Robert O'Neil "Bob" Forrest (born February 15, 1961) is an American musician who is best known for his work with the
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
bands
Thelonious Monster
Thelonious Monster is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, led by singer-songwriter Bob Forrest and named after jazz musician Thelonious Monk. Active from 1984 to 1994, again from 2004 to 2011, and reforming a second time in ...
and
The Bicycle Thief
''Bicycle Thieves'' ( it, Ladri di biciclette; sometimes known in the United States as ''The Bicycle Thief'') is a 1948 Italian neorealist drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It follows the story of a poor father searching in post-World War ...
. Forrest, a recovering drug addict, has worked for years as a recovery advocate and is cofounder o
Oro House Recovery Center He currently hosts
podcast
A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
s called "Rehab Bob" and "The Don't Die podcast". Forrest is the former Chemical Dependency Program Director at Las Encinas Hospital. In 2010, he and co-founder Shelly Sprague launched Hollywood Recovery Services.
In September 2006 he released his first solo album, ''Modern Folk and Blues Wednesday''. He is also a drug counselor, appearing alongside
Dr. Drew Pinsky on ''
Celebrity Rehab
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
'' and ''
Sober House
Sober living houses (SLHs), also called sober homes and sober living environments, are facilities that provide safe housing and supportive, structured living conditions for people exiting drug rehabilitation programs. SLHs serve as a transitional ...
''. He contributed the song "Moonshiner" to the ''
I'm Not There
''I'm Not There'' is a 2007 musical drama film directed by Todd Haynes, and co-written by Haynes and Oren Moverman. It is an unconventional biographical film inspired by the life and music of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Six actors de ...
'' soundtrack.
Forrest was good friends with
River Phoenix
River Jude Phoenix (; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor, musician and activist.
Phoenix grew up in an itinerant family, as the older brother of Rain Phoenix, Joaquin Phoenix, Liberty Phoenix, and Summer Phoenix. He ha ...
, whose overdose death affected Forrest deeply.
In 2008, he began releasing a series of live digital
EPs exclusively at his official website. In 2010, Forrest began hosting a weekly radio show, All Up In The Interweb, airing Wednesday nights on Indie1031.com.
On October 1, 2013, Forrest released ''Running with Monsters: A Memoir'' which he co-wrote with author Mike Albo.
Forrest is the subject of ''
Bob and the Monster
''Bob and the Monster'' is a 2011 documentary film by Keirda Bahruth which profiles musician and drug counselor Bob Forrest.
Synopsis
This documentary film follows outspoken indie-rock hero Bob Forrest, through his life-threatening struggle with ...
'', a documentary about his music career and battles with
drug addiction
Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use of ...
. The documentary was released in March 2011 and continues to play on the film festival circuit. The DVD was released in September 2013.
Forrest released a new album, ''Survival Songs'', on October 9, 2015 which was produced by
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-winning producer,
Ian Brennan.
It is a folk album featuring new material and folk versions of existing Thelonious Monster and Bicycle Thief songs.
After
Keith Levene
Julian Keith Levene (18 July 1957 – 11 November 2022) was an English musician who was a founding member of both the Clash and Public Image Ltd (PiL). While Levene was in PiL, their 1978 debut album '' Public Image: First Issue'' reached No 22 ...
parted ways with
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon (; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and aga ...
, Forrest featured on one of his records, singing on the track "I'm Looking For Something."
References
External links
Official music websiteAlo House Recovery CentersRehab Bob
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forrest, Bob
1961 births
Living people
American rock singers
Musicians from Los Angeles
Six Degrees Records artists