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)
I'm Doing Time in a Maximum Security Twilight Home
Alien Sex Fiend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing can go wrong nothing can go wrong!!
NOTHING CAN GO WRONG!!
MY keeper watches from the Other Side OF THE wall...
I got no GASOLINE for MY car...
IT won't GO.
IT won'T GO, NO matter HOW I TRY!!
SEEMS likE i WiLL Work UnTiL i die...
AIN'T got no pets...
ALL i gets THE bone.(nothing can go wrong)...
PArrOt PERCH...
parrot perched on my shoulder.
YOU KNOW YOU shouldn't TALK IT Makes YOU look SO MUCH older!!
I'M DOING TIME in a maximum security Twilight HOME...
ALL I gets THE BONE...
it all began when i woz two years old standing in the garden making these noises (i'm beginning to understand)...
i love YOU mummy...
everything that's gone BEFORE...
it's ALL the SAME to ME...
this Razor HERE is just DRIVING me CRAZeeeee... (i think i'm beginning to understand.) I LOVE YOU MUMMY...
I LOVE YOUR EYES (yes I've seen this case before)... (PAY ON THE WAY OUT) HELLO!!!???
I'm doing time in a maximum security TWILIGHT HOME. (pay on the WAY OUT)... (IT'S 10am)... (??????)...
i'm doing time in a maximum security TWILIGHT home...
All I get's THE BONE...
NO FRIENDS, NO PHONE, no pets, all I get's the bone, i'm doing TIME in a maximum security TWILIGHT home...
NO FRIENDS, NO FUN, NO PETS...
all I get's the bone...?
I'M DOING TIME IN A maximum security TWILIGHT HOME... (NOTHING CAN GO WRONG...
NotHINg Can GO rONG...
Nothink CAN GO Wrong...??) NO FRIENDS... (nOtHiNg Can go WRong...
NO FUN!!! (Probably...
THAT'S AMAZING)??????????????
SHUT DOWN TWO...
SHUT DOWN THREE...
The song "I'm Doing Time in a Maximum Security Twilight Home" by Alien Sex Fiend is a hauntingly dark and surreal song that details the singer's experience being trapped inside a twilight home, unable to leave or function in the outside world. The repeated refrain of "nothing can go wrong" creates a sense of foreboding and irony, as everything seems to be going wrong for the singer. The "keeper" who watches from the other side of the wall suggests a prison-like setting, and the lack of gasoline for the car that won't go, as well as the mention of doing work until death, reinforces this feeling of helplessness and confinement.
The reference to a parrot perched on the singer's shoulder adds to the surreal atmosphere of the song, with the parrot representing a sort of bizarre companion in an otherwise solitary existence. The repeated phrases "I love you mummy" and "pay on the way out" further drive home the sense of confusion and uncertainty in the singer's mind.
Overall, the song paints a picture of a deeply troubled individual confined to a place that could be interpreted as either a physical institution or a mental one. The repetition of certain phrases and the vague, dreamlike quality of the lyrics contribute to the overall feeling of uncertainty and confusion.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing can go wrong??
Questioning if everything is really okay and if anything could go wrong.
Nothing can go wrong nothing can go wrong!!
Repeating the question from the first line, still unsure if things are actually okay.
NOTHING CAN GO WRONG!!
Shouting in defiance, trying to convince themselves that nothing bad can happen.
MY keeper watches from the Other Side OF THE wall...
Feeling trapped and watched, unable to escape.
I got no GASOLINE for MY car...
Unable to make progress or move forward in life, feeling stuck.
IT won't GO.
Frustration at being unable to make progress.
IT won'T GO, NO matter HOW I TRY!!
Reiterating the frustration at being unable to move forward or make progress.
SEEMS likE i WiLL Work UnTiL i die...
Feeling like life is just a constant cycle of work with no end in sight.
I'M DOING TIME IN A MAXIMUM SECURITY TWILIGHT HOME.
Feeling trapped and confined, unable to escape or enjoy life.
AIN'T got no pets...
Feeling lonely without any companionship.
ALL i gets THE bone.(nothing can go wrong)...
Feeling like life is just giving the bare minimum and nothing more.
PArrOt PERCH...
A parrot perched on the artist's shoulder, possibly representing their conscience or inner thoughts.
YOU KNOW YOU shouldn't TALK IT Makes YOU look SO MUCH older!!
The parrot representing the inner critic, reminding the singer to not say things that could make them look bad or foolish.
I'M DOING TIME in a maximum security Twilight HOME...
Reiterating the feeling of being trapped and confined, unable to escape or enjoy life.
ALL I gets THE BONE...
Feeling like life is just giving the bare minimum and nothing more.
it all began when i woz two years old standing in the garden making these noises (i'm beginning to understand)...
Reflecting on the experiences that led to these feelings of entrapment and confinement.
i love YOU mummy...
Addressing their feelings towards their mother, possibly indicating a desire for comfort or guidance.
everything that's gone BEFORE...
Reflecting on past experiences that have contributed to their current situation.
it's ALL the SAME to ME...
Feeling apathetic towards the past and present, resigned to their current situation.
this Razor HERE is just DRIVING me CRAZeeeee... (i think i'm beginning to understand.) I LOVE YOU MUMMY...
Feeling like their current situation is slowly driving them insane, but still seeking comfort from their mother.
I LOVE YOUR EYES (yes I've seen this case before)... (PAY ON THE WAY OUT) HELLO!!!???
An abrupt shift in focus, referencing an encounter with someone else and possibly indicating a desire for human connection.
I'm doing time in a maximum security TWILIGHT HOME. (pay on the WAY OUT)... (IT'S 10am)... (??????)...
Feeling trapped and confined, still seeking human connection but unsure of how to get it.
i'm doing time in a maximum security TWILIGHT home...
Reiterating the feeling of being trapped and confined, unable to escape or enjoy life.
All I get's THE BONE...
Feeling like life is just giving the bare minimum and nothing more.
NO FRIENDS, NO PHONE, no pets, all I get's the bone, i'm doing TIME in a maximum security TWILIGHT home...
Feeling lonely and isolated, with no way to connect to the outside world or find joy in life.
NO FRIENDS, NO FUN, NO PETS...
Further emphasizing the feelings of loneliness and isolation.
all I get's the bone...?
Questioning if this is really all there is to life and if there is any way to find fulfillment or joy.
I'M DOING TIME IN A maximum security TWILIGHT HOME... (NOTHING CAN GO WRONG...
Reiterating the feeling of being trapped and confined, unable to escape or enjoy life, while still trying to convince themselves that nothing bad can happen.
NotHINg Can GO rONG...
Still repeating the assertion that nothing can go wrong, possibly trying to convince themselves of it.
Nothink CAN GO Wrong...??) NO FRIENDS... (nOtHiNg Can go WRong...
Continuing to repeat the phrase, with the addition of a questioning inflection and a focus on the lack of friends and joy in life.
NO FUN!!! (Probably...
Expressing frustration and anger at the lack of joy and fulfillment in life.
THAT'S AMAZING)??????????????
Sarcastically commenting on the current situation, indicating a belief that there is nothing amazing about it.
SHUT DOWN TWO...
Ending the song abruptly, possibly indicating a desire to escape or shut down emotionally.
SHUT DOWN THREE...
Further emphasizing the desire to shut down and escape from their current situation.
Contributed by Jordyn F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.