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TISM

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TISM (an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are an anonymous seven piece alternative rock band from Melbourne, Australia. They formed in 1982 and first became noticed with the release of their single "Defecate On My Face" but due to lyrical content the song could not be played on several radio stations at the time. Wider recognition came with their more radio-friendly hit "Forty Years - Then Death". The two singles would indicate the humour and irreverance which has stayed with the band throughout their career: "Defecate" was released in an album sized cover, sealed on all four sides and "Forty Years" released with no label, no artwork and no identification, in a clear plastic cover.

TISM have always attracted criticism throughout their career, mainly because they refuse to take the music industry seriously. Their songs often focus on trivial or mundane observations of suburban life, such as trying to listen to a football game on the radio, going to bed when it's bedtime or trying to do a right hand turn. Though a closer observation of their lyrics often reveals witty, dry humour and a high level of intellectual research. Often a remark at the end of a line in a song will be a clever dissection of a poem or play and it can be said that the age bracket TISM's music targets is deliberately chosen to educate the listener, perhaps inspire the listener to learn more.

Their music is always described by the band as rock, but with their heavy influence on electronic sampling (including the use of an Optigan) has lead to more dance style tracks in recent years, though the rock element is still highly present.

After their first show, the 'Get Fucked' concert at the [Duncan McKinnon Athletics Reserve] in Murrumbeena, December 6, 1983, TISM split up. Every gig since has been a reunion concert.

Contents

Members, Past and Present

Current Line-up

TISM, a completely anonymous band, have never revealed either what they look like or what their names are. Because of this need for anonymity, they have created pseudonyms for themselves. Their names have been chosen in the same humourous vein their songs follow, with names sometimes linking two seemingly unrelated (or in some cases, completely unrelated) people or objects.

TISM appear on Rage (May 20, 1995)
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TISM appear on Rage (May 20, 1995)

The current members of TISM (and their main contribution to the band) are as follows:

This structure is most often adhered to, though members on occasion switch roles. For example, Eugene frequently sings and other members also sing at times; Tokin' arranged the orchestral sections on The White Albun and Humphrey contributes to mastering the tracks.

Jon and Les's role in TISM is unique in the way that the only instrument either of them play is the saxophone, which does not appear in TISM recordings or live shows any more. It is uncertain what, if anything, the pair contribute, but their presence at live shows is not without reason.

During any given TISM concert, there is a large amount of dancing, this is often lead by Jon and Les with other members joining in when they are not required to perform in a song. They also contribute to the stage antics for which TISM have become renowned. Examples of this include pushing wheelie bin's around on stage, playing totem tennis or wearing a giant AFL football on their head and being kicked around the stage.

Past Members

Throughout TISM's 20+ years as a band, some members have left for varying reasons. These reasons are rarely disclosed by the band and if they are, the reasons given would be entirely fictitious. Possibly the most famous TISM drop-out is Genre B. Goode, who is described by the band as "Syd Barrett in reverse" and "left the band due to increasing bouts of sanity". Genre chose to quit before TISM actually released anything or played live at all. TISM later named their record label after him due to "his complete non sell-out stance [which] was simultaneously stupid and inspiring to the rest of the band." [link]

The most noticeable member having left the band is guitarist Leek Vlan Vlalen who left between the albums Hot Dogma (1990) and Machiavelli and the Four Seasons (1995). Leek was with the band since their inception and managed to leave just before TISM achieved their highest level of popular success.

Tony Coitus replaced Leek Van Vlalen and would later rename himself Tokin' Blackman. He continues to play with the band.

One final member, whose status as an actual TISM member is highly dubious is L'Touzin. He is mentioned in the liner notes of TISM's 'best of' collection as "the barely audible giggling on Track 3 ... who the band claim was a bare-footed, girl serenading folk-singer" and that he "felt the project was 'manifestly beneath him.'".

