Author: shaun tenzenmen
Australasian DIY music specialist and practising poet, amongst other things
Poems on this day – 8th August 1988
The Waitress
The waitress, the one who doesn’t know her cheeses
Just does everything as she pleases
Serves the tea at half past three
Talks to you for the company
Got no friends cos she spilt the tray
Says she doesn’t need the money
Load Of Old
It’s like a jungle
In my mind
It’s a jumble
Hard to find
Talk, don’t mumble
Speaking blind
Just like my uncle
Don’t be unkind
It’s such a muddle
Poems on this day – 4th August 1988
Nurse In Hospital Corridor
Try to ignore the patient’s screams
Try to ignore the patient’s screams
Try to ignore the patient’s screams
Just get on with your job
Just get on with your job
Just get on with your job
Pig’s Liver
Even if it meant I would die
I wouldn’t put a pig’s liver in my body
That’s just Frankenstein
Cos a pig must die for me to stay alive – just ain’t right
Now, what’s for tea tonight?
Dumbfucks
Thursday night – 7pm
Top of the Pops is on again
Number one is sixteen years old
Too stupid to be jealous
Watch the dumbfucks
Singin’
Like A Virgin
Presenters 20 years too late
But it’s OK cos the show is great
After all this thing still sells
And there’s still plenty of people willing to buy
Watch the dumbfucks
Waitin’
For a flash of Kylie’s knickers
Wrestling Maids
Get ahead, get a job
Get off your butt you lazy slob
Plenty of people wrestling maids
Got no job nut got ahead
Lazy slob stays in bed
Plenty of people wrestling maids
No Smoke – 2nd August 1988
If you were smoking I would put you out
If I knew I wouldn’t be in doubt
No smoke without fire
No one to admire
My problem – my solution
Poems on this day – 28th July 1988
Sandcastles
Watch the seas roll and fall
Ancient mariner’s screaming call
Something built that falls apart
Ending something which didn’t start
Today’s sandcastles, tomorrow’s memories
Hooded Justice
Can you compete against crime
Without turning into a criminal?
Can you stand by, all the time
Watching others destroy it all?
Who watches the watchmen?
Turquoise
Colours of your holiday paradise
Beautiful seas that fall and rise
See something that looks real nice
Have it for half the price
Buy it as your Turkish Delight
You know it’s gotta be right
Give someone a nice surprise
You know these Turks are wise
Coincidence
Picked up a bible the other day
Someone just told me a story
Just seemed the same
Had a friend who went away
Said I’ve heard it before
Just another game
Difference
Sometimes the lines are drawn
Between dusk and dawm
Between reality and fantasy
Between truth and lies
Between earth and skies
The difference is
No one cares
And someone cares
Wacko Jacko – 22nd July 1988
Ooo! You set my hair on fire
Dancing like a real live wire
Moonwalking across this stage you’ve set
I reckon the people deserve what they get
Maybe Mike is smarter than you thought
Think of all the records you’ve bought
And surely it is you who is mad
Everyone knows a good boy is sometimes BAD
Poems on this day – 18th July 1988
Get Fit
Pump that iron
Watch your muscles grow
Pump that iron
Keep up the flow
Pump it hard
Eat ten salads a day
Pump it hard
Get fit straight away
Walking across the dunes
Ten girls on each arm
More muscles than brains
Never did you any harm
In Love Again
I said next time it wouldn’t happen
I wouldn’t make that mistake twice
Oh shit, I’ve fallen in love again
What the hell, it feels so nice
Sects
Instinct – just insects
Bugs – being rejects
Seeing something bad
A broken toy – so sad
Seclusion – mind reflects
Illusion? Curiosity inspects
Seeing something bad
Sects mad, sects mad
Causing A Scene – 15th July 1988
This could be the chance of a lifetime
But the feelings in our hearts just don’t seem to rhyme
Too much hypocrisy, not enough respect
We’re all individuals, it’s that we seem to forget
How can we push against the tide
When we’re preoccupied with pride?
Don’t you think it’s time we really tried
And put our self-righteousness aside
Too many people are just too content
To put time aside and try to prevent
The feelings that are in their hearts
That keeps you and me apart
Why do we idly threat and pass that cold stare
Isn’t it time that we were all aware
All these different sects just have to be
On the whole, we could all agree
All I’m trying to do is cause a scene
Bringing reality into my dream
Inducing energy into the core
Making it even better than it was before
Poles – 10th July 1988
You know Polo’s are just full of holes
Shoes are shit if they haven’t got soles
Death comes for whom the bell tolls
But where do pole vaulters keep their poles?
Culture Shock, Hate That Smile, Corporate Grave – West Indian Club, Southampton, Hampshire, UK – 29th June 1988
From the STE Collective Facebook page:
S.T.E. 1! CULTURE SHOCK/HATE THAT SMILE/CORPORATE GRAVE – Wed 29 June 1988 – Southampton West Indian Club.
Kent Jolly who was an American woman living in the U.K. was booking a CULTURE SHOCK tour & contacted me (Rich) about a Southampton gig. A load of us had a meeting at the Joiners & put some money into a kitty. Paul Jay came up with the S.T.E. (Southampton, Totton & Eastleigh) Collective name simply based on the places where we lived. This might have been HATE THAT SMILE’s 1st gig – they were ex ATROX & old friends from Dorset (Wimborne, Dorchester & Wareham). This was definitely CORPORATE GRAVE’s first gig with Rik Godfrey on bass after Bren left. I made the flyer which was a bastardisation of a BRIGANDAGE poster with the pics from a CULTURE SHOCK fanzine interview I think. Beforehand we were really worried that no one would turn up but over 200 did. Bing at the WI warned us prior to the gig about people smoking drugs at the gig, which was ironic as afterwards when we went to pay him the member’s room was thick with smoke.
Paul Chambers: Yep, HTS 1st gig, I broke my A sting on the 1st note of the 1st song and replaced it in the dark with a D.
27th Jan 2024 – I reckon this picture must be from the first Hate That Smile gig because I actually don’t even remember Rich Waitland ever playing live with us so I think perhaps this would be our first show and that he bowed out soon after. Looks like we managed to get a good crowd of two people up and dancing, that being juggling Rut on the right.
