Episode 47: Damian Cowell – TISM, Damian Cowell's Disco Machine, The Arseless Chaps

Damian Cowell. Credit: Facebook

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When it comes to Damian Cowell, the only word that accurately sums up his career is ‘prolific.’

A staple of the Melbourne music scene for close to five decades now, Cowell has been involved in more bands than I’ve had hot dinners. On the prehistoric side of things, there’s bands such as Tall Stories and I Can Run, and then there’s a rather well-known group called TISM. 

That’s probably the band he’s best known for, with the group’s anonymous, pseudonymous members releasing six albums, and nabbing two ARIA Awards across their initial 22-year span. They also boast one of the most passionate fanbases in Australian music history as well, and when the group announced an unexpected reunion in 2022, fans ensured it resulted in some of the band’s best-attended gigs of their career.

But we’re not here to focus on just TISM – in fact, we barely do in our chat – because Cowell has also been a member of Root!, The DC3, and has been the eponymous frontman of Damian Cowell’s Disco Machine. Currently, he’s one half of The Arseless Chaps, a new duo formed with comedian Tony Martin that promises to operate in the same vein as names like Groove Armada, Daft Punk, The Presets, and Barlow & Chambers. (Well, maybe not the last one.)

I’ve had a few chats with Damian over the years, and recently, he was kind enough to agree to a lengthy discussion about his career and myriad projects ahead of The Arseless Chaps’ upcoming tour of Australia.

So before we get into it, I strongly urge you to buy a ticket to The Arseless Chaps’ upcoming gigs, and once you’re done doing that, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

Damian Cowell’s Trusty Chords

Damian’s One Influential Artist

1. The Beatles

Damian’s Three Impactful Albums

1. Elvis Costello & The Attractions – This Year's Model (1978)

2. New Order – Blue Monday (1983) (We’re viewing the 12” single release as a record, because it’s my podcast and I make the rules.)

3. Cosmic Baby – Stellar Supreme (1992)

Damian’s Five Trusty Songs

1. The Kinks – 'Autumn Almanac' (1967)

2. Slade – 'Gudbuy T’Jane' (1972)

3. The Flirtations – 'Nothing But A Heartache' (1968)

4. The Trammps – 'Disco Inferno' (1976)

5. Simple Minds – 'Theme For Great Cities' (1981)