Paul Keating, Philip Roth and Eddie Van Halen all denied (or felt no need to comment) on the offer to join the band as lead tambourine player. Likewise, Peter Reith when asked to take up the triangle.

Definition of some members names

Some of the names which TISM members have chosen to name themselves are often quite complex, with some of them linking commonly known items or people to others of a lesser known stature to create a unique and humerous term. Some of their names and what they mean have been:

The Masks

Ever since TISM formed, they have used a variety of methods to hide their identities. Their names have never been revealed, choosing to use pseudonyms on their records and in interviews and always keeping their faces hidden. Usually this involves the wearing of a balaclava but ridiculous costumes have been created in order to hide their faces. Some of them have been: Ku Klux Klan uniforms made of newspaper, silver suits with puffy arms and legs, giant foam paintings on their heads, large foam signs with the name of a Beatle on them, fat businessman suits or eight foot high inflatable headpieces.

Who TISM are under the masks has been the cause of much speculation on behalf of fans, with theories ranging from TISM being members of other bands who don't want their fans to find out; Popular targets of this theory are Painters and Dockers, Machine Gun Fellatio or, rather outlandishly, The Wiggles. Another popular theory based on their tour schedule seemingly coinciding with school holidays, is that TISM are school teachers and don't want their students to find out, with one of the members possibly teaching at the elite Melbourne Grammar School. Another common theory based on the high level of football references in their lyrics is that they are famous AFL players, though Humphrey B. Flaubert famously stated "We're not AFL, we're actually more violent and crappy...so you're looking at the VFL there."

The true identities of TISM will perhaps never be known. When asked why they wear masks, Humphrey said:

"The answer that makes me sound good is that we desired to circumvent the cult of personality that is inherent in rock music by choosing to remain anonymous. Unlike every other band in rock we chose to be anonymous. The answer that makes me sound good would probably also incorporate some lengthy discussion about Brechtian alienation techniques, about our post modernist grasp of ever cooling universe, and a dehumanizing society encapsulated in the somewhat paramilitary aspect of our clothing. All of those things would make me sound good, but actually we’re really boring guys." [link]
TISM have always stated in interviews that they have normal jobs and normal lives outside of the band and that fans of the music will be really disappointed to find out that members of TISM are, in fact, just ordinary people in reality and there is nothing special about them. Nevertheless, fans will always wonder and speculate about the true identity of the people under the masks.

Style

One of the things which separates TISM from other 'joke bands' or 'parody bands' is their musical style. When compared to other comedy bands, TISM's music is actually rather 'mature' in that, while the lyrics are often silly, trivial or absurd, the music is always serious and doesn't attempt to be immediately funny. This may be a factor in the band's longevity, the fact that the songs are possible to listen to as individual tracks, the band can be taken seriously as musicians and therefore not cast off completely as a one-joke band.

While TISM have tried to stick to their own style as much as they could, they have strayed close to other genres in the past. One of the main reasons the band is dissatisfied with Hot Dogma (1990) is the music is largely typical of 80's style music and not, what the band consider, "true" to their own form. The only time the band has ever done a strict genre song is the Country and Western recording of Defecate On My Face.

TISM have rarely stated in any seriousness actual influences on the type of music they play except that The Residents were a band which TISM did notice and possibly took some influence from. Though a clear link can be drawn from The Resident's "Third Reich And Roll" video, in which the band wore Ku Klux Klan uniforms made of newspaper. TISM did exactly this at their first gig. Another link may be drawn to early TISM tracks "The Ballad Of The Semitic Nazi" or "I'm Gonna Treat Ya To A Neitschze Double Feature" which use a similar naming style. Though other bands which may have influenced TISM's actual musical style are difficult to pinpoint.

