But what a big surprise for me as an Dylan-fan there were those guys on a small stage with accustic guitars playing those fine and beautiful songs. From the first tune I became a big fan and still I am and will be forever. Reiner | ||
| frank west Unregistered guest |
beautiful, beautiful music | ||
| paul p Unregistered guest |
Ever since I heard Right Here back in 87, Grant has been there for me in my life. Making the high points higher and the low points much more bearable. A Legend, A true musical genius and although I never met him I class him as a friend. My thoughts are with his family and close friends at this time and forever | ||
| Peter Holsapple Unregistered guest |
I am so sad about Grant's death. It was a privilege to know him and tour with him and the Go-Betweens years ago. He gave us all such great music, and now it's our responsibility to pass it along to others who may not know his work. Condolences to Grant's family and to Robert and all Go-B's past and present. Cheers, my friend, you're always with us in spirit. PH | ||
| Ross Mc Entaggart Unregistered guest |
Hearing the news of Grants death today, it left me with deep feeling of sadness. Not only for his family and band members, but all of us who will no longer be able to appreciate his talents on stage and in new material. Let us cherish the music, as we continue to play it for many years to come. | ||
| rlangston Unregistered guest |
Note to A Queensland Boy You didn't need to go to Paris to be a poet. When you sent that boy back across the canefield in search of his father, you'd found the heart of your muse: love, loss. Such an early induction into our impermanence made you burn for life. Paris was in you. And you urged us, again and again, to stand as close as we could to the flames. The best part of us did. And now I see you on that far shore, across that final stretch of water, blowing back your kisses. -rlangston | ||
| Richard Burbage Unregistered guest |
What a sad time. My father died 10 days ago and the funeral is also on Friday 12th May so that day will be poignant for two reasons now. I was a fan of The Go Betweens since the Beggars Banquet album of Liberty Belle (I trusted most things on BB and gave it a spin) and then when they split up I thought "ok, get over it, now you'll get two albums a year instead of one!" and then you guys got back together and released three equally beautiful records. But now what will we all do?! Thankfully we do at least have last years DVD to remember Grant by visually and aurally. Such a unique talent and so complimentary to Robert's songwriting and vocals. | ||
| christian schlüter Unregistered guest |
The music of the go-betweens is a part of my life since 1983. I`m very sad! Christian from Hamburg | ||
| Ben Clancy Unregistered guest |
Last Friday, at the glorious return of another legend borne by punk and nurtured on Patti Smith’s poetics – Lawrence in his Go-Kart Mozart incarnation, since you ask – a friend I lived with a decade ago asked me what I was listening to. I turned to him and raised my eyebrows. “The Go-Betweens,” he laughed, “and some other stuff, still?” They have that effect on people. I was fortunate enough to have interviewed and – he was that sort of man – then socialised with Grant a few times. One question involved Going Blind. His head lolled from side to side, then a smile spread slowly across his face and just audibly I could hear him humming the song. When he snapped out of his reverie, beaming, he apologised. “I was singing that song...it’s a good one.” A master of the understatement. I never did get an answer to the question, but I got far more insight than I'd asked for. Another time, at the Columbia Hotel – it was always the Columbia – I related how, in 1996, having been refused a Friday off work I resigned on the spot, walked out and booked my passage to Paris to see The Go-Betweens play. The next day, I’d met some French people in a pub and, as it turns out, one of the girls showed up unannounced on my doorstep 6 weeks later. Grant was by turns shocked, impressed and then hurt that he, the star, hadn’t had any amour. I suggested that, surely, he, the star, would’ve had some female interest. His denial turned to capitulation to, finally, with that mischievous grin many will remember with great affection, the intimation that, you know, maybe. No details, no confirmation; as on every occasion he was the perfect gentleman. It’s taken me a few days to play The Go-Betweens again. Even now, listening with a sense of added poignancy, I know that when a friend asks me in a decade’s time, I’ll still be listening to The Go-Betweens. They have that effect on people. | ||
| andreas Member Username: Andreas Post Number: 31 Registered: 04-2006 |
sorry, this is my second message, too. grant's passing still bothers me. like so many people here i am still totally battered and in a condition of deep sadness. i never met grant mclennan personally (just saw him in concerts in the eighties and now in the new millenium) but the relation through his (and the gobs) music seems to be stronger than i ever thought of. i feel that his passing is a big, big loss. to his family, friends. but also to the world of music and to me personally. yesterday i pulled out some old singles like 'i need two heads' and 'hammer the hammer'. i played 'cattle and cane', for sure. shivers run through my spine. this music meant so much to me and my life. it was part of the soundtrack of my twenties. the reunion of the gobs brought out three wonderful albums and now this music is part of the soundtrack of my forties. it is music to grow old with. sadly to know that we never get to know all those unwritten songs. but thanks for all those timeless music you gave us, grant (and robert - i hope he will continue. i am sure he will.). once again my condolences go out to his family, to his friends and companions. still dazzled with a lot of thoughts swirling around my head. andreas, berlin, germany p.s.: maybe especially for german fans i like to announce that on 11th of may you can listen to a tribute show on radio eins here in berlin from 9:00 pm till 11:00 pm (cet + 1h) and via stream ( http://www.radioeins.de/ ). | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 310 Registered: 08-2004 |
What sad news. My best wishes to Grant's family, friends & fans. | ||
| Caroline O'Brien Unregistered guest |
I've just heard the terrible news and am so, so sad. The Go-Betweens and Glasgow seemed to have a special connection, from all those years ago in Govan to the recent Ferry. I'll be thinking of you an Friday Grant, listening to the beautiful songs that you wrote and sang in your sweet, warm way. | ||
| Jeff Defalque Unregistered guest |
I was 15 living in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1983 when I discovered "Before Hollywood" at the one record store in the city that carried new wave and punk albums. I read some of the lyrics printed on the jacket and decided to take a shot on a band I'd never heard of. Perhaps I was enticed by Robert's crazy, greased-up pompadour on the cover. The album quickly became my favorite, and I played its haunting melodies every afternoon when I returned from high school. On a trip to New York during my senior year, I picked up "Spring Hill Fair" and "Send Me a Lullaby." I used "Cattle & Cane" as the basis of a media project in a senior class. I went to college in Los Angeles and turned my roommate onto the band, especially since that year they released the excellent "Liberty Belle & The Black Diamond Express." The band was supposed to tour L.A. the following year, but the show got cancelled (I'd heard they'd had problems getting their visas cleared). They wound up playing The Roxy my junior year, and I trekked across L.A. on a bus to catch them. The show was incredible, of course. Not a huge turnout, but everyone there was obviously a huge fan, which made it one of the only good rock shows I've seen in L.A. During one of the encores, Grant stepped off the stage with his acoustic guitar and meandered through the crowd playing "Cattle & Cane." He walked around to crowds of fans, looked straight at them, and seemed to be singing to each person there. When he came up to me, he saw I was wearing a t-shirt under my button down. He used the head of his guitar to peel back my shirt and expose my New Order t-shirt underneath. He gave me a very puzzled look, which I've wondered about to this day. Guess he wasn't a New Order fan. Anyway, I want to thank Grant and Robert for their many years of creating beautiful music and playing it for grateful fans. I know they never got the recognition they deserved, but I believe The Go-Betweens will be remembered as one of the greats. They will hopefully get a resurgence of popularity the way V.U. did, years after they broke up. And musicians for years to come will discover and be influenced by their tunes. Again, guys, thanks for the beautiful memories... | ||
| 2fs Unregistered guest |
There is something so very human about Grant McLennan's songs - they do not come across like product, or even craft (though certainly they display plenty of that), but as a person, unpredictable, complex, yet ultimately comfortable as an old pair of shoes. If Robert Forster's songs were a man taking care to give a sharp presentation of himself, Grant's are the same man, having sat down, made himself comfortable, and begun chatting with you. A brilliant pairing - and a set of wonderful, living songs. | ||
| Martin, CGN, Germany Unregistered guest |
So shocking and still unbelievable. The Go-Betweens have been one of the few constants in my (cultural) life for almost twenty years. Grants passing feels like a good friend is gone, although I never got to know him personally. Greatest thanks for providing us with such great, touching music and some of the best performances I ever saw on stage. So sad that all this came to an end now. | ||
| George, Glasgow Unregistered guest |
Still numbed by the news of Grant's death. His music and warmth will be sorely missed. Sincere condolences to all his friends, colleagues & loved ones. | ||
| Jo-Anne, in Germany Unregistered guest |
So unbelievably sad. It´s taken me these last four days to reach a point where I´m able to write these few lines in deepest respect of Grant, I´ve been so immobilised by the news.In the meantime I´ve kept logging on to read these beautiful tributes to a beautiful person. Thank you very very much again to the people working to keep the tribute pages running, it´s been such a comfort to me to feel this incredible sadness along with so many other people around the globe, and they are all so eloquent they express my hurt for me much better than I can. The GB´s songs have accompanied me from the time of Spring Hill Fair, this music of beauty and wonder has been an integral part of my life and will be forever. These songs are like my heartbeat. Many memories are flooding over me, of those crazed and happy 80´s days, especially between 85 and 87 in Sydney, I think my friends and I hardly missed a gig. As soon as Grant Lindy Robert and Robert took to the stage we´d be grinning from ear to ear, and the feeling of lightness and happiness has stayed with me all this time, helping me through my personal highs and lows. Now nearly 50 years old and living the last ten years in South Germany, I count my lucky stars that I was able to see them play in Freiburg last May. As Grant sang Boundary Rider I couldn´t help but weep.... the song and his exceptionally tender voice seemed to sum up my own abstract feelings of home and second home and time. I needed a couple of Marguritas after that, it was a wonderful night. Grant, I just want to say thank you. My deepest condolences to Grant´s family, friends, and all Go-Betweens past and present. Robert, my heart goes out to you. I´m playing Danger in the past a lot these last few days as well, its helping me so much to hear your voice. | ||
| Benedikt Stumpf Unregistered guest |
The German radio station „radio eins“ (Radio Berlin Brandenburg) will broadcast (as well on the Internet) a two-hours special dedicated to Grant McLennan as part of the program „HappySad“ on May 11th at 9:00 pm (CET; repetition on May 13th from 3:00 to 5:00 am): http://www.radioeins.de/_/beitrag_jsp/key=beitrag_99835.html | ||
| joan vich Unregistered guest |
maximum respect for mr mclennan. i will dedicate my radio show tomorrow in mallorca, spain, to his memory, playing some of his songs. we will have a great time with such an excellent soundtrack. he will be remembered for a long time. | ||
| Alison Glasgow Unregistered guest |
On Sunday morning, I got a text from my brother telling me the news. He put on quiet heart and just cried. This morning, I drove past the Renfrew Ferry listening to Tallulah. Three days later and it still doesn't seem real. Like many of you, I've spent numerous happy nights with my brothers and friends immersed in the true pleasure that is watching Robert and Grant together on stage. I'm so grateful for these memories and for the wealth of music that we still have. My thoughts are with Grant's family and those who really knew him. Love to Robert, Alison | ||
| Chris from Virginia, USA Unregistered guest |
So sad to see someone so young, vibrant, creative, talented, depart from us so soon. My thoughts and prayers go out to those closest to him...Robert, his girlfriend Emma, his family, and all his fellow musicians/friends. he will be missed. Chris B. | ||
| Olaf from Berlin Unregistered guest |
Don't know what to say. "Cattle and Cane" has been my favourite song since it came out way back then, it's a song that makes me happy when I'm sad and even more happy when I'm happy... there's so many other songs as well, but... Wow, now that he's dead I can start to feel old I guess... Further, longer, higher, older... There'll always be room on my shooulder for him... | ||
| Seamus Duggan Unregistered guest |
On a spring day in the early Nineteen Eighties I saw the Go-Betweens play Spring Rain to a crowd on the cricket field in Trinity College, Dublin. Their performance was interrupted by showers in the sunlight. There were fears of electrocution and there was certainly electricity in the air. I could feel it all along my spine. That there weren't showers of No 1's was a great injustice and a loss to popular consciousness. The afternoon of that transcendent performance I sat at a pub table beside half the band and mumbled echoes of my admiration. Once again I mumble my admiration but through the echoes of tears. A little paragraph in todays paper placed a final full stop on the late renaissance of The Go Betweens with news of the death of Grant McLennan. That final No 1 will have to be No 1 in heaven. Lucky heaven. But we still have the music. Lucky us. | ||
| Danny Rowe Unregistered guest |
Last night, I did a weekly DJ gig at a local bar with my friends in Norfolk, Virginia. All I brought with me were 6 Go-Betweens CDs, "Watershed" and "Horsebreaker Star". I worked in about twenty songs during the night and we actually had a pretty full house. A few people unfamiliar with the band were dancing to "Lee Remick" and I ended the night with my favorite songs that Grant and Robert gave us "Quiet Heart" and "Bachelor Kisses". I will really miss The Go-Betweens, but I never will forget them! | ||
| Danny Verbeek Unregistered guest |
I wish Robert and Grants family and loved one all the best. I will miss his beautiful sweet voice. I always had the dream that Grant and Robert would play (cattle and Cane) on the opening night of one of my documentaries, but I guess I have to think of him as an angel, just being around, watching, hopefully. Robert, I talked to you in Amsterdam last time, and you two seemed so happy, on and off stage. You lost a dear friend, and I can't do anything to take that away. It's just terrible and stunning. My love for you, Danny Verbeek the Netherlands | ||
| vincent Unregistered guest |
so sad goodbye and thank you my friend, my rock n'roll friend vincent france | ||
| Familycat Unregistered guest |
GRANT McLENNAN was the PAUL McCARTNEY of my generation. As it always seems to happen with the ones blessed with the extraordinary talent of colouring our days, our lives, our memories, he was called too soon to the presence of Whom thought that there was a risk, because of angels like him, the Earth became a Heavenly place. I hope he keeps writing songs, wherever he is: we’ll never stop listening. One day he’ll play for us again. Cláudio from Portugal | ||
| Large Burgers Member Username: Burgers Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2005 |
I last saw Grant playing an instore set and DJing at Born to be Wide just under a year ago. Twenty years after I first saw the Go-Betweens. My favourite band. The greatest band. Very sad news. | ||
| R.B Unregistered guest |
Somehow his songs were always perfect for listening to on the train. On a sunny day. Thank you Grant. | ||
| Corin Tucker Unregistered guest |
One of the best things about playing music is the people you meet along the way. I had admired the Go-Betweens beautiful songs for many years, when, in 1998 my band Sleater-Kinney went to their gig in San Francisco. We ended up meeting them, and amazingly, working with them on The Friends of Rachel Worth. Grant was an incredible songwriter and a huge musical talent, and he was also a hell of a lot of fun. Our deepest condolences go out to Robert, Adele, Emma and Grant's family. | ||
| C Suabo Member Username: Chet Post Number: 4 Registered: 04-2006 |
It is still unbelievable. A few days have passed and that empty feeling hasn't gone yet. I hug my kids because I can. Life is fleeting. I have been a fan for two decades. A song or two at first, then the trauma of a breakup made me dive deep into the Go Betweens and I haven't come up for air since. I lived in rural Canada for so long that seeing them was virtually impossible. I was jinxed. I moved to Europe and after buying tickets tor a holiday in Spain, a tour was announced and they were coming within an hour of my home in Germany. I changed the ticket and flew to Basel. I rushed to the show, missing the opening song. They were there. Robert, being, well, Robert and Grant with a grin from ear to ear. It was euphoric. A few other 30 and 40 somethings were singing along beside the young Swiss out for evening, who did not seem to recognize that they were watching something special. Grant's music spoke to me in a way few others have matched. I am so glad that I was able to see him at least once. | ||
| Matthew Parkes Member Username: Sparky Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2005 |
Last night but one I went from great elation to deep sadness. Tom Dunne on Irish radio played some songs in tribute and I caught two. I was on my way home after a successful day at work putting an exhibition in place. The music just raised my feelings to a great mood, only for him to announce that Grant had died in his sleep. So unexpected, so unreal. Grant's music, solo, Jack Frost etc and most especially in partnership with Robert and the Go Betweens has accompanied me through my life since a friend introduced me to Springhill Fair all those years ago. Thanks so much Grant (and Robert etal) for so many good memories, great emotions and times like TCD playing field lunchtime gig, Glastonbury 86, Dublin's Mean Fiddler, Ambassador and Vicar Street gigs. To Grant's family, my condolences and the wish that you will take pride in the great pleasure Grant gave to so many people throughout the world. Matthew | ||
| John Scheinman Member Username: John_in_dc Post Number: 2 Registered: 05-2006 |
I wrote this today to a friend, who arrived a bit late one night to a Go-Betweens show in Washington back in the 1980s. I was up front and Robert, Grant, Lindy and the other Robert were in the finest Liberty Belle form. I gazed back and saw my friend arrive to our little island of paradise and he reminded me of that moment today. Here's what I wrote him: "I think that look back and acknowledgement by you has always said a lot about who we are, and I think that's a very right kind of thing. We were in a room with the people who had the good stuff and the longer we look back at it, it begins to feel like some of the best stuff. When people like Grant McLennan die, I realize what a construct the good in life is, and before I go crazy I try to remind myself that it's about process and the sweet moment. One of the best moments in the film "Grizzly Man" was when Werner Herzog no longer can sit idly and simply mesmerize us with remarkable footage of that fool with the bears. He doesn't see a golden, untrampled purity. He sees the height of delusion and strenuously disagrees: The law of the universe, Herzog reminds us, is chaos and murder. I think songwriters, very thoughtful ones like Grant and Robert, know this consciously. The songs are not about making hits but ways to process, cope with and better understand the predicament, and then they blow these songs, like milkweed, out over the land and they settle on us and pollinate us and hopefully we grow a little. It's wise not to take recording for granted because we are lucky to live in its time. It infinitely raises the level of intimacy with these people and their songs. One of the best things about the Go-Betweens was that they rarely if ever sank into sentimentality and only recently, like with "Darlinghurt Nights," did they taste of nostalgia. On songs like "Cattle and Cane" they always seemed to dig a little deeper, draw a little sharper and get down to what Roddy Frame called the inconceivable and the birth of the true. My relationship with art has almost always been about drawing on ideas about how to live, see the world, formally and radically. Even candy makes you realize there is a place for candy. I have had twenty-four years of my life with the Go-Betweens and have probably sang "Apology Accepted" hundreds of times to myself. I love the line, "sometimes you want something so bad you'll grab anything" and right after it, "you say, That's ridiculous.'" What a wonderful bubble burst back to reality. That's as gorgeous and right and hilarious as pop music gets. I've been missing new music from the Go-Betweens since I found them. It amazes me how I carried a torch for them and Edwyn Collins and both, against odds, somehow came back years later bigger or nearly as big as they were before. A ten-year gap for the Go-Betweens. Something about their music insisted on its own worthiness. I like to think we justify the making and the listening." John | ||
| Robbie Kelly Unregistered guest |
Lots of love to you, Robert, and to all Grant's friends and family. Anne Hogarth got in touch to tell me; I was very sorry to hear the news. Robbie x | ||
| changaio Unregistered guest |
y see him in portugal at two years ago great concert but i remember a grant smile and great voice .is big loss for everyone | ||
| Tony Signal Unregistered guest |
My first exposure to the Go-Betweens was late 1984. I was flatting with a friend who was in the New Zealand music industry, and various companies him sent lots of records. One afternoon he pulled out ‘Springhill Fair’ and those amazing, hypnotic chords from ‘Batchelor Kisses’ reverberated out of the speakers. I was hooked and in love. We thrashed that LP, and I bought my own copy, which also got thrashed. A few months later I moved across the Tasman Sea to Adelaide and ‘Send Me a Lullaby’ and ‘Gone Hollywood’ were quickly added to my record collection. In three years there I saw the band three times – every show had that great moment when Grant would sing ‘Cattle and Cane’ and I would cry for home and the past we can only find in memory. I also saw Grant and Robert Vickers turn up for an interview at what was then 5MMM, the community radio station where I did a weekly show featuring NZ music – I think we shook hands. I’ve not seen Grant or the Go-Betweens since as I’ve moved around the world and back to New Zealand – a country where it’s very hard for Australian bands to get a following. But they’ve always been the band I’ve turned to in my reflective moments. ‘Bright Yellow, Bright Orange’ has grown and grown on me, and ‘Oceans Apart’ was the album of 2005 for me. As I write this, Grant is singing ‘Finding You’, and again I’m crying quietly, as I’ve done many times in the past few days. The end of something as beautiful as the Go-Betweens is always a wrench on the soul. Thank you Grant and Robert for re-forming the band and giving your fans another chance to enjoy the special magic you created. My love and deepest condolences go out to Grant’s family. Good-bye you beautiful man. | ||
| rael Unregistered guest |
see you later at the fields of cane, my rock and roll friend. our condolences from remolcamadriña corporation, vigo, spain | ||
| BiF Unregistered guest |
I remember those many nights at the Town & Country. Every person who was there knew they were witnessing something very special. Those London Years together, you provided the music. 12 years later in Auckland it was still as vibrant & passionate as before, bittersweet with the years passed. Thankyou for everything | ||
| Seamus Moloney Unregistered guest |
81/82, I heard "Cattle and Cane" on Peel. It was like making sense of my childhood. Coming back from a holiday in Greece and buying "Before Hollywood" in Freebird in Dublin. The summer of '86 in San Francisco, "Liberty Belle "on the turntable and endless supplies of Coopers's Stout. And then many gigs in Dublin, in 2000 I drunkenly sat on the stage in Vicar St, I'll never forget it. Soundtrack to my life. My heart goes out to Grant's family and friends. It may sound trite but we'll always have the songs and the memories. We won't see his like again. Respect and sympathy to Robert, thanks for all those simple, shining moments | ||
| David Unregistered guest |
I haven't felt this upset over a musician's death since Kirsty MacColl. It's just incredibly sad news. I didn't hear about this until today because I left my city (Atlanta) for a funeral. I've been a fan since the mid-80's. But Grant is the one who grabbed me and sucked me in. "Horsebreaker" being recorded so close to home + the brilliance that it is made me forever want to follow his recording career. I'm just sorry I never had a chance to see him live. For all fans, friends and family... I hope we can continue to listen to his music and smile knowing a great talent is still for us to enjoy. RIP friend. | ||
| Terry Ottina Unregistered guest |
My heart totally sank when I heard the news and has remained there ever since. My heartfelt condolences go out to Grant's family, friends and anyone who will feel the loss of this amazing talent. Godspeed Grant, you will be sorely missed. | ||
| S.R. Curran Unregistered guest |
The messages on this board are, like many of Grant's songs, beautiful and hear-felt. It must be wonderful for Grant's family and close friends, most particularly Robert, to hear how much his music has meant to people all over the world. Like others, I've tried to understand why Grant's passing has hit me harder than the deaths of other so-called "celebrities". I think it has something to do with the directness of the songs that he leaves behind. He has always seemed like someone who could be, under different circumstances, a good friend. The unexpected death of a family member or close friend can be devastating and my condolences go out to those directly affected by his passing. Slightly different is the death of someone that you admire from a distance. It is sad, to be sure, but it also inspires a different set of feelings. It gives you a reason to reflect on the meaning of that person's contributions to your life. It also forces you to consider the fact that life is, above all else, short. In this way, even a hero's passing can be oddly life-affirming and inspirational. I feel very fortunate to have become acquainted with Grant's music in the mid-80's and to have had the opportunity to see him live on several occasions. His music lives on. | ||
| Brian Harris Unregistered guest |
This is my third post. As the week's gone by it's got a little easier to deal with because of this message board. Townes Van Zandt, Kurt Cobain, lots of songwriters of different persuasions that we've all admired... but this... this is the first time it's felt like one of us. Grant wasn't a rock star. He wasn't otherworldly. He wasn't dissolute. He wasn't alien. He was us. The Go-Betweens were us. The hardest thing is the word 'were'. The first time I heard of The Go-Betweens was when they supported Aztec Camera in 198?. A long, long time ago. My wife, Moira, and I are going to see Roddy Frame in Edinburgh on Friday night. Roddy used to add Robert's line, 'That's her handwriting, that's the way she writes' to 'We Could Send Letters'. I hope he'll sing a Grant song on Friday. As hard as I've found the last few days, I can't imagine what it's been like for Robert, Emma and all Grant's family, friends and old musical compatriots. I hope the outpourings of love, loss and understanding on this message board offer some kind of solace. I'm a little bit drunk just now and I think I've worked up the courage to go and watch the acoustic sessions on the DVD. The silver lining in this tragedy has been to make us realise we were part of a community without even knowing it. Grant, Robert, I thank you both. Brian | ||
| Tristess Unregistered guest |
Cher Grant Merci mon amie, merci mon amour Au revoir xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | ||
| john mitting Unregistered guest |
A sad loss to the world, but so much to remember, condolences to the go-betweens family, | ||
| Monika S Unregistered guest |
I wasn't going to post a message as I did not know what to say. But a few days have passed since I heard the news and I can't get so many songs and memories out of my head - particularly the first time I saw the Go Betweens at The National Hotel in Brisbane in 1983. That was so memorable that I even remember what I was wearing! And to enjoy their music live, in the car, at parties and at home has been a real joy over the years. So my thoughts are with Grant's family and friends at this sad time. | ||
| Quiet Heart Unregistered guest |
Just emptied my bottle of whisky. Still crying. 12th May is my birthday. Can't imagine to celebrate it anymore. Good bye, my Rock n Roll Friend. | ||
| Andrew Mills Unregistered guest |
Rest in peace, Grant. You really made a difference. x | ||
| Louise Gottardo Unregistered guest |
Such a loss - my heart aches! I let slip the chance to catch up with you last Monday, thinking that there would be other times, other bars. I wish there were. Instead I'll forever cherish your beautiful songs and my memories of you - the cosy Sunday night Press Club gigs; singing along at Rics; the lock-down with Hannah and Steve; hearing "The Clock" for the first time; your infectious big hearty chuckle when life really tickled your fancy. You were truly such a gift, too soon gone. Thinking of all who loved you. Ride on, black mule weezer | ||
| Michelle M Member Username: Michelle Post Number: 10 Registered: 09-2004 |
I best recall a very young Grant I met at the University of Queensland. Recently my writers’ group assignment was “my special corner of the world” and I was going to write of U.Q. I would like to add an extract from my recollection: I recall a bigger brighter world A world of books And silent times in thought. Grant McLennan “Cattle and Cane” Oct. 1982 …….. If I had begun to write about U.Q. last week, the rest of this recollection would have been very different. It may have been all about me. It may have been about my dear friend Tess who always wanted to be a journalist and that is what she has been doing successfully for the last 26 years. Today it is going to be about Grant McLennan. He was one of those people I would not have met if we hadn’t shared a couple of tutorials. Grant was 19 years old when I met him. He had an irrepressible spirit and the soul of a poet. He loved movies, books, poetry and music. I loved being in his company because he could lift your mood and he could make you believe that anything was possible. One day Grant told me that he was going to start a band with his good friend Robert Forster. I was less than enthusiastic about this decision because I knew that he didn’t have a musical background. Prior to this announcement, he had told me that he was going to write and eventually become a movie director. His favourite director was Robert Altman. But it was the era of punk and you didn’t need to be able to play an instrument to start a band. Long story short, Grant and his friend Robert won an A.R.I.A. for best contemporary Australian album for their 2005 album “Oceans Apart” by the Go-Betweens. Early last Saturday morning he died in his sleep from a suspected heart attack. Next Spring I will think of Brisbane and of the jacarandas flowering at the University of Queensland and of my good friend Grant. You picked me up You spun me ‘round You made me something better Grant McLennan “The Dark Side of Town”1992. | ||
| Wayne Unregistered guest |
Grant you will be sadly missed Rest in peace | ||
| Rob C, Melbourne, VIC Unregistered guest |
Days later and the news is still shattering...tribute was paid in the form of "Live in London", a truly wonderful experience...the words & music, the heartfelt emotion, real feelings & images, these are the moods listening to the Go-Betweens brings. For many, McLennan/Forster is the voice of a generation and we are forever grateful to have testimony to their art in the form of their records. In years to come, generations of musicians & poets, artists all, will be influenced by the beauty of the Go-Betweens. To Robert, the McClennan family, Go-Betweens past & present, my deepest condolences. Grant will live on in the music for all to love & cherish. "What would you do if you turned around and saw me beside you?/Not in a dream but in a song" - Finding You Thank you Grant & godspeed. Rob, Melbourne, Australia | ||
| Paddy Brennan Unregistered guest |
I was heartened to see messages from Ireland because The Go-Betweens have many fans here . I also noticed the lovely tribute from Tracy Thorn - especially as she/EBTG indirectly introduced me to the Go-Betweens when we were left waiting for ages for EBTG to come on stage for a gig in Dublin in the mid-1980's (Tracy you are hereby forgiven !)- the consolation prize, and what a prize , was the warmth of ' Bachelor Kisses' wafting over the PA . This led to the next day purchase of 'Spring Hill Fair' and my being allowed to wallow in 'Part Company' ('what will I miss ? her cruelty, her unfaithfulness, her fun , her love. her kiss')for years to come every time I got the heave-ho . Many messages have singled out 'Cattle and Caine' as Grant's tour de force , and rightly so . I recently came across an acoustic version the Go-Getweens performed of 'Cattle and Caine' with Deirdre O Donoghue on 'Snap'. It truly is a revelation , and all the more poignant now . I also hope this isn't something akin to sacrilege (and I hope not too parochial) but in my opinion one of the Go-Getweens finest recording moments is not a Go-Betweens lyric but from a lyric/poem by an Irish poet Mary Stout put to music by the Go-Betweens and sung by Robert -'When People Are Dead'- the next time it is listened to , Grant might be remembered . Grant's death is sad for those of us who have listened to his and Robert's music down the years but , of course , we get on with our everyday lives while those closest to him will be left to pick up the pieces and to live with the real sadness and grief of his passing . | ||
| Kirky, Glasgow Unregistered guest |
I posted earlier under a different name but just wanted to say that I, too, have seen names that I recognise. Not just the ones that we all know and admire but people I have been fortunate enough to get to know better through a love of the Go-Betweens' music and, in a couple of cases, some folk I knew but didn't know were fans. Getting back in touch with these people and meeting the ones I haven't yet - but will - are a testament to the beauty and power of the music Grant and Robert made together. That will never pass. | ||
| drewo Unregistered guest |
The soundtrack for our lives. The musicians, poets and artists who articulate, express and grapple with our conditions. Grant was one of those people, the Go-Betweens were one of those bands. Cattle and Cane when I was a homesick college kid newly relocated to the big city. Bachelor Kisses during an ill-fated and foolishly perpetrated love affair. Stones For You when I was settled down and happy. Thanks Grant for all the songs and memories. You are gone, but the feelings remain. | ||
| Kc Unregistered guest |
I like many others did not know Grant personally but feel such a strong connection through his music. Being present at the troubadour on saturday night when word was trickling of Grants passing was such a sad affair. To see the effect it had upon all whom were present was so overwhelming. The toasts too Grant will forever ring as loudly as they did saturday night. We miss you Grant you and your music will be in my heart and my ears forever | ||
| Jim Unregistered guest |
Just one fan among many who was saddened to hear this news, and I extend my condolences to all who knew Grant McLennan. I admired his work tremendously and I always will. I add my humble thanks to the Go-Betweens for many years of songs that fill my heart. | ||
| Mark Seldis Unregistered guest |
I saw the Go-Betweens just once, playing live in a record store in Los Angeles in the mid-1980's, and it will always be a wonderful memory. Not just because of the music, but because I really felt that, in all of them and especially Grant, here were really good human beings, flawed like all of us, but caring and gentle and committed. Grant struck me as a real gentleman and I am sad to not ever have the chance to be in a room with him again. Mark | ||
| Cameron Borg Unregistered guest |
We'll miss you Grant. Most of Grant's hometown here in Rocky don't know who he is, but there's always been a core of independent musicians here that are extremely proud of his achievements. Brisbane had the Saints, New York had the Ramones, UK had the Sex Pistols, we had Grant McLennan! I know what a great thrill it was for ex-pat Rockhamptonites ST JUDE (now Halfway) to have Grant record with them on their polar EP. I can remember late nites watching rock arena and the go-betweens nights were always highly memorable affairs. I only saw Grant once, fumbling through cattle and cane with Jimmy Little at the Zoo niteclub in the Valley in 1999. I remember a mate Marcello saying Grant was pretty toasted! I think he enjoyed a beer, and enjoyed Life and he's left the world a lot more beautiful than how he found it. We'll always have his songs, and I extend my sympathy to his family, girlfriend, fellow bandmates and especially Robert Forster. It is sad to think no more new Go-Betweens albums, and I hope Robert can bear this cross and continue to make great music in the future. Thanks Grant for the great music you've given the world. | ||
| DavidJames Unregistered guest |
Just now another memory flashed through my head. The last tour, San Francisco show. At the end of the 3rd song somebody in the audience shouted "I love you Grant!" He replied, quickly and warmly: "thank you. I love me too." I wish I had only drank half as much Guinness that night, and soaked in every single detail. You just never know, do you? | ||
| Peter Simonsen Member Username: Peter_oliver Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
This is a punch in the heart. I think maybe we should just imagine it's not true and go on thinking of Grant roaming the world, taking it all in. Peter Chicago, IL | ||
| Nuno Sousa Unregistered guest |
