Songwriters on the Run

It's 1991, and Mick Woods and Drew Lovelock are a couple of Australian singer-songwriters - 'tall and skinny, rock-star-wrecked handsome' - on tour in Central Queensland. Critically acclaimed and beloved by their fans, they haven't yet managed to crack the big-time. But that's soon to be the least of their problems.

In Rockhampton, what initially seems like a minor marijuana bust turns ugly, and they find themselves 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 trying to evade the long arm of the law, clear their names, and keep playing their music. They might even get a good song out of all the drama. And 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.