Songwriters on the Run by Robert Forster

Robert Forster, singer-songwriter and co-founder of the iconic indie band the Go-Betweens, takes readers on a rock-and-roll road trip in his scintillating fiction debut.

‘A comic odyssey, a crime thriller and a nuts-and-bolts account of making art. Not bad for one book!’ PAUL KELLY

It’s 1991, and Australian singer-songwriters Mick Woods and Drew Lovelock – ‘tall and skinny, rock-star-wrecked handsome’ – haven’t yet managed to crack the big-time. But that’s soon to be the least of their problems.

On tour in Central Queensland, what seems like a minor marijuana bust turns ugly, and they’re incarcerated in a low-security institution in the middle of nowhere. With help from a couple of prisoners, they escape – but now what? They’re songwriters on the run, desperately evading the long arm of the law and trying to clear their names. On the upside, they might get a good song out of all the drama. Meanwhile, in Hollywood, a major film star takes a liking to their music…

Songwriters on the Run, Robert Forster’s debut novel, is a joyride. Burrowing into the netherworld of Australian independent music just as Nirvana’s grunge is about to swamp the planet, the former Go-Betweens vocalist and accomplished solo performer has crafted a hectic, sometimes hilarious tale that is as silly, profound and grand as the music it celebrates.

About the Author: Robert Forster is a Brisbane-born and based musician and writer. In 1978 he co-founded with friend and fellow singer-songwriter Grant McLennan the internationally acclaimed rock band The Go-Betweens. Their sixth album, 16 Lovers Lane, was placed at number 12 on The 100 Best Australian Albums list, and their ninth and last, Oceans Apart, won the 2005 ARIA award for Best Adult Contemporary Album. In 2010, Brisbane honoured their cultural influence by naming a new river bridge the Go Between Bridge.

Robert’s parallel career as a writer began in 2005 when he was appointed music critic for The Monthly, and a year later he won the Geraldine Pascall Prize. A collection of his journalism, The 10 Rules of Rock and Roll, was published in 2009. In 2015, his alma mater, the University of Queensland, awarded him an honorary Doctor of Letters. Robert’s memoir, Grant & I, was published in 2016.

05 May 2026
 

Songwriters on the Run by Robert Forster ISBN 9780143777731