it's really hard for me to say what went through my mind when I heard these sad sad news last saturday evening. it just hit me and left me speechless - my mind speeding at 200 Kms an hour trying to make any sense out of it and basically firing the same question: WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? ... WHY? WHY? ... I mean, I guess it was it... no idea... it's something like a blank moment now... I guess. for me it all goes back to the late 80's and the place where I spent those sunny years - my mid adolescence: the southern atlantic coast of my country. it's entire days at the beach, coming back home at the end of the day when the sun's still shining through the pines in my neighborhood but the freshness of the shadows made everything more bearable... or crossing the woods everyday going to school - except on summer holidays, when their music, or McComb's, used to be the perfect soundtrack for our lives. (apart from summers, I must say, only springs, winters and autumns would too be suitable seasons for their music) one of these days, 14 days ago to be exact, went for a long weekend on the country side. three days on a jeep, visiting castles, old rocks, abandoned fields or almost, most of it offroad. warm spring sunny days, no spring rain at all, and the same old songs (and not so old)... the same old chaps. yep, almost 20 years later, my song collections of The Go-Betweens - the same old chaps - travel with me wherever I go... listening to them, I guess, just keeps me closer to what I am, to what I know of myself and my past... my conscience of it... memories yellowing under my skin. but these days The Go-Betweens were so much about the future too... writing a short note on Oceans Apart for a weblog the very same day it came out, I surprised myself thinking «this is so good, so damn good that one album's not enough... we waited for 10 years... they're together again now, we want new albums every month... give us another one soon please»... yeah, for 10 years it was great music and the past, for the next 6 it was great music of the present and hopes for the music to come... anyday of the future... and now... well, we all know about now... right?... and tomorrow I'll be driving to where I grew up - the place I told you about a few lines up there. it'll be 150 Kms south. it'll be sunny and warm once again. on my car stereo - you know the songs. on my mind - you know the question: WHY? thanks a lot for everything Robert. take care. thanks a lot for everything Grant. take care too. | ||
| Guy Picciotto/Fugazi Unregistered guest |
The news of Grant McLennan's death was like a punch in the stomach. 15 years ago, I made a 4 track of "You Won't Find It Again" just so I could get a sense of what it would be like to have such golden lyrics come out of my own mouth. To me, Grant's songs are the horizon of songwriting - ever beckoning, ever distant, the outer limit of the craft. | ||
| Mark Leydon Member Username: Mark_leydon Post Number: 55 Registered: 05-2005 |
The Australian Senate has today paid tribute to Grant McLennan. A notice of motion moved by Democrat senator Andrew Bartlett noted "the contribution made to music by McLennan as a songwriter and performer over nearly three decades". The Senate also conveyed its sympathies to McLennan's mother, immediate family and past and present band members. Also, there is nice tribute in today's edition of The Herald (Scotland) by John Williamson. Here's the link: http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/61804.html | ||
| Pete Force Unregistered guest |
In 1983 I was an art student, Rebecca took me back to her place and put on Before Hollywood. It was a big day - I'd discovered charcoal and the Go Betweens. I grew up in Far North Queensland and recognised the things Grant sang about - the cattle and the cane. I have fond memories of a gig in Melbourne, or was it Sydney? Grant solo, strumming his guitar while we all sat around on the floor. I've since lost touch with Rebecca (and so many others) but I only have to put on that early album and I'm back in that Townsville Queenslander with my sketch pad and black smudges on my fingers. Don't be shy, shyness is a little girl. Goodbye Mr Mclennan | ||
| Vicki and Bill Unregistered guest |
We're all on the dark side of town this week. What a loss. All these messages here say it all. Grant and Robert are two of our most beloved heroes. Thinking of you Robert and deepest sympathies to Grant's family and friends. | ||
| Craig Unregistered guest |
Dear Grant, For me 'Quiet Heart' is one of the most beautifully written and recorded songs ever released. So much great art from you over the years and I am gutted at your passing. Love always Craig | ||
| Marc Librescu Unregistered guest |
We think it's going to be a long long ride, but we never know which beat is the last. Godspeed Grant McLennan | ||
| Michael Plater Unregistered guest |
I was very shocked and saddened to hear the news. Grant and Robert were one of the truly great songwriting partnerships of our age, and he will always be remembered. It's heartbreaking to think that he's no longer with us. Michael Plater, Melbourne. | ||
| Noel Mengel Unregistered guest |
A note for Brisbane-based fans: the Schonell Theatre at the Uni of Qld is hosting a free screening of That Striped Sunlight Sound on Sunday night at 8pm. Grant worked at the cinema in his uni days and spent many hours there watching films, not to mention working on the four-star rating system he developed for his friends. | ||
| Ole Andersson Unregistered guest |
The Go-Betweens have meant a lot to me ever since I first saw them perform in Lund, Sweden in 1988, and I was so very sad to hear about Grant passing away. I never knew Grant other than through his songs, but still it feels like I've lost a friend. My heart goes out to his family, bandmates and friends. | ||
| Michael Pilkington Unregistered guest |
This has been a hard week because Grant's music has such an important part of my life over the last 14 years...I came late to the Go Betweens, but with no regrets. And I now treasure the two acoustic concerts at the Governor Hindmarsh in Adelaide that we all were so priveleged to attend. To Robert and everyone lucky enough to have been close to Grant: keep strong: it'll be tough tomorrow. But what a legacy, these songs are all so strong, they sound better over time, and at the same time are so achingly fragile and personal: you feel they've been personally written to you, or about your life. Grant, your music changed our lives, thankyou for your great gifts, your life has been an inspiration to your fans, rest in peace. | ||
| rp Unregistered guest |
The best band ever to play Govan Town Hall - a sad day for all your friends in Glasgow. RIP | ||
| Christy S Unregistered guest |
Thank you for your great gift to us. Wouldn't have believed it possible to feel such sadness at the passing of someone I have never met. "I took this chance to write a message It's just to say that I'll miss you" | ||
| Xiting Wu Unregistered guest |
I'm completely out of words when I heard the news yesterday. I was listening to the 78-90 compilation a couple days ago.It's really hard for me to mention Grant with past tense.It is truly a huge loss for us. Hangin' there, Robert and goodbye, Grant We will miss you... from one of many Go-Betweens fans in China. | ||
| Michael Farrington Unregistered guest |
Wow, how the world has changed I feel like I did when I heard John Lennon had died yet now we can share our empty feelings & remember the joy of Grant's words & music with the world. I've loved Grant's music since I first heard Cattle & Cane all those years ago on 4ZZZ. My deepest sympathy to Grant's family, friends in the music industry & us fans. | ||
| Craig fae Irvine Unregistered guest |
From Cattle and Cane through to Oceans Apart, Grant produced some of the very best songs in my collection. My overwhelming memory is of Apology Accepted live at the the QM in Glasgow at the end of the 80s. So much of his music still moves me so deeply. An inspiration sadly missed. Thanks for all the music. | ||
| James F Unregistered guest |
Only just heard the news. Very sad. Thanks for all the memories - live and on disc. Without you I would now be a lesser person. Peace and love wherever you are. | ||
| kenny forbes, glasgow Unregistered guest |
Asked by my kids on Saturday night why I was sitting in tears, I had to tell them I had just lost a very good friend. Although I never had a chance to meet Grant, he seemed to be the perfect gentleman and an all round good guy. The other postings confirm this and more. The GB's music over the last 20+ years hasbeen a major part of my life and will no doubt continue to do so. I was fortunate to see them 6 times in Glasgow, a city they had very close links with. Their final appearence here last May was magnificent. I had just been released from hospital after a major op and was in no way fit to go. I'm so glad I went. Grant's music was so very special and life affirming. Thank you so much for everything. Sympathies to the family and good luck to Robert. | ||
| derek o'neill Unregistered guest |
the bigger brighter world that grant sang about in cattle and cane has dimmed quite a bit for me since I heard the news. but then i keep going back to the music and it makes me smile and know that whenever i hear his and robert's music i'll remember a guy who enriched my life and made me smile on so many occasions. i'm glad i got that striped sunlight sound dvd recently and watch robert and grant discussing all their songs on it, can't believe he's gone but he'll live on through his music and in our hearts. | ||
| Ben D Unregistered guest |
Grant, that gig The Go-Betweens played in Osaka in 2003 was definitely up there with them best of them I saw in Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne during the 80s. After the show I said to Robert "that was so great, you guys are still fantastic. I've been a huge fan for years and I'm so happy to see you here." I turned to you and was about to say something similar and you said with a gentle smile "I overheard what you said, thanks." Grant, can you hear me now? Can you hear all of us now? Thanks for everything your songs have given me and for everything they will give me. | ||
| Karen Turner Unregistered guest |
Robert, I feel like you and Grant are dear friends, and my thoughts are with you. We heard the news on Sunday and are still in disbelief. How we will miss the beautiful words of such a bautiful heart. I first heard 'Karen' when it was released and I was in Grade 9 at a Brisbane girls' school. It was played by a friend who had an older sister (with style and a portable record player). How cool to have a song with your name in it. As so many others have said, your music has become a soundtrack to our lives. I was living in London when '16 Lovers Lane' came out and it made me homesick and proud of you all at the same time. I've been back in Brisbane for over 16 years now and it has been great to know you have both been around, choosing to live here and still finding that artistic muse. My husband and close friends and I have been to almost every gig... from the Spring Hill Fairs to the Zoo and our favourite venue, the Tivoli. We recently adopted two beautiful little girls from Ethiopia and the first song we heard them sing in English was 'Streets of Your Town'. Their first concert was that very precious balmy evening at the Roma St Parklands ampitheatre for the multicultural festival last year - they danced like lunatics in front of the stage and I'm sure Grant had a chuckle at them. It's a memory we treasure. Grant's perception of the world and his willingness to share it with strangers is a very special thing. We're privilieged to have shared his humanity, his joys and sorrows, and your wonderful partnership over the years. Robert, our hearts open wide for you and for your families and friends. Gee Willickers, thank you. | ||
| Trevor Jones Unregistered guest |
The tone of the messages is amazing. People really opening up. Here's my 2nd effort. First time round I managed to rename Grant (McLellan, for god's sake) and retitle one his albums ('Heartbreak Star', apt maybe). Pillock! After marinating in the music of GM and the Go Betweens for a couple of days, I sat down and wrote ‘Ghostwritten’. I’m in the studio tomorrow and it will be the last song we record for the album, which seems sadly appropriate. I rarely write directly about other folk (far too self obsessed) but I’d forgotten quite how seminal the GB’s were. Along with Waits/Springsteen/The Smiths/Blue Nile/Paddy/Roddy etc. they shaped my post punk musical obsessions...became as influential as any in defining and refining my approach to writing. Head and heart. The legacy of any great artist remains intact and influential forever. We’re often guided by the hands of folk long passed, and, while I’m not crediting Grant with a co-write here, he was definitely helping to shape the chords as I wrote. It’s not ‘about’ anything specific, a reflection on the joys and possibilities of song writing, the importance of influence and, ultimately, as a recognition of a kindred spirit, a nod in his direction as he leaves the room. It might be a bit sweet for some. Apologies. I did try to sharpen it with some vinegar, but it didn’t seem right. Where’s Robert when you need him? Ghostwritten Now I won’t go to sleep without your sweet lullaby I might fall in too deep and maybe catch the devil’s eye Keep your elbows in the breeze and run Dream about tomorrow when it’s over I also ran, a dream’s a plan if there is gold in wonder I sing because I do, because I can Because the ghost of a better tune Has got me grinning like a loon And you sleep with a song and you dream as you depart But I won’t call you ‘gone’, little man with a quiet heart Keep your elbows in the breeze my son Dream about a better bright tomorrow I also ran, a dream’s a plan, and there is gold in wonder I sing because I do, because I can Because the ghost of a better tune Has got me grinning like a loon And keeps me singing to the moon Then, like the ghost of a better tune You left the room too soon | ||
| Steve Strider Unregistered guest |
my heart aches for all of the family, friends and fans of Grant and The Go-Betweens.it is way too early for this magical chapter to close. i've pretty much been crying since last sunday morning when i read the news of Grant's passing. the idea of a world without Grant is a daunting one, to be sure. for me, Grant's music and poetry helps make sense of this world, 4 to 5 minutes at a time. he's picked me up off the floor more than once, and he will again, as i will never stop leaning on The Go-Betweens, together or apart. some friends and i were lucky enough to meet both Robert(a perfect gentleman) and Grant after one of their acoustic shows, in Michigan, 1999. their performance remains the most affecting musical experience of my life. backstage, i shared with Grant the story of how, in 1988, on xmas night, my fellow Go-Betweens enthusiasts and i ate some mushrooms, walked to a nature preserve, built a fire, and played 16 Lovers Lane over and over and over and over on a cheap tape deck. he got quite a laugh out of that, but i made a point of reminding him that we hardly needed shrooms to enjoy their music. from there the conversation turned to Arthur Lee and Love, with Grant mentioning "7 and 7 is" as a particular favourite. anyway, i got out of the way so his many other fans could have a chance to speak with him, but not before getting a couple of autographs. one of his autographs referred to my story: To Campfires + psylocybin yours Bob Dylan he was just an incredibly kind, funny and sensitive man, and i feel so blessed to have met him. my apologies to Mr. Zimmerman, but there is only one "Bob Dylan" as far as i'm concerned; he is, and always will be, G.W. McLennan. thinking about you all . . . just trying to smile through the tears. Go-Betweens forever. | ||
| Kevin Bishop Unregistered guest |
I am saddened by the news and thank the Go Betweens for being intertwined in my history. First heard Cattle & Cane on RRR as a misplaced surburban teenager in '84 and bought a couple of albums following that. Was lucky enough to see the band in Melbourne at Chasers and felt the beauty through the fog. My sincerest condolences and thankyou for the music...right here.. | ||
| michael hansonis Unregistered guest |
I loved his way of thinking, his humour and his open mind. I still can not believe it. When I listen to his songs, I think no longer, that it is a cliche, that someone lives on in his songs. He will certainly. He was a great songwriter. I am sad. Condolence to his family, Robert and all of his friends. Michael | ||
| Simon Scott, London Unregistered guest |
I cannot recall if I have ever been this upset by the news of someone that I did not personally know. Of course it may have been that, through the songs, I feel as if I did personally know Grant. The Go-Betweens formed the soundtrack to my mid to late 20s in the mid to late 1980s. I devoured each record as it came out, and saw them several times in Brighton - in venues so small you could touch the band - and they frequently touched the audience - sometime also physically! There are so may things that I want to say, but unlike Grant, I cannot put them into words. I have a very eclectic tase in music, but very few things move me quite so much as the music and words of the Go-Betweens. Their early songs catapault me back 20 plus years in an instant. I have lost my father and sister in the last 12 months, and my heart goes out to Grant's family and partner, as I know how they must be feeling. My thoughts are also with Robert - please, please look after yourself. Living in the UK, I cannot attend the funeral, but will be there in my heart. | ||
| Andreas Unregistered guest |
So sad. I'm listening to the Go-Betweens for the half of my life. We never met, but now it feels like losing a friend. My thoughts go out to your family and friends, especially to Robert. Thank you Grant for all the beautyful and heartwarming songs. | ||
| Benny, Denmark Unregistered guest |
I'm so very saddend. Words do fail me. Thanks for all those great and moving songs. And for being such a charming fellow. My deepest sympathies to Grant's family and friends and lovely Robert. | ||
| Catherine Martin Unregistered guest |
Dear Robert, I was very sad to hear of Grant McLennan's death. I thank you two and all of your collaborators and friends for your music. My father, who was also a "music man", died at 49. I found then, that comfort came from the most unexpected sources. Whatever the nature and circumstances of a life - and of a death, the living must have comfort, as they give tribute to the dead. I saw/heard you perform last year at the Forum, in Melbourne and am very glad of that-was at the time - and am esp. now. I've been listening to your CDs lately. I wish you all power in continuance, in whatever way. Catherinex | ||
| Feargal O'Neill Unregistered guest |
I first came across the Go-Betweens when I paid the princely sum of nine pounds for the 1978-1990 compilation CD some fifteen years ago, on foot of a 12/12 review by George Byrne in Hot Press. Who were this revered band who had never had a hit single? Rarely have I got so much for so little. Although I progressed from there to Liberty Belle, Talullah and 16 Lovers Lane, I'm still drawn back to that first CD more than any other. The songs are all magnificent, and the liner notes draw you into the world they inhabit (Too many late nights in St. Kilda, Melbourne; a borrowed guitar in a Paddington bedroom; Christmas in New York; Cairns, a lazy, small town full of boats and cane fields; Oak Park Races in Queensland). For a teenager growing up in a small Irish town, those songs seemed full of mystery and madness. When I finally made it to Cairns much later I remember standing on Shield St. and all I could think about was "Bye Bye Pride". There was no sign of La Brisa de La Palma anywhere though. When I listen to those songs now there is some pain there - they are full of memories and times that can never be brought back - but they still occupy a special part of my soul. I don't really know how to express how sad I was to hear about Grant's death. I feel for his family and for Robert and all his friends. Its one regret I have that due to bad timing and various mishaps I never got to see the Go-Betweens live. I consoled myself that there would always be another opportunity. Its a lesson to me to take nothing that you love in this life for granted. | ||
| walter Unregistered guest |
it's hard not to cry reading all this posts full of grief and sadness coming from all over the globe prooving an confirming what everybody on the "planet go-betweens" (copyright: tracy thorn) know: the go-betweens where special. thats why this loss hurts so much. all the best to grants family, bandmates, friends and all of you out there whose heart feel just like mine. walter, austria. | ||
| bourbonhaze Unregistered guest |
Basement Tapes v Blonde on Blonde. Okay you win- The Basement tapes win-but only just. Never got round to Blood on the Tracks v Desire Miss you Love to all | ||
| Gina Rosquelles Unregistered guest |
Our love is with you, Grant. From this city (Barcelona) where one day you said you were really happy at the roof of the cathedral. The sky these days is closer. Dancing your songs. Have company with your presence. Our love for your family and friends, especially to Robert, Adele, Glenn, and Emma. Everness by Jorge Luis Borges One thing does not exist: Oblivion. God saves the metal and he saves the dross, And his prophetic memory guards from loss The moons to come, and those of evenings gone. Everything is: the shadows in the glass. Which, in between the day’s two twilights, you Have scattered by the thousands, or shall strew Henceforward in the mirrors that you pass. And everything is part of that diverse Crystalline memory, the universe: Whoever though its endless mazes wanders Hears door on door click shut behind his stride, And only from the sunset’s farther side Shall view at last the Archetypes and Splendors. | ||
| Carmel Zappia Unregistered guest |
It has taken me this long since hearing of Grants passing to find the words to sum up my grief,my memories go back to the 80's when l first heard 'cattle & cain' on the radio.That is when my love for the G.B'S started, to my excitement of seeing them live in a small pub on a cold winters night in melbourne, after that l was a loyal and devoted fan, Grants music always touched my heart, from the bleek tunes to the bobby ones -l loved them all, many people's messages have summed up how l feel..Rest In Peace Grant, too soon... | ||
| joe mckechnie/liverpool Unregistered guest |
fond memories of being backstage after a manchester gobe's gig drunkenly discussing with grant the ins and outs of the guitars on marquee moon. shocked and blue. | ||
| Frank Heins Unregistered guest |
I remember my younger brother showing me his new record „Spring Hill Fair“. We both became Go-Betweens fans immediately. It was 1985. He was 16 years old, I was 21 then. I remember my first Go-Betweens concert in Hamburg, May 1987. A few weeks before I had met the love of my live. She was with me that night and Grant was singing „Bye Bye Pride“ like a god. I remember how happy I was to see them live again in Munich 2000. “Apology accepted” was an absolute highlight. And how beautiful they were in Lucerne last year! There are so many good memories conjoint to the Go-Betweens. Grant McLennan was a beautiful songwriter, his songs enrich my life. I feel very, very sad about his death. My heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends and especially to Robert Forster. Thank you Grant McLennan! Frank Heins | ||
| ben Unregistered guest |
I had to write something about Grant. I ‘ve loved the Gobetweens since about 1997 when I got talluluah, because I’d loved robert’s song the Clarke sisters for such a long time and had finally figured out who did it. I remember the day I bought bella vista terrace, a little later on, walking along Gregory terrace in Brisbane that day, wanting to get home and hear the songs I knew and discover the ones I didn’t, walking past wooden houses that reminded me of Tallulah, houses that looked like the houses with the wooden halls in the Clarke sisters, the hosues and streets all blurry on the cover of bella vista terrace in my hand, past the windmill, down jacob’s ladder, to the train station. I remember that day so clearly. I think about it a lot at the moment, that day. Maybe it was just because it touched some part of my imagination that made some kind of sense. Seemed to light up streets and houses and parts of the town that I’d previously ignored and made it all seem better somehow. After it I started getting seriously into them. The 2001 or thereabouts gig at the Zoo, the first one of two. It is still my favourite concert ever. Just a lovely night. Bumping into people I knew, Nick Cave's Kicking against the pricks playing before they came on. Seemed like I was really alive. It had something special about it. Black Mule. The Clarke Sisters. I still remember hearing a new song that night and wondering what it was. The chorus made a big impression, the way it drifted downward and fell away and felt big and new and soft and lovely. Recognising it as Poison in the walls when bright yellow, bright orange came out later. The way Grant sung it that night, the way the song rose then fell at the Zoo that night stays with me. Meeting Grant at Rick’s one night. Being star struck because the guy who wrote Bachelor kisses was at the bar laughing with a cigarette in his hand. Marvelling at the way he laughed at all my piss weak jokes and was just so damned friendly and ready to talk with someone who cared about his music. Just happy to talk with somebody who wanted to talk. He said something to me that night that has stayed with me since, and will always stay with me. I saw him around a bunch of other times later, but he had been so generous the first time I thought I’d give him some space and leave him alone. In Brisbane you walk between st lucia and bardon and if you’ve heard the albums and listened to the songs and looked at the covers it makes the place feel different. Makes it seem like there is something real going on behind the old wooden doors and the louvre windows. I love them a great deal. I’m going to keep listening and hearing what I hear from those albums forever. Love to Grant and his family, and a lotta love to Robert. | ||
| Graeme Orr Unregistered guest |
One of the treats of living in Brisbane in latter years - the town of 'battered wives' and 'Spring Hill Fairs'- was glimpsing you strolling around places like New Farm, you who gave us pastoral odes to connect to this place, so unlike a rock 'legend', embodying the spirit of the old Brisbane - big country town with bad politics but warm streets. So many of us'll miss your quiet, quiet heart. | ||
| CG Unregistered guest |
So many things have been written here, bringing me to tears, and bringing back memories of being madly und unlucky in love with "love goes on" as the soundtrack, of not listening to the GB's for years, finding a tape in the car and singing to it on a long journey, knowing every song by heart feeling at home again with the music. Knowing that this is a very special band, one that will always have a place in my heart. Seing the band for the first time in 2000. And then again every time they came to hamburg. Memories of that brillant concert last year, the energy, the happiness. Ah, well, it's all been said here, but again: Thank you for your music, Grant All the best to Robert and the rest of the band. | ||
| Martin Unregistered guest |
I got the news from Bob on the rainy saturday afternoon in England.While driving home, I was trying not to think of the songs. Keep away from Cattle and Cane. Keep the bloody beautiful song from creeping into my head. I have to play a record. Keep away from the old records. Play it safe. Oceans Apart.Think of the time you and Grant went to Oceans Apart for a pint. I'll be fine. No Reason To Cry and everything falls apart.Tears for Grant. Tears for Robert,Bob, Sharon, Bernard and all the Go-Betweens family. Then tears for me. No more Grant songs.No more joyous happy shows with Robert. I am priveliged and proud to have looked after and baby sat Grant's (and Robert's) songs for a quarter of a century. Grant leaves behind an amazing and beautiful body of work that will be forever timeless. Love Goes On !.... | ||
| Stephen Hurling Unregistered guest |
Just want to say how very sad I was to hear the news, but also just how much the music meant. I've listened to Grant's music since I was 13, huddled down under the covers listening to 'Watershed'. His music always felt intimate, to me like the words of a wiser, older friend, and one who was kind enough to take you into his confidence. In sharing a little piece of this romantic world, it made mine seem that much brighter and better. I was lucky enough to meet him briefy a couple of years ago at a gig in Tokyo, and as every one else has confirmed here, he was the perfect gent. I was quite scared of acting like a star-struck fool in front of one of my heroes, but he was too generous and unassuming for that. Anyway, it's a small thing but quite enabling, to feel the lack of distance between the band that you know are special and you, just listening close. So putting something new in the world or doing something different with your life doesn't seem so difficult, because, well, the go-betweens just did it, and did it handsomely. So, Grant, I just want to say a heartfelt thank you for all these things, and for all that your music will bring me and those around me in the future. As you scribbled on the piece of paper I gave you, "Love goes on!" | ||
| Matthew Willis Unregistered guest |
To have lost Grant is a tragedy. To have him still in our hearts, to have the beauty of his songs within reach, to have the memories he has brought us, is a joy. As a Buddhist I believe that Grant will be with us again. Through his music Grant brought happiness to many, many people. The gift he gave us all will surely help him to a positive rebirth. Somewhere soon Grant's mindstream will be reborn in a new person. Let us just hope that when the time comes, someone hands that child a guitar. To Grant's family, friends and loved ones - though I have never known you, please accept my sincere sympathy for your great loss. By all accounts Grant was a wonderful man. You are blessed to have known him, and Grant was blessed to have had your love. To Robert - best wishes during this difficult time, and for the future. As much as Grant will always be in your heart and soul, your heart and soul will always be with us. Take care, gentle man. | ||
| Brent Unregistered guest |
Brisbane art studio Inkahoots have a tribute on their website http://www.inkahoots.com.au/: Love Goes On Last Thoughts on Grant McLennan Grant McLennan died in his sleep on Saturday night at his home in Brisbane, he was 48. For so long I felt lucky to be sharing a city with Grant. His music has mattered deeply, in many profound ways. I realise now he was important to me as a symbol of creative ambition realised. I listened to and read all of his lines, and read between them too - you’ve just got to be true to your own vision was his imagined advice. I was too young to be there from the beginning, but I haven’t missed a gig or an album since tuning in - solo, side project, or Go-Betweens. Highlights are many: his weeknight residencies at Rics; the reunion gig at the Zoo when the only sensible recourse to the absurd Brisbane heat and humidity was to disrobe; convincing a Parisian record store to hand over their unpackaged pre-release copy of Friends of Rachel Worth so I could listen to it wandering through the Musee d’Orsay; an early encounter, discussing Dylan’s new record at length without realising one lens from my sunglasses had fallen out and I must have looked like an utter dickhead; on a road trip through North Queensland cane country during the burn off with his songs melting into the landscape; at a London gig meeting fans who had travelled from the other end of the UK; the Tivoli gig filmed for the Striped Sunlight Sound dvd; his last gig with the Go-Betweens at the Sydney Festival; whenever we met, always hassling him to design his record covers, and him always politely agreeing to think about it... He was undoubtedly one of the great Australian artists of the modern period. And one of the most artistically sensitive and subtle pop songwriters full stop. With his friend and songwriting partner Robert Forster he was the single greatest source of pride in my hometown. Rarely his sentimentality would over-ripen a song, but mostly he could stun you with crystallised buried truth, deeper and more direct than nostalgia. He was a romantic in all the best senses of the word. And he could rock and he could roll with equal conviction. Grant played an incredible gig at Inkahoots’ tenth birthday bash in 2000. It still astounds me that it was practical to have my second choice of performer (Grant wouldn’t have begrudged Dylan as the first) for this celebration, regardless of availability, geography etc. Now he’s gone and I just wish I’d told him what he meant to me when I had the chance. - - - "The people next door got their problems They got things they can’t name I know a thing about lovers Lovers don’t feel any shame Late at night with the lights down low The candle burns to the end I know a thing about darkness Darkness ain’t my friend Love goes on anyway! Love goes on anyway!" | ||
| Giuseppe Paxia Unregistered guest |
I still can't believe it. What a great loss. I've seen the Go-betweens live in Brescia (Italy) just a few months ago. What a wonderful gig, so touching, so intense. I will never forget it, and I won't ever stop listening to their wonderful music. Thanks for all the great moments you gave us. | ||
| Frank Donnelly Unregistered guest |
Grant – Thanks for the music – all of it – from the Go-Bees to Jack Frost to FOC and your wonderful solo output. So consistenlty wonderful! One half of pop music’s most dynamic duo has left the building. In my final year at school in Belfast I got into your music thanks to the first Jack Frost record, which I bought as a Church-ofile. Wow – how had my radar for Aussie bands missed the Go Betweens. That was quickly remedied and 16 Lovers Lane, Tallulah and Liberty Belle soon became engraved on my musical soul. The light and shade of Robert and Grant is a rare and formidable thing to co-exist so well in any group. Nine G-B albums later the band were as good as ever. I had the fortune to meet Grant and Robert several times over the years and it was always a pleasure. I was even lucky enough to interview Grant around the time of Horsebreaker Star at Sheffield Leadmill and he was truly a gent. My own forays into song-writing saw me cite Grant as the artist I’d most like to dare be nearly as good as. A true inspirational figure. The news broke for me late on Saturday night in London. Had just been at a gig by Dave Couse who's band I manage – we were devastated. Dave used to sing for A House who were Sire label-mates and had toured the US with the Go-Betweens. They also share a close mutual friend in Edwyn Collins. Another close friend Steve Kilbey, one half Jack Frost, is really cut up by the news. I’m just a fan – but a huge fan of both Grant and Robert and it hurts way more than I'd have imagined. Thanks to both of you for all the love in your amazing music, which has clearly enriched the lives of many of us and will continue to do so. Grant – you’ll always live in the hearts of those up-lifted by your songs. Robert – we’re keeping a close watch for you these days – be strong and feel the support that thousands of us are sending you from across the globe. Frank Donnelly Dublin. Ireland | ||
| Simon Buttress Member Username: Simon_b Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
Grant, thanks for contributing to my life for the past 23 years. My sadness is only deepened by the realisation that there will be no more. A lifetime of looking forward to the next Go-Betweens offering is over. Thanks for all the gigs, the songs and the memories. You will be missed and will be in my life forever. Simon Carlisle. England. | ||
| Cichli Suite Member Username: Cichli_suite Post Number: 120 Registered: 08-2004 |
I bought my first Go Betweens album when I was fifteen. It was 'Send me a Lullaby' and I bought it on a school trip to Dublin from a small Irish town where nothing much ever happened. I had made a shortlist of albums I was determined to buy, music you could only hear over the crackly reception of the BBC's John Peel show or maybe Dave Fanning's radio show but which you could only find in the alternative shops in Dublin. The Go-Betweens were the only band I could find on my list and I brought them home, pleased to able import this piece of sophistication into the backwater where I lived. The music and words of Grant and Robert have been constants in my life ever since and have formed a soundtrack to my travels and to the ups and downs of my relationships. I am so dreadfully sad for Grant, his family, Robert and the other Go-Betweens and his many friends. Let me end on a somewhat positive note. A few years ago, while visiting my wife-to-be in Brisbane, I was lucky enough to sit in the front row of a benefit gig the Go-Betweens played at the Jubilee hotel. It was such a treat to see my old heroes so close up. While watching Grant during that gig, I was struck by the look of sheer joy in his face as he played. I couldn't take my eyes of him. He looked like he couldn't believe his luck at having such a great job. It was an inspirational gig - truly great. I recall thinking that that is what we all aspire to: to love absolutely what we do and to be the best at it without having compromised. So few of us achieve this. Grant did. Thank you, thank you, Grant - you've left us with great memories and a beautiful legacy. | ||
| Matthias Treml Member Username: Matthias Post Number: 80 Registered: 05-2005 |
A good friend of mine introduced me to the band with two mixed tapes back in 1989. I fell in love with their music and Grant and Robert became a great influence in my own songwriting. Fortunately, I got to see the acoustic tour in 1999 in Pontiac Michigan. It was a very intimate show and I was enraptured by their performance. Of the many 100s of concerts I have seen it is one of my favorites if not the most loved. Afterward, we got to meet them back in a small dressing room with a handful of fans. It was a highlight and both Robert and Grant were very nice and made us feel at home even though they were the guests! Robert was offering us Heinekens and Grant obliged us with photos. I've been listening to their music all week as I walk around stunned by the sudden nature of Grant's death. The music helps. My thoughts go out to Grant's family and of course Robert and the go-betweens, past and present, as well as all of you. God bless you and thank you for the great memories and spectacular music. You have enriched my life. Matt | ||
| acid house king Unregistered guest |
"go ahead, light a candle"...in early summer '91 I was listening to my favoured radio show, hosted by Ronni Galenza in Germany. He said that there was a man, whos music he liked very much, had just published his first solo album. This guy was called Grant McLennan. And then he played "cattle and cane"...and I, a 15 year old boy, sat there with tears in his eyes. As I always did, I taped the whole radio show and one day later I had mixed a tape with great songs on, including 4 by the go-betweens (cattle and cane, bye, bye pride, devil's eye and bachelor kisses) and 4 from the watershed album. This tape became the soundtrack of one of the happiest and most exciting summers in my life. During the next years bacame a real fan of the Go-Betweens and all the solo projects. This music took me by the hand and gave me so many magic moments of sadness and joy, and it still does. Everytime I hear the sound of Grant's songs I immediately want to go to Brisbane, just walking around breathing the air. Now, I'm 30 and even on the fourth day after I heard the shocking news I feel like crying. Although I only met Grant once after a show where he and Robert signed cd's and we only talked for a less than a minute, I feel like I've lost one of my best friends. I'll keep that moment in my heart and mind forever as well as your beautiful, warm and romantic songs because I know with them I will never see the devil's eye. All my love goes out to Grant's family, friends, bandmates and of course Robert. Thanks and RIP, Grant | ||
| Kayleigh Lambert Unregistered guest |
once in a while the world sees grace and finds a bit of perfection. grant is one of the humble yet powerful musicians i ever met. I first met him while doing college radio and even though we were in the midwest, a college station, we had a lot of influence and were able to point out the multitude of talent in this world. proud to say go-betweens were always on our playlist and in our show line-ups. thank you for that, thanks to family and friends for making it all possible--may you find peace & comfort when you need it most | ||
| Colette, Dublin Unregistered guest |
