Robert Forster -- The Candle and the Flame

New album February. Enjoy a track for now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfYYdH3BrqQ

I didn't realize his wife has been getting cancer treatment. (Check out his Facebook posts.) Hope she's doing better.

His show at the Bell House may have been the last one I saw before lockdown. Great venue to see him, it was an excellent show, and he was very kind and generous with his time afterwards, offering to meet anyone who wanted to chat or get something signed. The whole experience made him very happy and he posted about it the next day, so I hope he tours again here soon.

i like the new track!

xpost -- indeed, this post has the full details.

He doesn't often write these improvs.

Listening to an advance now -- strikes me as low-key and pleasant in general, which given the circumstances of its creation perhaps makes sense.

FWIW, I overlooked The Evangelist when it originally came out but found a cut-out after his Bell House show in 2019. Solid album, could very well be my favorite of his solo work.

Wow. Half-watched the vid without context and was all "wait, is that Louis F?" Finally caught on. That's all quite moving even before parsing the song tbh.

LP released this coming week. I only just now realised there was a second preview track, "Tender Years":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV-mi0bFpaI

It's good.

Had the chance to chat with him the other month. Story will run soon.

Very much a family affair.

There's a fascinating and quite moving new interview in the Sydney Morning Herald - even manages to say some new things about the Go-Betweens and their dynamics now and in the past. I find Robert's pragmatic optimism increasingly inspiring as I get older and wouldn't have expected it from his persona when I first discovered the band.

Also exciting to "meet" Karin after reading a lot about her in his writing and interviews.

I'm really looking forward to this album.

Yeah, my brother in law just sent that to me, it's really good. Nice to get quotes from a few peers as well.

My piece won't be anywhere near as deep, but I absolutely got a sense of real engagement from him, living in the moment and looking to expand what he does and performs to his satisfaction. And at the risk of demi-name dropping, our conversation kept taking these delightful sidetracks and during one of them -- I think I responded to him mentioning he's working on a novel -- I brought up our own Joan Crawford Loves Chachi's writing work and he was especially interested in the description of JCLC's most recent one from a year ago and took down the details. Hope he enjoys it!

From the Television thread, RIP Long Live Tom V.:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jan/02/robert-forster-venus-by-television-is-the-most-perfect-song-of-all-time

― Maggot Bairn (Tom D.), Saturday, 28 January 2023 21:31 (yesterday)

Forster as well in the wake of the news

https://www.facebook.com/robertforsterofficial/posts/pfbid02ax9bjAEYuctdimTVCTWsiAcjEWsTszQeHFKPnL7H7RE16k6uxaSgEzxJfeN5QgS2l

I was listening to "16 Lovers Lane," and when it ended Spotify went into related shuffle mode. First it played "Green Eyes" by Husker Du (maybe because Robert covered "2541"?), but then it played "Days" by Television, and boy, did it sounds like a Go-Betweens song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZetdccVvBs

Heh, I thought I had that feature turned off but it seems to be back on again. I was listening to Marquee Moon and something similar happened to me as posted on the Television thread, only in my case the song I perceived as a Television bonus track turned out to be Wire’s “Fragile.”

Now that I think of it, my algorithm playlist also gave me "Outdoor Miner"! And maybe ... the Orchids? Plus (looking) the Bats, Julian Cope and the Chills. So that's where Spotify slots the Go-Betweens, which ... sure, I guess. Good company.

Yes, "Outdoor Miner" showed up slightly later for me .

As usual with Forster I'll probably need 6 months to absorb these songs. Perhaps especially so with the arrangements being pared right back a lot of the time. But I *think* this is probably quite good?! :)

Yes indeed.

Great album. I love this man.

Was about to listen to this but then I saw that covers album I never listened to before so checking that out first.

Really just needed to hear his version of “2541” again, that one I have heard before.

His show at the Bell House may have been the last one I saw before lockdown. Great venue to see him, it was an excellent show, and he was very kind and generous with his time afterwards, offering to meet anyone who wanted to chat or get something signed. The whole experience made him very happy and he posted about it the next day, so I hope he tours again here soon.

― birdistheword, Wednesday, October 19, 2022 11:07 AM (three months ago) bookmarkflaglink

so i went to this show. i was drinking with a scottish friend of mine didn't have much dinner before lol. anyway, if you heard someone loudly shouting the lyrics to "head full of steam" or "dive for your memory," that was me.

i did speak to him after the show and my friend took a picture - i look soused, he looks bewildered. fun night, good show.

*and didn't

anyway, excited to check out the album

And my piece is live:

https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/robert-foster-candle-and-the-flame-interview

Terrific, Ned. This quote got to me:

“’When I was a young man, like 21, I wrote songs. I was unsung,’ When I wrote that, I went, ‘Got it, got it.’ It’s right at the beginning, before all the strands and all the history and all of that comes in. Maybe I was just wanting to avoid that and go right back to this [starting] point. But it was a very easy song to write—I’ll always want to play the song on stage, because I really love it. It’s one of those songs where you go, ‘Was I good enough to write that?’”

Yeah the whole chat was in ways like that -- a sense of engaging/reengaging the past not to dwell in it but to use it as a series of building blocks and ways to keep looking forward. I constantly was getting a sense of continual interest in things. There was a digression where I brought up his forthcoming novel and that led to me recommending Mat Osman's The Ruins and our own JCLC's work (he was especially interested what I described of the latter's most recent novel and took notes for reference -- perhaps he's reading it now!).

was he familiar with The Mountain Goats?

Aware of them, definitely.

so long as we're posting links: https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/robert-forster-the-candle-and-the-flame/

His show at the Bell House may have been the last one I saw before lockdown. Great venue to see him, it was an excellent show, and he was very kind and generous with his time afterwards, offering to meet anyone who wanted to chat or get something signed. The whole experience made him very happy and he posted about it the next day, so I hope he tours again here soon.

― birdistheword, Wednesday, October 19, 2022 11:07 AM (three months ago) bookmarkflaglink

so i went to this show. i was drinking with a scottish friend of mine didn't have much dinner before lol. anyway, if you heard someone loudly shouting the lyrics to "head full of steam" or "dive for your memory," that was me.

i did speak to him after the show and my friend took a picture - i look soused, he looks bewildered. fun night, good show.

― sault bae (voodoo chili)

It was a similar experience for me.

My wife and I traveled from Minnesota for that show. I'm not much of a drinker at all these days, but after an early start and a hectic rush to find the venue after an issue with our Air BnB, I drank way too much and didn't exactly play it cool when I met him. Trying to get my brain to function when he asked who he should sign my records and book to was all too much for me (I struggled to pick between going with Jonathan or Jonny). I shook his hand, I thanked him for the music and told him how my wife and I got together in Sydney where The Evangelist was the first gift my wife ever bought me. He was very kind and gracious. I wish I'd been more sober.

I've never cried at a show before but did during Spirit and Demon Days (a combination of alcohol and thinking how much we listened to him especially when we got together). I watched some footage of the show afterwards and I'm convinced it's me that starts the Surfing Magazines singalong. A magical night though. Not just because I finally saw and met one of my heroes. It was one of the last times things felt normal and more carefree considering what happened not long after.

"when i was a young man" really hits me in the chest. "she's a fighter" too

hit in different ways, but still, great songs both