Sometimes the band attracts criticism because of their music which is said to be bland and unoriginal due to its simplicity and its standard pop song structure. One reason for this is clarified in their book "The TISM Guide To Little Aesthetics" in the following paragraphs, when asked why their ideas are post-modern but their music is not:

"Give me a pop-song, mate. Give me a fucking pop-song. Not only is it more fun, it's pretty fuckin' hard to write as well. You can bung in as many out-of-tune oboes as you want, but putting chords together so they sound pleasant isn't as simple as it might appear. It mightn't be the Sistine Chapel, but what is? Ollie fucking Olsen with his stupid feedback and cough mixture? The Jesus and Mary Chain, with their stupid feedback, and their stupid stage show with 800 powerful stupid lights and enough stupid dry ice to enhance their stupid stupidity up its own bullshit crappy teenage pretentious one dimensional dick witted puissant artistic enigma?
So you tell me, Jon, what have you listened to for a good time that isn't, after all, a 'traditional' song? Still playing the Mike Oldfield records, huh? Still whipping Yessongs on for a good time? Wanna count on one hand how many people have fun at a Sonic Youth gig? I'm not supporting The Choirboys, old man, I'm just saying that the day some jumped up over-paid self-important post-modernist cocksucker puts his foot upon his Fairlight computer in the middle of his 47 minute opus The Silent Forgiveness Of The Pig-God and belts out the chords to Johnny B. Goode is the day I'll join you at the footlights of post-modernism.
Besides which, pop songs sell more."
So the reason TISM's music is simple is clear, the music they make is not challenging to listen to but, they claim, is challenging to write, and that's what makes them better musicians. Though the irony is that the reasons they give for being better are the same reasons used by critics to deride the band. This has been the source of friction between the band and critics for quite a while.

Success and Current Status

The height of TISM's popularity and success came in the mid 1990s with the release of Machiavelli and the Four Seasons, three songs from which performed very well in the Triple J Hottest 100. In 1996, they had three songs make the countdown - (He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River came in at #9, Greg! The Stop Sign!! #10 and All Homeboys Are Dickheads came in at #93. Their next few albums flopped, however, being labelled by the critics "The usual shit."

Although TISM seemed to disappear after the release of their best of compilation in 2002, they continued to perform a small number of gigs, and in early 2004 announced that they were releasing The White Albun which included a DVD where TISM needed $1,000,000 or they would split up for good. Since the DVD they have played only a few shows but seem to have disappeared again. Such rumours of breakups are perhaps only to be expected from the band, as mentioned above each performance has technically been a reunion concert. Their current status is perhaps best described now as retirement; in an interview with Jay and the Doctor on Triple J Ron Hitler described TISM as 'too tired' to continue their wild pranks, and as most estimates put their ages in the 40s it is understandable that they have given up the go.

Famous TISM incidents and non sequiturs

TISM Quotes

(From when TISM hosted ABC's Review.)
Ron Hitler-Barassi: They've talked about the death of the novel and they've talked about the fact that art in Australia is spiralling downward and I think TISM on Review is confirming that fact. You know, like, for 10 years, Review viewers, we've been slagging you lot off. I know you're expecting some pencil-neck geek with short cropped blonde hair and a black polo necked sweater and drinking his latté talking about some crappy artist that's getting my taxes for years and years and here you have TISM the sort of artists for people who aren't creative, you know. We're from the solidly middle class. We're the artists for people who went to government schools, you know. So I'd like all you Review listeners to put down your latté's and turn up your home stereos and your 48 inch colour TV and get a taste of real life instead of sitting back on your black spotty behind, taking my taxes and thinking you're so creative. Don't you agree, Humphrey?
Humphrey B. Flaubert: Oh, I agree with everything you said, except for every third word.

(On Channel [V])
Humphrey B. Flaubert: I would like to say, to all the people of Australia: "Kick me - I'm different."

Some of TISM's Famous Songs

Snapshot, music video of the song Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me by TISM. Video by Bernard Derriman
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Snapshot, music video of the song Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me by TISM. Video by Bernard Derriman

Discography

Audio

Video

External links

 

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