The Go-Betweens on Film
Watching The Go-Betweens on Rage has been a rite of passage for Australians for years, no matter if it’s a vintage clip for Spring Rain or Streets of Your Town. There are two clips for the latter; one directed by Kriv Stenders capturing the places The Go-Betweens lived in, and played in.
Writing in The Guardian, Barry Divola commented,
“Whenever I hear Streets of Your Town, it’s the images from this video that play in my head – slabs of bright blue sky behind terrace houses, telephone lines, clock towers, apartment blocks and train stations. There are glimpses of the Sydney harbour bridge, overhead tram lines in Melbourne and buildings in central Brisbane. And lots of sun glittering on water.”
The Film – Right Here
Streets of Your Town
The song was included on an iPod given to Barack Obama by former PM Julia Gillard. Taken from 16 Lovers Lane, it appeared in U2’s set list at the Brisbane concert during their Vertigo World Tour in dedication to Grant McLennan.
The 16mm Steenbeck Clip
Kriv Stenders has a YouTube channel showing this and other work, including the film Red Dog. His work for The Go-Betweens on Rage sits alongside a second clip, commissioned by the record company.
“This was one my first ever music videos. I made it with Antony Clare, a friend from Brisbane and the idea was based on the photographic style of one his short films from art college. We shot this in my last year at film school and I remember we travelled by car from Brisbane, to Sydney and then Melbourne filming various members of the band in their favourite parts of each city. We were completely exhausted at the end of it all. It was shot on old 16mm reversal film and edited by hand on a Steenbeck by Annette Davey who is now an established feature film editor in New York…”
Programming Rage
Rage has a tradition of asking musicians to guest-program the show, and on Saturday 8th May 1999, Robert Forster and Grant McLennan sat in a hotel room and did just that.
Thanks to Golden Daze at YouTube for uploading clips from the program including the introduction by Robert and Grant, here. The Go-Betweens would program Rage again, with Amanda Brown and Lindy Morrison, almost two decades later.
Chase the Dragon – Beasts of Bourbon
Robert programs The Beasts of Bourbon’s Chase the Dragon much to Grant’s amusement. You can see the song here.
Sexy Boy by Air
Raining Pleasure by The Triffids
Grant McLennan introduces one of his favourite tracks here, commenting: “One of the most beautiful songs about desire and longing that I’ve ever heard. And I’m going to miss – like we all should – David McComb.”
The Forster/McLennan Playlist
You can download the whole Go-Betweens Rage program, above, on the ABC-TV website. This is the playlist from Saturday 8th May, 1999 (below).
Saturday 8th May 1999 Robert Forster and Grant McLennan guest program rage | |
11:50pm | Sexy Boy – Air Virgin Hand In Your Head – Money Mark Polydor Music Sounds Better With You – Stardust Virgin |
12:00am | Be My Baby – Ronettes, The EMI In The Flesh – Blondie EMI Only Love Can Break Your Heart – St. Etienne Warner Chase The Dragon – Beasts Of Bourbon Polydor Jimmy Rogers – Fur Shock White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane Universal (MCA) Long May You Run – Neil Young Warner |
12:30am | Some Kinda Angel – Mojave 3 Shock Bathtime – Tindersticks Mercury In The Neighbourhood – Tom Waits Mercury The More You Ignore Me – Morrissey EMI Sorrow – David Bowie EMI So Young – Suede Sony What Presence – Orange Juice Independent Raining Pleasure – Triffids, The Festival Las Vegas – Underground Lovers Polydor |
1:00am | Rachael’s Coming Home – Russell Morris Festival Remedy – Black Crowes, The Sony Summer Here Kids – Grandaddy V2 Goddess On A Hiway – Mercury Rev V2 Bobby Peru – Luna Shock Not Dark Yet – Bob Dylan Sony |
1:30am | The Model – Kraftwerk Independent Running Up That Hill – Kate Bush EMI Slave To The Rhythm – Grace Jones EMI Ray Of Light – Madonna Warner I Love The Nightlife – Alicia Bridges Polydor Trash – Suede Sony |
