Damian Joseph Cowell, also known by his former stage names Humphrey B. Flaubert and DC Root, is an Australian musician who is best known as the frontman for

TISM TISM ( ; an acronym of This Is Serious Mum) are a seven-piece anonymous alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia on 30 December 1982 by vocalist/drummer Humphrey B. Flaubert, bassist/vocalist Jock Cheese and keyboardist/vocalist ...

Root! Root! was an Australian rock music, rock band from Melbourne formed in 2005. Their music combines alt-country, blues and indie rock with elements of spoken word, satire, social commentary and post-modernism. They have gained attention through a ...

, The DC3, Damian Cowell's Disco Machine and Arseless Chaps.

History

Cowell was born and schooled in Melbourne. His musical output began in the 1970s, when he played in various high school bands, such as Abroz and Kestrel Hawk. In the early 1980s, he was part of a little-known group called I Can Run, featuring future TISM bandmate Eugene Cester. In December 1982, TISM formed and Cowell adopted the pseudonym "Humphrey B. Flaubert", a play on Australian children's television character Humphrey B. Bear and French author

Gustave Flaubert Gustave Flaubert ( , ; ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. He has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country and abroad. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flaubert, realis ...

. The group enjoyed underground success in the late 1980s and reached the ARIA top 10 in 1995 with their album ''

Machiavelli and the Four Seasons ''Machiavelli and the Four Seasons'' is the third studio album by the Australian rock group TISM (This Is Serious Mum). It was released on 4 May 1995. Background and release TISM worked on what would become their next album at Metropolis Audi ...

''. TISM remained largely anonymous throughout their career. Cowell publicly acknowledged his involvement in TISM via the debut single of his band the DC3 – a song titled "I Was The Guy In TISM".

Post-TISM

Cowell returned to the stage in 2007 under the moniker DC Root, fronting a band called ROOT! During this period Cowell was commissioned by David Walsh to create a soundtrack for his

Museum of Old and New Art The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) is an art museum located within the Moorilla Estate, Moorilla winery on the Berriedale, Tasmania, Berriedale peninsula in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the largest privately funded museum in the South ...

. The soundtrack was titled Vs Art. In 2010, ROOT! disbanded and quickly re-formed as The DC3. The group would continue on until 2013. Even though much of Cowell's work uses programmed drums, he has played live drums at times, most notably during some songs in TISM's performance at Homebake 1998. Between 2014 and 2021, Cowell performed in the band Damian Cowell's Disco Machine, with Tony Martin as a recurring guest. The Disco Machine released three albums. In 2024, Cowell and Martin formed the duo Arseless Chaps.

Album discography

TISM

*'' Great Truckin' Songs of the Renaissance'' (1988) *'' Hot Dogma'' (1990) *''

'' (1995) *'' www.tism.wanker.com'' (1998) *'' De RigueurMortis'' (2001) *''

The White Albun ''The White Albun'' is the sixth studio album by Australian alternative rock band TISM, released on 24 June 2004. The title is a reference to and deliberate misspelling of ''The White Album'', an unofficial name for the album ''The Beatles (alb ...

'' (2004) *'' Death to Art'' (2024)

Root!

* '' Root Supposed He Was Out of the Question...'' (2007) * ''

Surface Paradise ''Surface Paradise'' is the second full-length album by Australian rock band Root! (Australian band), Root!, released on 24 July 2009. The album follows the previous year's Extended Play, EP release ''Get Up Yourself'', of which several refer ...

'' (2009)

Damian Cowell

* '' Vs Art'' (2010) * ''Damian Cowell'' (2023) - post-TISM career retrospective

The DC3

* ''The Future Sound of Nostalgia'' (2011) * ''May Contain Traces of Nut'' (2013)

Damian Cowell's Disco Machine

* ''Damian Cowell's Disco Machine'' (2015) * ''Get Yer Dag On!'' (2017) *''Only The Shit You Love'' (2021)

References

Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Australian alternative rock musicians Australian rock drummers Australian male drummers Australian male singers TISM Musicians from Melbourne {{Australia-singer-stub