Alien Sex Fiend are an English gothic rock band, formed in London, England … Read Full Bio ↴Alien Sex Fiend are an English gothic rock band, formed in London, England in 1982. The current lineup of the band consists of Nik Fiend and Mrs Fiend. Five of the group's albums and 12 of their singles reached top 20 positions in the UK indie charts in the period up to 1987. Alien Sex Fiend were formed by Nik Wade (Nik Fiend), Christine Wade (Mrs Fiend), David James (Yaxi Highrizer) and Johnny Freshwater (Johnny Ha-Ha) in late 1982 at the Batcave club in London (where Nik worked). The band became known in the gothic scene for its dark, electronic industrial-leaning sound, heavy samples, loops, dub remixes and manic vocals. Wade had previously been a member of the Alice Cooper-influenced bands the Earwigs and Mr & Mrs Demeanour, and later the punk band Demon Preacher (later known as the Demons).

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)

R.I.P.
Alien Sex Fiend Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Butcher's hand chops off
Surrealistic face-pack masque
For children with a hindread past.

Oh!
Collective ladies shine shoes for 10 cents.

Launderette swingers

Botulistic mummified corpses!
Lips grind at my wasting flesh
As my eyes see all, say nothing,

Nothing to this day grey gloom
Goosepimple forehead erecticus

Bop bopping for Tuesday's fishcakes
I know nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing
Nothing nothing nothing nothing NOTHING
No more, not at all, anyrate

Bacofoil chickens spew forth blood!
A congealed society talk trash,

Talk trash, talk trash!
Castrated cannibals tug at my skin
Nearest mysterian to me!

R.I.P.
R.I.P.
R.I.P.
R.I.P.

Rest in peace
Rot in peace
Blue Crumb Truck!
R.I.P.
Are-I-P
R.I.P.
R.I.P.

Blue
Blue
Crumb
Truck!

R-I-P!

R.I.P.
R.I.P.
R.I.P.
R.I.P.
Rot with me
Rest in peace
Blue Crumb Truck
R.I.P.
Are-I-P
R.I.P.

Rot with me
Rot with me
Blue Blue Blue Crumb Truck!
R.I.P.
R.I.P.
R.I.P.

R.I.P.
R.I.P.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Alien Sex Fiend's song R.I.P. are a stream of consciousness, surrealist prose that conjure up disturbing and grotesque imagery. It opens with the image of a butcher's hand chopping off a surrealistic face-pack masque, perhaps symbolizing the violent removal of false fronts and masks that obscure the true nature of society. The next line alludes to the plight of children with a hindread past, hinting at the traumas and abuses that create cycles of violence and oppression.

The following lines jump abruptly to another scene - collective ladies shining shoes for 10 cents and launderette swingers engaging in depraved acts with botulistic mummified corpses. The singer is surrounded by perverse and decaying madness, and their lips grind at their wasting flesh as their eyes see all but say nothing. They feel trapped in a day-glo grey gloom, with goose-pimple forehead erecticus, suggesting a sense of fear and tension.

The song continues with bizarre and unsettling imagery, including bop bopping for Tuesday's fishcakes and bacofoil chickens spewing forth blood. Castrated cannibals tug at the singer's skin, and they feel a kinship with the nearest mysterian, perhaps someone who shares their sense of alienation and strangeness. The repeated chorus of R.I.P. shifts from rest in peace to rot in peace, implying a grim and nihilistic view of existence.

Some potential interpretations of the lyrics include a commentary on the destructive and dehumanizing aspects of consumerism, the alienation and madness of modern society, and the futility of seeking meaning and connection in a world ruled by death and decay.

Line by Line Meaning

Butcher's hand chops off
A butcher's hand is cut off.

Surrealistic face-pack masque
An odd mask is applied to someone's face.

For children with a hindread past.
This refers to a group of children who have experienced traumatic events.

Collective ladies shine shoes for 10 cents.
A group of women shine shoes for a low price.

Launderette swingers
People swing or dance at a launderette (laundromat).

Botulistic mummified corpses!
Dead bodies that have been mummified and also have botulism (a type of food poisoning).

Lips grind at my wasting flesh
Someone's lips are grinding against another person's decaying body.

As my eyes see all, say nothing,
Someone sees everything but stays silent.

Nothing to this day grey gloom
Nothingness in a dreary and gloomy landscape.

Goosepimple forehead erecticus
Creepy and unsettling sensation on someone's forehead.

Bop bopping for Tuesday's fishcakes
Dancing for fishcakes on a specific day of the week.

I know nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing
The artist admits that they know absolutely nothing.

Nothing nothing nothing nothing NOTHING
The repetition of 'nothing' emphasizes the idea of a complete lack of knowledge or understanding.

No more, not at all, anyrate
The singer doesn't want to discuss or think about this topic anymore.

Bacofoil chickens spew forth blood!
Cooked chicken wrapped in aluminum foil is dripping blood.

A congealed society talk trash,
Society speaks negatively in a thick or viscous way.

Castrated cannibals tug at my skin
People who are unable to procreate and eat human flesh are pulling on someone's skin.

Nearest mysterian to me!
Someone who is mysterious is near the singer.

Rest in peace
May someone who has died find peace and rest.

Rot in peace
May someone who has died rot and decompose in peace.

Blue Crumb Truck!
A blue truck that leaves behind crumbs.

Rot with me
Let's rot together after death.

Are-I-P
Pronunciation of R.I.P. (rest in peace).

Rot with me
Let's rot together after death.

Blue Blue Blue Crumb Truck!
A blue truck that leaves behind a lot of crumbs.

R.I.P.
Rest in peace.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN ROBERT FRESHWATER, DAVID JOHN JAMES, CHRISTINE ELIZABETH MARY WADE, NICHOLAS IAN WADE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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