Released in 1987, Painters and Dockers’ Nude School was a tongue-in-cheek song that captured the bravado of youth and the simple pleasure derived from taking the piss. It had all the makings of a match made in stark-naked heaven.
The Dockers, named after the notorious maritime union, had been kicking around for a few years before this underground hit was released as part of their most successful album, Kiss My Art. They once supported the likes of Billy Idol and Iggy Pop and were neither champions of the underground or the mainstream, but an irreverent punk band that rose to fame with a song about going to school in your birthday suit.
Their breakthrough track, co-written by original band members Vlad Juric and Chris O’Connor, traces back to a moment on tour when O’Connor was flicking through a Penthouse magazine and came across a snippet about a nude school opening in the United States. The novelty song that resulted delivered a naughty Aussie anthem that was quickly embraced by youth in the late 80s.
The opening lyrics start by mocking a school principal and introducing a fictitious boy named Jimmy Wilson, who’s taking part in a geography lesson. “I only look at Tasmania, the one place I adore,” says Jimmy, sexual innuendo heard loud and clear.
The catchy chorus, repeated several times throughout the song, is so silly and absurd that it works: “Oh... We’re all going to nude school, a nude school, that’s for me. We’re all happy at nude school, a nude school is where I’ll be.”
Of course, while going nude doesn’t immediately jump out as all that enticing, the notion of getting one’s kit off cleverly taps into underlying themes of rebellion and freedom. There’s a sense of dissent embedded in the chorus that makes you feel like you’re ready to rip off all your clothes and cause some chaos.
Notably, the song’s disturbing original film clip still retains a notoriety all of its own. Signed to Michael Gudinski’s Mushroom Records label at the time, the music guru was keen on shooting the film clip for Nude School on a yacht, with the band surrounded by scantily-clad models.
The Dockers made their name as a brash band who went against the grain and weren’t having a bar of it. Instead, they chose a pig farm on the outskirts of Melbourne where the entire band got naked and covered their private parts up with pigs feet.
“It was one of the most surreal days of my life,” recalls frontman Paul Stewart. “We were out in this pig farm full of pigs and shit and us naked playing guitars and trumpets.” True to form, the band chose to launch the clip at an X-rated cinema on Swanston Street.
Stewart explains how the band lucked out, with MTV Australia hitting suburban homes around the same time. For the opening three episodes, the first song played was Nude School because the clip was so weird and wacky. Sadly, the original clip seems to have vanished from cyberspace, the only remaining vision available from the time the band hosted Countdown in 1987.
The Painters and Dockers released six albums during their career, and played about 200 gigs a year in their heyday when beer-barn circuits were all the rage. They poked fun at anyone and everyone – including themselves – and their in-your-face style won a diverse crop of fans.
The Dockers reformed in 2009 for one final gig, but liked it so much they continued to plug away and in recent years have even experienced a mini-resurgence of sorts. The band played a cracker of a show at this year’s Reclink Community Cup and were subsequently asked to play at Meredith.
They even made news headlines in October when Violent Soho guitarist James Tidswell was stopped from boarding a flight because he was wearing a Dockers T-shirt printed with the name of the band’s 1990 single Eat Shit Die.
While you’re probably unlikely to find Nude School, or the Dockers for that matter, on any greatest hits lists (thankfully), there’s something quintessentially Australian about the band and its music that still resonates.
“It’s like going to war when you’re in the Dockers,” Stewart says. “It’s not just getting up there and lightly going through the songs. We’re just gonna do what we always do ... you either love us or you hate us. There’s no in between.”
• Painters and Dockers play at the Meredith music festival from 12-14 December