Like a lot of the posts on the board from Ireland, I got to finally see The Go-Betweens in June 1989 in the RDS when the played with REM. A few months previous, myself and friends had managed to blag our way into the aftershow party of the IRMAs, some feat for a bunch of teenage girls. We accosted various bands of the day and I managed to nab a member of A House, who were heading off to the USA about 2 days later to tour with the Go-Betweens. "Can you do me a favour?" I asked. "Could you bring the Go-Betweens back with you?". "16 Lovers Lane" was hitting the airwaves and "Loves Goes On" was, and still is, one of my favourites. To finally hear it that June was wonderful. I met one of my very best friends that night. He emigrated to Canada a while back and this week, I telephoned him in Toronto to tell him the sad news about Grant's sudden death. He and I have been emailing and remembering since then. Grant threw his towel offstage at the end of the show and my friend caught it, only to have it torn from his hands by someone else. The show in The Village in June 1997, the weekend Jeff Buckley went missing, was something special too. My friend came home from Toronto especially for it. It was one of the happiest night I've had. Grant, you will be sorely missed. God speed. Colette Dublin | ||
| Patrick Durgin Unregistered guest |
I've been reading the tributes posted here for the last couple of days, turning over in my mind the influence of Grant's work on my own life and wondering why anyone might want to hear about it. Ridiculously, I never stopped to wonder why I wanted to read all your own posts. So, I'll just share this, in hopes it helps others process our loss. I first heard the Go-Betweens in 89, when 16 Lovers Lane came out. That record remains the finest set of love songs an 18-19 year old young romantic could hope to find. I learned a lot from that and every other last piece of work Grant and Robert produced as the years went on. In fact, though, it was Grant's music that inspired me to try my hand at songwriting. I eventually formed a band devoted to singing the praises of our bass player, whom I was fortunate enough to marry a year ago this June. We were an item, on and off, since 89. The "on" and the "off" were always variously signalled by Grant's songs. The beginning of this final "phase" of our relationship coincided with the summer of "Friends of Rachel Worth." "Magic in Here" particularly is a hinge, where my life took a turn for the better, forever. It's a cliche, this soundtrack to a life scenario. But given the richness and resonance of Grant's work, it's a cliche I'm happy to settle into for so long as I've got. | ||
| Paul McLoughlin Unregistered guest |
I feel like I have lost a friend. I remember a difficult time in my life when Grant's beautiful voice, words and melodies on my headphones was one of the things that kept me from cracking up. Too many magical songs to mention, but "Bachelor Kisses" is one of the few perfect songs in existence. Your music will be with me forever. | ||
| Henrik Copenhagen 2100 Unregistered guest |
Dear Grant..... I fell in love with your songs in 1983 and I still love and cherish them more than the songs of any other artist. I am truly sad and shocked... My deepest sympathies to your family and Robert. Henrik, Copenhagen 2100 | ||
| Jon Langille Unregistered guest |
Just over twenty years ago I revelled with the Go-Betweens at the Graphic Arts Club in Sydney on my last night in Australia after a year and a half of music, sun and joy. March 30th 1986. Bittersweet evening that was. What a perfect way to close that episode in my life. Grant and the Go-Betweens have held a lofty altitude in my music world since then. Just heard the news this morning on KCRW. So sad to hear of his passing, but how wonderful to see the appreciation he garnered from thousands around the world. Unforgetable. Thoughts to his family and friends. Jon Langille Nelson, BC, Canada | ||
| Christian Rief Unregistered guest |
I first heard some songs of The Go-Betweens in 1984 on an austrian radio station. These songs (from the Spring Hill Fair album) changed my way of hearing music. Forever. I'm very sad. And I'm very thankful that I've seen this magnificent band three times on stage. Christian from Ulm, Germany | ||
| Zoran Popovic Unregistered guest |
In memoriam is Serbian: http://www.popboks.com/tema/grantmclennan.shtml | ||
| Jon Davis Unregistered guest |
I first discovered The Go-Betweens with 16 Lover's Lane. And have also followed the solo careers of McLennan and Forster. The songs written by Grant McLennan were dream like and will be timeless in my opinion. His gift for melody and atmosphere rival the best of the pop era in the last half of the 20th Century. While we all grieve his loss, special thoughts go with his close friends and family. His family I know is very proud of his life. Jon Davis Prescott, AZ | ||
| Matthew Taylor Unregistered guest |
What a wonderful life to have inspired so many. I have met wonderful people purely through mentioning that I love the Go-betweens. What a gift! To a Brisbane boy, the Go-betweens - through brilliant lyrics and compositon - have epitomised my inner-most feelings of the city... love, frustration, secrets, emotion, but most vividly, nostalgia for a sleepy Sunday afternoon city that will resonate with me for many years to come... Thankyou so very much Grant and the Go-Betweens | ||
| Kevin Quinlan Unregistered guest |
Cycling into the city today, listening to "Horsebreaker Star," brought to mind two powerful memories of Grant: the first, at East End Cafe in Wilmington, DE, when he clearly grew frustrated with my (good-natured) requesting of songs by reciting snippets of lyrics such as "I read about your death in the paper as I was buying tomato seeds" and "like the sound of a finished kiss, a lip lifting from a lip" and "light by light we'll find them all, lamp by lamp we'll pull them in." The second, at Orange County Line in Chapel Hill, NC, when Grant and I encountered one another coming and going from the men's room (after a show at Cat's Cradle), I said (politely, mind you), "Grant, I really enjoy your sets with Robert, but, in all honesty, look forward to the day when I can see you play sets of songs from your solo records at sit-down venues." He pulled his feet together, bowed his head, extended his hand, and replied, "I'm honored to hear that." A wee tip to those who grieve: "Striped Sunlight" captures Grant's charm and brilliance beautifully. Watching it, for me, was a helpful way to pay my respects and to begin the healing. | ||
| Steve Ganis Unregistered guest |
Dear Robert, I'm hopeful that your reading of all the heartfelt messages regarding Grant on this website bring you & the other GB bandmembers some solace in dealing with this overwhelming loss we all feel. Grant and you achieved greatness in your art, and we're all appreciative. I first heard the GBs on Oceans Apart, and I regret that I didn't get a chance to see the band in NYC on the OA tour last spring. I haven't heard (yet) many of the earlier GB albums, but I think the world of all your GB albums since the reunion in 2000. The first GB song I heard sung by Grant was his "Finding You." Indeed, finding Grant, you and the GBs has been revelatory to me. | ||
| Eric Siegel Unregistered guest |
Thank you Grant, Thank you Robert, Thank You Austrailia, Thanks you fellow Go-Betweeners, Brothers and Sisters In Arms | ||
| alvedanser Unregistered guest |
We feel very sorry for Grants death, his music meens a lot for us. We vil never forget the go-betweens conserts i oslo, norway (first time 1981)and all the records... It was a special moment for us to meet, and talk with grant and robert in may 2003. Your music lives with us forever. Thank you! Lars Dybvik and Espen Rueness | ||
| David Esson Unregistered guest |
I was stunned to hear of Grant‘s death. Oceans Apart was one of the finest albums of last year, and the band were finally getting the worldwide acclaim they so richly deserved. The obituaries in the Scottish newspapers have been rightly reverential of Grant‘s songwriting ability and everyone should stick a Go-Betweens track on their CD player at 1.30 on Friday. God bless you Dave from Stirling, Scotland | ||
| Dean Iorfida Member Username: Mr_x Post Number: 2 Registered: 05-2005 |
Last week it was a nice sunny day, so I put on Oceans Apart. It reminded me that it was approximately a year ago that I was walking through the cobble stone streets of a sunny Zurich, Switzerland listening to the album on my iPod. Later that night I had the pleasure of seeing the Go-Betweens at a theatre that resembled the cover of Spring Hill Fair. My Go-Betweens mood extended to Saturday as I listened to the live CD of That Striped Sunlight Sound and downloaded an EP with a couple of non-album b-sides for Finding You from iTunes. To top it off that night I was in a bar and heard a dance track that sampled "Streets of Your Town". I remember thinking that I should do a playlist/ compilation of the best post-reunion Go-Betweens songs... but then I thought such a compilation would never be complete because the band still had a lot more great music in them. This thought was echoed in Grant's last comments in the acoustic portion of the DVD that GB fans were going to have a lot to look forward to in the next few years. Grant's passing has affected me in much the same way that John Lennon and Joe Strummer's deaths did. In all three instances, the individuals seemed to be at a particularly good point in their lives and careers. Although Grant was not coming back from a hiatus when tragedy struck, the career of the Go-Betweens seemed to be at a particular high, which makes the loss all the more palatable. Of course, the loss to us, fans, is nothing compared to the loss to Grant's family, bandmates and friends. My thoughts go out to them. Dean Iorfida Niagara Falls, Canada | ||
| Alan Ireland Unregistered guest |
The Go Betweens are one of the few bands that truly have provided the soundtrack to my life. From an impressionable teenager in Edinburgh in the late '80s through my London years in the '90s and now here in Los Angeles, I have been honored (and a little surprised) to have seen them play in all these cities. I naturally expected to hear Grant play for many more years to come. Sadly it is not be. Thanks Grant for all your great music, it will always be with us. | ||
| Darrin S. Unregistered guest |
Everything that I am feeling and would like to say right now has already been expressed here 1000 times before me, far better than I ever could. I take great comfort in knowing that so many others feel the same way about this devastating loss and I don’t feel so alone. I feel a part of this wonderful community of friends from all around the world. Grant, you have been such an important part of my life for the last 23 years and for the rest of my life I’ll miss you and selfishly curse that I’ll never see you play again or be given any new beautiful songs to learn. My kids already sing along to your songs when I play them and a new generation will grow up with your music as their soundtrack. Be strong, Robert. -Darrin. | ||
| Kim, Mannheim, Germany Unregistered guest |
Thank you, Grant, for so many moments of pure joy in times of personal despair while growing up with your music. I wouldn't be the same person without the "Liberty Belle"-Album. It's hard to believe you're no more with us. You will be sadly missed. Condolences to family, friends and Robert. | ||
| Dave Foster Unregistered guest |
I don't think I've ever been as effected by the death of someone I've never met before, but then I suppose I did meet Grant and get to know him through his music as so many others have. His work, alone and with The Go-Betweens, is rarely far from my stereo and has been on constant play this past week offering bittersweet reminders of what a talented and charming person he was and what a tragedy his death is. Although it's hard for those of us who got so much pleasure from Grant's work to come to terms with what's happened it must be infinitely worse for Emma, Robert and the rest of the band, and Grant's friends and family to cope at the moment and my thoughts and best wishes go out to them all. Many thanks one last time to Grant and the band for all the wonderful memories they've given their fans over the years. | ||
| Jonathan Carr Unregistered guest |
It's lovely to read all the warm tributes, and to see how much Grant and his music meant to people. I never met Grant McLennan. Never even got to see the Go-Betweens live. All I have are the records. But what music! Songs that cheer, entrance, move me. And I was in tears when I heard the news, the shock of seeing that single line on teletext and not understanding... I've loved the Go-Betweens for 10 years. (The first song I heard was the great "Spring Rain" off a reissued Liberty Belle. Sometimes just the sound of Robert Forster's voice is enough to take me back!) I don't think I have a favourite Go-Bs song, though if I were forced to choose, I suspect it would be a McLennan track. But picking one or two is like taking them out of context - I just feel they sound perfect alongside each other. Sort of like Grant and Robert themselves. We'll miss them being together. Thinking of all Grant's friends and family. | ||
| Matt Bailey Unregistered guest |
I was in shock when a co-worker emailed me the news about Grant. Over the years, Grant and Robert have become two of my favorite singer/songwriters. I wore out my cassette of 16 Lovers Lane in high school and Grant's Watershed and Horsebreaker Star were part of my soundtrack during the 90's. | ||
| Trisha Cain Unregistered guest |
Devastating news. I was one of the lucky ones at the 1999 Grant & Robert gig at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. (Maybe not a memorable night for them but it was for me.) When I was living alone in Korea a few years back, I listened to Horsebreaker Star whenever I was homesick, especially "Hot Water." Will be listening to it some more tonight and appreciating all that Grant and the Go-Betweens have added to my life over the years. All of my love to his loved ones. Trisha Cain Washington, DC | ||
| Jacek Unregistered guest |
I read the news on Sunday morning and just couldn't believe it. Unbelievably sad. Grant, your music, your songs will always be with me. Thank you so much. Jacek from Poland | ||
| Adam Porges Unregistered guest |
How strange, Grant is gone and the realisation that I will never see the Go-Betweens again. Goodbye, thank you. | ||
| pepe Unregistered guest |
goodbye my friend | ||
| Dave Spencer Unregistered guest |
...and all you do is carry on. Just read Steve Kilbey's blog about Grant and was moved to tears (again!). Find it here: http://stevekilbey.blogspot.com/ | ||
| Annette Peters Unregistered guest |
I was introduced to the music of The Go-Betweens in 1998, by the man I later married, who had been a fan since 1986.He first took me to see Grant and Robert at The Jazz Cafe in London, in 1999, and as soon as they walked on, a huge smile spread across my face. Their music always made me so very happy, and every time I saw them or played their music I would smile again, until now that is. Now when I listen to Grant's or The Go-Betweens music, my heart feels heavy and my eyes fill with tears. Never before has the death of someone whom I have never met, affected me so deeply. I am so very sad that a man with so much to live for, and so much more to give musically, has lost his life so tragically, and we will never see him, or hear him play again. Grant's music meant so much to my husband and I, and we feel we have lost something so personal and special. Our thoughts are with all of Grant's family and friends, and Robert - I hope we see you again soon. | ||
| Joakim Unregistered guest |
That old band in Heaven keeps getting better.. I'm in shock, I've listened to The Go-Betweens since "Before Hollywood" came out when I was 13. They very much influenced me as a songwriter. Robert - I really hope you'll find the strenght to do an album of your own, then come to Stockholm and let us people in the North hear you. The last show The Gobies did here in Sthlm (May 2004) was magnificent. Thank you Grant for all the beutiful songs. -Love goes on! Joakim (Stockholm, Sweden) | ||
| rob Unregistered guest |
Very very sad news. I can't even begin to imagine how Robert, Grant's family & friends must be feeling now. I have so many memories of Go-Betweens music and how it appeared to dove tail into my life. I remember the Matt Snow review for "Spring Hill Fair" when he said that his heart beat to the Go-Between's tune - I knew exactly what he meant. We have lost a truly great artist/songwriter & it is so very sad. My thoughts and best wishes to his loved ones. | ||
| geoff 'n' kaz Unregistered guest |
My love for the Go-betweens has increased everyday since I first heard them. The Barbican gig a couple of years ago was unbelievable. I went to the gig a year ago on Sunday at Shepherds Bush. The next day I met my girlfriend/future wife. Her name is Karen. What's happened this week will always be with us. It would have been anyway. My heart goes out to all Grant's friends and family. Geoff Geoff gave me a CD when we very first met and on it was a song called "Karen"; I didn't know the song but it soon became apparent to me that it was amazing and not just a tune with my name in it. We have both listened to it as our theme tune ever since. When Grant died, we arrived home from work,poured a glass of wine, like you do, and laid out every Go-Betweens Album out on the kitchen table and played them all pretty much consecutively until midnight. Thank you for your words and music. Karen | ||
| Max from Germany Unregistered guest |
Only the news of John Lennon's death moved me in a similar way. My first encounter with the Go-Betweens was the "Best Of" Album. To be honest, I was not overly impressed in the beginning. Since then, your music slowly crept into my mind, my feelings, my brain. Now, some of your songs are among my all time greats. You brought so much joy to me and many other people. Thanks Robert, thanks Grant. You will be missed. My heart is with you, your family, your friends. Peace! | ||
| David Squire Unregistered guest |
1st April 1983 four Bristolians travelled to Bath to see the Go-Betweens at Moles Club, Bath. Had to persuade the doormen to let us in (members only you see, most of whom weren't interested in the band). Fantastic gig, chatted to the band afterwards, they invited us up to a gig the following week. We turn up at the Fighting Cocks,Moseley after a long, eventful journey to find we're not on the guestlist, The Go-Betweens get us in anyway ("we thought you were coming to the Bradford gig!") Still got the posters for the gig signed by Grant, Robert, Robert and Lindy. Just the first two occasions we saw this great band, the last time I saw them was last year in Brighton. Spoke to Grant after the gig, told him the story and told him that I thought that Oceans Apart was as good as anything they'd done in the 23 years since. Very glad I got to say that. David, and on behalf of Tim, Rob, Jer, Andy, The Inane, The Five Year Plan | ||
| Niklas36 Unregistered guest |
I live in Denmark which is normally a quite cold place. Monday morning it was a great sunny day when I receiced a text from a friend. Reading the few words was an shock for me and a black cloud covered the sun and heart froze. I had a hard time understanding that Grant had passed away and will never write a fantastic song again. I worked in Brisbane for 6 months in 1994 and remember meeting a girl who knew Grant a little. She was surprised to see that somebody from the other side of the world knew about the Go-Betweens and Grant's solo stuff. Well, in my book Go-Betweens is the greatest band ever with the best crafted and most powerful songs. My life would just be so much poorer if I had not known these fantastic songs. From Hammer the Hammer to In your bright ray and Here comes a city this is great, great stuff that just needs constant replaying. THANK YOU so much for it all, Grant. Although I feel that it is unfair that you are gone in such a young age and with so much more to give, I am grateful for all you have given us. I only saw your play once which was at the Roskilde Festival in 1995 in Denmark. A great, great concert in one of the smaller stages. Your gentle smiles and your way of adressing the crowd clearly showed me what a remarkable and positive person you were. I walked away from the concert feeling really good and uplifted. Sort of the same feeling I get every time I hear Love goes on. My deepest sympathy goes to your loved ones, especially your son and girlfriend. You will always be in our hearts. Dosen't matter how far you come You've always got further to go | ||
| Niklas Hjelm Hansen Unregistered guest |
I live in Denmark which is normally a quite cold place. Monday morning it was a great sunny day when I receiced a text from a friend. Reading the few words was an shock for me and a black cloud covered the sun and heart froze. I had a hard time understanding that Grant had passed away and will never write a fantastic song again. I worked in Brisbane for 6 months in 1994 and remember meeting a girl who knew Grant a little. She was surprised to see that somebody from the other side of the world knew about the Go-Betweens and Grant's solo stuff. Well, in my book Go-Betweens is the greatest band ever with the best crafted and most powerful songs. My life would just be so much poorer if I had not known these fantastic songs. From Hammer the Hammer to In your bright ray and Here comes a city this is great, great stuff that just needs constant replaying. THANK YOU so much for it all, Grant. Although I feel that it is unfair that you are gone in such a young age and with so much more to give, I am grateful for all you have given us. I only saw your play once which was at the Roskilde Festival in 1995 in Denmark. A great, great concert in one of the smaller stages. Your gentle smiles and your way of adressing the crowd clearly showed me what a remarkable and positive person you were. I walked away from the concert feeling really good and uplifted. Sort of the same feeling I get every time I hear Love goes on. My deepest sympathy goes to your loved ones, especially your son and girlfriend. You will always be in our hearts. Dosen't matter how far you come You've always got further to go | ||
| thomas stones Unregistered guest |
such tragic news. you were one of the people who made me want to learn how to play the guitar and to express myself in song. for that i will be forever grateful. rest in peace grant. thomas. (glasgow , scotland) | ||
| Marc from France Unregistered guest |
Thanks for all the fine music and lyrics. Those gifts will remain, will be played again and again. There won't be any new Grant's stories, but the ones you gave us will stay on. Hats off to you. I'll never forget those aftergig chats in Paris... So nice and open... Top guy. Thanks again - and sweet dreams, Grant. | ||
| Nick & Stacey King Member Username: Nasking Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
Thunderstruck to hear Grant has passed on...will cause a massive dent in the fabric of music. The sounds & songs that echo throughout our memories & house, stemming from his Solo LPs, The Go-Betweens & Jack Frost will always be warm & embraced by those of us privileged enuff to experience the beauty & energy expressed from his unique mind & soul. Our thoughts are w/ his family, friends & band mates. May your energy fly as high as your music Grant. Much sadness. Nick & Stacey King, Tony Gurn & John Rule | ||
| CLML Unregistered guest |
Grant and Robert your voices held me tight from Surry Hills, to South Kensington, from Claremont to Glebe and Paddington, from Dublin to Mount White. they will never leave my heart. and I know the sheer joy I felt the first time I played my single of Spring Rain and danced around the living will be no less today, despite this incredible loss. Grant, I will remember you forever. I'll stay with love, because you taught me how. thank you x | ||
| Geoff Smith Member Username: Thatway Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
It is a very emotional experience reading all these marvellous tributes to Grant and I'm sure that many, if not all, would want to be in Brisbane to give support to Grant's family, Robert and all former memebers of the Go-betweens if only to give a physical and human dimension to all the messages. This is not possible but I hope that everyone in Brisbane is aware that we would be there if we could. I hope that Grant gets an amazing send off from his mates and that his family can take heart from the fantastic contribution Grant made in raising the profile of Australian music around the world. I've just been sorting out my GBs vinyl,12" and 7" singles, albums, strange compilations, Videos, DVDs and CDs, originals and expanded re-issues. In the process I've picked out albums by the Church, The Triffids, Beasts of Bourbon, Hoodoo Gurus, Hunters and Collectors, the Lime Spiders and someone called Nick Cave. What a fabulous body of work. For the people posting on here Grant and the Go-betweens were top of the pile. The major band of the 80s onwards for me. So thanks Grant, Robert, Amanda, Lindy, John, Robert, Adele, Glenn for all the fantastic music, great gigs and the feeling of being one of the band, if really only one of an audience of 500, it just felt as though it was your friends up there on stage. Hope to see a permanent reminder of Grant's contribution to Aussie music appearing in Brisbane in the near future. | ||
| Kevin Milburn Unregistered guest |
I've been thinking these last few days whether I should have gone to see the band at the Barbican a couple of years back when they did their greatest hits set (which I saw them do acoustically a few years earlier at the Forum) but I thought then, and still think now, that The Go-Betweens were not really a Barbican sort of band, they were rare, but never rarefied. In music I basically like cheery pop and/or bittersweet melancholia. Grant excelled at both. As well as all the grerat stuff with the band Grant's solo albums were complete works, and provided such succour in the years 1990-1997 for those of us not seduced by the dubious charms of grunge and Brit-pop. This was the time G.W. (I loved the amusing literary whiff of the initials) chose to go new country, long before it was all the vogue, on Horsebreaker Star. This is the only double album I own where I don't wish it were a single disc. Watershed was a super record (appropriately I've always found it to be a great record for listening to in the shower); In Your Bright Ray is the sound of dusk played in a minor key. Upon graduating from university I chose to spend five months living and working in Australia in 1995. I hoped, naively, to find the Australia of burnished ennui promoted so sweetly by the band. Of course the reality, lots of rugby league on tv(!!)was somewhat different. This despite that fact that I even based myself in Darlinghurst, later to be immortalised in the final (painfully definite) Go-Betweens album. When it was time to leave Sydney I travelled north. My compatriots all chose to by-pass Brisbane, opting instead for the Vegas by the beach 'delights' of the crushingly literal Surfers Paradise. I couldn't bring myself to to do the same. It was necessary to see the concrete source of all those great songs. Songs such as Robert's Twin Layers of Lightning - 'she walks me home, there's a Mercedes parked in our street' I wanted to know what street was theirs, ours? It was only when I got further north however that I felt I really stumbled onto Go-Betweens land. Just oustside of Grant's birthplace of Rockhampton (farm town by day, Edwarh Hopper painting by night) the shoulder height sugar cane shimmied in the winds, dancing in from the ocean. Finally I was in the land of Cattle and Cane, "further, longer, higher, older." After leaving northern Australia I followed the band's route to Glasgow (again seduced by lovestruck lyrics, this time searching, almost equally futilely, for the 'Tinseltown in the Rain' of Paul Buchanan's marvellous imagination.) Whilst there I entered a music writing competition in Fopp record shop (then based only north of the border), which asked respondents to describe in 100 words their favourite album. For my entry I attempted (evidently unsuccessfully!) to articulate the subtle charms of Tallulah. It's a record that I confess I listen to now quite rarely, but having just given it another spin it still sounds as splendid as ever. My personal favourite from this time was 'Hope Then Strife' in which Grant sings 'She put the postcards up on the head of our bed. I can see Algiers." It was this dream-like nostalgia-tinged wanderlust that seemed to inform much of his work. The Japanese have a term called 'wabi-sabi' that describes an aesthetic of general longing; it's a quality few Western singer-songwriters have been quite able to grasp, indeed besides Grant only Stephen Duffy and Josh Rouse readily spring to mind. But it was undoubtedly one of the aspects that made him stand out. Generally though it is hard to pin-point (aside from his magnificent lyrics and God given gift for melody!) what it was about Grant that made him so special. He wasn't a musical revolutionary, rarely strayed too far from his set musical template over tweny-five years and wasn't the greatest singer or guitarist in the world. But there were virtually no mis-steps along the way, and always something to warm to and enjoy (not admire in a worthy chin-stroking way but sing-along-in-the-car and shout out loud ENJOY!) And then just so you didn't get too carried away at the traffic lights there was equally always something to make you sad (but in a nice way) - an all too rare quality. I generally have a staunch policy of never wanting to meet heroes, but the only one who I would have liked to have bent this rule for was Grant. He just seemed such a decent fella. It would have been nice to share a drink with him, with some other equally decent chaps: perhaps the writers like Apsley Cherry-Garard, Ian Jack and J.L. Carr or the author who ultimately provided the world with 'The Go-Betweens', L.P. Hartley. All are now from another time. Another place. It seems fitting that Grant's last words appear to have been 'I'm going upstairs for a rest'. The king of the understatement to the end. Sweet dreams. Kev Milburn (south London, UK) | ||
| Megan Thomas Unregistered guest |
"I don't want to change a thing when there's magic. I don't want to change a thing when there's magic, in here. Now the coast is clear, you got no time for fear..." I have been overwhelmed reading all the heartfelt words and stories paying tribute to Grant McLennan and how his music and that of the Go-Betweens touched their lives, whether they knew him/them personally or not. It has struck me how there is a global community out there, united in sorrow at this great loss. Somehow there is a ray of sunshine in the worldwide wave of love that we all feel... reaching out and touching each other in every corner of the world, just like Grant and the Go-Betweens did. Never has the line, "you're one thing greater than all the things you are together," rung truer. At first I was content to just read everyone else's tributes. I thought, "how can my humble ramblings do justice to what I'm feeling, how can I add to the beautiful words already written?" Then I thought about it and felt I might regret it if I didn't try, so here goes... I am from Brisbane, but have lived much of my life overseas. Like so many others, the Go-Betweens have been a vivid part of the soundtrack of my life. In the mid-eighties I saw them for the first time at a Joint Effort at the old re-factory at UQ. Spellbinding. At the end of the gig I got the guts up to approach Lindy and tell her it was a great show. Don't remember many details. I do know that it was a sweaty Brisbane night, made all sparkly and shiny by their show. Remember being dazzled by Amanda B. and her fiddle. Anyway, the next show I saw was the first Livid Festival in 1988, epic and wonderful. The last time I saw them, and the most memorable, was in 1996. I was back in Brisbane for a year doing a Grad Dip in Early Childhood at QUT. I Lived in Boston, but had come home to study because I was worried about my parent's health, who after spending many years in Ghana, Ecuador, USA, Kenya and Vanuatu, had retired to Gin Gin, of all places! Anyway, shortly after arriving back, I found out my mum had liver cancer and had not long to live. It was April and my grief was closing in, sticking to me like the humid Brisbane nights. I sat in my house in Belleview Parade- just up the street from Bellavista Tce- listening to the rain crashing down on the corrugated iron roof, sobbing. One night my friends called and said, "You should get out. Robert and Grant are playing together, c'mon, lets go, who knows when they'll be playing together again! We'll pick ya up" (I don't drive either). It wasn't the gig at the "Zoo" but an intimate gathering in an RSL somewhere in the Valley. It was fantastic, best thing I could have done in those sad times. Robert was in that famous yellow linen suit (I always wondered if he had more than one or if he just wore the same suit over and over again). There they were in all their glory. I couldn't believe my luck, catching one of their "one off"- "this is not a reunion" gigs. I can see it in my minds eye, what a wonderful juxtaposition of iconic images. There was Robert, Grant and the band on this funny little stage, replete with ornate maroon velvet curtains and a classic 50's picture of the Queen looming above them. Those of you who were there, I know you felt it too, what a magical night! Made me laugh, made me cry, and for an instant, made me forget my grief. And even when sadness about my mum enveloped me, somehow, it was okay. That's what Robert and Grant did for me that night! My deepest sympathy to Grant's family and to Emma. Also sincere thoughts of love and regret about your loss to Robert, and all band members, past and present, as well as his wide circle of friends and collaborators. "Sometimes change is a dirty word, when you're in the herd, that's what I've heard..." Grant, thanks for daring to STAND OUT! You touched me and so many others, even though I never spoke more than a few admiring words to you. Thank you! Rest in peace. Your music will never die and will continue to spread love and good will, not many can lay claim to such a beautiful and lasting legacy. Love always, Megan Atlantic Beach, Florida Diamonds on the water at five o'clock Lovers lie around in tangled knots Pulling your picture from a cardboard box Forget you not, forget me not I don't want to change a thing when there's magic I don't want to change a thing when there's magic In here, now the coast is clear I got no time for fear Time knocks you down like a rolling ball In memory hall Love leaves you clean like a waterfall Then you hit a wall, hit a wall I don't want to change a thing when there's magic I don't want to change a thing when there's magic In here, now the coast is clear I got no time for fear | ||
| Rebecca Unregistered guest |
Tributes to Grant on the Sydney Morning Herald online forum: http://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/your_say/004521.html | ||
| JandJ Unregistered guest |
I went to my first GB's concert last year at Sheps Bush with my girlfriend last year. I'd heard so much but it gave me goosebumps when grant sang 'finding you'. I smell home when I hear his songs. Life sucks at the moment | ||
| mysecretgarden Unregistered guest |
Very, very sad indeed. Grant was a fantastic songwriter and artist. Fortunately he left us with so much great music. | ||
| Sue Williamson Unregistered guest |
The Go-Betweens helped make living in Brisbane in the 80s bearable. I remember seeing the gobies at the Qld Uni Refec, at one of 4ZZZ's fabulous Joint Efforts and was blown away. And then again last year in Canberra where they were just as wonderful. The gobies music and Grant's fabulous songs were a staple of 4ZZZ and a favourite of many announcers and listeners. Grant's songs have a particularly Australian feel, with a particular Qld influence, with space, mood and texture. Welcomed in an era of oppression and discontent! I did a tribute to Grant on community radio and found it hard and difficult and couldn't convey my thanks for such wonderful music over the last 20 years. I hope people can bear the sadness at today's funeral. Condolences to friends and family and Go-Betweens fans. | ||
| Bhobb Unregistered guest |
Often, you don't know how much an artist means to you until they're gone. Often, you discover they don't mean as much as you thought. Until Grant died, the only artist whose passing had affected me deeply had been that of Jimi Hendrix. I've been a GB's fan since I bought a copy of "People Say" all those years ago. I believe that they were the greatest band Australia has ever produced. I've never had a preference for Grant's or Robert's songs - the parts made the whole. However, I do have a soft spot for "Horsebreaker Star" and this is what I'll be playing at 1.30pm. My sincerest condolences go out to Grant's family, Robert, and Grant's friends. | ||
| Blair Unregistered guest |
Last Saturday afternoon, about 5pm, and at a loss for something to do, I dug out an old "Uncut" magazine complilation CD. 2nd track I came to was the Go Betweens "Mrs Morgan" - A top song and the first time in a while I had listened to the Go Betweens. I spent the next half hour quite focused, picking out the chords on guitar, learning the words, learning to sing the melody...... Sunday morning, a call from my brother, informed me of the bad news. Very, very sad and way, way too soon. | ||
| BillandVicki Unregistered guest |
How lucky we are to have had such wonderful music over so many years. When other bands became just a flash in the pan, Grant and Robert never lost their talent, never lost their way and we're all the more richer for it. We'll be playing 16 Lovers Lane at 1.30aest today and thinking of the gorgeous Grant McLennan with deep fondness. Our thoughts and love are with you Robert. Deep condolences also to Grant's family and friends. | ||
| Tom English Unregistered guest |
What a musician and what a man. Blessed by genius and modest with it. I'm talking about Grant but I could be talking about Robert as well. Heartfelt sympathies to you and to the McLennan family in this sad and surreal week | ||
| Nick Falkner Member Username: Jnick Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
I couldn't believe it when I first heard it. I had the immediate and false hope of some kind of macabre media joke. Or a confusion with some other G W McLennan. But it was, sadly, real. There are good times to die but when you're only 48, you're again enjoying (much deserved) success with a great band and you look like you're having fun - that's not a good time. Grant, you didn't know me from a bar of soap but you scared the crap out of me once by walking into one of the bar areas in the Governor Hindmarsh in Adelaide while I was singing part of "Bye Bye Pride" to my wife as we discussed our favourite songs. I thought I was going to swallow my own tonsils when you and Robert wandered in - but in a good way, if you understand that. I've loved the music for a long time and I'm really sad that I'll never hear you sing any of the old songs, or any new songs, in person again. I'll remember you playing at the Gov, looking like you were having a good gig and filling the place with music and a really, really good feeling. You've left a big hole in a lot of lives and my most sincere condolences go out to your family, Robert and all of your other friends. Robert, I don't know what to say. You two have been like slightly mis-matched bookends, even with the gaps over the years, so this must be incredibly sad for you. We're thinking of you, over here in Adelaide, and hope that you're getting through this reasonably well. What a sad, sad week. | ||
| Stephen Porthouse Member Username: Portly Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
Its funny, I never met Grant but I feel like I've lost a friend. So much of his music - as with the many others writing here - resonated with me and my life experiences, and I think that's why so many feel this loss so personally. At least he and the GBs gained - albeit belatedly - some of the success and recognition their music deserved. So disappointing that there will be no more. | ||
| Gustavo A. Ortega Unregistered guest |
I just found out today about the sad news. I felt horrible, a terrible loss. My name is Gustavo, i'm from Córdoba (Argentina); i'm 25 years old and i discovered the Go-Betweens when i was around 19. Their songs stuck with me ever since. I'm a DJ at a pop/rock club and i play GB songs often, but tonight i'll make a special tribute to the memory of this magical singer and songwriter. Love from down here to all his friends and family. Gustavo. | ||
| william rodgers Member Username: Willyorkpa Post Number: 19 Registered: 02-2005 |
