Artist · chart history
TISM
Band Melbourne Australia Formed 1982
TISM formed in 1982 in Melbourne, Australia. TISM has 4 chart appearances on 2 radio countdowns from 1 station on RockLists, spanning 1995–1998. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “He'll Never be an 'Ol Man River”, which appears on 1 list with a best position of #9. The station that charted TISM most often is Triple J (Australia (national)), with 4 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1995.
TISM, short for This Is Serious Mum, formed in Melbourne on 30 December 1982 and set about making sure nobody would ever know who they were. The members go by names like Humphrey B. Flaubert, Jock Cheese, Eugene de la Hot-Croix Bun and Ron Hitler-Barassi, and they turn up in public as a masked, balaclava-clad squad in elaborate costumes, feeding interviewers absurd non sequiturs and a smirking nihilism that left Australian media flustered. Flaubert, Cheese and Hot-Croix Bun started it, Hitler-Barassi joined the following year, and those four have been the core ever since.
Under the gags sit sharp, melodic songs stuffed with pop culture, literature and Australian rules football, and plenty of barbs aimed at celebrities. Their first live show, in December 1983, was followed by a split, so every gig since has officially been a reunion. The breakthrough was Machiavelli and the Four Seasons in 1995: "(He'll Never Be An) Ol' Man River" and "Greg! The Stop Sign!!" pushed it into the Australian top 10, it won Best Independent Release at the ARIA Music Awards, and it went Gold in January 1996. www.tism.wanker.com followed in 1998 with "Whatareya".
They broke up again late in 2004 after The White Albun, came back in June 2022 and released Death to Art in October 2024.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by TISM on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | He'll Never be an 'Ol Man River | 1 | #9 | – | 1995 | |
| 2 | Greg! The Stop Sign!! | 1 | #10 | – | 1995 | |
| 3 | Whatareya | 1 | #36 | – | 1998 | |
| 4 | All Homeboys are Dickheads | 1 | #93 | – | 1995 |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 36 | Whatareya | Triple J Hottest 100 of 1998 |
| 1995 | 9 | He'll Never be an 'Ol Man River | Triple J Hottest 100 of 1995 |
| 1995 | 10 | Greg! The Stop Sign!! | Triple J Hottest 100 of 1995 |
| 1995 | 93 | All Homeboys are Dickheads | Triple J Hottest 100 of 1995 |
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