Songs To Play

 

Over his last decade, Forster, now nearing 60, has gone through a few reinventions of his own. First off, 2008’s The Evangelist suggested he was following Dylan’s example and embracing the cruel passage of time just as it had embraced him. Inspired by the sudden death of The Go-Betweens’ co-founder and co-writer, Grant McLennan, in May 2006, the record was slow, sparse and filled with ruminations on loss. It had its beautiful moments, sure, but the sarcasm, the louche sophistication and the playful, biting wit that have long characterised Forster’s best work were, understandably, taking a back seat. It was as if Bryan Ferry had suddenly morphed into Nick Drake. The Evangelist was something of an anomaly, though; in the years since, Robert Forster has become the renaissance man he’s long cast himself as in his songs. His career as a music critic has flourished, even resulting in a publication of his columns, The Ten Rules Of Rock And Roll; he’s compiled the reissue series G Stands For Go-Betweens, Volume One of which was released earlier this year; he’s begun producing for other people, including The John Steel Singers on their 2010 debut, Tangalooma; and now he’s not only writing songs about Rupert Bunny paintings, he’s so respected as a cultural commentator that he’s actually invited to galleries to talk about them.