As I sit here 2 hours from Grant's funeral, i felt compelled to write these statements. I have not had the strength to do so since his passing on Saturday. Today is a new day. Here goes: I consider myself the Luckiest man alive. I got to know Grant McLennan. I saw the "Hot New Bands" section of my favorite magazine Rock Scene in late 1978 here in Pennsylvania! I sent a letter to the band that was featured there. It was for The Go-Betweens from Australia who had just released their single "Lee Remick/Karen". I have followed them since... every release, every year...faithfully. I have collected a huge collection of incredible live shows. Got fortunate to see the LAST ever live GB's show in the US in Baltimore, MD. Yes Grant has been a MAJOR part of my life. My girlfriend was astonished when I told her of his death! She replied "You didn't even know him" when I told her of the event. Then I told her the following story... My ex-wife was gloriously pregnant with our son in Late 2000. His name was to be Grant William Rodgers. He was named by me in respect of Grant W McLennan. My wife miscarried our son, thus starting a downward spiral that would end in divorce. Yes, Grant has been a MAJOR part of my life. I have been totally despondent this week, so please forgive my delay in responding to his death. To Grant: As they commit you to the earth, please remember how many lives you have sincerely touched. The gods are smiling. | ||
| Nick Russell Unregistered guest |
Six days on and I’m still finding it difficult to come to terms with. Grant has gone and there is a real sense of emptiness. No more music from GW McLennan. Something that has helped me through good times and bad since I first heard Cattle and Cane all those years ago. It’s difficult to separate my memories of growing up in Brisbane from all things Go-Betweens: saving up for a copy of Before Hollywood from Rockinghorse in ‘82, post Uni exam celebrations at the GoBs Love Inn gig in ‘86, taking my girlfriend (now wife) to Grant’s solo gig in the Valley Mall and Jack Frost at the Zoo in the mid ‘90s, playing the new albums to my son. The music has always really spoken to me and offered some insight and direction in an otherwise confusing place. I’ve only ever had the briefest of conversations with Grant and Robert but I feel like they’re old friends nonetheless. The one consolation I keep close to my heart is the joy in Grant’s songs. Yesterday looking for some quiet solace, I put Fireboy on and halfway through Surround Me my three year old son sensing my sadness went into his room and brought back two of his toy guitars – one for each of us – so we could play along. There is great joy in these songs and the music will live on for a long time. My deepest sympathies to Robert, Emma, Grant’s family and everyone associated with the Go-Betweens past and present. I can only begin to imagine what a difficult time this is for you. Vale Grant McLennan. You’ve meant more to me than you’ll ever know. | ||
| Derek Unregistered guest |
Grant's legacy will live on in the timeless music that the Go-Betweens have created. Thanks. Some lovely tributes from the likes of Amanda Brown, Paul Kelly, Richard Kingsmill are here: http://blogs.smh.com.au/entertainment/archives/club_metro/004542.html | ||
| emg Unregistered guest |
A huge part of my life from teenage years to my late 30’s; it feels like an end of an era that is so cherished. RIP Grant. Thanks for your charm and integrity, for your talent and great shows; your work has touched me to the core and will continue to do so. The memories I have and share with friends are even more treasured now. Deepest sympathies to all that knew and loved him. Dear Bernard, another fruitful life cut far too short. Robert and family, may you valiantly endure this sad time. Crying, smiling and shining a flame for Grant and The Go – Betweens always! I will always recall finding you…… eliza g (melb) | ||
| Anna Burley Unregistered guest |
Dear Grant, I hope you knew how much fun that tour was for me. How much it meant playing and singing those songs that made me want to become a musician.... and much later that you'd remembered 'bachelor kisses' was the song that started me and let me sing it with you and robert. To find out you were funnier and smarter than I expected, that I could drink so much,that carousing was an art. I'm glad I have all those nights to keep, much love to you vale Anna | ||
| marcusw Unregistered guest |
This is my 2nd post in here. I've been a huge fan for over 20 years and was lucky enough to see one of the "reunion" shows at The Zoo in around 1996. That show still holds a special place in my heart. Something I want to say here though shows the lasting quality of Grant's music. I have 2 children, aged 6 & 9. They have of course heard me play Go Betweens records throughout their life without taking much notice, but recently they started enjoying "Streets Of Your Town" after hearing it on the regular TV ad for The Courier Mail. They'd heard Dad playing that song and they loved it. Some weeks ago they both put together their own lists of songs they wanted me to put on a CD I was going to burn for each of them. And I'm pleased to say that amongst the Shannon Noll & Robbie Williams requests(!!!) they both wanted 'Streets Of Your Town" on their CD. So I'll be putting together their CD's this weekend, and the magic of The Go Betweens will officially be passed on to the next generation. | ||
| M. Mark Burgess Member Username: Fortysomething Post Number: 84 Registered: 05-2005 |
Please excuse another post from me but I just want to say thank you to everyone on this board for helping by your tributes. I remember when John Lennon was killed and all of the vigils worldwide that helped ease the pain of his passing. I can honestly tell you that Grant's passing hurts worse. Sadly, there will be no vigils or remembrances where I am (Oklahoma). I am taking off work today to hold my own "vigil" in remembrance of Grant. I never met him, never saw him play but he was a friend through his music. I was watching the acoustic portion of the DVD earlier and it brought me to tears to watch the joy that Robert and Grant shared through their art. The little smiles and nods of recognition after certain chords or words reminded me of why this band was so special. My heartfelt condolences to everyone who knew him and especially to Robert. You are not alone, sir. Whatever you decide to do in future, I know Grant will be with you. Please know that you are loved. | ||
| Duarte Rebelo Unregistered guest |
It's 4.30 am here in Lisbon, Portugal. It's 1.30 pm in Brisbane, Australia. I just got off bed to write a message. It's just to say that I'll miss you. Rest in peace, my dear one. | ||
| Walter Horn, Austria Unregistered guest |
There are moments when I hate that I´m not a native english speaker – for instance right now, because I don´t find the right words to say exactely what I want to say, or sometimes when I am listening to a Go-Betweens-record and don´t understand every word or phrase of the lyrics. Anyway…: I was lucky to see the Go-Bees three or four times before the break-up in the 80´s and five times after the reunion – not one show was bad or even average, every single one was beautiful, funny, rocking, tender, elegant, laid back, marvellous … . I will always remember Robert´s "interesting" dance moves and Grant in the background, a little bit shy, but with that amused smile. What a tragic loss that we never see this warm and friendly smile again. And never hear his voice again. And never hear his unwritten songs. The first Gobees record I bought when it was new, was "Before Hollywood". I was 22 at that time (so I learned to know them quite late) but since then they always have been (and are and will forever be) one of my favourite groups. I admit, I also love and admire other musicians and bands and their music, but the Go-Betweens were always something special to me. Something more personal. Their songs aimed directly to the heart and never failed to touch it. In fact, on Monday at noon I received a SMS from a friend who only wrote "Grant McLennan is dead" – and wham! This blew me off the rails. I felt physically ill and when I read this message board I have to fight my tears. I didn´t even know Grant personally – except the usual after-show-chat while signing LPs and CDs – but I felt as if I lost a close friend. I never felt like this before when a rock star died – not even at the death of Jeffrey Lee Pierce, one of my "heroes". And this feeling is awful. And how hard must it be for Robert and Adele and Glenn and Grants girlfriend and family and friends. I hope you all, and especially Robert, find some comfort and strenght in these hundreds of mails. So much love – wow! I hope Grant knew that. One last thing: When I was watching the DVD on Monday night, I noticed that almost everyone in the Brisbane audience was smiling. And I remembered that from the shows I have seen: during or after a Go-Betweens concert almost everyone was smiling. Grant and Robert, you made a lot of people smile. Thank you for this and thank you for the wonderful music. | ||
| Tony Crooks Unregistered guest |
Far away from Brisbane, here in Japan, I wondered how I could best remember you at this time. So I popped on "Spring Hill Fair", opened a beer, raised it southwards, and had that drink that we never had together. Cheers, Grant. | ||
| Walter Horn, Austria Unregistered guest |
As I finished my post at approximately 5:30 austrian time, I realised that it´s 1:30 pm in Brisbane. Farewell, Grant. Bon voyage. | ||
| Jacinta Schreuder Unregistered guest |
Grant and Robert, your live shows made me happier than anything ever. So glad I jumped at every chance to see you in Melbourne. I hate remembering this news when I wake up each day. The last 2 albums were even better than all the preceding, if that's possible. I can't bear to think there won't be another. No pressure Robert but would love to see you playing round here one day. Thinking of everyone at the funeral and there in spirit. | ||
| Andy Oakbeach Member Username: Djurgarden Post Number: 1 Registered: 03-2006 |
Tack för allt Grant må du vila i frid.Mina tankar går också till din familj,flickvän och vänner. Du kommer alltid att vara min favorit Go-Betweens. My regards also to the pupils of Lindsy Morrisson met in the 3 Monkeys Pub,Sydney. | ||
| Tim Bell Melbourne Vic Unregistered guest |
Been devastated since i've heard the news and the realisation of not seeing Grant & Robert together on stage again hits very hard. Just feel so privileged to have seen the Go-Betweens at the Corner Hotel in Richmond in 2003 and several gigs in the 80's (one was at the Club in Collingwood). Another fantstic experience was seeing Grant solo (with Stephen Cummings) at the Lounge in 1993. In the 80's albums "Tallulah" & "16 Lovers Lane" were always on my turntable and their personal, evocative and unique musical style had a huge impact on me. In the last few months I have been re-living this experience through "Oceans Apart" - which speaks volumes for their 'comeback' & enduring talent. Thanks for those memories and music Grant. My thoughts are with Grant's family and friends. | ||
| Reinier Hollaardt Unregistered guest |
It's now 06:25 in the morning in Holland. The last hour I've been playing records. The last week I've been thinking and crying. The last time I saw you it was in the Spring in Amsterdam last year Be my silver star. | ||
| Paul Clissold Member Username: Paul_clissold Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
It has now gone 1.30pm May 12, in Brisbane (& Geelong) at which time, I parked my car in our main street with front doors open while 'Send Me A Lullaby' played to the people who passed by. Those who did not understand have missed something very special in their lives but never too late to enjoy what Grant has given. Robert & Lindy through to Adele & Glenn, along with all those in-betweens go-betweens - thankyou for so much, you are all very special. My thoughts are with you all as they are for Emma, family & friends who knew Grant for more than his music. RIP GW, we are all still listening - Paul | ||
| anthonya Unregistered guest |
"When the rain hit the roof with the sound of a finished kiss, like a lip lifted from a lip...." thank you for this and so much more. Anthony A. | ||
| J.R. Unregistered guest |
I so wanted to go to the Cathedral personally to pay my respects but felt a little awkward. I never knew you, but you have been in my life longer than you have been out of it. I even went early in case no-one was around and maybe I could sneak in and light a candle for you. Of course, even when I got there the church was starting to fill with your friends, family and I am sure many many fans. I walked on by, I just didn't want to intrude. Instead I bought us a cuppa walked up to the Kangroo Point Cliffs overlooking the "Streets of your town", and silently said farewell to you my Rock 'n ' Roll friend. We will really miss you Mr McLennan. | ||
| matt dempsey Unregistered guest |
Just found this on the ABC website: The funeral of Australian singer-songwriter Grant McLennan has been told he was a giving and beautiful person. About 1,000 people packed St John's Anglican Cathedral in Brisbane today to remember one of the founding members of the band, The Go-Betweens. Family and friends of the 48-year-old gathered to say their final farewells. He died in his sleep last Saturday while he was preparing to host a party to celebrate his birthday. His long time friend and co-founder of the band, Robert Forster, told mourners McLennan will be sadly missed, but his songs will live on. His sister Sally recalled their childhood days in north Queensland. McLennan's girlfriend Emma Pursey read out a song she wrote for him. "If you go away on a summer day, then you might as well take the sun away," she said. As mourners left the cathedral, I'm a believer by The Monkees was played. The Go-Betweens won an Aria last year for the album Oceans Apart. editor's note: The party was not to celebrate Grant's birthday, rather his new life in his new home with Emma. The lyric read by Emma was Jacques Brel's 'If You Go Away'. 'I'm A Believer was Grant's favourite song. | ||
| Sean Ashbrooke Unregistered guest |
We'll miss you Grant. The Go-Betweens were one of the reasons I started to play guitar and write songs. Bye Bye pride is still probably my favourite song ever. Have a beer with Hessie (Paul Hester) mate. You'll live on in Ipods and stereos the world over. | ||
| giraudoux Unregistered guest |
Just a few words from France, as Grant can't really hear them, I guess I can write them in my own language : Je suis allé voir Morrissey il y a quelquelques jours et j'espérais vous revoir bientôt, en témoignage à la fois de mes premiers bonheurs musicaux intimes et de la persistance en une démarche pure et honnête d'artistes qui savent vieillir avec grace et modestie. C'est par hasard que j'ai appris la mort de Grant qui me touche et m'accable, j'étais si heureux de ne pas savoir qui je préférais entre lui et Robert, il est triste de penser que je pourrai plus entretenir ce doute de nouvelles preuves de leurs mutuelles joliesses. Frédéric | ||
| rl Unregistered guest |
in 1982 when i was 10 years old, someone gave me a plaster of paris jug mould set. i used to make them and paint them for my big sister. i would paint skeletons for the birthday party, THE GOBS for the go betweens and heaps of other things i've loved the GOBS ever since. never did see them live but certain songs are the soundtrack to my entire life i'd like to offer my deepest sincerest condolences to GW's family & friends know that he will live forever xxx | ||
| Dirk Kars Unregistered guest |
My girlfriend and I are deeply disturbed and saddened by the news of Grants death. Having seen the Go-Betweens 3 times in concert, having heard all their records, they were a unique and irreplaceable band which enriched our lives for many, many years. We feel with Robert and with Grants family and friends. Whoever saw Robert and Grant together on stage or on TV/DVD can feel how much they meant to each other. Thanks to Grant for all the wonderful songs and for the happiness and love he transported. We miss him very much. | ||
| Stuart Unregistered guest |
In the face of Grant's generous eloquence and the comfort and joy and the expanding the possibilities it's brought over so many years - I express my gratitiude - and wish him safe passage whatever it is that happens next. And to those who are left behind I offer thoughts and prayers. For me the songs remain - with a filagree of memory and association that will continue to grow. | ||
| Vincent from Rennes / Brittany Unregistered guest |
I still can't believe it...reading all those messages, i do feel we all belong to this Gobs "family", far from any music business thing, and i hope it will give some strenght and support to Grant's loved ones, to Robert... memories... I remember the days when i discovered 16 lovers lane back in 88...songs that helped me so much... I missed the band twice: once in France during the lovers lane tour and the other in Stockholm in 2003...learning too late they were playing in the city i was staying in for a few days... I still cannot play the songs...i can't stand the fact that oceans apart is the final curtain... Hope to go to Brisbane some day. hats off and thanks Grant... Robert, the "family" is there... | ||
| Manfred Schimchen Unregistered guest |
Condulations to Grants Family ,Robert and Karin , Glen and all the other people on the other End of the World in that hard times. The rest is silence. No cause your songs will fill the air forever!! "Rock the heaven" Manfred | ||
| Linda Unregistered guest |
The go betweens and the triffids are the soundtrack to the best moments of my life. Seeing them in the original lineup at the trade union club on one of their first trips to sydney - they sang karen and I rememeber being impressed at a song about a librarian that talked about patrick white...infamous shows where robert would turn up wearing a dress. Grant & Robert in the audience at the annandale for a solo show by steve kilby. making friendships that started off by comparing when we had seen them, what they had played an what were the favourite songs. Sitting in the tiny cramped mama marias in william street, Lindy Morrison and Amanda Brown at the next table... Well Dave McComb is gone and now so is Grant McLennan. I am crying as I write this now and I don't know if it is because of the loss of someone who was part of my life without them knowing it, or if it is because of the realisation that those days are gone and they can never come back. | ||
| rlangston Unregistered guest |
Our Best Clothes I wore my best clothes to work the afternoon in Brisbane they buried you the only performance you ever coasted through the audience stood with it arms at its side for the first time unable to clap i took my place among the sea of absent faces at the back an ocean away yours was the sound we wanted to hear and they carried you out in silence -rlangston | ||
| george Unregistered guest |
Simply the best pop band ever. I feel privileged to have seen you perform many times in Glasgow. Grant you will be sadly missed | ||
| Forget You Not Unregistered guest |
Sleep softly, beautiful man. | ||
| Duncan Cooper Unregistered guest |
I first heard the Go-Betweens sometime in 1984, buying "Spring Hill Fair" after reading a review in the NME and thinking "hmmm ... that sounds like me". And it was. And for the past 22 years, the Go-Betweens (and the solo albums) have been part of my life. The last time I saw Robert and Grant live, at a terrific gig in Stockholm, I heard that they'd be signing CDs in the foyer afterwards. I had to hurry for the last train, and thought "Oh well, I'll have a chat with them next time". And now I never shall. Grant may be gone, but we still have his songs - at the moment that may not be a great solace, but I believe that as the years go by, it will be. So ride on, Grant. And Robert, you take very good care of yourself, y'hear? | ||
| Michael Oomens Member Username: Mike_o Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
I posted here a couple of days ago and have been away since, but wanted to share my personal moment of remembering Grant... I was driving back to Manila today after three days on a school camp with my class of 11 year olds. A typhoon is blowing in up here and the rain is coming down in sheets. It's hot and muggy. There was singing on the bus. A kid behind me playing blackjack asked me whether or not he should hit or sit on 17. I was surrounded by laughter and fun. I took a look at the time and saw it was about 2.00 in Brisbane. I hummed a few bars from Cattle and Cane and thought of Grant. "I recall... a schoolboy coming home..." I smiled to myself and watched the rain. Thanks for another moment, Grant. You were something special. x | ||
| Peter S Unregistered guest |
A Teenage Rasputin Takes the Sting from a Gin. As a wannabe Teenage Rasputin when I first heard it in 1987, I thought that this was the best lyric ever written. Older, wiser and now sadder, I still do. Grants songs, particularly during the Tallulah and 16 Lovers Lane era, always made me feel like I was in love, even if I wasn't. I never met him but through his music Grant has played a large part in my life from 1986 onwards. Romance, friendships, holidays - they all seemed to have Grant as a soundtrack at sometime. They still will of course but it will never be quite the same. When your music is played there will be love in my heart. Rest In Peace | ||
| julian Unregistered guest |
i was made aware of the news by my brother. really sad news. grant's songs were with me originally during my informative years so i will never forget him and the go betweens. grant's songs are beautiful from the latest album, some of his best. sending our love grant........ | ||
| Paul Garé Unregistered guest |
Thank you Grant for more than 20 years of wonderful songs! I will always treasure the memory of your gigs at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Paul, the Netherlands | ||
| Jackie J. Unregistered guest |
I was one of the lucky ones that saw many many Go Between's shows in the late 80's (when they were touring in the USA with "A House"). I was able to meet Grant and the rest of the band many times and he was ALWAYS so nice and pleasant and FUNNY!! You and your wonderful Music will be missed. Now, you are in the special part of heaven that the most talented musicians are in. Probably having a blast! I love you Grant!! Jackie | ||
| Pete Unregistered guest |
So many tears......So much love. 1.30pm played Part Company, fingers, Lighting Fires. Tears now, red wine later. Farewell Grant, rest in peace. Thank you. You lit a fire. | ||
| George X Unregistered guest |
This really sucks. I'm crushed. It's too sudden of an ending to such a great story. Thank you Grant for all the hits. My heart goes out to G's family, friends, Robert and the band. GX St Paul MN USA | ||
| Kurt Wasiluk Unregistered guest |
I just found out and feel very sad about the news and sadder reading so many wonderful messages. I can't say I met Grant longer than the time it took him to sign my Heartbreaker Star CD for me. A fan struck speechless. What I have though is years of his songs playing on my stereo, in my car, and in my head. I play his songs to my friends because they're among the richest, most beautiful songs I know. About 10 years ago when Grant was solo and I wasn't hearing much news about him, I saw in the local Detroit paper that he was playing some coffee shop in Hamtramck, Michigan. I went down and found myself in a place that held probably less than 15 people. While I may never understand how such a legend would end up playing in such an unexpected place, I'll never forget the pleasure of him playing his guitar as he walked around the tables, singing with no need for microphone. I was entranced by this kind man singing his lovely songs and remain so to this day. I will really miss knowing Grant is out there. | ||
| Catherine Vaughan Member Username: Catherine Post Number: 2 Registered: 05-2005 |
FINDING YOU What would you do if you turned around And saw me beside you Not in a dream but in a song? Would you float like a phantom Or would you sing along? Don’t know where I’m going Don’t know where it’s flowing But I know it’s finding you I stayed up until 4am this morning, roughly the time of Grant's funeral. I wanted to "attend", to pay my respects, even if it was at a distance of some 4,000 miles. I listened to every album, all ten, back to back yesterday evening and night. Sometimes I smiled, but mostly I cried. Occasionally I wailed like an injured animal. But when listening - really listening - to Finding You - a wave of peace came over me. Because, Grant, every time I have ever listened to your music, you have been beside me in the song. Everytime I listen to your music from now on, I know you'll be beside me in the song. AND I WILL SING ALONG.. Robert, know also, that anytime I listen to a Go-Betweens song, if you turn around, you might see me, because I'll be thinking of you and hoping you're keeping strong. | ||
| David Wheeler Unregistered guest |
I first saw the Go-Betweens back in the early 80s and bought their albums, "Batchelor Kisses" was one of mine and my wife's tunes. When the band first split it was one of those things, I got married and had children and at first missed the fact that Grant and Robert had got back together. I bought Oceans Apart and dug out all those old albums. Ironically a friend of mine returned from Australia only last month with a copy of "Striped Sunlight" and asked me about the band. It is very sad news that another returning rediscovered part of my youth is gone. Thanks for the 80s and the 00s and the rediscovered gaps in between. My thoughts are with Grant, his family, friends and Robert. | ||
| Ian Dearden Unregistered guest |
You will all be pleased to hear that Grant's funeral, in the gothic splendour of Brisbane's St John's Cathedral, was a truly moving celebration of Grant's life. The church was full - more than 1,000 on my estimate, followed by a wake at the Brisbane Powerhouse theatre. Everyone who was there, and I know all of those everywhere thinking of Grant at this time, gave thanks for the life, not only of a truly great Queenslander but a true citizen of the world, who for many of us wrote the music that became the soundtrack of our lives. Rest in peace. | ||
| RB Unregistered guest |
Such a shock to hear the news. Grant - your music lives on. Thanks for the wonderful shows over the years. Thanks also for the many incredible people I have met because of your music. My sympathies to Grant's family and friends, especially Robert. | ||
| Carl Schubert Unregistered guest |
I´m writing from Duisburg, Germany. Usually I don´t write to message boards. But now it´s different. I´d like to share my own (funny and sad) Go-Between story: I lived in Brisbane, Australia from 1983-1990. I never listened to the Go-Betweens back then. However, last year I read a portrait about them in the German Rolling Stone magazine. I got me "Oceans Apart" and was an instant fan. Later I bought the DVD and was impressed. Especially from the bonus material I learned that Grant and Robert are really nice, down-to-earth people. I was sad that I missed the Brisbane concert in August 2005, as I was in Brisbane for holidays not long after that. I bought a couple more CDs and wanted to treat myself to see a concert later on, somewhere in Europe if possible. Last week I needed some information from the Australian Embassy in Berlin in regards to my Australian Pasport. When I looked up their homepage I found some German gig dates for the GB. I was so excited and rang one location ( Bonn ) to see if I could get some tickets for a show in June. Being so extremely thrilled I could not understand when the ticket-lady explained to me that those tour dates were last years! I had overlooked that the information on the internet was from 2005! I was very disappointed not to be able to see my new favorite band this time. A week later, today, I must learn that Grant McLennan had died. Can you imagine my feelings of sadness. Within a week I was going through the motions from being high on the prospect of going to a concert to crying in shock over Grant´s untimely death. When I was reading the article in the RS magazine I thought "Oceans Apart" was a title that appealed to me, as I wanted to move back to Brisbane ever since 1990 but couldn´t manage. When I missed the shows in Brisbane and Bonn I thought its really oceans apart for me. When I read about this great loss, I thought its more than oceans apart now, its worlds apart. But in my heart and soul the music will keep Grant McLennan alive. With deepest sympathy to Grant´s family, his fríends and Robert Forster and the band members. Love! Carl | ||
| Plectrum Funt Unregistered guest |
Dear Grant, something i never got to tell you: As a spotty fourteen year old back in Dublin 1989 i went to see REM on a balmy summers night (my old man won two tickets). A mate and myself bonked the train (didn't pay) over to the leafy suburbs. I loved your songs and set-up beyond belief, the inquisitive looking, intellectual tall one with great eyebrows, hair and clothes, the shy poetic, poignant and almost melancholic one, the gorgeous violinist and the weird but brilliantly off centre drummer. I turned to leave the stadium, overjoyed and consumed! Only to be tapped on the shoulder by a well informed geezer behind me who said "that wasn't REM it was the Go-Betweens!" hmmmmm I knew that i said? But of course I didn't... I might add REM were great, but the only bit of that concert I remember was the Go-Betweens! Just like my mothers cooking, no one can do it as good! I've loved both of your lyrics and music for years since... the old stuff, the solo stuff, and the blindingly good newest stuff! Deepest and heartfelt thoughts and thanks to Robert (your partner in crime / your ying or yang), your family, girlfriend, Adele, Glenn and associates / friends all over the world! To finish I'll say this: I've been depressed all week with the news but happy to have been graced with your music, words and wisdom to accompany my journey... I got to see you live in Australia twice (as a so-called adult) which i never thought would ever happen since you split! And those shows were so intimate and bullshit free it was hard to fathom! My god i could have plugged out all your guitar leads if i wasn't enjoying myself so much! You were modest and shy for the first one, modest and confident for the second one - which was only last year... My daughter who is only seven, but has been a fan since she was in the womb, was absolutely gutted when i told her you had left us... and her lovely innocent questions asking why? blocked my throat with sadness! RIDE ON BLACK MULE | ||
| Kev McMahon Unregistered guest |
I've been listening to various Grant and Go-Betweens tracks all week, as if that would help explain such a tragic passing. "Cattle and Cane" is a song I can listen to over and over, and never become tired of. Later in the week I played some of Grant's solo albums, and re-discovered the brilliance, the creativity, the gentle humour. Being from Brisbane as well, I always felt that these songs were somehow more brilliant, more relevant. I've read through many of the other comments and discovered that people all over the world felt the same way - which in an ironic way makes it more special, and his passing all the more saddening. Sympathies to his family, friends and Robert of course. | ||
| Eliza Unregistered guest |
So sad. Thanks for the most beautiful lyrics ever and songs that release pure magic into the air. If only Heart and Home went for more than 3.13 minutes. To your family and co-musical genius RF, take care and best wishes. | ||
| Peter Dunne Unregistered guest |
Still sad today after hearing the news on Monday. I got into Go Betweens when the first broke up after final heeding Hot Press (and father Ted writer) Graham Linihens and Dave Fannings advice and buying 1978-1990. Soon after I was hooked,I remember someone 2 or 3 years later introducing me to 16 Lovers Lane one very stoned/drunken night in Dublin, did anything ever sound so good? Finally saw them on first tour back together around 1997 in samll gig in Dublin and they were everything I wanted them to be. Only ever met Robert (still have the signed Karen t-shirt) but watching Grant on DVD in his house you could see he was one of the good guys. How could anyone who wrote such sweet songs not be? May you find peace, pints and music where ever you are now. Peter, Dublin | ||
| Brian Cummins, Dublin, Ireland Unregistered guest |
Dreams about tomorrow will be so much sadder from now on. My sincere condolances Grant's friends and family. Thank you Grant for providing so many wonderful musical moments in my life. | ||
| David Boughey Unregistered guest |
Grant made this place a bigger, brighter world, and he has left us far far too soon. My sympathies to his family and to Robert. | ||
| JUANCA Unregistered guest |
QUERIA MOSTRAR MI TRISTEZA POR LA PERDIDA DE GRANT. OS CONOCIA DESDE PEQUEÑO Y POR FIN OS PUDE VER EL PASADO OCTUBRE EN VALENCIA. SIEMPRE TE LLEVARÉ EN MI CORAZON. UN BESO AL CIELO DESDE VALENCIA. | ||
| Ned Raggett Unregistered guest |
Just a follow-up post: Last year someone quite talented and funny I knew from a web board, who I had met briefly but, like Grant, who I hadn't really seen in her own element -- in her case, enjoying life out on the town with friends and the like -- was, tragically, killed. The remembrances posted about her were as moving and detailed as the ones here, and I remember that the final post on the thread from a good friend mentioned a charitable donation in her name by saying, "It felt good...well, it didn't feel bad." It struck me then and now as a perfect summation of how remembering those who have passed feels. Last night (my time, in LA), as the service began in Brisbane, I put on 1978-1990, sat back with a glass of red wine and let it all wash over me. For the first time in a long while I concentrated on all the songs, the lyrics, the experience, and found myself smiling as much as I was gently sighing. And indeed, it felt good -- or at least, it didn't feel bad. Love to all. And to Grant, again -- rest well. | ||
| John Cremin Unregistered guest |
Dear Grant, Thanks so much for all the great songs, brilliant gigs, and warm memories. I had the honour of meeting you after that incredible re-union gig June 1997 at the Mean Fiddler Dublin. My thoughts and wishes go out to you family, friends, and fans all over the world on this very very sad day. | ||
| Matthewww Unregistered guest |
Gosh. A week on from Grant's death, I'm still crying when I hear his songs. It's tough for me, how much more for those who personally know him. Not fair! I really appreciated his music and his life. My love to the other band members past and present, and Grant's family. | ||
| MM Unregistered guest |
I just wanted to pay my respects. I only knew Grant through his music but was shocked when I heard the news on Monday morning. His wonderful songs have kept me company for over 20 years. Rest in peace. | ||
| Geoff George Unregistered guest |
I cannot find the words. I know Grant and Robert always could - and that's but one of the reasons why the Go-betweens are so wonderfully special... Grant's death is horrible news and along with everyone else here, I'm sensing a huge hole. I hope it doesn't sound trite but his work will be re-visited many times. I note that both his and Robert's work have been with me at some key moments. I remember a trip to Russia with work just after Glasnost and it being far far away from home. I wanted a tape of someone to travel musically with me - and guess who I turned to - a fantastic combo of Grant and Robert's solo work and of course the Go-betweens. Despite the advent of new technology - my tape sticks with me. Thanks too for when I saw you guys way back at Nottingham Trent Poly. The usual sparse turn out at that time - but you gave it some welly and me and my mate Steve felt you were playing just for us... Sincere condolences, warmth and love to Robert and to Grant's family. And thanks. Geoff. Nottingham. England. | ||
| Matthias Strzoda, Hamburg Unregistered guest |
2nd post Two nights ago, I got stung by a big black bumblebee. Which they hardly do. I wouldn´t wake up until that last, massive sting, probably the sixth or seventh, although it warned me by buzzing really loud. Which they usually do. Droney dreams, I was too tired to wake up. Those past days were taking their toll. The bumblebee, it died. Which they usually don´t. Wearing all black today. My thoughts are right there with the folks in the late Brisbane night. The fellow travellers probably still up and talking, sharing memories, getting close together. Maybe silently smoking. Most likely gone to sleep, tired and exhausted and numb, now it´s over. All that´s been said or done in the past is of lesser value now - what really matters is the spark of the moment you connect. It´s the loss of that very moment, with it´s deepness it harbours, that hurts so much. Whether it´s on or in front of a stage, during a conversation, or beneath a record player. Whether it´s captured on a picture, a tape, or in your mind - a person you´ve shared it with is gone forever. If that moment marks a major aspect of your own life, which is very easy to imagine, and the person you´ve shared it with dies, a part of yourself dies also. The Go-Betweens were my group all through the 80s. I´ve seen all their Hamburg shows, the first one in 1983. Three-piece. Traveled to other cities to see them. Went to Roskilde festival in 1987, where I threw flowers on stage. Robert, he knelt down, built a circle of flowers around him, and sang the next song from there. From 1990 on, I belonged to their circle for ten years. Went with Robert. Met Grant in 1991, and literally kissed him. "Give him a big kiss", Karin said on the phone. So... The 2000 tour, that´s been a tough time, for everybody. The audience wouldn´t recognize, the reaction was overwhelming. Nights out with Grant - very, very funny. And make that all night. "Don´t try to keep up with Grant", they said. You never could. But those particular moments: Hammering it out to "Bye Bye Pride" as hard as you can. Everything is vibrating. Loud and beautiful music. The man with the woolen cap turns, looks you in the eye, and smiles. That is on a picture. A tape. And in my mind. Once again, I bid you farewell, Grant | ||
| NadaM Unregistered guest |
At 1.30pm Fri 12 May I played the GoB's dvd 'that striped sunlight sound'at home in Bris and remembered... I first met Grant in 1977 at Golding St Toowong (he was housesharin with Tricia & York, Ian, Andrew & Karen). He was sweet, introverted and consumed with passion for movies, books & music. I kept connected to his story and last saw him live @ the Tivoli 2005. He has surpassed his dreams and lives on in history. His songs are gifts and put Bris (&OZ) on the map. RIP. Blessings & energy to his family, girlfriend, friends, fans, & courage to Robert to go forth & play the GoB music. | ||
| Nancy in Kansas Unregistered guest |
I have nothing to say that others haven't said better already. I've been so sad all week. For 23 years the GoBetweens have always been there in my life's soundtrack and I bought all their records on vinyl, then on cd, then on cd again when the remastered expanded ones came out, but until this week I never really stopped to look at the corpus of Grant's songs as a whole and really realize what an amazing amount of incredible music he left us with. 16 Lovers Lane is one of my most favorite records ever and always will be, but there are so many wonderful wonderful gems that have made life brighter and more interesting. I'm sad for the songs he'll never write but so grateful for the ones he did. Strength and love to those who loved him. | ||
| Anselm Kipp Unregistered guest |
There will be a memorial radio broadcast for Grant on German´s Radio Eins Berlin http://www.radioeins.de/_/beitrag_jsp/key=beitrag_145.html with a lot of songs, stories and an interview with Grant (London, March 2005) on Saturday May 13th (3 am to 5 am Central European Time). Live stream: http://www.radioeins.de/_/index_jsp.html | ||
| fsh Member Username: Fsh Post Number: 76 Registered: 05-2005 |
The gravedigger's work is almost done A hole in the ground spits dirt at the sun The water-tank is dirty and dry Dust from the creek covers the sky Won't you wear the ...... Black Hat (The Ghost and the Black Hat - Liberty Belle) | ||
| scott Unregistered guest |
Few artists are able to make quality art for an entire career. Grant was a rare artist who was able to write beautiful songs his entire career. I was fortunate enough to live in a large city where I could see him perform many times over the years. His music will live on forever, and he will be missed. | ||
| borja v. Unregistered guest |
What comes to my mind when I think about Grant's music is warmth and beauty. This is a very sad time indeed. Borja Valles Barcelona Spain | ||
