I’m going to preface things this week by saying this is going to be far from anything close to a normal podcast.
‘Why?’ I hear you ask, well, it’s because this week’s guests are TISM co-founders Ron Hitler-Barassi and Humphrey B. Flaubert.
Formed in Melbourne back in 1982, TISM have had a long and storied career. Known for hiding their identities behind masks and pseudonyms, high-energy live performances gave way to music which is as sharp, literate, and satirical as it is catchy and driven by a keen sense of melody.
They even managed to invade the charts and win an ARIA Award back in 1995 with the release of their Machiavelli And The Four Seasons album, too. For further information on that record, you can check out the book written by… oh, who was it now… ah, me.
TISM would quietly split in 2004 but after 18 years, they reformed in 2022 and have been playing shows with relative consistency ever since. They even released a spectacular new album, Death To Art, back in 2024.
Now, they’re getting ready to launch their No Mistakes Tour, their first national trek in 30 years, though they’re aptly labelling themselves TSIM for the run and making it hard for editors all across the country.
Ever since they reformed, I’ve jumped at the chance to interview TISM every time the opportunity has come my way.
I’ve spoken to them for Music Feeds, Time Out, Beat, and The Music, and almost every time has been something of a shambolic mess. That’s nothing against my skills as an interviewer, rather, it’s a testament to how anyone attempting to have a chat with TISM might as well be bringing a knife to a proverbial gunfight.
They’re sharp, acerbic, and quick-witted. They do their research (in fact, every time we’ve spoken previously has opened with an attack on my professional career – thanks guys), they know their product, and most importantly, they have a good time.
Personally, while I’ve fast learned not to try and match their skills (again, that’s the knife/gunfight equation at play), I try to let them run out of steam instead – it’s fun for them, and truly entertaining to listen to.
This time around, I was brave enough (maybe foolish is a ‘better’, more accurate term) to say yes to having them on the Trusty Chords podcast.
However, remember when I said this episode is far from normal? Well, that’s because trying to get TISM to do anything is like herding cats – masked cats who know their Jean-Paul Sartre from their John Paul Jones.
As such, I knew that from the get go to the let go, I was going to have no luck asking any of my normal questions, and woe betide me if I was to try and run through the standard Trusty Chords segment near the end.
I will say, however, I did speak to someone once before on this podcast who knows a lot about TISM. I don’t recall his name, but that’s available way back in episode 47 if you find yourself eager to go further.
Anyway, enough of me yammering on, prefacing, and explaining away the audio mess that you’re about to hear (we also had a couple of dropouts in the call, too).
So this is where I’ll say, buy a ticket to their upcoming tour, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping and… I don’t know… penance.
TISM’s Trusty Chords
Of course, TISM didn’t give me any answers which were actually useful for this segment, but did we ever expect them to?
Instead, here’s what a section like this could have looked like if we utilise some of the artists, albums, and songs they mentioned throughout.
Keep in mind, this isn’t even close to what they would have picked, but it sure looks a lot more respectable.
TISM’s One Influential Artist
- Hunters & Collectors
TISM’s Three Impactful Albums
- CAN – Entire Discography
- Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica (1969)
- The Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat (1968)
TISM’s Five Trusty Songs
- David Bowie – ‘Young Americans’ (1975)
- Bob Dylan – ‘You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go’ (1975)
- Hunters & Collectors – ‘The Slab’ (1984)
- ABC – ‘Four Corners Opener’