Mobile Stud Unit

From HtownWiki

Mobile Stud Unit in 2007. Photo by PetraJane

The MSU were, according to themselves, one of the longest lived, most popular and most controversial bands to have ever emerged from the bowels of Hamilton, New Zealand.

Formed in 1993, rumour states they got their band name from a competition held on local student radio station Contact 89FM. Calling their style of music 'pus rock', the band always encouraged copious amounts of alcohol to be consumed while watching them play.

Early years: My Pyjama's Smell Acidicky

MSU's first gig was a play-off lunchtime gig, part of a busking competition organised by Contact89FM. The prize was the opening slot for The Muttonbirds at Orientation. Notable other performances at that busking competition included Monster Truck RoadRunner and the Romantic Andes, who won. Since the Andes couldn't make the gig that night, second-placed MSU found themselves supporting The Muttonbirds at The University of Waikato on 12 March 1993. History, they say, was made.

As chief Muttonbird Don McGlashan soundchecked his French horn, Marxi tackled him. Not unreasonably, McGlashan later described MSU as "a bunch of pissed wankers" - a quote that the band often repeated in promo material for many more years.

Marxi surfs the crowd in his legendary green jumpsuit

The band's set list that night included Fat Bum, CCs parts one and two, Beverly 90210 and Disco Spastic. Marxi wore a giant badge with a photo of Dylan from "Beverly Hills 90210" and handed out "90210" collector cards.

One of MSU (Griff) was naked except for a sock on his penis which did *not* impress Don McGlashan of The Muttonbirds. The sock later ended up being passed amongst the front row. Another band member was dressed in toilet paper.

The band's wild performance and Marxi's stage antics got people's attention and won them a few fans, and resulted in the band being asked to do a live-to-air performance on Contact 89FM.

In 1994 they toured New Zealand's universities for Orientation Week. Canterbury had cancelled their gig long before they arrived, so they played an outdoor acoustic set which Marxi decided to finish with a brave stunt, running down a wet hill and sliding into the Avon River. Coming from a part of the country where our river is proper deep, and not knowing that the Avon is more of a rocky stream, he smashed himself into a bunch of rocks. Drummer Dean Ballinger added to the spectacle by detaching a cymbal and biffing it like frisbee. Emerging battered from the Avon, Marxi thus copped a sharp circular piece of metal in the shoulder and was sliced open.

Their debut album, My Pyjama’s Smell Acidicky was released on cassette in 1994.

The 'MSU Extravanganza' gig at The Wailing Bongo, in last '94 or early '95, was at the time the largest crowd MSU had ever played to, later estimated by Marxi to be around 150 people. Wearing wet t-shirts, jeans, jerseys, a balaclava, gauze bandages, welding gloves and an oilskin, Marxi doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire. As his wet clothing steamed and flame seeped between his garments, it became apparent that the fire extinguisher wasn't where it was supposed to be. Members of the audience smothered the flames, leaving Marxi with a couple of burns. He had timed the stunt poorly, before the band began playing, and most of the people there missed the whole thing.

Blood Spew and Flaps

The followup, Blood Spew, came out in 1998 - each copy's artwork was drawn individually, and came with a lyric sheet/art foldout entitled Sing Along With the Mobile Stud Unit. The album included most of their student radio hits to date, such as Grutsniffer, We Are MSU, Chin Mei Wah, and the all-conquering ballad (which was by all accounts a true story), Stu's Pie Cart. The initial release had a run of around 500 copies.

The band's third album, Flaps, wasn't released till December 2001. Featuring artwork that could make even the Bloodhound gang cry, the record showcased a less punky side to the group, and often bordered on disco - Sexual Health Clinic and Marital Aids were almost danceable, and the tradition of Stu's Pie Cart was continued with Salesman, perhaps the greatest song about Telecom ever written. Still, tracks like (the ballad of) Tony Tourettes and Shunt ensured the group couldn't be accused of 'selling out.'

Over the years, several otherwise highly-respected Hamilton musicians found refuge for their musical non-talents in the Mobile Stud Unit. Members included Dean Ballinger (drums, Hollow Grinders), Aaron Watkinson (bass, Schrodinger's Cat), SS Stormtrooper (bass), Jamie Stone (guitar, Trucker, The Nerve), and Chris Paki (guitar, Rumpus Room, the Braxton Hicks). The only mainstay over the years has been Rohan Marx (Marxi), on vocals and keyboards.

The group were never afraid of controversy - witness their Head Like A Hole baiting Head Up Yr Hole, or an infamous incident where their bass player at the time, SS Stormtrooper, allegedly smashed his guitar over an audience member's head.

In 2003, the band held a 10th anniversary extravaganza, featuring pretty much every member of MSU, past and present, taking the stage at some point during the epic show, and during which SS Stormtrooper initiated a rugby game with a pig's head as the ball. MSU's first release, the cassette My Pyjama’s Smell Acidicky, was re-released on CD, with bonus tracks, in celebration of the ten year anniversary.

Roadkill and the occasional reunion

On November 14 2008, MSU played what was intended to be their final performance, again enlisting many of their past members. At the event, the band released a compilation of songs from the previous albums, called Roadkill.

Poster for "MSU Superstar Blowout!!" gig, c.1995

A decade later, MSU reformed to play a support slot for the Hard-Ons in Raglan on May 19, 2018, and Circle Jerk 2018.

In 2025 they headlined the Contact 50th Anniversary Party, with Rohan's son Ivan "Skid" Marx debuting on bass and Aaron Watkinson taking over keyboard duties. The next year they played at Richard Swainson's 60th birthday party.

Members

"I couldn’t tell you how many band members we have had over the years. As the sole remaining original member, I’m starting to think I might be a bit difficult to work with." - Rohan Marx, 2025


Releases

Poster for MSU final show and Roadkill release, 2008

Published Articles

  • Mobile Stud Unit Final Gig review, Nexus, 22 May 1995, P22
  • Talking with MSU before Contact’s 50th birthday party, Hamilton Underground Press, 28 April 2025

External links

Retrieved from "https://htownwiki.hamiltonundergroundpress.com/index.php?title=Mobile_Stud_Unit&oldid=29902"