TISM ( ; an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia, on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist Eugene de la Hot Croix Bun, with vocalist Ron Hitler-Barassi joining the group the following year. These four members have formed the core of the band since their inception, with the line-up being rounded out by guitarists Leak Van Vlalen (1982–1991), Tokin' Blackman (1991–2004; died 2008) and Vladimir Lenin-McCartney (2022–present), as well as backing vocalists/dancers Les Miserables and Jon St. Peenis.
Noted for their dark humour, sarcastic delivery and melodic songwriting, the seven members of TISM appear in public as a pseudonymous, semi-paramilitary collective masked in a variety of balaclavas (usually as part of a more elaborate costume), and are known for their "chaotic" appearances in Australian media, often frustrating interviewers with absurd non sequiturs and tongue-in-cheek nihilism. Their catalogue is replete with references to popular culture, particularly literature, music and Australian rules football; their (usually derogatory) references to celebrities have sometimes incurred controversy and even censorship.
They developed a large underground following throughout the 1980s and 1990s, issuing a number of singles, albums, videos, a short-lived line of comics, and one book. Backed by the successful singles "(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River" and "Greg! The Stop Sign!!", their third album, Machiavelli and the Four Seasons, reached the Australian national top 10 in 1995, won Best Independent Release at that year's ARIA Music Awards, and was certified Gold in January 1996. TISM split following their first live performance in December 1983; every live show since has been considered a "reunion" concert.
The band split again in late 2004 following the release of their sixth album, The White Albun. Their last single, "Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me", enjoyed viral popularity due in large part to its animated music video. Following an almost 18-year hiatus, TISM reformed in June 2022, returning to the stage for a series of three "secret" shows in Melbourne throughout November, prior to their appearances on the line-up of Good Things festival in December. They released their seventh album, Death to Art, in October 2024, following a 20-year gap since the release of The White Albun.
History 1982–1984: Early years, first break up and reunion In December 1982, Humphrey B. Flaubert (Damian Cowell – drums and lead vocals) and Eugene de la Hot-Croix Bun (Eugene Cester – keyboards and backing vocals), previously members of a group called I Can Run, recorded a nine song demo tape titled Great Truckin' Songs of the Renaissance with guitarist Jock Cheese (Jack Holt – guitar, bass and backing vocals) under the name This Is Serious Mum. The line-up would soon expand to include Ron Hitler-Barassi (Peter Minack – vocals) and Leak Van Vlalen (Sean Kelly – guitar) by the following year.
This Is Serious Mum continued to record private home-made demos (with titles including Hooked on Crap and It's Novel! It's Unique! It's Shithouse!) throughout 1983, producing over one hundred songs within twelve months. This period of activity culminated in the band's first public appearance, at the Duncan Mackinnon Athletics Reserve in the small suburb of Murrumbeena on 6 December 1983. The so-called "Get Fucked Concert" was considered an "artistic and commercial failure", causing the band to split up; thus giving the show the dubious honour of simultaneously being the band's debut and farewell, and making every subsequent performance a "reunion" show.
TISM returned to home-made recordings in February 1984. During this period they briefly experimented with dark ambient and industrial music, before returning to their former style. On 25 November 1984, the band performed their first "reunion" show at the University of Melbourne. At the show they released a self-titled demo tape which they recorded earlier that year at the home studio of Serious Young Insects drummer Mark White. Only eleven copies of the demo (which featured examples of their brief flirtation with industrial music) were made available at the show; all had sold by the time the band finished their short set.
1985–1990: First releases, Great Truckin' Songs of the Renaissance and Hot Dogma By 1985, TISM were playing regularly around Melbourne. They released their debut single, "Defecate on My Face", in 1986; a 7" vinyl record packaged in a 12" sleeve with all four sides glued shut. The song is also found (in an unlisted "country" version) on the mini-album Form and Meaning Reach Ultimate Communion. Their next single, "40 Years – Then Death", was released in 1987 on transparent vinyl in a clear plastic sleeve with no cover art or labels. TISM's first radio-friendly single, despite the obscure packaging, was received well.TISM – The History of This Is Serious Mum (2000). Archived on 6 December 2000 by the Internet Archive. Retrieved on 16 October 2007.
TISM's debut album Great Truckin' Songs of the Renaissance was released in 1988, as a double vinyl release in an embossed gatefold sleeve. The first record contained twelve of TISM's most popular tracks, and the second was a collage of interviews, bedroom recordings and live "diatribes" from Ron Hitler-Barassi. Great Truckin' Songs of the Renaissance entered the lower reaches of Australia's mainstream Top 50, as did the single "Saturday Night Palsy", the following year. The group appeared on the long-running variety TV program Hey Hey It's Saturday performing the single; during this appearance three additional seven-person line-ups joined the initial seven members of the band onstage, leading to a total of twenty-eight "members" of TISM miming the song by the end of the performance.
