Alien Sex Fiend recorded a cassette (The Lewd, the Mad, the Ugly and Old Nick) with Youth of Killing Joke, which brought them to the attention of the UK music press, along with the appearance of their track "R.I.P." on the Batcave club compilation, The Batcave: Young Limbs and Numb Hymns 1983, released by London Records in 1983.
They signed to the Cherry Red sub-label Anagram Records, releasing their first single, "Ignore the Machine", in August 1983. The single was immediately successful on the UK Independent Chart, reaching No. 6. Their debut studio album, Who's Been Sleeping in My Brain, was released by Anagram on 1 November 1983, followed by Acid Bath in 1984. They released the world's first 11" single, "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)", that October.
The band also recorded two BBC Peel Sessions in 1984. At the May session, they recorded "Attack!!!", "Dead and Buried", "Ignore the Machine" and "Hee Haw"; at the August session, "In God We Trust", "E.S.T. (Trip to the Moon)" and "Boneshaker Baby".
In October 1985, their third studio album Maximum Security reached No. 100 on the UK Albums Chart and remained there for the week of 12 October. They also had two top 100 singles with "Dead and Buried" in August 1984 (No. 91) and a reissued "Ignore the Machine" in March 1985 (No. 99). Throughout the early 1980s, their work was frequently in the UK Indie Chart and remained a fixture on American college radio.
The band also became popular in Japan, and in 1985, they released a live album recorded there, Liquid Head in Tokyo. Freshwater left later in 1985, and the band continued as a trio, supporting Alice Cooper on his "The Nightmare Returns" tour in 1986 and releasing "It" the Album that October. The band was reduced to a duo of the Wades when James left following the release of 1987's Here Cum Germs.
In early 1988, the band, as the Dynamic Duo, recorded a one-off 12" single "Batman Theme" with recording and live engineer Len Davies, before continuing as Alien Sex Fiend, incorporating electronics and sampling even more into their sound on the album Another Planet, released in November 1988. They reverted to a four-piece with the 1989 addition of two prior guest collaborators, drummer/guitarist Andrew Wilson (a.k.a. Rat Fink Jr., formerly of the Turnpike Cruisers) and keyboardist/guitarist Simon "Doc" Milton, who made their official debut on that year's Too Much Acid? double-live album. Their seventh studio album, Curse, was released in October 1990.
Fink and Milton departed in 1992, following that year's Open Head Surgery album and its subsequent tour (documented on The Altered States of America live album).
The Wades then became a duo once again and provided the soundtrack for the Digital Image Design game Inferno in 1994.
In the mid 1990s, the band's video for "Zombified" appeared on the MTV show, Beavis and Butthead, subjected to their usual commentary.
In 1996, the Wades launched their own 13th Moon label, issuing three further albums: Nocturnal Emissions (1997), Information Overload (2004) and Death Trip (2010).
On 9 November 2018, Alien Sex Fiend released Possessed, their first album in eight years, on Cherry Red.
Music style
Alien Sex Fiend has been described as gothic rock, deathrock and industrial. Glenn Danzig has cited the group's sonorous and echoing sounds as having influenced the mixing for several of the recordings for his group Samhain.
Later projects
Fink published a book in 2000, Once Upon a Fiend, recalling his experiences in the band. He later drummed for Blackpool bands United States of Mind and Dog Food before joining Uncle Fester in 1999, who changed their name to UFX in 2006. Fink currently serves as frontman of Vince Ripper and the Rodent Show, a duo also featuring Vince "Ripper" Cornwall. They perform Alien Sex Fiend and the Cramps material, and have released two albums, It's Fun to Be a Monster and Boneyard a Go Go!!!.
Albums
Who's Been Sleeping in My Brain (1983)
Acid Bath (1984)
Maximum Security (1985)
"It" the Album (1986)
Here Cum Germs (1987)
Another Planet (1988)
Curse (1990)
Open Head Surgery (1992)
Inferno (1994)
Nocturnal Emissions (1997)
Information Overload (2004)
Death Trip (2010)
Possessed (2018)
All The Madmen
Alien Sex Fiend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They send my friends away
To mansions cold and grey
To the far side of town
Where the thin men stalk the streets
While the sane stay underground
Day after day
They tell me I can blow
To the far side of town
Where it′s pointless to be high
'Cause it′s such a long way down
So I tell them that
I can fly, I will scream, I will break my arm
I will do me harm
Here I stand, foot in hand, talking to my wall
I'm not quite right at all... am I?
