Editing TISM (section)

{{Short description|Australian rock band}}
{{About|the band|other uses|TISM (disambiguation)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name              = TISM
| image             = TISM-band.jpg
| caption           = TISM live in Brisbane, December 2022
| image_size        = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| background        = group_or_band
| alias             = This Is Serious Mum{{ref|note1|[note]}}
| origin            = [[Melbourne]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia
| genre             = [[Alternative rock]], [[alternative dance]], [[dance-rock]], [[electronic rock]], [[synthpop]], [[synth-rock]]
| years_active      = {{hlist|1982–1983|1984–2004|{{nowrap|2022–present}}}}
| label             = Elvis, Musicland, [[Phonogram Records|Phonogram]], [[Shock Records|Shock]], [[Festival Mushroom Records|FMR]], [[Madman Entertainment|Madman]], [[Sony BMG]], genre b.goode
| website           = {{URL|https://tism.store}}
| current_members   = * [[Peter Minack|Ron Hitler-Barassi]]
* [[Damian Cowell|Humphrey B. Flaubert]]
* [[Jack Holt (musician)|Jock Cheese]]
* Eugene de la Hot-Croix Bun
* Jon St. Peenis (II)
* Les Miserables (II)<!--This is the correct spelling. Please do not add a diacritic-->
* Vladimir Lenin-McCartney (II)
| past_members      = * Genre B. Goode
* Leek Van Vlalen
* Jon St. Peenis (I)
* Les Miserables (I)
* Tokin' Blackman
* Vladimir Lenin-McCartney (I)
}}
'''TISM''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɪ|z|ə|m}} {{Respell|TIZ|əm}}; an acronym of '''This Is Serious Mum'''<!-- No vocative before "Mum", as that is how the band themselves stylise it. -->) are a seven-piece [[Anonymity#Anonymity and pseudonymity in art|anonymous]] [[alternative rock]] band, formed in [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]] on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer [[Damian Cowell|Humphrey B. Flaubert]], bassist/vocalist [[Jack Holt (musician)|Jock Cheese]] and keyboardist/vocalist Eugene de la Hot Croix Bun,<ref name=":3" /> with vocalist [[Peter Minack|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 [[pseudonym]]ous, semi-paramilitary collective masked in a variety of [[Balaclava (clothing)|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 sequitur (literary device)|non sequiturs]] and tongue-in-cheek [[nihilism]].<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |date=2004-07-02 |title=The phantom menace |url=https://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/music/the-phantom-menace-20040702-gdy5ls.html |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=The Age |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":11">{{Cite web |title=Damian Cowell: Only the shit you love. The podcast: Podcast 17 - Episode 18: You Shit Me But I Love You on Apple Podcasts |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/podcast-17-episode-18-you-shit-me-but-i-love-you/id1585650286?i=1000542806730 |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=Apple Podcasts |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> Their catalogue is replete with references to popular culture, particularly literature, music and [[Australian Football League|Australian rules football]]; their (usually derogatory) references to celebrities have sometimes incurred controversy and even censorship.<ref name=":10" />

They developed a large [[Underground music|underground]] following throughout the 1980s and 1990s, issuing a number of singles, albums, videos, a short-lived line of comics, and a book (''The TISM Guide to Little Aesthetics''). 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 [[ARIA Award for Best Independent Release|Best Independent Release]] at [[ARIA Music Awards of 1995|that year's]] [[ARIA Music Awards]], and was certified Gold in January 1996.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=1995 ARIA Awards Winners |url=https://www.aria.com.au/awards/past-winners/1995 |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=www.aria.com.au |language=en}}</ref> TISM split following their first live performance in December 1983;<ref name=":5" /> 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 video|viral popularity]] due in large part to its animated music video.

Following an almost 18-year hiatus, TISM reformed in June 2022,<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |date=2022-06-15 |title=TISM make long-awaited return: 'After the election there's a gap in the market for grotesque clowns' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/15/tism-make-long-awaited-return-after-the-election-theres-a-gap-in-the-market-for-grotesque-clowns |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref> returning to the stage for a series of three "secret" shows in Melbourne throughout November,<ref name=":6" /> prior to their appearances on the line-up of [[Good Things (Australian music festival)|Good Things]] festival in December.<ref name=":4" /> They released their seventh album, ''[[Death to Art]]'', in October 2024, following a 20-year gap since the release of ''The White Albun''.