In 1989, TISM self-published a book compiling lyrics, interviews and press releases titled The TISM Guide to Little Aesthetics, however the book could not be released until early 1990 as TISM, having been threatened with legal action for libel, were required to censor the book, which they did by hand with a mixture of white-out and permanent marker (also placing stickers reading "CENSORED DUE TO LEGAL ADVICE" on the cover of each copy). Despite this, some uncensored copies exist, and a document with the censored content is available.
In 1990, TISM entered negotiations with CBS Records and Phonogram Records and were signed by the latter. In April that year, the band began work on what would become their next album with producer Laurence Maddy. When Phonogram released Hot Dogma in 1990, it failed to reach the commercial charts, and TISM were fired six months later due to management issues, despite owing the label tens of thousands of dollars. Hot Dogma is the first release to use the acronymic form of the band's name exclusively.
Over two nights in May 1991, the band were filmed live and released the video Incontinent in Ten Continents. These performances were the last for guitarist Leak Van Vlalen.This Is Serious Mum live dates: 1991 (list) (2004). Archived on 23 September 2004 by the Internet Archive. Retrieved on 9 December 2007.
1991–1998: Rise to fame, Machiavelli and the Four Seasons and www.tism.wanker.com
In mid-1991, TISM signed with independent record label Shock Records and re-issued Great Truckin' Songs of the Renaissance, as well as the EP Gentlemen, Start Your Egos; a compilation of tracks previously unavailable on CD.Shock Records – T.I.S.M – Official page at the Shock Records website. Archived by the Internet Archive on 5 February 2006. Accessed on 10 December 2007. TISM, with producer Tony Cohen, released the EP Beasts of Suburban in 1992. A new guitarist, Tony Coitus (later Tokin' Blackman) joined the group onstage for the first time on 23 January 1992. Les Miserables and Jon St. Peenis left following the Beasts of Suburban tour, replaced by two new dancers who inherited their stage names.
The 1993 EP, Australia the Lucky Cunt was the group's most controversial release to date. Courts issued an injunction order of the CD when the Ken Done Society threatened legal action over the artwork, which parodied Done's signature style and depicted a koala sucking a syringe. The matter was settled for an undisclosed amount of money "fairly close to the amount that Radiohead spends on buying friends",Humphrey B. Flaubert (5 December 2002). Album cover censorship on John Safran's Music Jamboree (.mov). SBS TV, Melbourne, Australia. Hosted by . Retrieved on 16 October 2007. and the EP was re-released with a new cover graphic and title: Censored Due to Legal Advice. During 1994, TISM sometimes played under the names "The Frank Vitkovic Jazz Quartet", "Machiavelli and the Four Seasons" (which would later be used as an album title) and "Late for Breakfast".
TISM's third album, 1995's Machiavelli and the Four Seasons, was their biggest success; a shift from alternative rock to synth-driven techno and dance, which retained the band's usual vocal melodies and loud guitars. Three of its singles reached Triple J's Hottest 100, two of them in the top 10 in 1995.Triple J (1995). "Hottest 100 | History | 1995 " (list) (1995). Retrieved (11 December 2007). The album was certified gold and won the ARIA Award for Best Independent Release. Success exposed TISM to mainstream Australian radio and television, most of which was perplexed by the band's guerrilla approach to interviews and lack of interest in the music industry.
On 27 April 1995, the band appeared on the RMITV show Under Melbourne Tonight and performed "Protest Song" and "(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River". In June, Humphrey B. Flaubert and Ron Hitler-Barassi appeared as guest programmers on the long-running late night music program Rage, where they aired clips by artists such as the Wiggles, the Bay City Rollers and Leif Garrett. A four CD box set, Collected Recordings 1986–1993, was released in December, and steady record sales allowed extensive tours of Australia and New Zealand.
In 1996 TISM toured on the Big Day Out, during which Hitler-Barassi was either absent or requiring a wheelchair due to a detached retina and broken arm caused by a stage dive he performed at the Pacific Hotel, Lorne, Victoria prior to the tour.Flaubert, Humphrey B. (2005). The Big Day Out Part Two The Rest Of Australia Australian Traveller Magazine; they also toured in 1993–1995 and again in 1999 after German heavy metal band Rammstein withdrew. Retrieved on 17 November 2007. Later the same year, TISM toured England, the group's sole Northern Hemisphere excursion.
Taking a year off from touring, TISM spent 1997 working on their next album with producer Lachlan Magoo. The album, www.tism.wanker.com was released in 1998. The first official music video for the album, "I Might Be a Cunt, but I'm Not a Fucking Cunt" was rarely broadcast. Returned and Services League of Australia head Bruce Ruxton wrote a letter of complaint to Shock Records describing it as "... Dropping [Australia's standards] through the floor into the proverbial sewer."Ruxton, Bruce (5 May 1998). Bruce Ruxton denounces TISM in a letter to Shock Records. letter. Bruce Ruxton. Hosted by tismselfstorage. Retrieved on 18 October 2007. The letter was published on TISM's official website at the time, alongside the single's press release.TISM (1998) I Might Be A Cunt, But I'm Not A Fucking Cunt from the website www.tism.wanker.com. Archived on 11 November 1998 by the Internet Archive. Retrieved 9 December 2007.