WATCH Robert Forster From Ghost Town
Robert Forster
Robert Forster is an Australian singer-songwriter best known for his work with songwriting partner Grant McLennan, with whom he co-founded The Go-Betweens.
Born 29 June 1957, Forster grew up in Brisbane, Australia. He met McLennan in drama classes at the University of Queensland and, inspired by a mutual love of Bob Dylan and the New York music scene, formed the Go-Betweens in 1977.
The Go-Betweens' initial break-up followed a fruitful span of six classic records, so when principals Robert Forster and Grant McLennan went their separate ways in 1989, there was at least a sense of mission accomplished. At the time, with solo careers embarked upon and new collaborators recruited, few expected the pair to reconvene as the Go-Betweens, which they eventually did roughly 10 years later. With the untimely 2006 death of McLennan came a sickening feeling of permanence, however; the excellent Oceans Apart would serve as the Go-Betweens' true swan song. Making the loss of McLennan all the more painful was Forster's reminiscence in Australia's The Monthly (for whom Forster has become a cultural critic), that "we were on the cusp of something," and that "album number 10 was going to be something special."
Robert continued writing his column for The Monthly, and in this year received The Pascall Award for Critical Writing.
In September and October 2007 the new Robert Forster solo album The Evangelist was recorded in London. Released around the world in April 2008, it is Forster's first solo album for 12 years.