| Mark Unregistered guest |
Thank you Grant. We'll miss you. Mark | ||
| Anthony Butler Unregistered guest |
Reports of Grant's Memorial Service: Go to Google News. Type in 'Grant McLennan'. Most of the Australian papers have their stories posted. I have to commend Robert, who has suffered the biggest loss through this tragedy, for his wonderful words in Grant's memory. I hope that after the grief clears we can also see that our lives were immeasurably improved simply because Grant McLennan was sharing this planet with us. As Robert said, his songs will have the same power and relevance for people who have not even been born yet. Grant's legacy lives within everyone who has posted here. We just need to pass it on. | ||
| Nick,Deal,England Unregistered guest |
Listening to Quiet Heart can't really believe he's gone. Love to all who loved the Go-Betweens, we're all poorer for his passing | ||
| Johnny Mc Loughlin Unregistered guest |
i,ve been a go betweens fan since i graduated from listening to michael jackson and went straight to the pixies doolittle and the go betweens 78-90 compilation when i was 12. i couldn't believe how just how good a bands unreleased material could be never mind the first half of the record. e.g "a king in mirrors" and "this girl, that girl" by grant and roberts "when people are dead" and "rock n roll friend" were outstanding. i could pay tribute to robert but that's premature. i'm sure there will be lots more to be heard from him. i've been fortunate enough to see the go betweens a number of times over the past ten years in dublin. the first time they reformed for a brief tour and it felt like an amazing opportunity to see a once great band. fortunatley they would be a great band again. when i saw them in the ambassodor in dublin in 2003 i don't recall ever hearing so many encores and have never experienced a better atmosphere at any gig before or since. they should have played stadiums just like the pixies ended up doing but only because they deserved the cash. it was in some ways nice to feel you were part of a great big secret. thanks grant, Johnny | ||
| Martin Whelan Unregistered guest |
I felt so deeply sad when I heard. I've been a fan since the early 80s and had two opportunities to see the Go Betweens play in Dublin. I left my cousin's wedding to see them support REM only to be delayed and missed the set. Second time I couldn't make it and gave my tickets to somebody I thought would appreciate such a great band. And she did. I reckoned I would see the Go Betweens soon afterwards... Cheers Grant, I've never been to Australia and it hurts me that I never saw you perform. But one day I'll visit you through the streets of your town. Martin. Dublin | ||
| Alan Lynam Unregistered guest |
It was with great sadness that I learned that Grant had passed. It is hard to believe that we will never see this amazing talent again. I have only been a fan for the last 4 years but by god, how these old romantics have grabbed me !! I had the great pleasure of seeing them twice and I will carry those two special nights with me untill I'm old and grey. My deepest sympathies to Grant's family , Robert, Band and ex Band members. Off now to listen to Liberty Bell... God Bless | ||
| Roger eckhardt Unregistered guest |
The day Ocean's apart was released in Germany I went to my favorite record store to buy it and they even had the vinyl on stock. When I was paying I could hear myself saying, "well, now life starts to make sense again", and the owner and the clerk made funny faces and comforting remarks like, "hey, it can not be that bad!" And yes, they were right. It was not and is not that bad. I can always find buoyancy, in myself and outside of myself. I am always able to find people or thoughts or feelings or things which are worth living for. Like listening to the Go-Betweens. When I saw the Go-Betweens for the last time I brought my son along who is seventeen and very into grunge and melvins and punk. In the middle of the concert I realised that he was very happy with the show. And I was very proud, I don't know exactly about what, and, leaning over, I said, "the Go-Betweens, Jonas, the Go-Betweens!" And I felt he understood. I'm sure, what he felt this evenning was very different from what he could gain from his grunge world. I'm sure he felt buoancy. And I'm shure this he will remember forever. Like I do. Thank you, Go-Betweens. Thank you, Grant. | ||
| John S Nadin Unregistered guest |
I am a recent convert compared with most but I really love the go-betweens beautiful music. farewell grant you may have left us but your songs will live on forever... | ||
| Peter Smith Member Username: Peter_smith Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
Grant - I'll miss you and your beautiful songs. You were there for all of us who took the wrong road round - Sometimes we don't come through, sometimes we just get by - you reached me. | ||
| Moira Unregistered guest |
I took this chance to write a message Its just to say that I will miss you. Thank you Grant. You will never leave my heart. | ||
| Rishi Dastidar Unregistered guest |
I doubt I can add much by way of tribute. I just wanted to record the fact that I was incohate when I heard the news (today), stunned, just stunned. But mostly I really wanted to say thank you; for a fabulous night in Shepherd's Bush a few years ago, when for one night you could suspend judgement, and believe in love and heroes and passion all over again; for allowing me to believe that I could play guitar solos too; and for giving hope to teenage Rasputins everywhere. I will always think of you when taking the stings from gins. | ||
| Brian, Cork Unregistered guest |
I’m afraid the Go-Betweens and Grant McLennan would mean very little in my current small circle – wife and four small children – my wife asked me on Monday why I seemed distracted – truth I was still stunned, - “Do you know the Go-Betweens?” - “Sure - they’re the ones that had that girl…”- “Eh yeah” -”Yeah I know them…” - “Well one of the guys from the Go-Betweens has just di…” “Oh No, I’m thinking of 10,000 Maniacs… which ones are the Go-Betweens again?” “??!!” However over the years I have such truly great memories associated with the music, ever since hearing Apology Accepted at the end of a mix tape I'd been given. Going to see them in London at the Astoria just before 16LL, - first time going to a gig by myself because none of my friends would go as it was on a ‘school night’, - walking past the touts at the door who were selling the tickets at half price and buying one for full price, trying to play it cool but the bar woman taking the mick out of my Irish accent ( ... I was such an innocent lamb).The utter thrill of actually seeing these exotic creatures all the way from Australia in the flesh for the first time. Does anyone who was there remember, at one stage did Robert turn his back on the crowd, walk past Grant as he was singing, stop, touch him on the bum and pull a face? I can’t believe I imagined it – but I was after 'tree' pints of Harp. Walking home from the pub, half cut and happy, on dark rainy winter nights listening to Watershed on a Walkman - gradually accepting my fate - some reviews had said Grant McLennan had gone all “MOR/ AOR” with his first solo album, so I was destined to be buying Phil Collins and Elton John albums before long - because I just thought it was great! Moving out of home for the first time – living in a flat with my now wife, taking a distinct and definite dislike to ‘When People are Dead’ and realising about a month later that it was simply the best thing on the album. How does music do that? Trying to get to sleep with the same woman, on hot sticky mosquito filled nights in Seoul with Fireboy –“We tired and you’re leading us home” The good feeling when I heard they were getting back together (though tinged with a little disappointment that Lindy didn’t make it) - like good friends who had divorced but had realised, as we knew all along, that they really belonged together. The great nights in Whelan’s in ‘97 - “Is Patrick here?” Meanwhile the 2nd incarnation albums have tracked my descent into domesticity and child rearing still the soundtrack to life. “And I just came down here try to make her day” I’ll miss Grant McLennan, not like I’d miss my family and friends, to be fair I never met him. But still a part of me has gone with him, and I find it so sad to think that he, and it, are gone for ever. I realise there are people, like his mother who has lost her son, his own son, his family, his partner and his close friends, including obviously Robert, who must deal with a much greater void than I do, and I offer them my sincere sympathies. I hope it is of some comfort that you know you are not alone at this time, and there are so many people who you may never have met, from places you may never have been who are with you now. | ||
| Mr. Ebu Unregistered guest |
I don't know what to think ! My brain is quite empty now. 5 mins ago I read that Grant is dead ! I know that this sad message will mean much more to me than I can feel now. The Go-Betweens means so much to me since the mid 80's, their influence for my own music is fact, and I honestly can say that beneath some favourite solo-artists The Go-Betweens is the favourite band of my life. I saw you live since 1986 many times, last time at Mousonturm Frankfurt in 2005. I came there with my bike and the first thing I saw was the whole band sitting among some other visitors outside at a table with their drinks.... In my small broadcastingshow The Go-Betweens are one of the most played bands since I'm on air (about 8 years now) and I promise to make a Go-Betweens special in my next show on Thuesday, June, the 6th. I still feel empty, but I also feel tears in my eyes now. And I'm not ashamed. Grant is dead - and all I can say is THANK YOU !!! Carsten Mr. Ebu Olbrich - www.ebusmusic.com | ||
| Roddy Frame Fan Unregistered guest |
I'm just back from a great Roddy Frame (ex of Aztec Camera) concert in Edinburgh, Scotland - without saying anything about Grant or the GBs he encored with 'Took The Long Way Round' and he did the song and Grant M. proud. (The GB's and Aztec Camera were stablemates for a while on Postcard records). | ||
| Greg Conroy Member Username: Royster Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
On a Friday in late 1989 the Sydney Morning Herald published, in its blue Metro Guide, a special: "The discs of the decade". I was 22. It is still the most influencial music piece I've ever read, for inside was a top-10 critics recommendation of the best Australian music of the 1980s. I remember reading band names like The Triffids, The Hummingbirds, The Church and The Go-Betweens. I think I bought every album recommended. I fell in love with "16 Lovers Lane" and recommended it to so many. Then I read that the The Go-Betweens had broken up. I couldn't believe I'd missed seeing such a legendary Australian band and only by a matter of months. I decided to never miss such great live music. I became a huge fan of bands such as The Hummingbirds and The Clouds and I saw Cleopatra Wong with Amanda and Lindy :-) Fast forward 16 years and I get to see The Go-Betweens live at the Metro and Homebake. I felt like I'd been given a second life!!! Robert and Grant: Your music touched all aspects of my life. Songs to romance ... Songs to gingerly dress too in the morning with a storming hangover ... Songs to travel with ... And most importantly ... Songs to just love. Much love to all: fans, lovers, friends. Greg. | ||
| Richard Johnstone Unregistered guest |
Like many, I was stunned to hear the news about Grant last Sunday. Over the years the Go-Betweens have become one of my favourite bands, and cetainly the band I talk about the most, and listen to the most. This last week have I played and replayed Grant's songs - what a wonderful body of work. Again, like many I feel a huge loss that there will be no more Go Betweens albums, and no more Gobies concerts. So thank you Grant, for your wonderful songs, your poetry and for your gentleness, good humour and courtesy. And thank you Robert, for your fantastic songs. Thank you both for the Go Betweens - a band that means so much to so many, and which has enriched so many lives. Richard Johnstone, from Alderley | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 355 Registered: 04-2005 |
Nearly a week now, and it hurts no less. It still feels unreal. But his music is still so alive that Grant's not gone, not really. The tributes on this board have been so beautiful and moving that they've left me speechless. There's just so little to add to what's already been said. Anyway, a tribute to Grant by Robert Christgau, who can be so infuriating but has always been a generous and vocal champion of the Go-Betweens: http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0620,christgau,73195,22.html Thank you again, Grant. You've created a beautiful legacy and given us all inspiration and hope. Well done, mate. | ||
| RP Martinez Member Username: Rpm Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
I was just 12 when I had first heard of the Go-Betweens. It was the early 1980’s. I recall it precisely: late, one night I had been awakened by the television in my parents room; they had fallen asleep with it on. So, I stepped in to shut it off, and as I was searching for the power button - a music video began (at a time when music videos were somewhat of a new format). The first few bars instantly struck me, and I ended up standing in front of that television, watching the video in its entirety. Afterwards, I shut off the TV and then quickly scrambled back to my own room for a pencil and notepad in order to write down the song title and whom the band was: “Bachelor Kisses by the Go-Betweens“, and back to sleep I went. Friday came several days later, and after school I walked directly to the tiny record shop 60 minutes south, which I’d heard had an impressive stock of music. And, there it was!… one sole vinyl LP by the Go-Betweens with “Bachelor Kisses” being the first listed amongst its songs. I finally returned home, pulling the vinyl from its plastic as I walked into my bedroom, and placed it on the turntable. I played “Bachelor Kisses” once, twice, and maybe a few more times. Then, the entire album all the way through. Ultimately, that time became specifically dedicated to listening to the songs, reading liner notes… and listening all over again. It was the first time I had ever heard melodies & song structure as unique as that. I’d become a fan, and as they released - I listened. September 1987 came around. A girlfriend and I caught the Go-Betweens live at a small venue in San Diego, as they promoted the release of (still) one my all-time favorite albums: “Tallulah” (which is the name of my daughter whom is soon to be born). At one point Grant invited the crowd to call out requests. My girlfriend and I participated in calling out “Part Company”, and of course “Bachelor Kisses”, to which he smiled and humorously replied, “Asking us to dig up the past. Unfortunately, those are a couple we haven‘t played in a while. I doubt we‘d be able to play them properly for you at this point“. What utterly surprised both me and my girlfriend is that after the show as we stood talking with friends, Grant actually came down into the crowd, approached me and my girlfriend, introduced himself and apologized for not being able to play our requests. I was amazed. It is one of the very few and rare moments that I have ever been undeservingly approached with immediate grace and reverence. He ultimately spent the next 30 minutes or so chatting with us. This wasn’t just some man whom is a musician, this was a man with admirable politeness & genuine stature. I remember his humor and laugh. I would catch several more of their live shows as the years went on. By the time 2001 had come my taste & collection of music had become much larger, and I’d seen many genres come and go. I’d read a news snippet that new material by the Go-Betweens was released: ‘The Friends of Rachel Worth’. One day while running errands with my 9 year old son (already a young record collector in his own right) we passed a record shop. We went in, and eventually came across the new album. That afternoon we listened to it in the car while running the remainder of errands. It was good to have them back. My son picked up on the album immediately... and then the next, and so on. He’s been a fan ever since. This past week I’ve listened to the Go-Betweens; I still have the first album I bought that day after school. These few days have been a mixture of disbelief & celebration, which I realize is the first time I have ever felt a unison of both heartbreak & joy. Curiously, each album has brought back so many long forgotten memories as I’ve listened this past week. The Go-Betweens have had an invaluable impact on my life. I realize they had created one of the favorite & long-time friendships I've had with music. Thank You. For all you have given the world and which will remain - much Love and Gratitude to you Grant. You will be forever missed. RPMartinez | ||
| cathy, scott, ruari Unregistered guest |
Glasgow Uni 79-81, Glasgow bedsitterland 81-86, Orange Juice, Aztec Camera, Go-Betweens: Met a boy, we both loved the Go-Bs, 86 we split up. I played That Way a million times, it was my broken heart. I left the cold and rain and unemployment and came to Australia for a year of happiness in sunshine with little more than my Go-Bs and Triffids cassette tapes. The boy sent Go-B tapes as loveletters. He followed me there and we saw the wide open road from a greyhound bus, saw the rain of falling cinders over the burning cane fields listening day and night to our tapes through 1 set of shared headphones. Pure Love and Happiness. Back in Glasgow trips to the continent linked with Go-Bs and Triffids concerts in London. 92 We emigrated I like to think because of the sound of Grant voice on the beautifully spoken song 'River of Money' and because of the promise of that striped sunlight sound. We've not been disappointed. One of the first nights here a D McComb/GM concert at the 3 weeds. A decade of great live music, Robert lots of times, Nick Cave, Ed Kuepper, Dave Graney, Black Eyed Susans, The Dirty Three etc. We'd come to musical heaven. Australians - be proud of your music. reformed Go-Bs at the newtown rsl - one of the happiest nights of my life, had just turned 40 and on a hit of euphoria this west of scotland girl finally had the courage to speak to her hero. He was like everyone here has described, true, charming and humourous. PJ Harvey and the Go-Bs I was pregnant and how my baby danced! sydney festival I had this strange thought about how this concert would be if my Glaswegian partner of 20-odd years had died before it and it made the concert almost unbearably amazing for me. I never dreamt it would be Grant who would pass away... We've been in this foursome for so long and it's shattering to have lost Grant. Dug the old tapes out on Tuesday after reading this board and have been playing them and cds and dvds everything loud alll week. On Wednesday my four year old shouts Let's Dance and we've danced and laughed a lot all day. He wants to go to a GoBs concert... On Thursday I read the lyrics to Oceans Apart as we dance and am shattered on hearing them as what has since been described as 'departure' lyrics. On Friday the funeral and Grant's first night in his new home have been hard even at this distance, so my heart bleeds for the people who knew and loved him. Saturday, today: Wendy, to lose a child is surely one of the worst things in life. Thank you for whatever magic you spun on your child to start him on the journey to us. I can't imagine how dull our lives would have been without him, what beauty his words and music infused our lives with. My love to you. Sorry for the long letter, I've been composing it in my head all week. I hope this board brings comfort to the family and friends like it's brought comfort to me. My special thanks for the stories from those who knew him well and given the rest of us insights into his life that we'd never otherwise have. Grant, I think you came and gave each of us a hug and a kiss last night - I could feel it.RIP. "don't you know, baby, you won't find it again..." | ||
| Craig Dunn Unregistered guest |
The first Go Betweens album I ever bought was 16 Lovers Lane. I asked the guy in the CD shop to put it on and as soon as I heard Grant's first track I bought it immediately. When I saw Robert Forster live and solo in Melbourne at the Punter's Club it was the best gig I'd been to. But after Grant and Robert reformed I took my wife to see them at the Continental Cafe and I'll always remember the warmth and joy the Go Betweens brought with them that night. And then the next 3 CD's were like an endless summer. I often sing Bye Bye Pride to my children at bedtime and now the lyrics "take your shoes and go outside, stride over stride, walk to that tide, because the door is open wide", have an enhanced meaning. The last week I have felt both sad and confused but also incredibly enriched at having shared in Grant's songs. Thank you Grant for your wonderful music and my thoughts are with Robert and your family and friends. Craig | ||
| MandyB Unregistered guest |
sad sad so sad. bless you G.W. | ||
| stuart rogers Unregistered guest |
the first go-betweens song i heard was "love goes on". a girl i had a crush on at the time called sheridan played it for me and told me that grant had written it for her (as he sang of the street utilising her name passed). this of course was just after the band had split and i was crushed by retrospective angst as i ploughed through their back catalogue. i can't think of how many people i've introduced to their music since. i guess that's what happens when you've really been touched by great art. you want everyone to share in the wonder. i dunno about the rest of you out there but whether it's lennon/mccartney, strummer/jones, or forster/mclennan, when push comes to shove, it's hard not to take sides. i love all of robert's songs but there's something about grant's that deeply affected me. and always will. i'm happy to say that i finally got to see the band play at the mercury lounge in new york city late last year. by chance, grant walked past me en route to the bar that evening and as i looked sheepishly in his direction, he flashed me a great big smile. and that's the sense that i'm getting from what i read here and from what his friends and collegues have said - big heart, great fella. you music will live on for 10,000 years grant. and then some. stuart | ||
| M&P Unregistered guest |
Dear Grant MPM is missing you.. | ||
| broken horse Unregistered guest |
I first saw Grant Mclennan playing live before I was a fan of the Go-Betweens. I'm pretty sure it was late 1986, at the LSE in London. It was at a Weather Prophets gig. He only played about 4 songs one of which was a John Cale cover. I remember him saying he wasn't a big fan of his but he really liked this particular song. There was a couple of other acts playing that night but I got the impression Grant had hustled himself on to the bill, being keen to play that night. I guess Robert was washing his hair. A few months later I saw Grant & Robert at another Weather Prophets show at a different college in London. The Apartments were supporting and Amanda Brown was playing tambourine and doing backing vocals for them. Robert & Grant were in the audience cheering them all along. Robert had his "Blake Carrington" hair by this time and was wearing a poncho. | ||
| mark ashton Unregistered guest |
I discovered Grant's music via Jack Frost, and loved what he did with Kilbey. from there, i explored the go-btwn's, but truly discovered what it's all about when I saw them at the Olympia theatre in Dublin back on a cold, rainy Fall evening in 2000. Though I only knew a handful of songs, it was a wonderful & unique experience that evening watching Rob and Grant having such a good time on stage with the crowd. How did i ever miss this band, i thought to myself. Better to late than never and thanks for all the great music Grant. | ||
| stan emmerson Unregistered guest |
Reading all of these messages is overwhelming. That so many people have found the time to write such wonderful words says perhaps as much as the individual words themselves. If anyone is interested, my own small contribution can be found here: http://sendinthecows.blogspot.com/2006/05/in-core-of-flame.html In the Core of a Flame [warning: contains cliches] I first became aware of the Go-Betweens when Three Triple R, in Melbourne, started playing a song called “I Need Two Heads” on high rotation. It stuck out amidst the post-punk sturm und drang for being fragile, melodic, and alive to the values of space in music, and for having an instantly memorable yet simple guitar solo. It set the tone for the Go-Betweens’ future, and for my own, as well: it was one of the earliest “grown-up” records I bought, and I love it still, even as the glue holding the cover together grows weaker and weaker. (It was also the sound of an Australian band finding its own feet; their earlier songs were essentially false starts in the wrong direction - although, to their credit, never disowned: a raucously joyous rendition of “Lee Remick” closed their set in Canberra the tour before last.) But then Grant McLennan wrote “Cattle and Cain”. Everybody knows “Cattle and Cane”. It was the common reference point in every obituary of Grant (and how incredible, and telling, that he “starred” on the obits pages of the London Independent, the Guardian, and even the New York Times) (and in many ways I still can’t believe, let alone accept, that he is dead) (brief pause while I compose myself) ... “Cattle and Cane” marked the appearance of a genuinely Australian sense of place in popular music. Yes, we had had Greg Macainsh’s location-specific Skyhooks songs, but there was always a sense that they were really only imported songs with the place-names changed for a bit of local colour. And Sherbet had written a song about infidelity using cricket as a metaphor. (The younger and more naive of us believed for many years that it was actually a song about cricket.) But I don’t think it is mere hyperbole to say that this song changed the way musicians in this country thought about what they were doing. The Triffids’ “Wide Open Road”, a little while later, was the “two” of a magnificent one-two punch. And in many ways “Cattle and Cane” spoke directly to me. It appeared at a time when I had not long moved to Melbourne, to go to University, and was missing the farm something terrible. The lyrics dug in like a blade. No “cane” in South Gippsland, maybe, but plenty of “cattle”. I had been that schoolboy coming home. I bought every Go-Betweens album on release. At some point I figured out that each one seemed to connect directly backwards, in some way, with the the album before last; to put it simplistically, their records seemed to move from rough to smooth to rough again. I first saw them play live at The Club, in Smith Street, Collingwood, when they toured Australia on the back of the “Spring Hill Fair” album. We were standing towards the back, but there was a palpable sense of self-confidence and mutual respect amongst the band. Robert Forster, of course, was the showman, but Grant with his quiet intensity almost stole the show as they ended with the feedback-laden song-story “River of Money”. The story of the Go-Betweens is well enough known to remain unstated, but in a nutshell: an unbroken sequence of critically acclaimed records that sold half a dozen copies each; lack of record company support (I think I am right in saying that, at least in Australia, they never appeared on the same label twice); and a high degree of apparent, but unspoken, interpersonal turmoil. As I wrote previously, the Go-Betweens were never just a band. Then they went their separate ways. I had always been more attracted to Robert’s songs (although, as I have written here previously, it was always Grant's songs that could reduce me to tears, which, I guess, is not a situation that is going to change any time soon), so I picked up each one of his solo records while leaving Grant’s post-Go-Betweens career for others to follow. Then the long wait, seemingly futile but we couldn’t quite let it go, for Robert and Grant to rekindle the flame. Which they did. Reforming at around the time of a procession of cash-driven “reunion” tours by people who should have known better was perhaps a typical case of Go-Betweens bad-timing-by-association, and there were many, even some of the old faithful, who couldn’t quite get back in the groove. But the rewards were certainly there. “The Friends of Rachel Worth”, the comeback album, was a little bit stitched together, although Grant's “The Clock” suggested that they had really returned, and for all the right reasons. By the time of “Bright Yellow Bright Orange” there was a sense of them becoming, slowly, a seamless unit again. This was the point, also, at which they played Tilley’s Devine Cafe in Canberra. We thought that we had arrived too late to get a seat, but I happened to spot a former work colleague occupying a table of his own directly below the right-hand side of the stage, at which there were two empty chairs. Adam didn’t seem to mind us crashing his party. As the support band, Architecture in Helsinki, went through their instrument-swapping routine, Grant and Robert were sitting right behind us, in the shadows, watching the band and getting a feel for the crowd. (It was a big crowd; Canberra may not have that many Go-Betweens fans but we were all there, and some of us must have brought along our friends.) When the Go-Betweens hit the stage, Grant was directly in front of, and above, us. I spent a lot of the show watching him, admiring his quiet intensity and the way that he seemed happy for Robert to hog the limelight. It was a great show. The list of songs they didn’t play would have made up a pretty solid greatest-hits package. They were kind and generous performers, and, one thought, grateful, too, for this second chance. “Oceans Apart” dropped a year or so later. It demonstrated, amply, what the previous two albums had hinted at: that the Go-Betweens mark II were every bit as good as the Go-Betweens mark I. Grant had written something of a sequel to “Cattle and Cane” in "Boundary Rider", and Robert gave us what may be his song for the ages, “Darlinghurst Nights”. It all seemed too good to be true. They toured Canberra again. Money being, as it always seems to be around here, tight, I decided to pass it up this time, secure in the knowledge that I had seen a great show by them in recent memory, and that they would be back again some day. I was wrong on the second count. It is impossible, at this point in time, not to think about Robert Forster. Maybe it is possible to imagine a future in which he pursues a sporadic solo career as something of an antipodean Paul McCartney, not too worried about what other people think of what he is doing but also not resting on his past fame as a Go-Between. But it is much too early for any of that. Me, I can’t quite bring myself to put on a Go-Betweens record just yet. | ||
| annie t Unregistered guest |
I don't know what to say or how to say it. Most of my thoughts have already been summed up by everyone above. I'll just say thank you Grant for the music that you have written. It has brought inspiration not only to musicians from Australia but from around the world. That's gotta be an achievement! It has also put a smile on many people's faces when times are tough. Everytime I hear your songs when I'm down, it always cheers me up. Now everytime I hear Cattle and Cane, I still try to accept that you're not here anymore. But you still are. In the music you have made and in your spirit. You are at your peak and that's gotta put a smile on your face. I think there's alot more I can say but it's so much to take in. Rest in Peace Grant We all miss you. | ||
| Belinda Hogan-Collis Member Username: Belinda Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
I remember hearing 'Right Here' on the radio when I was 15 and thinking it was the most beautiful song I had ever heard. "I'm keeping you right here, whatever I have is yours and its right here," is so romantic. It still is my favourite song and I played it at my wedding. I also remember wagging school so I could go into Sydney and get my 16 Lovers Lane album signed. I remember thinking what a gentleman Grant was.In fact I think I told my wagging partner in crime, that when I grew up, I was definately going to marry him. I am so sad that Grant is no longer with us, it is a complete loss to the world. My heart goes out to his family, his girlfriend and Robert. Now over 20 years later and in Brisbane, The Go-Betweens are still my favourite band and will remain always so. I have a framed "A Night of Miracles" Go-Between tour poster I stole from a shop window in Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, hanging in my lounge room, with the sounds of the Go-Betweens coming from my stereo. Thank-you Grant for all your beautiful music. | ||
| Andromeda7 Unregistered guest |
Hi, Just wanted to dip a toe in and say hi... I was the A&R Mgr of Mushroom when the Go-B's were there, lucky me. Have put a tribute to the brillianty GMcL on my blogsite.... http://flaminghoop.blogspot.com/ Grant McLennan: Fly In Peace Well we lost another brilliant face this last week - Go-Betweens main man Grant McLennan. I was Mushroom A&R manager when the band joined us, also coming out on Beggars Banquet in the UK. They all came in, all tall, wordily playful and shy, crowding out my Sydney office, playing three dream-come-true albums - Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express (1986) Tallulah (1987) 16 Lovers Lane (August 1988), only only the latter was officially through Mushroom. Their film clips were so good I just about fainted with joy. With a band like that, the only thing an Artist & Repertoire Manager needs to do is thank her lucky stars. I cannot think of any way any of their output could be improved. The Go-Betweens' work is a lasting treasure that never dates or loses its extraordinary individuality, heart or passion, a melodious, mysterious celebration of love, frustration, nostalgia, musicality and the lust for life. They also had the highest combined IQ of any band on the planet (I know this after conducting an exhausting set of tests with proper blinds) and despite this were charming, unassuming gals and fellas. When the band broke up late 89, I grieved severely, and co-wrote a semi-disguised song about it with Floyd Vincent, which he played with his band the Child Brides. Big Rudy's Rio Band Waving goodbye Goodbye to the old school tie I've seen you out with the old In with the new Bobby's a born-again blond Another blonde here, another blonde there A whole string section and all With a twitch and a neverous stare They found their way there Big Rudy's Rio Band They're playin' once again And when my time is done I'll beg to hear it all once again Dearest Katherine Dreamt I was your cello man I've seen you out with the old In with the new Who's on the stairs with a knife A little jab here A little jab there With hardly a word said beforehand Slanted eyes never cracked a smile When the room exploded Big Rudy, don't do it Play that song again And when my time is done I'll beg to hear it all once again Leaving nothing to hold onto And the hips still swaying Hold the band together boys Hold the band together boys... The knife stuff teasingly referred to some wild politics in the band camp as the Go-Betweens and two couples, Robert and Lindy Morrison plus Grant and Amanda Brown split up in various incendiary fireballs. No blame shall be apportioned to any party by the above facetious surrealism. The classic Go-Betweens line-up Robert Forster and Grant McLennan on guitars and vocals, Lindy Morrison (drums), Amanda Brown (violin, oboe), and Robert Vickers (bass)/John Wilsteed (bass)was especially glorious. Grant's outings with Steve Kilbey as Jack Frost are also worth chasing up. Condolences to Robert Forster especially, and Grant's immediate family and friends. A musical monolith noted, a great guy lost. The boys can't hold the band together now, but at least they reformed for a while. Lee Remick, Before Hollywood, Cattle & Cane, Spring Rain, Head Full of Steam, Streets Of Your Town, Was There Anything I Could Do?, Dive For Your Memory and all the rest remain to keep us warm. Love and gratitude, love to see you there. xJen | ||
| doctorgraw Unregistered guest |
Was never lucky enough to see them live and have only my already overplayed copy of That Striped Sunlight Sound as poor compensation. As I became more enlightened into the joys of pop, the name Go-Betweens kept being dropped and my efforts in searching them out paid off. The strongest personal memory is always going to be during the final struggle of writing my thesis for my PhD which was significantly lightened by a promo-copy of the 2003 album Bright Orange, Bright Yellow from the radio station I was working at at the time. This CD formed a significant part of the soundtrack to those crazy weeks of frantically condensing years of experiments into a single manuscript. To this day, the album is easily in my top 10 of all time. | ||
| ck Unregistered guest |
Like many I've been trawling the net for days looking for an explanation, meaning - but of course there is none, other than a deluge of affection for this man and his beautiful, honest songs. What a talent to merge his obvious intellect with such resounding, heartfelt lyrics - all wrapped up in perfect pop melodies. I used to love the fond glances between Robert and Grant on stage - particulary in Robert's more flamboyant younger frocked-up days. I hope Robert can continue to have Grant's voice in his ear for as long as he needs... | ||
| Graeme Scott Unregistered guest |
Just wanting to pay my respects to Grant, and pass sympathies on to his family and friends. Thanks for all the music. When I Close My Eyes still makes the hairs on the neck stand up. x | ||
| Andrew Houghton Unregistered guest |
God Bless you Grant. Like many people your music both with the band and solo were part of my life growing up in Liverpool UK. I remember listening to City FM hearing Streets of your Town and Head Full of Steam for the first time. I was blessed with bands like The Go-Betweens, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions and Martin Stephenson and the Daintees at that time. I was also pleased none of the bands I liked were ever mega famous so it felt they were mine and would never lose their roots. This is something you never did and it was great when I moved to Brisbane 3 years ago to find you were based here. I saw you twice at the Tivoli shows and solo performing with Paul Kelly. Ive always had a list of people I needed to see live solo and you Grant were on the list and I got my wish for which I thank you. Im only sorry I never came over to talk as I didnt want to bother you. My loss. God Bless You and Rest in Peace Andrew Houghton | ||
| Ian Mulvey Unregistered guest |
First saw The Go-Betweens live in Glasgow October 1984 supporting Aztec Camera. The recent resurgance of the band was tremendous and they seemed to be getting the recognition for their songwriting that had been so criminally overdue for all those years. The news of Grants' death hit me really hard and I feel for those close to him. As fate would have it - I went to see Roddy Frame in Edinburgh last night. For his first encore all he he said was that he was going to play 'a cover' he took a bit of time to compose himself, then played a wonderful version of 'The Wrong Road'. Very much appreciated by those in the audience who recognised the song. | ||
| Greg O'Connor Unregistered guest |
We spent many hours travelling up and down the Hume like most bands during the 80s and 90s and we have fond memories of listening to the Go Betweens in the Tarago. We were in the streets of your town Grant. Greg O'Connor (Boom Crash Opera) | ||
| Jodi Alexander Member Username: Jodi Post Number: 2 Registered: 05-2005 |
After reading these messages I don't feel so alone. I have just felt tremendous loss after the death of Grant. The Go-Betweens are such an institution to Brisbane. The Concerts where nobody wanted them to end and we just kept asking for oncore afer oncore. I really feel for Robert and just want him to know that we are really thinking about you at the moment. Tonight I am having a couple of reds and listening to gb song after gb song. Isn't just amazing what we take for granted. At the last gb concert I thought to myself, I'll go to one of these concerts when I'm 90. They just make you feel so good. Anyway Robert please please please keep performing - Grant would of wanted it that way. Jodi | ||
