Author: shaun tenzenmen

Australasian DIY music specialist and practising poet, amongst other things

*The Week That Was – 25th December 1983

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25th December 1983
Well, it’s Christmas. The cat slept with me. Forgot to make my mum a cup of tea – was so tired as I didn’t get to sleep til 2.
Had 2 and a half bottles of Merrydown so was very merry all day.
Zoe called me and talked for one and a half hours.
Cat slept with me again.
Social Distortion – Mommy’s Little Monster
Minor Threat – Out of Step
MDC – Multi Death Corporations
Menstrual Cycles – Skin/Punx

26th December 1983
See next diary

28th December 1983
Carrie’s on

Forward Engagements
6th January 1984 – Subhumans/Self Abuse/(maybe us)

SATAN’S CHILDREN SONGS
Lyrics:
BE DAMNED
DECAY
ENTER THE PIT
POLYTECHNIC SONG
IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW MANY REAGANS YOU SHOOT
YOU”RE THE DEVIL NOW
DOGSHIT DANGER
GAS MASK DANCE
BAUHAUS
SATAN’S CHILDREN
ABBATOIRS
GOD AND LIGHT
DICKHEADS ANONYMOUS
DULCE ET DECORUM EST
HALLSBALLS

Music and Lyrics:
DOCTOR MARTEN BOOTS
POLYTECHNIC SONG
LOUIE LOUIE
SATAN’S CHILDREN
ABBATOIRS

Practices: 1

21 Dec 1983
Jan 83 – Simon sacked from Species
Jun 83 – Species split
Me, Justin, Simon got together and the idea born – Violent Rubbish
Justin’s friend Paul Reid said he may be interested in playing guitar
Aug 83 – Justin, Simon, Paul and Rick had a practice while I was on holiday.
Sep 83 – Kenty persuaded Paul to leave
2nd Butcher gig at Capones – got Andy to be our guitarist
Oct 83 – Had a practice at Herbert Carter
Nov 83 – Tried to play at Cult Maniax gig – Andy had diabetes attack – changed name to Satan’s Children
Dec 83 – Gig planned with Subhumans and Self Abuse – Jan
Cliff may be joining

No hope for you, no hope for anyone – 24th December 1983

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28th Jul 2024 – Mum and me in my bedroom at Forest Cottage. I’m not sure why Mum let me graffiti the walls but I did, and my friends did, along with some painting and various other decorations. The writing on the right was WASTED which was my imaginary band at the time.

Her old Sony Trinitron was how I remember watching TV in those days. I think she had upgraded to a newer Sony Trinitron, happy with the quality. Those things used to last and the rate of improvement of technology was much slower then.

My room wasn’t much wider than this. My single bed fit perfectly across the width and the length was perhaps a little shorter than two bed lengths.

The three-piece suit was an Oxfam buy that was a bit of a fuck you to the traditional punk clothing that everyone was wearing and also helped me get lifts to Poole when hitchhiking there.

28th Jul 2024 – Sometime around October, I had bleached my hair and a week before the Christmas holiday started I got the sides cut to give me a nice wide blonde mohawk. The school were having none of it though and suspended me from school unless it was off or dyed black. So much for the Christmas spirit! Fucking school!

I thought that my Mum wouldn’t be that bothered about me missing the last few days of school but I was wrong and she insisted that I do something about it. So I got most of it cut and the tuft at the front I had to cover in boot polish until the end of the week. Ugh.

This picture was taken in the dining room where my grandparents would spend their time, the chair behind us belonged to our dog, Jenny, a springer spaniel that my mum overfed over time and eventually was unable to lift herself up there.

*The Week That Was – 18th December 1983

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Record of the week: Crucifix – Dehumanization, Kraut – An Adjustment To Society

18th December 1983
Pissed off with Justin cos we should’ve had a practice
Got pretty bored instead

19th December 1983
Started off bad – ended up alright – nothing special

20th December 1983
Found out Disorder is not on – bloody typical – depressed.
Watched Rollerball – pretty violent, pretty crap

21st December 1983
Finish school – thank god
Go to see Disorder, Amebix, Admass, Manic, Dead Popstars
Silly day at school – bit of a laugh
Watching the Fog tonight – not James Herbert – good fucking film

22nd December 1983
Records came thru’ post – can’t see them tho’ until Christmas (looked at them tho’ haha)
Got letter from Zoe
Not a bad day but nothing special
Carol singers came round so I put on Chaos UK

23rd December 2023
Finished reading ‘The Book of Shadows’
Got to clean the yard – ‘my contribution to Christmas’ – Grandad
Started reading ‘The Fog’
Listening to Kraut all day

24th December 2023
Intend to get pissed in Poole – did slightly
Nearly got in a fight – all the trendy nouveau wankers were enjoying themselves.
Had a chat with the blokes in Our Price.
May this be my last Christmas.

Just a matter of time, how when and where – 17th December 1983

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Me and Thoms pissed around in Poole
‘The Devil Rides Out’ was on – ok
Crucifix – Dehumanization
Apostles – Rising From The Ashes

10th Mar 2023 – Thoms! Who was he? I’ll ask Rupert. I think he will remember. ‘pissed around’ – not exactly detailed but in my mind this phrase indicates that it was some kind of useless fun.
Reading the plot online of The Devil Rides Out doesn’t trigger any memories either. Sometimes I consider rewatching some of these old movies I used to enjoy but the pleasure is not so much in the movie but the nostalgia it brings. There are not many movies that really stand the test of time. Entertainment has no depth.
I was thinking about the Apostles and Six Minute War the other day because I was playing guitar and understanding that I will never be a great player but back in the early 80s bands like those mentioned were terrible players too. Maybe not players but their ideas (probably limited by skills) were dull and boring. But that was the essence of punk rock – anyone can do it and they did. That doesn’t necessarily mean it stands the test of time except, as above about movies, it is just for nostalgia.

Property – 16th December 1983

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Destroy ownership
Share and share alike
As long as I can have mine
You try to say without spite
Why follow one fashion
When you don’t know what it’s about?
You hear one sheep bleating
So you can raise your shout
Hide your feelings under a shroud
Tell me you agree with what I say
You never wanted to follow a crowd
But it’s what you do every day

18th May 2023 – Wishing for utopia and telling people that they are wrong.

Untouched Tombs – 15th December 1983

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My body is turning purple with torture
– Set me free from this tortured womb
– From the carnage of this untouched tomb

My head spins in crazy undiminishing circuits
– Like the blood through my purple veins
– Who can tell what it contains?

Push the red button in my profiled face
– My bulging eyes will turn to grey
– It seems that nothing will take the pain away

The gravestones of my memory are dull and black
– The scented roses are screaming blue
– The dirt in my stomach is screaming too

The uncertain moods of painful emotion
– Make me sick with their tiring surprises
– Cos they hide behind so many disguises

My imagination has been hurtfully disturbed
– Been taken over by a rat with a disease
– The pains are bringing me to my knees

Set me free from this tortured womb
From the carnage of this untouched tomb
The blood fed through my purple veins
Who can tell what it contains?
The scented roses are screaming blue
The dirt in my stomach is screaming too
Emotion makes me sick with tiring surprises
Cos they hide behind so many disguises

The rats are in the battleground of my brains
Picking and clawing at the plate of remains
Destroying my soul in this tortured womb
Destroying my brains in the untouched tomb