Robert and Grant met as University of Queensland students in the mid 1970s.

Grant was from North Queensland and determined to become a film auteur.

Robert hailed from suburban Brisbane, and has said meeting Grant was like finding a 'long-lost friend'.

When Robert persuaded Grant to join him in a band and taught him the fundamentals of bass guitar, they ignited a creative spark that would endure for 30 years.

Despite having no 'hits', their band, The Go-Betweens, made nine hugely influential studio albums, and garnered legions of loyal fans worldwide.

The band's story has two chapters, the second coming after a ten year break in the 1990s.

When they reformed in 2000, The Go-Betweens made three albums of new material, and their star was in the ascendant.

The story of one of music's strongest song-writing partnerships ended with Grant McLennan's death in 2006.

Origianl broadcast September 2016Audio and image copyright ABC Radio

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Robert's book, 'Grant & I: Inside and Outside The Go-Betweens' is published by Penguin