| Gareth Unregistered guest |
Thank you so much for all those beautiful songs that have been playing throughout the chapters of my life. Your songs have an uncanny knack of recalling memories that would otherwise have been lost forever and for this I'm eternally grateful. | ||
| ginod Unregistered guest |
I thought I was part of a minority of people, who greatly admired Grant and Robert’s music. After reading some these posted notices, it’s obvious, the universal appeal the Go Between’s music had on the world and me. Your music made me happy, sad, it told a story, it made me think about the lyrics, and timing of the chords and words were just perfect. We have lost one of our master craftsmen. Thank you Grant, for your beautiful music. My sincere condolences to Grant’s family. Deepest regards Gino D’Astuto. | ||
| Richard Unregistered guest |
"I.. I.. I... Try to tell you." Genius! Everytime my heart was broken I looked to you. And to Robert. Bet you never realised how great you were, did you? You unassuming genius. So, a grown man spends two day crying over an Australian he never really met. Strewth! xxxxxxxxx The heater's on The windows are thin I'm trying hard To keep this warmth in I turn to her She's sound asleep Someplace I don't know Doesn't matter how far you come You've always got further to go Chorus I tried to tell you I can only say it when were apart About this storm inside of me And how I miss your quiet, quiet heart. Two hours on My eyes are open There's bad blood between us What did I say That made you cry? Our dream won't die Doesn't matter how far you come You've always got further to go. | ||
| Kenneth Unregistered guest |
Grant , your music is such a huge part of my life. Spring Hill Fair inspired me to learn the guitar and for that and your songs I will be forever gratefull. Thanks for all the wonderfull music. | ||
| James Lost Unregistered guest |
Thanks for the music and the memories. Thanks for The Go-Betweens providing such an excellent soundtrack to fragile young living up through the eighties. Thanks for all the enjoyable, sad, uplifting, wild concerts here in Copenhagen, Denmark from 1983 onwards. Thanks for being there. We won't forget you, Grant. Love goes on forever XXX James Lost PS - Robert, take care - we need you! | ||
| cazant Unregistered guest |
the go-betweens have been part of my life since lee remick. their music and lyrics have been such a constant in my life that i'm left with such a feeling of emptiness. i feel like i've lost a very close friend. i can't imagine how sad those who knew him would feel. i'm so happy that i got to see them one last time at tilleys last year... | ||
| Christine Baker Unregistered guest |
Grant McLennan was a truly brilliant songwriter, and a wonderful human being, and it breaks my heart that he left us much too soon. Although I was too young to appreciate the Go-Betweens in the 1980s-90s, in the past few years I have done my best to catch up, and the songs Grant wrote really spoke to me the way few other bands have. As someone who lived in Brisbane all my life, I really connect with the Go-Betweens' music, and their legacy makes me proud to be Brisbanian. Grant was one of the few Brisbane musicians who has left Brisbane to become world-renowned, but then returned to support arts and music here, which is really special. I saw the Go-Betweens at Homebake last December, and can safely say that it was one of my fondest live music memories. I remember that Architecture in Helsinki were on before them, and the band members were all very excited when Rob and Grant joined them on stage for a song, and later when they also got to join the Go-Betweens for one song. Grant gave so much support to local music, and I think everyone recognises that his contribution was invaluable. Although I never knew Grant personally, through his music I found inspiration, hope and most of all, pride in my hometown. He will be greatly missed, and I am eternally grateful for his contributions to Brisbane and the world of music in general. | ||
| Steve S. Unregistered guest |
In my young days, The Replacements sang the soundtrack to my life. As I matured, The Go-Betweens music became the most important & influential. And it has remained that way. Heartfelt sympathy to Grant's family, friends, & colleagues. | ||
| Padraig Unregistered guest |
I only found out the sad news today and I'm absolutely devastated for Grant's friends, family and fans alike. I saw him in Vicar Street with the band in Dublin years ago, and it was one of the greatest, warmest most wonderful gigs I've ever had the privilege to witness. Impossible to put in to words how much his music meant to me, "Cattle and Cane" and "Stones for you" in particular. | ||
| Andrea Unregistered guest |
I moved to Brisbane from Melbourne in 1975. And hated it here. So foreign, so HOT, none of the kids at school liked me because I came from "down South". They were all into sunbaking and I was into music. In my last couple of years of high school I decided I wanted to do art for a living & started hanging out with some artists & clothes designers. They told me about a few good Brisbane bands & I used to sneak into venues to see bands like Xero, The Riptides & The Go-Betweens. The Go-Betweens music went part of the way to helping me to appreciate Brisbane & its uniqueness. Now I love this city & would never leave. Later on I started running my own venue - alas the Go-Betweens had split up but Grant sometimes came into my venue - never really got to know him well though, just a few friendly words as he paid the covercharge. Then by the time they reformed I had stopped running venues. I was thinking about Grant McLennan recently - a friend had described how Grant was into all art forms. I have recently started running an arts non profit group & was looking for a couple of patrons - thought Grant sounded like the ideal person. Never got up the courage to ask him though. Now I never can. Thoughts to Grants family, friends & past & present band members. A great loss to the Brisbane music community. | ||
| Andrew Bartlett Unregistered guest |
The Australian Senate passed the following resolution this week in recognition of Grant and his work: The Senate— (a) notes: (i) the loss suffered by the Australian music community and music lovers with the death on 6 May 2006, of Queensland born and bred songwriter and musician, Mr Grant McLennan, (ii) the contribution made to music by Mr McLennan as a songwriter and performer over nearly three decades, which is highly respected and widely recognised as very influential, (iii) that the song ‘Cattle and Cane’, written by Mr McLennan and performed by the Go-Betweens was named by the Australian Performing Rights Association as one of the ten greatest Australian songs, and (iv) the significant inspiration that Mr McLennan and the Go-Betweens provided to musicians from Brisbane and beyond over many years; and (b) conveys its sympathies to his mother, immediate family and past and present band members. Grant McLennan and the Go-Betweens were trail blazers for many bands out of Brisbane over many years, as well as being a musical and lyrical trailblazer for musicians the world over. His talent for writing catchy songs and simple but very meaningful lyrics was rare indeed. To be able to continue to do that over such a long period, and be producing songs and words as good as ever is truly extraordinary. It is a musical and lyrical legacy that undoubtedly will live on well after most more commercially successful artists have been forgotten. | ||
| Mark Braithwaite Unregistered guest |
You know , the Go Betweens have always sort of been there.... a soundtrack to your life. Leaving home, time at Uni, travelling overseas, married life, kids: all that sort of stuff that passes by. And all the while you keep bumping into them. A song heard on the radio, a new record bought there, That gig in the city, that tune on the telly, god they're back together again, the cd in the car on the family holiday. I guess its been like that for a lot of us. Thankyou Grant McLennan. | ||
| Paul Nini Unregistered guest |
I think I heard the Go-Bees for the first time when the single on Postcard Records came out in the early '80s, and from that point on they became and have consistently stayed one of my favorite bands. One of my all-time favorite memories was being able to open for the Go-Bees in the mid-'80s, when I played in Columbus, Ohio band Great Plains. The show was booked by Curt Scheiber + Mark Moorman of the long-gone Schoolkids record store, and was held at the equally long-gone Staches nightclub. Truly a great experience. I've been listening to the Go-Bees quite a bit this past week, as my own little tribute to Grant. He and Robert have given us a truly intelligent and beautiful body of work, and for that I will always be grateful. | ||
| READ THIS ONE Unregistered guest |
Robert Foster's songwriting partnership with Grant McLennan was forged 30 years ago over Earl Grey tea and scones, and he toasted his departure from this world in the same way. At yesterday's memorial service for the other half of the songwriting partnership for cult band the Go-Betweens, Forster recalled how last Sunday the day after McLennan's death he had gone to St John's Anglican Cathedral in Brisbane. At the end of the morning service, when the parade of high church pageantry walked out the door, Forster felt his songwriting partner go with them. "Then this nice Anglican lady asked me if I wanted a cup of tea, and I had a scone with it,'' he said. ''It was the same in 1978 at a house around Toowong where Grant and I had learned to drink Earl Grey tea, and that really constituted the beginnings of the Go-Betweens." Among the 500 mourners at yesterday's memorial service for McLennan were fellow Australian musicians Paul Kelly, Bernard Fanning and Ed Kuepper. But significantly, the service was also attended by members of the next generation of Brisbane bands after the Go-Betweens, such as Powderfinger, George and Regurgitator. McLennan had played with them all during the 1990s. Forster & McLennan started the Go-Betweens when they were students at the University of Queensland. They achieved success with songs such as Cattle and Cane and Streets of Your Town, which U2 singer Bono regards as one of his top three favourite songs. They were described in some quarters as Australia's Lennon and McCartney, but they were never stars of the charts, despite attracting a cult following in Europe, especially Britain and Germany. The Times UK this week carried an obituary of McLennan. The Go-Betweens had several changes in line-up over the years and band break-ups were often acrimonious, but other band members Lindy Morrison, Amanda Brown and John Willsteed forgave and forgot enough to attend yesterday's service. Ian Haug, from Powderfinger, and current Go-Betweens bass player Adele Pickvance read Psalm 23, and McLennan's sister Sally started her eulogy yesterday by saying "I really do recall a schoolboy coming home through fields of cane to a house of tin and timber", the opening lines of Cattle and Cane, which has been voted among Australia's 10 best songs. Forster described not only the Earl Grey and scones but also McLennan's sense of spirituality and his ''warm, open and generous nature." Then the casket containing his body was taken out the door of into the bright Brisbane sunlight, loaded into the hearse, and, for the last time, Grant McLennan travelled through the streets of his town. ENDS. | ||
| Martin Schori Member Username: Martin_s Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
A man disappears into his hat Someone somewhere whispers from "Heaven Says" May his songs shine forever... All my love to the family, friends and especially Robert. Grant was like a brother. Unforgettable the cover shot session for "Rachel". Miss him. Sometimes we don't get through Sometimes we just get by | ||
| Heinz-Jürgen Reusch Unregistered guest |
Dear go-betweens, I wanna tell you how sad I am because of the death of the dear Grant McLennan. He was too young to die! I love the music of the go-betweens since the early 80ies of the last century. I had the pleasure to see them in 1987 in a concert here in Aachen in Germany and then on the last tours in 2000 and 2003 and last year in Cologne. It were such great concerts full of emotions and wonderfull music. I can't imagine that I cannot listen anymore to them in a concert. For me and my friends it is a consolation that on the records of the go-betweens Grant will live forever. I listen to the beautifull song "too much of one thing". Thank you Grant for accompanying with your music through more than 20 years of my life. Heinz-Jürgen Reusch , 56 years old , Aachen Germany | ||
| rubén muñoz Unregistered guest |
Few months ago I saw the go-betweens performance in Barcelona with my brother. He is older than me and he's not use to go in concerts, but he became amazed. It was wonderful: the sound, the feeling, the sympathy... everything. Your songs are part of us. Thanks. | ||
| markdavies Unregistered guest |
The first time I heard the Go-Betweens was in 1986. I was 18 and had travelled to Australia on a working holiday. A friend taped Spring Rain and Apology Accepted for me. I listened to them on a walkman in Kings Cross, Sydney. I've loved the Go Betweens ever since. I last saw them last year in london. I can't believe I'll never see Grant again. Grant's death really does feel like losing a friend. people always say things like that but it really feels like that. I feel shellshocked. Something special has gone. Thank you Grant for being so central to my life, for bringing such beauty to my life, for providing the soundtrack to my life. Thank you. You will never be forgotten. | ||
| Truls, Gunilla /Sweden Unregistered guest |
We miss you. Truls and Gunilla, Lund, Sweden | ||
| Michael Griffin Unregistered guest |
I had the extreme good fortune of being able to meet Grant several times as he or the band would come through Los Angeles over the last fifteen years or so. The first time was at the now gone Alligator Lounge in Santa Monica. He was doing a showcase, acoustic and brief, before a band that I think was a Toto side project hit the stage. Grant was promoting the soon to be released "Horsebreaker Star" i was a diehard GoB's fan who hadn't had the opportunity to see them live, so this was my chance to see at least part of them. That night Grant did "Bye Bye Pride" to a mostly indifferent small crowd...but it was magical.he signed my impsrt copy of "HS" and explained how I was lucky to have it since the american label wouldn't release the double cd.When I thanked him for "BBP" he was graciouse and said he was happy to do it. I saw him with a full band later on at Lunapark, frustrated that he was playing such small places, and then back with Robert performing at the Troubadour. I was there the night Robert announced that they had decided that afternoon to do a new GoB's cd, and then after the show Robert asking we fans if we had any recording studios we could recommend on the west coast! How down to earth is that. Everytime I've been lucky enough to meet with the band they've been nothing short of sweet and gracious. Adele is always good for a warm hug, Grant was always everpatient, and Robert could seemingly opine on most anything. I'm going to miss all that. It's been an awful week. My heart goes out to Robert, Adele, and Glenn. Love Goes On. Michael | ||
| Michael Sullivan Unregistered guest |
Like everyone else who has posted, I was shocked to hear of Grant's death. I've listened the Go-Betweens since the mid-80's and I was always amazed they sold so few records since it seemed obvious they produced perfect pop/rock music. I was never fortunate enough or smart enough to see them live, and now I guess I never will. I guess I took them forgranted, thinking after their reunion they'd be around for many years and there would be other opportunities. I can, like many others, console myself with the records, which will live on, long after the pain of Grant's passing is a sad distant memory. I watched the Scottish Cup Final earlier today and was delighted at the end when Pat Nevin, talking after a great game (which is a rarity), declared that Scottish football was saying "Bye Bye Pride to its recent past" (or something akin to that). It was a nice gesture which, of course, went completely over the heads of the other so-called experts. Just like the way the Go-Betweens seemed to pass by the general record-buying public. A tragedy maybe, but it's their loss, while Grant's loss is ours. A sad end to a great band. | ||
| Alessandro Unregistered guest |
It's been a week since Grant left us and I have never stopped thinking about him, not even for a second, just as though I had lost a close friend or someone in my family. My mind keeps going back to the Spring of last year in London, where for the first time in my life I saw the GB's perform live. Despite being a long time fan, I had never caught them live before (back in the Eighties I was way too young to go to places to attend music events) and I wanted to see them so bad that, as soon as I learned of the gig at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, I knew right away that I had to fly over there from Italy to catch them no matter what. The next day I purchased the ticket to the gig and for the flight without even asking mt boss at work first whether I could take a few days off to go there. It was a beautiful night. The house was packed and the GB's played ninety minutes of old and new songs (though, as it always happens, not all of those that I was hoping to hear). It felt like a dream come true. Later, in November, an Italian date at a small venue about seventy miles west of where I live was added at the last minute to their Fall European Tour, before the band would head for Spain where they shared the bill with Teenage Fanclub (what an event that must have been!). Needless to say, I went to this gig too. It had been poorly promoted and only a few dozen fans showed up, but it was good nonetheless. I pretended I was seeing one of those early performances at the beginning of their career, when the buzz about the band was just starting to build up. Never ever would I have thought that I would never see Grant McLennan (and the band) again. Like so many other people, I too will miss you, Grant, and, in a way, listening to your tunes won't be the same anymore. As you sang in Jack Frost's "Trapeze", "it's funny how someone you've never met manages to stay with you". Alessandro | ||
| Terry Banks Unregistered guest |
Goodbye to a true poet and massive inspiration -- and kind regards to Robert, Lindy, Amanda, John and Go-Bs fans everywhere. | ||
| Hamish Walke Member Username: Hamish Post Number: 11 Registered: 05-2005 |
It has been several days now and I still find this news absolutely heartbreaking and numbing. Grant’s songs move me more than anyone else’s ever did. He was able to convey so much, just in a line like “… his father’s watch …” I am shattered at the finality of this and I find it very hard to believe we won’t see Grant standing playing guitar on Robert’s left again. He always looked so genuinely delighted to be playing those beautiful songs. I will not forget his smiling face watching the strings at the Barbican or seeing Glenn get through ‘Cattle and Cane’ for the first time. Grant’s family and friends are obviously feeling his loss the deepest and I sincerely hope that the comments on this board will help, either now or in the future. I am sure that Grant’s family will, if they didn’t know already, realise the huge and wonderful impact that he had on so many people’s lives. I just hope, too, that Grant himself knew how deeply we all loved him. Rest in peace, Grant – I will miss you. | ||
| Romka Unregistered guest |
In 1984 my sister and I were down in Sydney on holiday from Brisbane. She took me to my first Go-Betweens concert (my first rock concert ever) at the Dee Why Hotel. I was only 14 and I look back now so grateful that of all the bands I could have seen first, I am fortunate to be able to say it was the Go-Betweens. Of course, back in Brisbane in the years that followed there were many opportunities to see them again. After living in the bush in Qld for many years now , it was important to visit my home town of Brisbane for Grant's funeral. I had been sad when I heard of Grant's death, but returning to Brisbane on Friday made the loss very real. As my brother and I waited for the service to begin, we toasted Grant at the Orient Hotel (I was so surprised that it's still there) and searched outside trying to work out exactly where the National Hotel used to be (they shut it down, they pulled it down). The band had played there too. What a beautiful service. Robert's eulogy was so very moving and unfortunately I think it will be hard to get a transcript because he didn't read, he just spoke. Those words were very important. The words of Grant's sister and girlfriend were special too, of course, and I'm certain that his sister did NOT refer to "various nudists" as reported in the Courier Mail on Saturday. Surely she was referring to "The Moodists". Grant is surely missed. My sympathy to his family and friends. Romka | ||
| Jake Hewitt Unregistered guest |
I just learned today of Grant's death. Words fail me, but I want to add my name to the list of people who loved Grant and the Go-Betweens. You won me at first listen, which was college in the mid 1980's. My prayers and good wishes to his friends and family, especially you Robert. | ||
| Tom, London Unregistered guest |
I'm a 40 year old reasonably well adjusted bloke, reduced to tears by the death of someone I never met. But his and the Go-Betweens' music moved me immeasurably and it kills me to think I'll never again experience a night like the Barbican concert a couple of years ago, which was magical. Bye Bye Pride was his finest hour, but there were many fine hours. Just watched the end of "That Striped Sunlight Sound" where Grant talks about the future. Painful. Robert, the people who have posted on this website would love more from you. Grant, RIP and God bless. | ||
| donna wade Unregistered guest |
sally...i'm so sorry. thinking of you and your family. love donna wade x | ||
| sam johnson maine usa Unregistered guest |
never met the man. only his music. it touched me like few bands, few chords, few words, few albums have. gave me hope during down periods in my life. left me with my pen scribbling my own words, trying to get beyond my troubles. go betweens in the back somewhere, altering my state, soothing my ears, sanding my edges, giving me hope that hope is always out there, sometimes you find it, sometimes it finds you. thank you, mr. mclennan, for some solace, some sense of peace, some 2am sing-a-longs with myself, and some idea of the absolute power of simple words and music. your music hit me hard, your death harder. no new go betweens for me, but you know what, that is okay, i've got all i need right now. once again, no rainstorm, no seething sun, and no jarrring winds can take your music, your wisdom, and your plain sense of goodness away from me. listen and learn. i have and i did. i will continue to do so. thank you, grant mclennan. | ||
| Bertie Unregistered guest |
Dear Robert, when I didn't make it to the Forum last year I figured I'd see you guys next time and that it'd be fantastic to see you again. It has been a long time but I never dreamed it would be for ever. I remember only fun and laughter with you and Grant and I'll cherish that for the rest of my life. We don't have long here but some get from and give back more than most. Grant was one of those. I feel for you Robert. All my love, Bertie. | ||
| Dave Derby Unregistered guest |
This is truly sad news. Grant's music was such a wonderful gift and such a huge inspiration to me. I simply can't imagine what this world would be like without Grant and Robert's music. My sympathy to his family and friends. My prayers and sympathy go out to you, Robert. | ||
| Luz Unregistered guest |
I only found out this deeply distressing news today. I first saw the Go-Betweens in the heady days when the news of the 1980s political climate in Brisbane was on everyone's lips in the circles I which I moved in inner city Sydney. I'm sadder than I can say and I'm weeping as I write this. The music to which Grant contributed has been an enduring and frequently revisited part of my life for more than 20 years. Its poetic observations of people and places made me feel connected to this land for the first time and awakened a sense in me that has never since sputtered out. I can still remember hearing 'Lee Remick' for the first time while I was living in a poky and dingy flat in Glebe in the 1980s. But it was 'Bye Bye Pride' and 'Head Full of Steam' that I reached for when I heard the news this morning. In some way I can't quite explain, those songs helped me make the difficult transition to womanhood in social and family environments that were inimical to my well-being and I have often turned to them as reference points at difficult times. I wish I could thank you in person for the unknown part you have played in my life, Grant. But quite apart from the part they have played in keeping me going, these songs, like many others in the GoBs extensive repertoire, are things of beauty in themselves. May you land softly. | ||
| Luz Unregistered guest |
I must add 'Apology Accepted' and 'Spring Rain' to the particular songs I mentioned in the previous post. | ||
| Rich Murray Member Username: Rich_murray Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
Somehow I'm just hearing about Grant. I just went to the mailbox and got the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, was sitting on the sofa flipping through it, and saw a photo of Grant with the headline "Grant McLennan, 1958-2006." I was so stunned that if I hadn't been sitting already, I might've fallen down. I don't remember how I discovered the Go-Betweens. It's not as if they were ever the hot thing here in North Carolina. I suspect I must've heard something from 16 Lovers Lane on the local college radio station late one night, fell in love with it, and bought it the next day. I must have been about 16, and I remember I listened to that album every day for about a year. All my friends got sick of hearing me talk about it all the time and playing it for them every time they came over. Something about that record really touched me, and while I tracked down all the band's other stuff and loved it all, 16LL was always my favorite, and is still one of my personal Desert Island Discs to this day. Most of my favorite records from when I was a teenager haven't aged so well, and while I can still enjoy listening to most of them, few of them still mean as much to me now as they did back then. 16 Lovers Lane is one of them. I don't think a week has gone by in the 17 years that have passed where I didn't listen to the Go-Betweens at least once. This afternoon, just before I found out, I was driving around running errands with the windows down and "Streets of Your Town" playing loud, over and over. I lucked out and saw the video for "Was There Anything I Could Do?" once back then, when I was 16. I remember thinking, "When I grow up, I want to be a badass with a leather jacket and a guitar like Grant McLennan." Now I'm 33, and I'm not embarrassed to admit that I still want to be a badass with a leather jacket and a guitar like Grant McLennan when I grow up. Thanks, Grant. | ||
| andrew k Unregistered guest |
still speechless and in total denial. tears rolling down my cheeks as i write this. can't remember how many times your songs carried me through hard times in my life and i always pulled through, somehow. not enough thank yous for the joy, insight and happiness you both brought to my life since '78. will never forget your duet in a small club in vancouver bc when you just walked in from the street carrying your guitars and went backstage to set up for the most amazing show. totally un-rockstar, but i was mesmerised the whole evening. followed you to seattle the next night and would have gone further still. thank you thank you thank you. all my love andrew | ||
| sandstrom9 Unregistered guest |
I never knew Grant in person, but my reaction to the news of his death indicated that he was an old friend. His songs had the rare quality of being innocent without being naive, and, simultaneously, showed a certain amount of hurt, but without the taint of cynicism. Hearing the songs you could tell that he was a good person, heart and mind always in conjuction, My thoughts to Grant's family and to Robert. | ||
| Marie Unregistered guest |
A go-betweens fan since they started out .... so many great songs .... so, so sad..... the news brought me to tears.... will be very missed.... | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 371 Registered: 05-2005 |
It's a week since I last posted. A week in which I have listened to The Go-Betweens and Grant solo constantly and some Jack Frost and Far Out Corporation also. A week of phone calls and text messages and emails with friends on three continents about Grant's death. I flew to Brisbane from Sydney on Friday morning. The only previous time I'd gone there was in January 1999 on a Go-Betweens pilgrimage. I always thought I'd go back one day to see The Go-Betweens play there. I never thought I'd be going back for Grant McLennan's funeral. It was a wonderful occasion (if you can say that about the funeral of a young man). But Robert brought home that we were there to say goodbye. "Grant is gone. He's in that box, he's also up there. He's up in the air and he's looking down on us all and he's thinking about us. He's got a smile on his face and he's lying sideways, kind of a Chagall thing." The eulogies were tremendously moving. Grant's sister Sally started out by saying "I really do recall a schoolboy coming home through fields of cane to a house of tin and timber". She told a hilarious story of Grant getting on a plane around the time of 9/11 using just a CD cover to prove he was who he said he was. Robert was called from his seat to go to the aircraft door and vouch for who Grant was! "So perhaps you can imagine Grant at the pearly gates using the same tactics," she said. Co-celebrant Reverend John Parkes quoted from Finding You and the words sounded like the most beautiful poetry. As we left the cathedral, I'm A Believer by The Monkees was played. Everyone laughed. And cried. Everyone was given a single white rose on the way into the church. Afterwards I was wondering if you are allowed to bring flowers interstate in Australia (you cannot bring fruit interstate) but then saw that some people were leaving their flowers on the coffin, so I did too. I touched the coffin slightly and thought how small it was. How could something so small contain such a worldly genius? I told Sally McLennan outside the cathedral how important Grant's music was to me and a lot of other Irish people. She asked my name and said they had cousins called Collins. I went with two Brisbane locals to Ric's bar afterwards and drank an excellent Long Island Iced Tea because I've read from other posters here that was his bar and his drink. Later on we went to The Powerhouse down by the water in New Farm. They were playing lots of Go-Betweens and Grant songs and showing images of his life on a big screen, including a beautiful one of him with his mum when he would have been about two or three. This photo was also in the prayer book for the funeral. I told Robert about how I had almost not gone to the Sydney show in January because I was having a lot of ear trouble at the time, but how I went anyway after the doctor said I'd be OK with earplugs. "Weren't you lucky you did go," Robert said. Incredibly lucky. On Saturday morning I went into Rocking Horse records in Brisbane and found an album I’ve been looking for for over ten years (the long deleted Australian edition of Fatima Mansions’ Valhalla Avenue with six extra tracks). I got a bunch of other stuff too of course. Back in Sydney now and a little while ago I made some lunch for my four-year-old daughter. I put on Oceans Apart. She did not say anything while Here Comes A City was on, but as soon as Finding You came on she said "I can hear The Go-Betweens singing in heaven". I almost burst out crying, but gave her a big hug instead. She knows why daddy's been a bit sad this week. | ||
| Stephen Dowling Unregistered guest |
Heard the sad news while travelling in the Ukraine... couldn't believe it. So many memories of a talented musician, gifted songwriter and lovely human being. The "green elevator" you gave us after your set at Roskilde, the interview in a London hotel I screwed up and that you did the next day, over a bottle of wine and the words, "It's only me Steve, you could have made it up". Staring down from the box at the Dublin Olympia so happy to see you and Robert playing again, the night with Kurt Wagner at the Columbia and the many rambling aftershow conversations. You were one of a kind, Grant, a man who wrote beautiful music that will stay with me till the day I die and the many tributes I've read here prove what a generous and lovely human being you were. Rest in peace. S | ||
| r mullins Member Username: Beckmull Post Number: 3 Registered: 06-2005 |
I started listening to the Go-Betweens when I was 8 years old. My sister's friend gave us a mix tape that had 16 Lover's Lane on it. It was the first album that I fell in love with and have not stopped listening to 20 years later. I got married and moved to Seattle in 1998. My husband and I were eating Mexican food and reading the Stranger when he saw Grant and Robert would be doing a show at the Crocodile that summer. We bought tickets and my best friend flew up from LA to see them with us. It was Robert's birthday that night. We met them after and I gave Grant my name and address in case he ever wanted to have a tour of Seattle. A few days later I received a card in the mail from him. He said my singing and dancing inspired him. We wrote to each other 6-7 times over the next few years, then eventually lost touch. The last show in Seattle was at the Triple Door last summer. We sat at the table right in front of Grant. It was a beautiful show. I did not get a chance to say hello to him after, but I sent a letter via FedEx to him a few days later in LA. I hope he received it. I just wanted to say how much I loved the new album and that I'm glad he was still making beautiful music. I never heard from him again. My boss (really, more like my mom) died in her home while she was asleep on Valentine's Day this year. I can't describe how painful the last few months have been. Life does not make much sense these days. It was my first experience losing someone that I loved. She was only 54. When I read the news about Grant's passing, it brought up everything I have been trying to avoid these past few months. I couldn't help but burst in tears for the next couple days. I felt so angry and mad. I felt it was such a strong reaction to losing someone that I wasn't particularly close with. It felt silly to feel that way over someone I barely knew. But, then I realized I lost a voice that I have been hearing for the last 20 years. It wasn't just an abstract idea of someone. It was someone that I had a very small connection with for a brief time. The songs that I love the most are those that have marked significant milestones in my life. I have so many memories tied with certain Go-Betweens songs. It reminds me of the happiest moments of my life with my best friend, my husband and little daughter. I just can't believe Grant is not here anymore. This world feels very empty. Nothing about this feels right or okay. I cannot express how sad I feel for his friends, family, and for the band. Especially Robert. He is very fortunate to have known him and have had a friend and colleague that he melded so well with. I know it is a rare thing to have such a deep connection with someone on that level. It makes it all the harder when they are gone. My heart breaks for him. People keep telling me that time heals. I hope it does sooner rather than later. I am sending all Grant's friends and family my love, prayers, and thoughts. Thank you, Grant for being in this world the short time you were. You made my life so much brighter through your voice. I will never forget you. Becki M. | ||
| alan lee Member Username: Nearearthobjects Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
hello,i was deeply saddened to hear of grant's far too early passing.i hope that the go-betweens realise the joy that they bought many anonymous people over the years.some of my favourite songs of all time are 'cattle and cane','the streets of your town'to name a couple of classics.i still get goosebumps,as i did when i first heard them,everytime i hear them played.the go-betweens will never be forgotten.i only saw you perform once in adelaide in the late 1980s but won't ever forget the event and the emotions it evoked.sincere condolences to grant's family and friends.he is a seminal aussie performer and derserving of his place in aussie music history.love and fond memories,cheers,alan lee | ||
| Ray, Dublin Unregistered guest |
I opened my local paper yesterday and was stunned to see Grant's face on the obituary page. I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that he's no longer with us. It was only 2 weeks ago that I visited the GB website hoping to hear details of forthcoming gigs or the release date of the next CD. As per all of the tributes I've read about him in the last 24 hours, the obituary speaks of Grant's song-writing genius and how he and Robert had created and nurtured a critically acclaimed musical fusion through twenty-plus years of the Go-Betweens and solo careers in between. Like most others on here, I'd never met the man in person, but did have the privilege of seeing the GBs play in Dublin a number of times over the years...and yet, like so many other posters on this site have articulated, I feel that I've lost a personal friend. The GB's music has been a constant in my life for over 15 years and I spent yesterday listening to much of it plus Grant's solo material - "Horsebreaker Star" and "16 Lovers Lane" no longer feel like CDs in my collection - they are a precious legacy to be treasured as indeed are all of his songs. The titles of two more recent GB songs seem particularly apt for these painful moments, namely, "No Reason To Cry" and "Unfinished Business". God bless you Grant. RIP | ||
| Stephen Unregistered guest |
When I heard the Go-Betweens music I found it original and image provoking ( which I'd heard on the radio) The first time I saw the band in an actual film clip "Bachelor Kisses"I was watching with some other kids who said they were wimps, Grant was a "spazz", Robert "a fag" and the guy on bass "useless pounce" and also a "fuckwit". I liked them even more and it made the non-feeling feel something even if it was anger. The Go-Bs are timeless... | ||
| Brian in Sydney Unregistered guest |
A week ago I read the news of Grant's passing on the ABC website; a little later as HG & Roy played "Finding You" as a tribute, my wife asked what was distracting me. I answered "The man who wrote this song died today, he was only 48". The Go-Betweens perhaps more than any other band sustained me emotionally through three London winters in the late eighties. Twenty years on, Ive still got the dogeared tapes of Before Hollywood, Send Me a Lullaby and Liberty Belle made before I left. The jerky, angular rhythms and stuttering time signatures that only Lindy could play, underpinning poetic lyrics that were alternately worldly and intimate. I saw them play three times, the Tivoli in Sydney in late 1986 (when Rob wore the dress!)and the Town and Country Club and Astoria in London in '87 and '88; the latter gig featured Grant and Amanda doing a good impression of Fleetwood Mac circa 'Rumours'... A slightly different encounter was a gig by the Apartments in a tiny pub near the Oval in South London in January 1987; due to heavy snow the Tube wasnt running and the only audience other than me, my sister and her friend seemed to be the Go-Betweens. My sister got an autograph from Robert - I wish we'd got one from Grant also. My sister had introduced me to the band early on - she was a Robert fan, with his elegant, slightly feminine persona and polished poetry while I loved songs from both writers, I was probably more a Grant fan: more blokey, but sensitive and at times awkward, the lyrics sometimes a little less smooth but full of raw emotion, honesty and yearning. Songs like 'Cattle and Cane', 'Bye Bye Pride', 'Apology Accepted' touched me like few others. Reading some of almost 1500 posts, I realised that many others had similar memories and feelings to me. Some were fortunate enough to have met the man, all of us were fortunate enough to have been able share his gift. Vale, Grant. Love goes on. | ||