Don't set me free, I′m as heavy as can be
Just my librium and me
And my E.S.T. makes three
′Cause I'd rather stay here
With all the madmen
Than perish with the sad men roaming free
And I′d rather play here
With all the madmen
For I'm quite content they′re all as sane
As me
(Where can the horizon lie
When a nation hides
Its organic minds
In a cellar... dark and grim
They must be very dim)
Day after day
They take some brain away
Then turn my face around
To the far side of town
And tell me that it's real
Then ask me how I feel
Here I stand, foot in hand, talking to my wall
I′m not quite right at all
Don't set me free, I'm as helpless as can be
My libido′s split on me
Gimme some good ′ole lobotomy
'Cause I′d rather stay here
With all the madmen
Than perish with the sad men
Roaming free
And I'd rather play here
With all the madmen
For I′m quite content
They're all as sane as me
Zane Zane Zane
Ouvre le chien
Zane Zane Zane (ha ha ha)
"All The Madmen" by Alien Sex Fiend is a song that delves into the idea of societal norms and the pressure to conform. The lyrics depict a narrator who feels alienated and rejected by society, as their friends are sent to impersonal institutions. The opening lines, "Day after day, they send my friends away, to mansions cold and gray, to the far side of town," suggest that the friends are being taken to mental asylums, represented as cold and oppressive places. Meanwhile, the "thin men" who enforce conformity lurk on the streets, while the few remaining "sane" individuals hide underground.
The second verse further highlights the singer's sense of entrapment and disillusionment. They express a desire to escape to the "far side of town," a metaphorical place where it seems pointless to be "high" or hopeful because the fall from there would be immense. The singer seems to feel isolated and misunderstood, resorting to talking to their wall. The recurring line "I'm not quite right at all... am I?" reflects their self-doubt and questioning of their own sanity.
The chorus reveals the singer's preference to be in the company of what society deems as "madmen" rather than the "sad men" who conform to societal expectations. It suggests that the singer finds comfort and belonging among those who are considered different or abnormal. The song ends with the repetition of the name "Zane," possibly symbolizing a longing for freedom and release from the constraints of society.
Line by Line Meaning
Day after day
Continuously, without interruption
They send my friends away
They separate my companions from me
To mansions cold and grey
To bleak and lifeless residences
To the far side of town
To the outskirts, away from society
Where the thin men stalk the streets
Where emotionless individuals wander the roads
While the sane stay underground
While those mentally stable remain hidden
They tell me I can go
They inform me that I have permission to depart
They tell me I can blow
They suggest that I can escape by using drugs
Where it's pointless to be high
Where getting intoxicated is meaningless
'Cause it's such a long way down
Because the consequences are severe
So I tell them that
Therefore, I inform them that
I can fly, I will scream, I will break my arm
I possess the ability to soar, I will shout, I will self-harm
I will do me harm
I am willing to inflict injuries upon myself
Here I stand, foot in hand, talking to my wall
In this position, with my foot in hand, I converse with the solid structure in front of me
I'm not quite right at all... am I?
I am greatly flawed... aren't I?
Don't set me free, I'm as heavy as can be
Do not release me, as I am burdened with weight
Just my librium and me
Only my medication called librium accompanies me
And my E.S.T. makes three
And electroconvulsive therapy adds up to three
'Cause I'd rather stay here
Because I prefer to remain in this place
With all the madmen
In the company of individuals deemed mentally unstable
Than perish with the sad men roaming free
In contrast to perishing alongside the depressed individuals who wander without restraint
And I'd rather play here
And I would rather engage in activities in this location
For I'm quite content they're all as sane
Because I am pleased that all the madmen share the same level of sanity as I do
As me
Similar to myself
(Where can the horizon lie
(Where can the future hold any promise
When a nation hides
When a country conceals
Its organic minds
The minds of its natural inhabitants
In a cellar... dark and grim
In a dark and gloomy cellar
They must be very dim)
They must be extremely unintelligent)
They take some brain away
They extract a portion of my intelligence
Then turn my face around
Then redirect my attention
To the far side of town
To the outskirts, away from society
And tell me that it's real
And assert that it is authentic
Then ask me how I feel
Then inquire about my emotions
Gimme some good 'ole lobotomy
Provide me with a traditional lobotomy
Zane Zane Zane
A repetition of the name Zane
Ouvre le chien
Open the dog (French phrase)
Zane Zane Zane (ha ha ha)
A repetition of the name Zane followed by laughter
Writer(s): David Bowie
Contributed by Penelope J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.