It was one year ago yesterday (May 6, 2006) that Grant McLennan of the Go-Betweens died at his home in Brisbane, Australia. McLennan's passing hit me harder than any musical death since Kirsty MacColl, or maybe even John Lennon. It seemed like Grant and the Go-Betweens were at a musical high point, since they'd reunited for three successful albums in the 2000s and putting out a live CD/DVD (The Striped Sunlight Sound) just a few months before he died. In the bonus interview segment on the DVD, Grant talks about the future of the Go-Betweens, concluding that they had "at least nine or ten" more great albums in them. And they probably did. Even at 48, Grant McLennan still had a bunch of great songs left in him, but we won't get to hear any of them.
For some reason, the iTunes players on my computer and my iPod seem to really favor the Go-Betweens, and like McLennan's songs even more than Forster's. It seems like "Cattle and Cane" or "Bye Bye Pride" or "Streets of Your Town" or "Finding You" turns up at least once an hour in shuffle play. Songs by the Go-Betweens stand out even more in between other artists. Even in my iTunes library, there isn't another band that sounds like them, or another singer that sounds like Grant McLennan. And there won't ever be another band like them.
3 comments:
While I was never a huge fan of the Go Betweens, the deaths of Kirsty MacColl and John Lennon (along with George Harrison) were definitely the musician deaths that struck me the hardest. I have actually yet to get over any of them, and considering I am 47 it's not looking likely that I will. They were like losing friends or family members. Weird.
Not to be a walking cliche, but the hardest-hitting musician death for me so far was Kurt Cobain. When someone told me he'd killed himself (I was on a plane, just about to disembark for a college reunion), I felt like I'd been punched in the chest, and it haunted me for a long time.
Elliott Smith's death was pretty upsetting, too.
I found out about Cobain on my way to a Liz Phair concert - with Cobain friends The Raincoats opening. That was rough.
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