| emg Unregistered guest |
Grant, lit a candle for you on Friday afternoon outside The Ballroom and carried it around to the Esplanade where I sat in the car infront of the old St Moritz, looking out at the grey bay. eliza g (melb) | ||
| Pádraig Collins Member Username: Pádraig_collins Post Number: 372 Registered: 05-2005 |
Some people have asked me about it before so I have posted a 2002 interview I did with Grant and Robert at http://www.myspace.com/padraigcollins: Sending another Brisbane lullaby The Irish Times, 22/06/2002 The Go-Betweens inspire an extraordinary devotion for a band that's never sold many records. As their first three albums are re-released, the Australian group's two singer-songwriters speak to Pádraig Collins. Found demos and lost singles.Tracks we'd heard of but whose existence we doubted. Songs we'd never even heard of. Life is about to get more interesting for Go-Betweens completists with the re-release of their first three albums. Send Me a Lullaby (1982), Before Hollywood (1982) and Spring Hill Fair (1984) now each have an extra disc of rare tracks and videos. The one you'd heard they recorded with Nick Cave? It's here, along with tracks from the Five Songs cassette and the Very Quick on the Eye bootleg album. "I'm very pleasantly surprised and proud of what's come out," says Robert Forster. "You hear things a number of years later and they sound better or worse. Some songs from the first album now sound good, not dreadful." (Forster has cautioned in the past that Lullaby is not a good introduction to the band.) Grant McLennan also enjoyed hearing the old tracks again. "We wouldn't want to put anything out that wasn't up to scratch . . . There are a couple of songs that record company people were saying should be on there [on the original releases]. The songs that didn't get onto the albums, for tons of reasons, stand up, they're very good. "It's like finding extra pictures. It was interesting hearing what a punk band we were at first, which I always denied, but it's our version," he says. I tell them that on a trip, or more accurately a pilgrimage, to Brisbane I found that most people had never even heard of them, that the Go- Betweens were unknown prophets in their own town. "There's not much profit to be made from your home town," McLennan laughs. "You are breathing the same air, in the same time zone. I don't know if I want to be a prophet." "We're not a household name here," adds Forster. "There would be a certain group of people who know us and who are passionate about us. We never had a Top 40 hit here. There are advantages to this. It means we can move around fairly anonymously." Nevertheless, Brisbane seems to have been a huge lyrical font for The Go-Betweens. "We went over to London to live in the early '80s," Forster says. "You have a fondness for it .. and it does act as a reference point. When you travel 10,000 miles away it becomes more special, it's in your mind more." "For the first couple of years I was trying to learn an instrument so it was very much Robert's lyrics," says McLennan. "'I've got this dream and I've got to get out of this boring, conservative, fascist town', which it was at the time. Then you go away and it's 'shit, I wish I was back there'." Irish people took to The Go-Betweens more than most, right from their earliest days. McLennan knew I was going to ask about that; Irish journalists always do. "To me, it's that Irish people have a great love of their own voice. If you look at the literature and the musical and political side, it's a very strong, original way of doing things. "Irish people love to sing and love music. That can come with [The Go-Betweens] playing at the RDS with REM, or club gigs or that beautiful show we played at the Olympia." "Dublin has produced five Nobel prize winning authors," says Forster. "It's a literate town. I'm trying to be modest here . . . It appreciates a language gift married to a melodic gift, and that is The Go-Betweens." He's looking forward to playing Ireland again, which should be early next year. "We are going to Cork this time. I've been pushing to get out of Dublin. I want to drive out of Dublin, not to the ferry. I've never driven west of Dublin. It will be lovely to drive that road." McLennan has set his sights further afield: "I've always wanted to go to the Aran Islands, so you never know." The trip to Ireland will follow the release of a new album, which is being recorded in August/September. "We've made a demo tape with 12 songs," says Forster. "It sounds very, very good. There's a little bit more cross-fertilisation this time. There are two songs where Grant wrote the music and I wrote the lyrics, which we've never done before". "I wrote a couple of chord progressions and melodies which I thought would suit Robert's voice and lyric writing," says McLennan. "He thought that too and wrote these magnificent lyrics. This is something we haven't done so much over the years. It's kind of like when we first started." Despite a prolific career outside of The Go-Betweens, with several solo albums and other collaborations, McLennan is exactly where he wants to be right now. "Everything I want to do solo I'm doing way better with Robert. This is as locked in as we've been since we started the band. We're a very passionate band and that satisfies me." Send Me a Lullaby, Before Hollywood and Spring Hill Fair are out now on Circus Band on the run Down Under The first thing I saw when I arrived at Brisbane airport three years ago was a sign saying Spring Hill. I was ecstatic. Not only had I arrived at the hometown of The Go-Betweens, but Spring Hill actually existed! I had thought it was just part of an album title. I had done this kind of thing before - a trip to Athens, Georgia, seeking the spirit of REM - but this was even more important. A friend went there and saw Grant McLennan playing a free gig on a Sunday afternoon in a half-empty pub. Another guy came across a Forster and McLennan gig in a Brisbane art gallery. It was sold out. He pleaded with the gallery owner to let him in. No dice. He said "You don't understand. I've come here from Ireland. I have to get in." He got in. I just missed seeing them on a recent trip to Sydney - and I would have seen them if Qantas had been able to change my flights. I got a picture taken of me beside a poster for the gig instead. | ||
| malcolm Unregistered guest |
I only heard the news yesterday and was completely taken aback. Firstly by the shock of Grant's death and secondly because I hadn't realised just how important the Go-Betweens were to me. In common with many people posting on this board, they were a big part of the sound track of my adult life. I think we still have the tape that I made for my future wife - favourite tracks - Lee Remick and My Baby Does Good Sculptures by the Rezillos. There are many great bands that can tune in well to one emotion, maybe two or three, but the Go-Betweens captured the mood of most of life's most important experiences, pleasurable and painful, and soothed us as we we lived them. My favourites were Karen, Lee Remick, People Say, Dusty in Here and, of course, Cattle and Cane. Thank you Grant | ||
| Jakob Winnberg Unregistered guest |
I only found out yesterday. The evening before, I went to see the Swedish band The Radio Dept. in concert, and the singer dedicated their set to Grant. I just thought, oh, so they're particularly fond of him right now... Then I got the news yesterday afternoon. It just doesn't add up. From his songs and from seeing him on stage, Grant always seemed like one of the nicest people alive. His voice touches me like few others (Robert's being one of the few others...). Grant, and Robert--thank you for everything. Jakob, Gothenburg, Sweden | ||
| Andreas Severins Unregistered guest |
A smile in the night from one ear to the other – it will never shine no more At his moment I am crying - my tears flood... I just read the lines from Tracey Thorn which she wrote about her friendship with Grant and the Go-Bees. It is still impossible for me to believe the truth that Grant is no more alive. Monday afternoon I was looking for something at wikipedia and in a corner of my eye I read the worst news possible… My heart broke and since then a huge part of me has died… The Go-Betweens and their music has been most important to me since the early eighties. The first time I was able to see them in a concert was in Duesseldorf in 1989 when they played with R.E.M. Shortly after that brilliant show was the split of the band. It was unbelievable and so wonderful to me that the reunion took place and three more wonderful records have been released. I nearly took every chance now to see them play live - having even seen them playing Perth on February, 15th 2003 I had the chance talking to the band after the show. Sorry - I have no words for what I feel... All my love to Grant and his family, to Emma and to the band. Grant - you will live on for the rest of my live and a part of me will cry when hearing your songs. Robert, Grant, Adele and Glenn - I loved all the silent moments with you after your concerts and will especially never forget the ZAKK in Duesseldorf when you saw me while you were eating and wiped and smiled when you saw me. Grants silent smile will never be forgotten! Love goes on in the core of a flame Your friend Andreas. | ||
| Philip Brasor Unregistered guest |
Several years ago I had the great pleasure of seeing the Go-Betweens when they played their first-ever concert in Tokyo and the even greater pleasure of interviewing Grant and Robert the next morning for the Japan Times. We sat in a coffee shop in Shibuya. Grant ate a plate of ice cream and told me about having a dream the night before in which Bob Dylan appeared to him. "He was really short," he said, bewildered, as if it were something that should have occurred to him before. We had a great time discussing Lou Reed, the Lovin' Spoonful, Van Morrison ("whenever Van runs out of ideas, he brings out the sax"), and the Go-Betweens. At the end of our talk, I said I was going to a record store up the street and asked both Grant and Robert to recommend a record. Whoever gave a more convincing recommendation, that's the record I would buy. Grant didn't even have to think about it. He told me to buy Francoiz Breut's "Vingt a trente mille jours." Robert thought a second and then recommended the same CD, obviously convinced by his partner's enthusiasm as well. It's been one of my favorite records ever since. In fact, last January I interviewed Breut when she came to Japan to promote her latest record and I told her that story. She said I wasn't the first person who told her that Grant McLennan recommended her album. "Maybe I should pay him a commission," she said. Thank you Grant, for your music and your enthusiasm for everything. | ||
| Mark Demetrius and Margaret Scheikowski Unregistered guest |
The last time we saw The Go-Betweens -- a year ago today, as it happens, at the Shepherds Bush Empire here in London -- someone in the audience called out "We love you". Grant smiled and quietly said "We love you too". Coming from a lot of other people it might have sounded disingenuous or 'showbizzy', but the striking thing was his unmistakeable sincerity. What a loss of a great talent ! | ||
| Kai Schmidt Unregistered guest |
Dear Grant, That is a reason to cry for me! Too early! Would be great to have another rose wine with you! I`m missing to talk with you...You were one of the people who was able to listen to someone. It was really impressive to meet and work with/for you. You were something special to me. THANKS! Kai | ||
| Tom Phillipson Unregistered guest |
My condolences to Grant's family and friends. Martin Stephenson played a wonderful tribute to Grant at his gig last night in Nottingham (UK). Listened to "Boundary Rider" over and over as I drove home during the early hours, wondering if we will ever hear a better song. Whelans, Dublin in 97 is another highlight, Quiet Heart absolutely stunned the audience that night, and I often think of that moment and how privileged I was to experience it. Thank-you for all the great songs and gigs you gave us, which like for so many others, have given me great happiness, thought and help. RIP Tom Phillipson, Buxton | ||
| François - France Unregistered guest |
Et merde ! Grant McLennan, l'hémisphère gauche des Go-Betweens, est mort dans son sommeil ce samedi 6 mai. Je n'ai jamais manqué un concert des Go-B's, chaque fois j'y ressentais un envoûtement envahissant, seuls Jorma Kaukonen et d'autres Australiens, les Triffids du regretté David McComb, ayant su m'emmener en concert aussi loin dans l'intime. Je me souviens des compils pour les potes ou pour un ami aimé, impossible de ne pas y glisser des chansons de "Tallulah", "Liberty Belle" ou du passé en boucle "16 lovers lane"... Anecdote : en 1994, quelques années après la séparation de leur groupe, les tournées promo de Robert Forster et Grant McLennan pour leurs albums solo respectifs se croisent au Grand Rex de Paris, en première partie de Lloyd Cole. Ce soir-là, chacun à sa guitare acoustique chanta les chansons... de "l'autre". Hémisphères je vous dis... François Branchon - Sefronia Editor http://www.sefronia.com/blog/ | ||
| guenther Unregistered guest |
another touching article in austrians qualilty paper Der Standard can be found here: derstandard.at/?id=2438616 Grant McLennan ist tot Am Wochenende starb der australische Musiker Grant McLennan (1958 - 2006): Als eine Hälfte von The Go-Betweens galt er als einer der besten zeitgenössischen Songwriter Brisbane – No Reason To Cry hieß einer seiner letzten Songs. Der Grund für ein paar Tränen, der wurde jetzt vom Schicksal nachgereicht. Der Autor des Stücks, Grant McLennan von der australischen Band The Go-Betweens, ist vergangenen Samstag in Brisbane gestorben. Vor seiner house-warming-party, wollte der Neo-Hausbesitzer und frisch verliebte Sänger und Gitarrist noch ein Schläfchen machen. Eintrudelnde Gäste fanden ihn später tot in seinem Bett. Er war 48 Jahre alt. Zitate, die sich anlässlich dieser Nachricht anbieten, gibt es viele. Etwa dieses: "Deep down I'm lonely/and I miss my friend/so when I hear you saying, that we stood no chance/I'll dive for your memory/we stood that chance." Das hat die andere Hälfte dieser 1977 in Brisbane gegründeten Band, Robert Forster, 1989 gesungen. Schon damals bedeutete es einen Abschied. Nach über einem Jahrzehnt im Business trennten sich die Go-Betweens nach dem Album 16 Lovers Lane Das letzte Stück darauf hieß Dive For Your Memory. Grant McLennan hat diese einvernehmliche Trennung in einem Gespräch mit dem STANDARD so erklärt: "Wir waren ausgebrannt. Das Laufrad Tour, Album, Tour verhinderte, dass wir unsere Leben und Beziehungen führen konnten. Das war's nicht wert." Hinterlassen haben die Go- Betweens damals eine Reihe kleiner Meisterwerke, die von der bestechenden Songwriter- Kunst von McLennan und Forster geprägt waren: Spring Hill Fair (1984), Liberty Belle And The Black Diamond Express (1986), Tallulah (1987) und eben 16 Lovers Lane. Poppige Folk-Rock-Alben, mit denen die damals in London lebenden Australier zwar Kult und zu Kritikerlieblingen wurden. An der großen Karriere schrammten sie knapp vorbei. Daran änderte auch eine gemeinsame Tour mit R.E.M. – bekennende Go-Betweens- Fans – nichts. Phantomschmerzen Neben dem Dandy Forster war McLennan der Jeans- und T-Shirt-Typ, der die tendenziell sonnigeren Stücke schrieb. Nach ihrer Trennung gingen beide Solokarrieren nach, die zwar brauchbare Alben hervorbrachten, denen aber die Phantomschmerzen des Fehlens des jeweils anderen anzumerken waren. Alleine waren sie gut, gemeinsam konnten sie magisch sein. Der am 12. Februar 1958 in Rockhampton, Queensland, geborene McLennan debütierte solo mit Watershed (1991) und spielte mit Steve Kilbey als Jack Frost einige Alben ein. Mitte der 90er mehrten sich Wiedervereinigungsgerüchte, die Auftritte von Forster und dem sympathischen Glatzkopf McLennan als The Clarke Sisters untermauerten. Im Jahr 2000 war es dann soweit. Mit The Friends Of Rachel Worth meldeten sich die Go-Betweens in alter Form zurück. Es folgten die Meisterwerke Bright Yellow Bright Orange (2003) und letztes Jahr Oceans Apart, mit denen sie nun auch kommerziell erfolgreich waren. Unter anderem mit dem McLennan-Stück Finding You, dass der Band aufgrund seiner Dauerpräsenz in der Werbung eines Mobilnetzanbieters einen Top-Twenty- Platzierung in den heimischen Charts einbrachte. Mit Grant McLennan sind nun wohl auch die Go-Betweens, oftmals euphorisch als "die beste Band der Welt" bezeichnet, gestorben. (DER STANDARD, Printausgabe, 9.5.2006) | ||
| Axel Dahlgrün Unregistered guest |
I was shocked to hear of Grant’s death and it’s only gradually beginning to sink in. The Go-Betweens are one of the two bands dearest to me. At the end of the 80ies, when I was 16 years old, somebody gave me a mix tape with “Right Here” on it, and after buying their compilation “1978 – 1990” and listening to it endlessly, I gradually got hold of all of their albums. The Go-Betweens were (and are) constant companions to my life. Even when I hadn't been listening to any of their records for a year or more, when I listened to them again, they felt as near to me as ever, just like meeting an old friend who lives on the other side of the country. I remember seeing Grant doing a solo show in the mid 90ies at the Roskilde festival in Denmark. At the time, everyone seemed to be listening to Rage Against The Machine and The Beastie Boys’ “Check Your Head”, you were hearing it from every single tent. Grant’s show was like a small island of peace in all the loudness. The last song he played was “Coming Up For Air”. I’ll always be thankful for the music Grant made. My deepest feelings go out to his family and his bandmates, former and present. Axel (Germany) | ||
| Jakob Lund Unregistered guest |
I first saw the Go-Betweens at Roskilde Festival in 1987. I had heard a recording of their music - I can't remember which - only a few months earlier. When I stumbled into the tent that day in 1987 I was completely swept off my feet. Never in my life had I heard such wonderful music. And to make things even more symbolic, someone - I think it was Robert - threw out an Australian flag into the audience. Everyone immediately in front of me rushed for the flag, but I just stood there with my mouth wide open, and before I knew it the flag had landed in my hands. I took this as a sign (well, more or less) that I should go out into the world and preach the gospel of GB. Fastforward a few years. GB had split up, and I was working as a postman. I got the idea that I should write the first fan letter of my life - to Robert Forster. I only knew the name of the little German town that he was living in and the name of his German wife, Karin. Sadly, I can't really remember much of what I wrote, but to my utter amazement I got a kind reply a couple of months later. This letter, which you can understand, is very dear to me still. In the following years I saw Robert whenever he was in Denmark and spoke to him on several occations. In 1997 I went to Roskilde once again with the sole purpose of seeing Robert and Grant united. A great concert, although they played at a much too big venue, the canopy scene. Luckily I managed to see GB many times during their existence, the last one being a great show in Hamburg in 2005. I want to express my deepest gratitude to two old-fashioned gentlemen for making my life a little brighter. | ||
| Beks Unregistered guest |
2nd post. It's been a week since I stared at the computer screen in utter shock with tears streaming down my face. I've really been loving reading all these posts, I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find so many people whose lives were soundtracked by Grant and Robert. It's really great to read our stories. Powerful stuff; and I am certain Grant is reading too, and perhaps chuckling. I was introduced to them around age 15 by the boy I lost my virginity to. He was a bit older, and had quite sophisticated taste in independent music. After a long and languid weekend together, mostly soundtracked by 16LL and the Sundays first LP, he made me a nice set of Maxell 90-minute tapes of his entire Go-B's collection. While the boy and I parted ways, my love affair with the Go-Betweens had just begun. I played and played and played those tapes. It was strange because I was a punk rock kind of girl and in high school. I wore combat boots and kilts and leather jackets and hung out in the deviant smoking area behind the school building. My friends were all listening to the Misfits and I remember peeling the labels off the Go-Betweens tapes I always had in my Walkman. I remember on one of the labels my ex-boyfriend had written "Lindy Morrison Rules!" I knew every word of every lyric of Spring Hill Fair by heart. As the years have gone by, the tapes thinned and snapped, and I bought import CD's to replace them. Their music has continued to back my life's ups and downs, and now I'm all grown up and married. My husband and I kissed for the first time to "Spirit." I cooked this morning's Sunday breakfast to Liberty Belle, and have decided to frame the poster for their acoustic tour I tore off the wall of the bar where I saw them. That show was so dreamlike: I stood near the front and when I looked back I saw several people, grown men and women, misty-eyed and so happy. Thank you SO much for everything, Grant McLennan. You needed to exist. Your gifts are so treasured. I hope to shake your hand one day. Until then rest in joy and peace. | ||
| Julie Savill Unregistered guest |
I am in total shock. I merely logged onto the website to see if there were any upcoming UK tours.....now listening to 'Quiet Heart' while remembering some great moments thoughout my life when I had the privelage to see him live. Many Aussie gigs but the acoustic solo set at the Borderline in London in 1991 was magic. I cant believe I didnt end up going to a gig in Birmingham last year - it was only 40 mins drive away and I drove a lot further than that from Dusseldorf to Ubach Pallenburg to see Robert many years ago. It just goes to show that we should make the most every moment we are on this planet. Thankyou for bringing such joy into our lives with your music. A great loss. | ||
| Ronan P.Quigley Unregistered guest |
An unbelievable loss to music. Thanks for every song you ever penned, Thanks for every song you ever sang, Thanks for everytime you came to Ireland through the years, Thank God I found you Grant, R.I.P. | ||
| Caroline from Glasgow Unregistered guest |
A week on. Listened to Go Betweens all week. Remembering the first time I saw them back in early 80's supporting Aztec Camera in Glasgow. A wee 16 year old who then went to Liverpool and Manchester, meeting Grant and Robert and having photos taken. A love affair with my favourite band ever began. Friends from that time, I've thought about you all week too and how you must be feeling. Far too soon to lose that smiling face, joyous to be back in Glasgow playing to those who grew up with you! It's been like losing a friend, a wee rock and roll friend! Take care Robert x I'll dive for your memory wee guy x | ||
| E, Sweden Unregistered guest |
I cannot find words to describe how much the music of Go-Betweens has enriched my life. I remember the days in highschool sitting in my room listening to "Dive For Your Memory" over and over and over again. Thank you so much for all the wonderful records. I miss you, Grant. Take care, Robert. | ||
| Alexandra from France Unregistered guest |
….I was 21 years when i fell in love....and i loved my lover deeply, and the compilations he would record specially for me on tapes were much part of our lovestory, sacred : There always would be at least one song of The Go-Betweens in them, when it wasn’t a whole record taped just for the pleasure, you know, doesn’t matter you already have the record or not.... I loved my tapes....and they were beautiful, my bachelor kisses.... Before that, i was much younger, discovering youth, songs, records, movies, paintings and books, with my older sister Michelle.... The Go-Betweens’melodies would look like the whole lot.... ....Romantic feelings, a book, a short movie, a picture, landscapes, places, tenderness, the sun, the countryside, evening stories, warmth, the milkyway, the pain, hope, happiness, melancoly, a sincere smile, wisdom and storms, life made poetry, seasons, the girl and the boy....and more....it’s all in there.... And their songs became our real good friends....to never let us down…. I’m much older now, and it is a strange feeling to sense that, though my heart and soul would embrace their perfect songs whenever i’d play their records, their songs, i never really had to carry them with me. They would carry me. And they always do so, sometimes when i wish to cheer up and welcome a special day or a nice evening, sometimes when i’m waiting for the train at the station, each time i feel a little lonely, sometimes when i have to go to the office against my own will, whenever i make little wishes, when sharing great times with friends and Michelita of course, whenever i run to my boyfriend through the streets of his town, whenever i’m running late, whenever the sun smiles hello, whenever i step out under the spring rain.... Sometimes and always, as do long time friends.... Of course, i do love and enjoy lots of different artists, but The Go-Betweens have been different to me, pretty much as a bedside book, inspiring me to do plenty of things, always, no matter how i felt, i think that’s just amazing.... These last years, my life had to go through some very dark times and, so, long long moments of just silence inside of me. But the Go-Betweens’songs, and Robert & Grant ‘solo albums, were my needed friends, smooth, wit, gentle, clever, sweet, understanding and good to me, as always. ..........I didn’t know Grant though i did talk to him a little, just once. Was around 16years ago or so. My then boyfriend (the one doing me the tapes!) being a journalist took me with him to an interview for his own mag. Needless to say how lucky i felt and was. He surely knows how i feel these days....I know he feels the same. ....Even for such a small moment, to meet Robert and Grant was incredibly nice and so delightful. And very funny too. Obviously, it was quite bizarre to be there, in the middle of an interview. I was feeling very shy and impressed, but they immediately made me feel at ease.... They shouldn’t have done so, because then, i shamelessly asked them if their intention sometimes when doing songs was to create that particular feeling we get as when we fall in love.... Oh, i don’t know, i suddenly felt secretely embarrassed, wondering if my question wasn’t a little silly or too childish, you know, wondering why i couldn’t ask the question in a some better way really, and it probably wasn’t a secret no more how i was feeling then, because i could suddenly feel my cheeks turning really red.... They immediately turned the situation great before i’d burn under my warming cheeks and Grant told me i was a mind reader! And we laughed!! Today i smile as i recall that little moment, but he must be true, i’m a mind reader. Because i was amazed of how much he did look like his songs, i could see that, i could, and it made me feel sunny inside.... To meet Robert and Grant ‘round a table, even for such a small moment as i did, was a very particular moment, and to me certainly was the kind that defines honesty, sincerity.... But moreover, i believe that to listen to their songs is enough to understand them guys, and to know them, and to just love them. As Alessandro(whom i don’t know), in this forum, quoted perfectly well from the song Trapeze Boy, in the Jack Frost album : "it's funny how someone you've never met manages to stay with you"...., and just as many people do here, i also feel this way about Grant. ....When i heard this hearbreaking news, i just didn’t want it to be true, i just kept on thinking why, why, looking at the sky, wondering, you know.... It is a terrible loss. I’ve been sad for many days and, on friday, i just sat in the bedroom, trawling through net ‘till i discovered all the messages i read in this tribute. It made me feel better, it felt good to stumble into here..... ....I’ve never done this before in my life, but today, i just needed and wanted to add my own message. ....Sure, there’s many many more Go-Betweens’ lovers feeling just the same these days, like my sister Michelle too, who don’t want or can’t leave a message in here, many who will never ever know about this forum, many who haven’t yet heard about this loss.... Still, we know the feeling is deeply shared between all. I usually don’t stay as long on the net, but this time, yes, i don’t know why, i think i really needed to read about him, you know.... I also found the message from Steve Kilbey in his blog. It was poignant to read. My thoughts and sympathy to Grant’s family, to his friends, to Robert, and to his Lover. The Go-Betweens have been part of my life. Always will be. Robert, ....though this may be a little silly to say, i deeply wish you’ll be ok.... ....Don’t let us too lonely for too long.... All my love. .....Grant...., you know....you’ve been giving us so much, and i wish i could explain how it feels inside to love your music, that sound in your voice, the lyrics, the moment spent in your company through a song, the sincerity of your soul....but i don’t know how to do that....i just can’t....and i know it doesn’t really matter....because....you know,....you’re a mind reader too. .....Thank you for all your beautiful songs. They’ll always be my friends. Vale, Grant. I believe they’re lucky the little stars up there in the sky.... Be my Be my Be my silver star.... Right here....and always in our heart.* Alexandra*, from a smalltown in the suburbs of Paris, France. | ||
| Chris Unregistered guest |
When people are dead Dear Grant, I loved your songs since Andreas gave me my first Go-Betweens tape in the late Eighties. Seeing you in concert made me always feel happy and alive. It's amazing how many people you made feel this way. So sad you are no longer with us. But you always will through your music, your friendliness, your passion and humour. My deepest sympathy to your family, your girlfriend, to Adele, Glenn and in particular to Robert. | ||
| Jo Sawyer Member Username: Josaw Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
I just started getting into the band. First time I heard them was last year when my boyfriend put in Friends of Rachel Worth while we were on a meandering drive... I just loved it instantly, intuitively. Magic in Here. What a sharp and happy memory. My instant enthusiam also fired a renewed interest for my friend...I bought him a beautiful copy of the Lee Remick 7" for his birthday... We saw the Go-Betweens for the first time in Seattle in May of 2005. We were so happy we were there. My most striking memory of that night, which is bizarre now considering everything, is that Grant was SO HAPPY when he sang Cattle and Cane. It was incredibly moving, him singing that song. I didn't understand it at the time...He was so...HAPPY. Seeming. I took on those feelings and left the show better for being a part of it. Anyway. I think, my life was enriched by him in the short time I was aware of him.....My heart goes out to Grant's survivors, especially Robert. All his die-hard fans incuded. | ||
| Paulo Lopes Unregistered guest |
I remember summer days on the beach, I remember walks in the pines, I remember cool water under the sun. I remember all my friends during those important days... and this bigger than life soundtrack made up of the Go-Betweens music. It was still the 80s and we lived in southwestern portugal and yes, these 18 and 19 yearl olds were deeply struck by the words and music of the Go-Betweens. And now... Well, perhaps it wouldn't feel so terribly wrong if we were just left with memories of times long gone. But then there's "The Friends of Rachel Worth", "Bright Yellow Bright Orange" and "Oceans Apart". But then I saw you playing live for the first time (in Lisbon, in 2003) and I can tell you Grant, and I can tell you Robert, this was a dream come true. And I will carry for the rest of my days the joy that I felt in both my brain and in my heart with Grant's performance in "Love Goes On" and Robert's tour de force in "The House that Jack Kerouac Built". And we were waiting for more, oh so much more to come. I couldn't write anything here in the previous days. But now it's time. And this is the only way I can do it, as I pour again a glass of red wine: Cheers Grant! Cheers Robert! | ||
| Miles Unregistered guest |
Once upon a time, there was the double "l". Now one of the twin towers has collapsed, and only one "l' remains. Rest in musical peace Grant. Miles Li | ||
| Gilbert, Brisbane, AU Unregistered guest |
I would like to express my deepest sympathies to Grant McLennan's family, his girlfriend Emma, and to his many wonderful and generous friends and colleagues. I am very grateful to Caroline, Sarah & Adele that I was able to meet Mr. McLennan in person recently and express how much pleasure his songs have given me over the past twenty years or so, both live and on record. I congratulate The Go-Betweens (both then and now) on being such exemplary artists. As my brother has said, an inspired life. | ||
| darren Unregistered guest |
Wanted to, but felt way too sad to go to the service on Friday. It's been over a week since Grant passed away, this Brisbane winter will feel colder then ever. still listening to his and the Go-Between's wonderful soundz for warmth, now and forever. | ||
| Dom Unregistered guest |
Ever since the 1980s, when I first heard 'cattle and cane' in a small dark flat in Brighton, the music of the go-betweens has been a very, very special part of my life. I am so sad to hear the news. My love goes out to Robert and Grant's family and friends. | ||
| Britta Unregistered guest |
Thanks for all your beautiful music that has accompanied me and friends throughout the passed 23 years and all those brilliant gigs in Frankfurt, London and Freiburg. You will always be with me. Hope to see you again, Robert...some time somewhere Reading all this it's too sad for words Well I wanted to request a song last year and didn't dare: Hold your horses... See you take care | ||
| Jim Conway Unregistered guest |
I was shocked to hear the terrible news. Like many of the Irish people I was at that Trinity college (free) outdoor lunchtime concert, I dragged a workmate along and he was converted instantly. I was lucky enough to meet Grant after a concert here in Brussels about 10 years ago. There are not many artists who I would ask to sign CD sleeves but he was one (actually he is the only one I have ever asked!). He was charming and friendly, I am sure I was a gibbering idiot. I see that "if you go away" was read at his funeral. The original Brel lyric "Ne me quitte pas" (don't leave me) came to my mind. Sincere condolences to his family and friends. Jimmy | ||
| k Unregistered guest |
I remember seeing Grant when he worked briefly in Toowong Music and Lindy too. I was very young, but I remember seeing them. The shop front has changed, but I still walk past and stop. And I can still see Grant looking out the door. It's like a moment frozen in time for me and I have my own personal record cover every time I listen to Grant and The Go-Betweens. Thank you so very much for that. Along with his music, it has left me with a wonderful memory of a local who wrote about Brisbane in a very unique way. cheers, k | ||
| David, Exeter via Kilmarnock Unregistered guest |
It's been a week since I learned of the terribly sad news of Grant's passing and I still don't know if I can find the right words. My thoughts, obviously, are with his family and friends who I hope can find some peace at this painful time. I'd like to take this opportunity to say thanks to Grant. Thank you for being one half of a band who brought the Brisbane sunshine to dreich Kilmarnock and make it all seem so possible. Thank you for for your songs and your lyrics which touched so many in so many ways and which were a constant soundtrack to my days at university in the early 1990's. Thank you for the only tape I've ever had which I wore out by over playing - the Go-Betweens 1978-1990. Thank you for an uncommonly beautiful girl called Michelle who surprised me by naming 16 Lovers Lane as her favourite album. Thank you for the Kilmarnock FC fanzine 'Paper Roses' which was great probably because it was edited by a Go-Betweens fan. Thank you for all of this and so much more. Thank you for being you. | ||
| Elisabeth Unregistered guest |
hearing of the end of grant mclennan felt like losing a close friend. since 2000 the music of the go-betweens were the soundtrack to my life. still the music and the memories remain. danke | ||
| NickCD, Dublin Unregistered guest |
So, so sad to hear the news of Grant's death. Like so many people posting here the music of the Go-Betweens has been a part of the soundtrack to my life for so long now, first of all through the '80's and early '90's and then more recently, to my lasting joy, with the latest three albums. So very sad that the story must stop here. You know, I'm pretty sure that 'Bye Bye Pride' has appeared on more compilations (made both for myself and for others) than any other song in my possession. It's testament to the magic of the Go-Between's music that despite countless, countless listens I've never tired of it over all the years and its restrained, understated but undeniably powerful emotional punch has never waned. It will take on an added poignancy now. | ||
| Mick Murphy Unregistered guest |
It's more than a week now since the news, and it's not getting any easier. The GB's first came to my attention as a critically-acclaimed group supporting REM in Dublin in 1989. I only saw the last ten minutes of the set, as it started before the stated time on the ticket (7.30 pm....I still have it!). Got a copy of Tallulah soon afterwards and was hooked. What a body of work in six albums and what joy to hear in the mid-90's that they were re-forming and TOURING! Managed to catch them four times in Dublin and all the gigs were crackers. Those memories are now even more precious, now that we know there won't be repeats. The last three albums were top-notch also. I spent a lot of last week trying to put my finger on what they had and still can't manage it. Lyrics, melodies, whatever....they had it all. All except a string of huge worldwide hits, that is! And now I think that was part of the magic of the Go-Betweens, the fact that we had this magnificent group and others didn't. They deserved superstardom. Cheers for the songs, Grant! Michael, Wexford, Ireland. | ||
| Simon McKenzie Unregistered guest |
Never before has the death of someone I never knew affected me so much. I've been very, very saddened to hear of Grant's passing. If I feel this way, I cannot even begin to think how Robert and the other band members must be feeling. I wish I could put into words what the band meant to me and what a sad loss this is, but only Grant could say what I want to write right now. Thank you for the beautiul lyrics and music. You were a special man. God bless you Grant, I hope you're in a better place. | ||
| Nicholas Bojdo Unregistered guest |
Absolutely devastated to hear the tragic news. Thank you for all the wonderful music that has graced my ears and made me so happy. A fantastic songwriter and an incredible gentleman, you will be missed dearly. Rest In Peace | ||
| Dave S Unregistered guest |
The Go-Betweens music has been such a large part of my life that I knew I'd find a lyric from amongst it that would express how I feel. Please excuse my slight amend to Grant's lyrics from The Devil's Eye... I don't wanna have to say goodbye, Don't wanna wipe the tear from my eye, I took this chance to write a message, It's just to say that I'll miss you My thoughts are with your family, your friends and your many, many fans. Thanks for the music and the inspiration. Dave | ||
| Irene Hilton Member Username: Irene_hilton Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
I am so shocked and saddened at this news... Grant was a real talent, and a genuinely decent person too. What a loss! After moving from Brisbane to London in 2004, it was great to be able to see a wonderful Go-Betweens gig at the Barbican - a link to home! I had always appreciated the band when I was in 'Brisvegas', but I was so happy to see that this well-deserved band had a large and appreciative audience in London too. Thanks Grant for the many happy memories. Your music will live on. My condolences to Grant's family and friends. | ||
| Conor, Kilkenny, Ireland Unregistered guest |