2:00am | I Love Women – Lou Reed BMG Baby Stones – Robert Forster Universal (MCA) Someone, Somewhere – Wannadies, The BMG There She Goes – La’s, The Polydor Friday I’m In Love – Cure, The Warner Public Image – P.I.L. Virgin The Lights Are Changing – Mary Lou Lord Sony Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft – Carpenters, The Polydor |
2:30am | Cloudbusting – Kate Bush EMI Soon – My Bloody Valentine Shock Ohio River Boat Song – Palace Brothers Shock Cattle And Cane – Go-Betweens, The Universal (MCA) Bachelor Kisses – Go-Betweens, The Warner Spring Rain – Go-Betweens, The Polydor Head Full Of Steam – Go-Betweens, The Universal (MCA) |
3:00am | Right Here – Go-Betweens, The BMG Bye Bye Pride – Go-Betweens, The Polydor Streets Of Your Town – Go-Betweens, The Universal (MCA) Was There Anything I Could Do – Go-Betweens, The Universal (MCA) Cryin’ Love – Robert Forster Shock Surround Me – G.W. McLennan BMG Simone & Perry – Grant McLennan Shock Don’t Blame The Beam – F.O.C. Polydor |
3:30am | If You Want Release – F.O.C. Universal (MCA) Already Gone – Powderfinger Polydor Don’t Wanna Be Left Out – Powderfinger Polydor Good Day Ray – Powderfinger Polydor The Day You Come – Powderfinger – Live On Recovery Polydor JC – Powderfinger – Live on Recovery Polydor D.A.F. – Powderfinger Polydor Pick You – Powderfinger Polydor Top 50 50. Westside – TQ Sony |
4:00am | 49. Millennium – Robbie Williams EMI 48. How Do I Deal With Love – Jennifer Love Hewitt Warner 47. Say It Once – Ultra Warner 46. Every You, Every Me – Placebo Virgin 45. Zorba’s Dance – LCD Virgin 43. Stay The Same – Joey McIntyre Sony 42. Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill Sony 41. It’s Our Time – Ilanda Shock |
4:30am | 40. Praise You – Fatboy Slim Sony 39. All Torn Down – Living End, The EMI 38. 9pm (‘Til I Come) – ATB MDS 37. Right Here, Right Now – Fatboy Slim Sony 36. Last To Know – Human Nature Sony 35. End Of The Line – Honeyz Mercury 34. Put Your Hands Up – Black && White Brothers Central Station |
5:00am | 33. Girlfriend/Boyfriend – Blackstreet featuring Janet Jackson Universal (MCA) 32. Enjoy Yourself – A+ Universal (MCA) 31. Smile & Shine – Pandora Universal (MCA) 30. Lullaby – Shawn Mullins Sony 29. Stand By Me – 4 The Cause BMG 28. Save Tonight – Eagle-Eye Cherry Polydor 25. Livin’ La Vida Loca – Ricky Martin Sony 24. You Don’t Know Me – Armand Van Helden Polydor |
5:30am | 23. Tearin’ Up My Heart – N’Sync BMG 22. Have You Ever? – Brandy Warner 21. Angel Of Mine – Monica BMG 20. How Deep Is Your Love – Dru Hill Mercury 19. This Kiss – Faith Hill Warner 18. Protect Your Mind – DJ Sakin && Friends Central Station 17. Every Morning – Sugar Ray Warner 16. Thank Abba For The Music – Steps, Tina Cousins, Cleopatra, B*Witched & Billie Sony |
6:00am | 15. Anthem For The Year 2000 – silverchair Murmur 13. You Get What You Give – New Radicals Universal (MCA) 12. No Matter What – Boyzone Polydor 11. Strong Enough – Cher Warner 10. Honey To The Bee – Billie Virgin 9. Fly Away – Lenny Kravitz Virgin 8. Until The Time Is Through – Five BMG |
6:30am | 7. Touch It – Monifah Universal (MCA) 6. That Don’t Impress Me Much – Shania Twain Mercury 5. The Animal Song – Savage Garden Roadshow 4. Baby One More Time – Britney Spears Mushroom 3. Why Don’t You Get A Job? – The Offspring Sony 2. We Like To Party – Vengaboys Central Station 1. No Scrubs – TLC BMG |
Amanda Brown and Lindy Morrison
Amanda Brown and Lindy Morrison programmed Rage 18 years later, as The Go-Betweens Right Here documentary launched in Sydney, in the wake of Robert Forster’s autobiography, Grant and I (Penguin).
Thanks to Samuel Tsige for uploading this on YouTube.
The Song List
Details on Amanda Brown and Lindy Morrison’s song list, from 8th July 2017 can be found at the Rage website. This is a small selection, along with the music mentioned in the clip.
THE KNIFE – Heartbeats
MONTAIGNE – I’m A Fantastic Wreck
TINA ARENA – Chains
DOLLY PARTON – 9 to 5
TALKING HEADS – And She Was
BEYONCE – Formation