The shock of hearing of Grant's death has now given way to deep sadness. Grant's music has been part of my life for the past 21 years, accompanying me through all my life experiences, and my life has been enhanced by Grant's, and the Go-Betweens, music. Thanks to Grant and Robert for all the fabulous songs and concerts. We will all miss the anticipation when hearing that a new album is about to be released or that the Go Betweens are on tour again. Rest in Peace. | ||
| Drunken Angel Unregistered guest |
A week on, I still have a heavy heart, though I am realizing, resignedly, that life and love do indeed go on... I'd been searching for the perfect words to describe the effect Grant's music had on me and what about it made it so rare and precious. Then, reading Ian McEwan's excellent "Saturday", I came across a passage that really puts it perfectly. The protagonist is talking about the effect music can sometimes have. In the passage, he speaks of those "rare moments" when musicians touch something sweeter, and when they occur: "This is when they give us a glimpse of what we might be, of our best selves, and of an impossible world in which you give everything you have to others, but lose nothing of yourself." | ||
| jutta k., berlin Unregistered guest |
one week ago, on monday, we heard the sad, sad news and first couldn´t believe it (on may 6, we still had a good time watching THAT STRIPED SUNLIGHT SOUND). last week was filled with tears... the go-betweens were (and will ever be) "our band". when i moved to berlin in 1995 i met a boy, peter. at our first date i told him that the go-betweens are my favourite band and he answered: "i can show you my go-betweens records" - since that evenig we are together. the greatest gift for us was the go-bees reunion in 2000. I remember all those fantastic shows (my first one was at the FLEXI in recklinghausen, may 1987, the last one last may in berlin - that was really "hot"). we will deeply miss you and your wonderful music. thank you grant, thank you go-betweens. you will be in our hearts forever. love goes on jutta and peter from berlin | ||
| Jörg Dittrich Unregistered guest |
I was very sad when I heart the news The Go-Betweens are a part of my live since the 80´s. My love goes out to Grant´s family, Robert, the Band and to all the fans around the world. love Jörg Dittrich, Bielefeld | ||
| BLT Unregistered guest |
condolences to grant's family and friends from yet another fan for whom grant's and the go-betweens' music has and will continue to be on the stereo a helluva lot of the time. and always will be at the most important times. | ||
| sarahh5 Unregistered guest |
I only found out about Grant's death on Radio 4 yesterday and felt sick. Since then I've been in limbo but this message board somehow helps. Never thought I'd be this way about someone I didn't know dying but like everyone else here, am in tears. I've listened to the "Live in London" version of Love Goes On almost daily for a year and never tire of it or any of the Go Betweens songs. He'll be missed more than he'll know and his death is shocking and soooooooooooo sad. RIP. x | ||
| Tony Peers Unregistered guest |
Thank you Grant for everything - I first heard your music when I was 17 and you've played a huge part in making me who I am today. I never got to see you first time around, but I can truly say that seeing you and Robert in the basement of Tower Records was one of the happiest moments of my life. My deepest sympathies to all your family and friends. Tony Peers, London | ||
| Alfred Daniel Unregistered guest |
Below is a letter I sent to mojo. I don't know if they'll print it so here it is. It gives me a second chance 'cause I got some of Grant's lyrics wrong in my first version.... -------------- I found out yesterday that Grant McLennan died. Along with Robert Forster, he was principal songwriter and singer in the Go-Betweens. As with the loss of anybody, my first feeling was that of despair. 'How did we lose someone else?', I asked myself, 'Another tragedy!', 'Another beautiful artist gone!'. I remember clearly the moment I found out Elliott Smith had taken his own life. It was another shock, another series of questions. Suddenly every song he wrote became a pointer to his eventual demise. Death has a horrible way of re contextualizing life. People speak of Elliott Smith, primarily with reference to the tragedy that became of him, not the great art he created. In the re-appraisal of the Go-Betweens that is bound to happen in the wake of McLennan's death, lets not talk of lives tragically cut short, ,potential unfulfilled, or the cruelty of fate. Lets focus on the way the song "Streets Of Your Town" makes any day seem like the sunniest you can remember. How "Right Here" tells tales of triumph over weariness. And how the lyrics of "This Girl, Black Girl" remind us to ignore those that "Tell you not to leave the hearse, that these lillies of the air, are just your family curse". Lets remember that Grant McLennan lived, and he made and continues to make our lives more special. God bless him for that. God bless all The Go-Betweens past and future. All my love also goes out of course to Robert Forster. I know you're built of things that will get you through this time. Your music has gotten me through the same terrain in the past. I just remembered a joke you made on rage. "Gnocchi on Heaven's Door." I'd like to add "Danger In The Pasta", but perhaps you need some Spaghetti Brunetti. My mum's italian, so if you were at my parents place now, I'd probably get her to cook some gnocchi for you. Perhaps with pesto. Lots of love, Alfred Daniel Melbourne | ||
| Jonathan Culp Unregistered guest |
The first things that come to me are selfish. How could he have died when we haven't met, when I haven't seen him perform, when the music was better than ever. My relationship with this guy I've never laid eyes on was growing. This guy who shared the spotlight of my favourite band. I always heard Grant keeping company with death, as I have myself for much of my life. I remember staggering around the streets of Toronto crying my eyes out listening to Dusty In Here. And doing the same twelve years later to No Reason To Cry - the way they take all that loss and regret and make them soar - it's almost a reason to live in itself. Robert, I feel like you and Grant have borne me through so many of the toughest times in my life with your music, so know that I am thinking of you and that my love goes out to you and to all those around. You are both a part of me. | ||
| Karen Robinson Member Username: Karen_r Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
I've dropped in and out of this website a number of times over the past week...first to check the news was really true and then from time to time to take in some of the words of love, grief and great respect that others have been leaving here. I’ve been wanting to write something too but felt stuck - in my sadness but also in feeling so much a stranger to the man whose passing has affected me so deeply, and somehow sweetly. I slipped out from my city office job just around the corner to join the service at the cathedral last Friday, again feeling some combination of interloper and confidante. The moment really belonged to Grant's closest lovers, family and friends but what a privilege to be welcomed in to share the joyful memories and celebration of a wonderfully large and well-lived life, and have a chance to say a quiet goodbye. Like so many others have said here, the best way to try to fill the void has been to wallow in the gorgeous pleasure of the go-betweens music and grant's living brilliance. The Statue, a monumentally exquisite creation from the start, seems so haunting and beautiful it is pure balm for the aching soul. My first thought on hearing of Grant's death has stayed with me all week...to die in one's sleep must surely be the kindest transition anyone could hope for, and I think, maybe one reserved for those special ones who have attained a level of resonance with the universe so in tune with the other, unknowable dimensions beyond, that one day they just pass through to the other realm, and become I think pure music, perfect vibrations that cross all time and material boundaries. Fanciful as it may be, it somehow explains for me how Grant and his energy somehow seems to be everywhere now that his body is nowhere. Happy eternity to a lovely soul who has surely earned it. | ||
| Paul Blake Unregistered guest |
Like Karen, I've been struggling to articulate my sadness over Grant's passing. I heard the news while holidaying in the Italian lakes - no music or ipod with me out there, just long boat rides and a old paperback. After the shock I really wanted to hear some of Grant's songs but was stuck a long way from any Go-Betweens or Grant CDs. Then realised I carried his songs inside me - that they were a part of me - and all week of heard snatches of his music, and just felt a enormous warmth and appreciation for those wonderful songs. I just feel so thankful for Grant's music - my world has been richer because of it. Thank you. | ||
| Andreas Rueping Unregistered guest |
I've only just heard the sad news and find it hard to believe. There are so many memories still. I first discovered the Go-Betweens when I heard The Wrong Road on the radio way back in the 80ies. I listened to 16 Lovers Lane while I was preparing for my maths university exams. Then the slight sense of disappointment when the band split up before I'd had the chance to see them live. It's easy to imagine how thrilled I was when, 12 years later, I learned there was a new Go-Betweens record out, and the band were about to tour as well. I clearly remember the day I bought Rachel Worth -- picking it up in a record shop on my way home from work, preparing my evening meal, opening a bottle of red, and finally listening to the first new Go-Betweens record in ages. A thoroughly enjoyable experience. And I finally got see them live. Munich, autumn 2000. For the final encore they pulled out Cattle and Cane to conclude an unforgettable night. The second, and sadly last, time I got see them was in my now hometown of Hamburg in May 2005. And a fantastic show it was, a friendly atmosphere, among the band and the audience. At the time I traveled a lot from Hamburg to Frankfurt by train. Here Comes A City sounded like they had written it for me. And everything else from Oceans Apart was so wonderful too. I clearly remember going out with friends one night, permanently humming Finding You to myself. Once again, the Go-Betweens had managed to put out music that became the soundtrack for a period in my life. Thanks for all the good music. Andreas, Hamburg (Germany) | ||
| Chris Watson Member Username: Chriswatson Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
Raising a young family in the 80's meant, that apart from seeing a performance of Cattle and Cane on Countdown, I knew little of the Go-Betweens until the end of the 90's when I heard "Surround me" by GW McLennan. The discovery of this wonderful song lead me to the Go-Betweens in 1998. My first GB live performance was the Big Day Out, then the Corner hotel, then the Forum....with the highlight of the night being Grant strutting the stage and gripping us with his latest version of Cattle and Cane. I love his songs ...the melodies..the words and like so many others shall miss him dearly. My thoughts with Robert, family and friends. | ||
| Mark Ross Unregistered guest |
Why is life like a match? A match is struck and burns brightly for a few seconds. Once it stops burning it is extinguished forever. I remember the early days in Brisbane in ‘78 and ‘79 when matches were just being struck everywhere. Brisbane was a fertile place and everyone was doing something and realising their potential. A friend and I (Titley) designed and screen printed a poster to promote a new single on a local label ... that song was Lee Remick. I remember dancing to that music in sweaty Brisbane venues. In ‘79 I shared a house with Lindy Morrison who soon met Robert Forster. In 1980 (?) the Go-Betweens were finding their feet and left for London. I left for Sydney and lost touch with the GBs until last week. The news of Grant’s death and then attending the funeral has left me deeply saddened and hollowed. I am reminded of these heady times almost 30 years ago when every day was a new day. I examine myself and know I have taken the easy safe road in life not the courageous path taken by the Go-Betweens. I know now that when the match is struck we all need to burn brightly. The Go-Betweens did this. Grant did this and I know Robert will continue to. | ||
| Steve Hill Unregistered guest |
Bought 1978 to 1990 in 1990 - the Go-Betweens were a band who always seemed to get good reviews in the U.K. press and i thought it was a good "jumping on" point. And it was - along with the Smiths, they were the soundtrack of my late teens and early twenties. Never stopped playing and loving them. Good Night and God Bless. | ||
| Richard Unregistered guest |
Like so many others who have posted here, the Go-Betweens have been (and remain) part of the fabric of my life, part of growing up, of friendships, and something so many of us have shared (whether, for me, in Newcastle, Leicester, London, Perth, where I know from the conversations, mails and texts over this past week there has been such sadness at the news). There are too many memories, moments to write about here, the countless times over the past 24 years when these wonderful songs have brought such pleasure, not just at concerts but almost every week, part of life, there in how myself and friends play our own music. My deepest sympathy goes to Grant’s family and friends, Go-Betweens past and present and, in particular, to Robert – thank you Robert for all your music has brought to me over the years, and I know will continue to. Richard, Newcastle Upon Tyne | ||
| Fidel Member Username: Fidel Post Number: 1 Registered: 05-2006 |
The world will not only be missing one of its most important songwriters, also one of its nicest too. the go-b's, especially grant's songs, were always guiding me thrue all my (love)life until today. his songs also had a big influence on my own songwriting and musical taste. it's like loosing a bigger brother, a foreign friend, a favourite teacher i never had. it's unforgetable meeting him may 1st 2005 @ brissie's rocking horse during a australia vacation - welcoming me with a warm "grüss gott, fidel" - and one month later @ the ultimate 2 1/2 hours hamburg fabrik "karen" show. thank you for all these lovely moments. "don't know where you're going, don't know where it's flowing, but i know it's finding you". pure love to grant's family & robert & band. fidel (hamburg) | ||
| Christian Schuh Unregistered guest |
Just when I thought, it´s springtime (on the upper side of the planet) and it would be nice to listen to a new Go Betweens record, I heard about this. How sad. Sad am I. And I bet, all of my ex-girlfriends would be as well if they knew. Thanks for everything, Grant! | ||
| Luc Paredis Unregistered guest |
Dear Grant - we'll miss you. Your musical gems were a undeniable part of our youth. Luc, Antwerp Belgium | ||
| Amanda Sawin-Grefski Unregistered guest |
He was a beautiful individual—it is shameful how, usually only in death, we see the profoundness of the impact and contribution of a single, radiant life. His music has the uncanny ability to jettison itself from the cradle of the eardrums directly to the heart—the brain doesn’t ever get a chance to register what had happened. This elation is rekindled every time I listen and, in this I’d like to believe, he lives again for a moment. Love and comfort to his friends, family and every touched and grieving heart. Amanda (USA) | ||
| Andy Burrows Unregistered guest |
The Go-Betweens have been part of my life for more years than I care to think about, so like everyone else posting here I was deeply saddened to hear of Grant's death. I've spent the last few hours reading through these messages and I found it somehow comforting to hear about how Grant touched so many people. I hope those of you who knew and loved Grant personally can find some solace here too in this difficult time. I can't really add much to what's already been said so eloquently by everyone else, but I just wanted to say thank you Grant – the world is a better place for your music. | ||
| Svend Emil Unregistered guest |
I recall.... being 18 and hearing Cattle And Cane for the first time and being (gently) bowled over -- seeing the band play a brilliant gig on a cold october night in Stavanger, Norway in 1983 -- the way Bye Bye Pride always makes me think of solitary walks on warm summer nights, maybe thinking of some girl; that bittersweet almost-touched-her-hand-once- sadness, but how it also makes me feel like I could levitate with hope; that everything is possible -- so many beautiful words and melodies ...A schoolboy has come home... Sleep well Grant - sadly missed, never forgotten | ||
| Reg Unregistered guest |
Spring rain in England at the moment is a happysad reminder of the truely joyful times Grant's songs have given. An enormous 'thank you' to Grant for some of the greatest memories of this ageing indie-kid's life. | ||
| Greg Danilek Unregistered guest |
I have been a devout Go-Betweens fan since the mid eighties and I have been reading these postings for a week now trying to engender the courage to leave a message. I was at work when I read the email from Yep-Roc and my heart just sank. It took quite a while for me to function again and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. My deepest sympathies to Grant's family and friends and to Robert and the rest of the Go-Betweens, past and present. It is truly touching to read the tributes to such a great artist. It is comforting to me, at least, in knowing that so many others treasured the music of the Go-Betweens the same way I do and that we can go on. For a week now I have listened to the Go-Betweens and Grant's solo work knowing that he is gone and while the music is as sweet as ever, it now has a quality to it that I never expected to hear - a finality in one sense and on the other hand a message from Grant as if to say "it is alright, just keep listening and you will understand". My wife and I saw the last show in New York at the Mercury Lounge and it was sensational. We don't ordinarily go to concerts and I begged her to go to this one with me. We are both so ecstatic that we did. After the last encore, the band walked through the crowd and as I happened to be on the side they walked by I shook hands as they walked through. They just beamed at everybody with a genuine look of "thank you for being our fans". The only other show that we saw of theirs was at the Ritz in New York in 1989 right after "16 Lovers Lane" came out. I'll never forget the rendition of "Quiet Heart" that night. Grant we will miss your "quiet, quiet heart". Greg Danilek, New York | ||
| Dermot Quinn Unregistered guest |
A coincidence to have read Nick Jewlachow's message about having Bye Bye Pride played at his wedding. Two old friends were married the Monday after this sad news. These are the first of our circle to wed, and we are all delighted that it is to each other. I had picked up the 1977-1990 collection a decade and a half before after hearing Cattle and Cane on the radio, and naturally all our little group became fans. So I played Devil's Eye and You Won't Find it Again for Grant from the stage. Later, passing the guitars around we got Bye Bye Pride, The Wrong Road, Right Here... We became - and still are becoming - adults listening to Go-Betweens songs. Feeling the lyrics and swooning at the melodies. I'm over the shock now, I think, finally, but not of course the sadness. Glad though that my enduring memory of the go-betweens shall be everything it should be, poignant and funny: Cattle and Cane live, Robert and Grant on an acoustic guitar each, the song as haunting as ever but warmer and fuller than the record, everyone holding their breath. It's just pouring through Grant like he's dreaming. There was a beat of silence at its end, then deafening applause. One of those obvious-to-everyone undeniably special goosebumps type moments. And Robert, who is preparing to play the next song (which will prove to be "Clouds") waits until the applause just about dies away before coming to the mic and announcing, "This one's better!" Love to Robert, and all of Grant's family and friends. dermot - Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Marko Daniel Unregistered guest |
Join us at the JFK Memorial in Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne. Thurs 18th May at 6.45pm. We will clap and cheer for Grant!! Thanks Man! xxx Near Wellington parade, which is the continuation of Flinder St. Pass it on Marky | ||
| Petra Unregistered guest |
The Go-Betweens were in Mainz last (German) autumn. Of course the concert was one of the best we've ever experienced, not least because of the most pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. We are glad we were there. Belated thanks for that, Grant - and Robert and Co. Our condolences to the family and friends. Sad greetings Petra and Alfons, Mainz, Germany | ||
| Uta Unregistered guest |
It's too sad to be true. Even 9 days after first hearing about what happened, it's hard to believe. Reading the extremely sad and beautiful tributes, there is nothing to add, except: I spent my 35th birthday at a Go-Betweens show and it was one of the best birthdays I have ever had. Deep condolences to family and friends and a huge thanks to Grant for all the songs: You are sadly missed. | ||
| n./berlin Unregistered guest |
i remember him grinning over a heckling about robert acting so vain on stage at last year's berlin gig... the last picture of grant that’ll remain in my head. like all the others, i’d just like to post my thanks for all this beautiful tunes i sing along with for more than 20 years now. please robert, keep on playing his songs! | ||
| Debra Unregistered guest |
1987. I loved the boy in the record shop. He loved the Go-Betweens. Which was lucky for me. Because although the boy in the record shop never loved me back, the GoBetweens have rewarded me, these past 19 years, with a soundtrack for growing up, travelling the world -desperately trying to get my walkman fixed in Edinburgh 'cos I couldn't face Europe without the Gobees, being dumped, falling in love, sheer joy, the bottomless pit of loss (how apt!) laughter, tears ... Life, I suppose. Along with other posters, I thought it was stupid to cry for someone I'd never met, but not so. Not so at all. Thanks to those who have shared their thoughts here, it's helped to know that I'm not alone. Thank you Grant. Thank you Robert, hold tight. | ||
| Adolfo Criado González Unregistered guest |
Escribo desde España. Esto ha sido un golpe muy duro para mi. He crecido escuchando a Robert, Grant y a Steve Kilbey. Aunque no nos hemos conocido son como hermanos para mi. Me han enriquecido y formado como persona y son los responsables de las emociones y sensaciones más especiales que llevo experimentando desde la adolescencia. Ha sido una gran perdida, nunca hubiera imaginadado que la muerte de una persona que no conocía me iba a afectar tanto, en realidad era alguien muy cercano a mi y que lleva muchos años acompañandome. Estoy desolado. Muchas gracias por todo Grant y Robert , habeis hecho que este mundo sea un poco mejor. message originally mailed to the website on 10th May 2006 | ||
| Frank Evan Price Unregistered guest |
Dublin Ireland Grant, you'll touch stars shining wild and bright, you'll hold a comet like a brillant kite. God bless you among the stratospheres... message originally mailed to the website on 10th May 2006 | ||
| Frank Heins Unregistered guest |
I remember my younger brother showing me his new record „Spring Hill Fair“. We both became Go-Betweens fans immediately. It was 1985. He was 16 years old, I was 21 then. I remember my first Go-Betweens concert in Hamburg, May 1987. A few weeks before I had met the love of my live. She was with me that night and Grant was singing „Bye Bye Pride“ like a god. I remember how happy I was to see them live again in Munich 2000. “Apology accepted” was an absolute highlight. And how beautiful they were in Lucerne last year! There are so many good memories conjoint to the Go-Betweens. Grant McLennan was a beautiful songwriter, his songs enrich my life. I feel very, very sad about his death. My heartfelt condolences go to his family and friends and especially to Robert Forster. Thank you Grant McLennan! message originally mailed to the website on 10th May 2006 | ||
| Kiki Sekertzi Unregistered guest |
We would like to send our deepest condolences to Grant's family, friends and Robert from Athens, Greece. Your concert in Athens back in '80s has become a legend and we were looking forward seeing Go Betweens again. It is a great loss. message originally mailed to the website on 11th May 2006 | ||
| Menon Dwarka Unregistered guest |
This is probably not the best venue, but I just learned of Grant McLennan’s passing, and I wanted to express my deepest sympathies to his family and friends. The news is spreading in NYC music community and all of us are at a loss that such a talented and gifted songwriter could meet his end so soon. If nothing else, thanks for reading. message originally mailed to the website on 18th May 2006 | ||
| Alfonso Mazzariello Unregistered guest |
GRANT is not dead.....he lives in my heart with his music message originally mailed to the website on 11th May 2006 | ||
| rigal alexandre Unregistered guest |
sorry iam not speak english,trés touché par le decés de monsieur grant mc lennan,je tiens a faire part de ma tristesse la plus profonde,j ai une pensée pour les proches,sa compagne notamment,sa famile et ses amis ,veuilez croire en ma compation,ici en france les goo betweens ont toujours eu un succés (certe d estime,)mais un noyau dur de fan depuis plus de 20ans suporté le groupe;la vie n sans mr grant mc lennan ne seras plus jamais pareil,paix et son ame,cordialement..mr rigal alexandre,metz,france message originally mailed to the website on 17th May 2006 | ||
| Alex Unregistered guest |
Dear Robert! My name si Alex. I belong to a group of view people from Worms in Germany who really enjoy your music. We have sen the Go-Betweens many times in Germany, at least in June last year in Heidelberg. We were the ones, who shoutet Lee Remick all the time untill you played it for us. Me and my friends were very shocked about Grant´s dead and we´re all thinking with you in this hard days. Grant and the Go-Betweens will always be in our minds and I hope the band will existfurther! Sad Greetings from some Fans! message originally mailed to the website on 12th May 2006 | ||
| Richard Thomas Unregistered guest |
Deepest sympathy to all of Grant's family and friends. Apart from the music my memories of Grant are many, endlessly watching my vhs copy of "Eat The Document" in my Kings Cross Flat, Going to the Oval in 1985 to watch England stuff Australia, My birthday celebrations at the Waterside Inn 1984, the 1985 Womad Festival etc, etc. Rest in peace. message originally mailed to the website on 8th May 2006 | ||
| Thor-Arne Brekke Unregistered guest |
I will for ever have Grant in my mind.He is one of the finest singer/songwriters ever. some of his songs made me feel really happy,and I often felt he made song spesially for me. thank you for your beatiful music,it will always be here. Thor-Arne Brekke from northern norway(bodoe) message originally mailed to the website on 12th May 2006 | ||
| Lance Unregistered guest |
Grant's music is part of who I am, and who I will be forever. Nothing can take that from me, or any of us. message originally mailed to the website on 9th May 2006 | ||
| Heinz-Jürgen Reusch Unregistered guest |
Dear go-betweens, I wanna tell you how sad I am because of the death of the dear Grant McLennan. He was too young to die! I love the music of the go-betweens since the early 80ies of the last century. I had the pleasure to see them in 1987 in a concert here in Aachen in Germany and then on the last tours in 2000 and 2003 and last year in Cologne. It were such great concerts full of emotions and wonderfull music. I can't imagine that I cannot listen anymore to them in a concert. For me and my friends it is a consolation that on the records of the go-betweens Grant will live forever. I listen to the beautifull song "too much of one thing". Thank you Grant for accompanying with your music through more than 20 years of my life. Heinz-Jürgen Reusch, 56 years old, Aachen Germany message originally mailed to the website on 13th May 2006 | ||
| Sonis Unregistered guest |
Dear Robert, I just cant believe it. I ve seen your show in cologne last year and it was a wonderful gig. And I thought, the Go-Betweens are getting better and better. He wrote so many beautiful songs. I am sad. message originally mailed to the website on 10th May 2006 | ||
| Andrea Pavan Unregistered guest |
Hi guys. Don't know who I'm writing to. I only know that I have to write to some of my Go-Betweens friends - who love GB must be my friend - to share my soul pain for Grant's loss. My name is Andrea, I am Italian, from Torino even if I'm writing from Milano, where I have my work office. I am a journalist, sporting journalist, workin' with fuckin' italian football. The last 30 october, someday like that, I left my collegues and my job in a hurry, at dinner time, inventing some story to justify my escape. I had GB waiting for me in Brescia, one hour drivin from Milano, in the fog, in a strange place called Freemuzik. Go-Betweens live close to me! After so many years since the first time in Torino, late eighties, Big Club, listening to Liberty Belle and other wonderful stories. Twenty people, more or less. That night, in Brescia, 50 or one hundred, don't know, who cares. Alone, in front of the stage, looking in Robert's and Grant's eyes, with tears of happiness in mine. Out of my head. Head full of steam. Caroline and I. Surfing magazines. Streets of your town (Brisbane, my God, what memories for me!). Too much, of that thing, for my heart. Roberts stops singing, takes my 70's fashioned shirt in his hands from the floor (I was hot, had put it down), smells it, says: <mmmh,>. Grant smiles, looks at him and me, fingerpickin' preparing next song: crazy boys, would have thought. Adele laughs. I say <robert,>. Roberts goes on. Here comes a city. What a concert, what a night. After the gig, twenty minutes with the guys in the backstage. Pictures. Autographs. Dedication on the vynils. Talkin' about my blundstones boots, with you, Grant. About Church and Died Pretty, Hummingbirds and Hoodoo Gurus, Stems and Sunnyboys, Easybeats and Moffs, Chills and Pyramidiacs, You am I and Frente! My aussie (with a taste of New Zealand) soundtrack of a life. About my future coming in Brisbane. About dingoes and wombats and wallaroos. About Uluru and Alice, Monkey Mia and the pinnacle desert on the other side, the far west of The Island. Great night. One of the greatest. I can't believe it, guys. I can't realize it, Grant. You were so sunny and kind. You and Robert were the perfect pop band, for me. What a pop song should be in heaven. Lucky losers, for us always winning with your melodies. That guitar sound. That vocal astonishing armonies. Those strange, cracking rhymes, stop and go in the tunnels of our hearts. I'll miss you brother. But I'll take the picture of the two of you as my mobile phone screen: since that night, never changed. Since that night, when somebody calls me the thrill is Spring Rain. Everywhere. For everyone. During a press conference; a football match; a work meeting. You call me, and the story is: tum tum tum tum, daun d'daun d'daun... Dressed in a white shirt/with my hair combed straight/Here in my black shoes/and me without a date... Forever and ever. See you somewhere, sooner or later, Robert. See you for sure, when it comes, Grant. Sorry for bothering you. Sorry for my poor English. Bachelor kisses to everybody. message originally mailed to the website on 13th May 2006 | ||
| Michel d'Argent Unregistered guest |
Grant et Robert, Merci à vous deux... message originally mailed to the website on 14th May 2006 | ||
| Axel Recht Unregistered guest |
Dear Go-Betweens, I am totally shocked learning about the death of Grant, I just cannot understand it as everytime when the "wrong ones" had to go before time. I will be missing him a lot and I am grateful that I could see Grant and the band twice in Schorndorf / Manufaktur performing last year and the year before. And his and your music will stay with me - at least a little comfort and consolation but stil . . . In black sorrow Axel Recht Fellbach Germany message originally mailed to the website on 17th May 2006 | ||
| mari Unregistered guest |
hi,im mari, i lived in brisbane to study english and i could goto the gig last august at the tivoli. it was such a great time for me, im very new fan of the go betweens, im very shocked now... i draw a grant and robert painting yesterday. im drawing the comic and the main character who love the go betweens. i love grant. i love. i will never forget him. i will hear his song for the future. message originally mailed to the website on 20th May 2006 | ||
| Desmond Traynor Unregistered guest |
Well Grant, that's the wrong road, but your apology has been accepted, and although I've a head full of steam right here, I'll never call you gone. 'Cattle and Cane' is one of the best songs ever written. Live forever, Desmond Traynor message originally emailed to website on 20th May 2006 | ||
| Catharine and Paul Willis Unregistered guest |
To say it was a complete surprise when we heard the news on the radio is an understatement. Grant's music has been such a large part of our lives from the early eighties right up to the present that to now realise his output is finite is a deep shame. There are the rainbows of life in his music - the full spectre of the human condition. We can thank God for the music that he has made which will continue to play inside our souls for a long time to come. To Robert, Grant's family, the Go betweens members and everyone touched by Grant and his music our deepest sympathies. message originally emailed to website on 21st May 2006 | ||
| joshua k Unregistered guest |
The songs, the voice, burrowing further in with the sadness. A joy of melodies and observation. Peace to those left behind. | ||
| L J Brown Unregistered guest |
It is a well-lived life where someone's life work creates so much happiness to so many people. All I can say Grant, is thank-you - your songs are immortal. | ||
| Martina E Unregistered guest |
I've only just found out and I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. Thanks for everything Grant and bye bye. xxx | ||
| David M O'Brien Unregistered guest |
I still can't believe that i hadn't heard of the Go-Betweens until I saw them support REM at Festival Hall in the 80s. Since then I have followed everything they have done, especially enjoying Grant's solo albums until I finally got to see them again in Hepburn Springs last year. And now Grant's gone ..................... RIP | ||
| KC Unregistered guest |
You won't find it again But I know it's finding you Here's the second and last farewell From a young boy back in 1990. | ||
| Christy Unregistered guest |
Thanks Grant for your thoughtful and heartfelt music that has made my world a better place. Robert you must be gutted - my thoughts are with you. I have been reading the media articles from around the world that laud Grant for having produced one of Bono's favourite songs. Surely the more relevant question is 'did a U2 song make Grant's favourites list?' | ||
| Sten E. Moe, Arendal, Norway Unregistered guest |
Grants music is still with us. Our family sends our sympathy to Grants family, friends and colleagues. | ||
| Bend Schrader, Germany Unregistered guest |
Unbelievable but true: I just read about it while listening (for the first time) to the 2. Jackfrost-Album ... This is much to early. It's like losing a good friend. Thanks for all these wonderful compositions. I will never forget that moment, when I first heard your music (more than 20 years ago), which opened a universe for me. And also that I once had a ticket for a GoBetweens-concert (in Berlin), but couldn't make the journey because of a flu. My condolence to the family, Robert and all close friends of Grant. Your Music will live on forever ... | ||
| Justin McAteer, Clare Unregistered guest |
So sad and unexpected. Thank You for the many years of great music, group and solo. Condolences to Grants' family and friends. | ||
| Carsten Mr. Ebu Olbrich Unregistered guest |
This goes out to everyone: Please send in your Go-Betweens/Grant McLennan/Robert Forster SONG-WISHES for my broadcastingshow on Tue, the 6th of June 06. Send also some personal lines, if you want me to read them out. Send it to: Mr.Ebu@ebusmusic.com Documentation via Email to each contributor. This is a non-commercial project ! Alltrough I'm still very sad, as Grant will always be a part of my life, I'm gonna do this broadcasting-show - and very likely with each one's help, who really feels close to The Go-Betweens' and their members work. Greetz & respect, Carsten | ||
| Paul T Unregistered guest |
"Streets of Your Town" did it to me back then, and it does it to me now. It was the song that first alerted me to the Go-Betweens, when I was a geeky record-collecting teenager in suburban Canada. It sounded like pure summer back then, all sunshine and dew. As a teenager I didn't listen to lyrics so much as sounds, and the Go-Betweens sounded beautiful and sweet. Only later, when I started paying more attention to words and poetry, did I see that the Go-Betweens, and "Streets of Your Town", are as summery as that warm breeze that foretells a storm. It ain't all sunshine on the horizon. That's why my Go-Betweens records (yes, LPs!) have stayed with me these years, while the Mission and the Inspiral Carpets and countless others have been buried away in some closet. The Go-Betweens are timeless and profound and witty and poetic and most importantly, tuneful. Being introduced to the Go-Betweens via "Streets of Your Town" was bitter and sweet. Sweet because I discovered that there were a bunch of equally wonderful records to buy as quick as I could find them; bitter because, well, they broke up right then. There wasn't going to be any more. I had to become one of those rabid boosters for a band that didn't exist anymore, but is SOOO good, really, trust me, they're criminally underappreciated, they would have been big eventually, you have to listen to them, yes, the 80s, I know, but really, they're good, TOO good to be unknown, I don't know why, just listen to them please you'd love them, and no I don't like them JUST BECAUSE they're unknown, etc. The Go-Betweens. They're Australian. No, they don't sound like Midnight Oil, etc etc etc. So I became a Go-Betweens champion, on campus radio and beyond, sharing the love with a few kindred souls, but mostly enjoying them at home, on LP, always on LP. The best birthday gift I ever recieved was from a beautiful girl I was visiting in Dublin, who bought us tickets to see the Go-Betweens. This was in 1997, a time when the Go-Betweens didn't exist beyond these random McLennan/Forster shows. It felt like the most rare and precious gift I could have been given. It was a wonderful show and getting a Robert Forster autograph was icing on the cake. I didn't meet Grant McLennan, but after hearing him sing, it almost didn't matter. Often, meeting your musical heroes is a terrible thing to do. Meeting Robert Forster, however briefly, was wonderful, he was exactly like I'd imagined him. Polite, gentlemanly and charismatic. I suspected McLennan would have been just like I imagined him, too. Polite and friendly, maybe a little more reserved. But as I said, meeting him was mostly unneccessary. I had his songs, and I still do. Grant McLennan's death would have been sad any which way, but coming a few years into the Go-Betweens reformation, with the success and recognition that was bringing,is truly poignant. The rain was on its way indeed. I feel lucky being just a fan. I don't have to grieve him as his friends and family and collaborators will. I can just throw on the records again and again, and be grateful that Grant McLennan found Robert Forster and vice versa, and that the two chose to spend their lives making music for the rest of us. We Go-Betweens fans ARE lucky...despite the fact that there won't be anymore records. The ones we have offer so much. Best wishes to his family and friends and of course Robert Forster. | ||
| Zix in Brisbin Unregistered guest |
Sweet Grant, Thank you for making some soft places to land over my last 20 years. I drink to your legacy and to Robert's carrying on. Rest in peace mate. |