H.S.S.T.
Official archives of the legendary rock group, The Hun School Society Team.
HSSTORY
How The band was formed.
In the fall of 1983, four young sophomore men became fast friends at a boarding school in Princeton, New Jersey. The Hun School of Princeton is renowned for its exemplary role in education and prepares each student for a successful and fulfilling life. While most of the students that graduate from this highly regarded school go off to be doctors, lawyers and accountants, these four aforementioned men blazed their own path.
On a crisp October afternoon in 1983, Gwenny Guildstein, Robert Strumbo (later to be known as Strings), Tums daMan and Alpha Beta convened in Room 17 on the third floor of Russell Hall. It was here that the formation of what would later be known as The Hun School Society Team occurred. This provocatively creative team fashioned a unique liaison, experimenting with sound and word. These “experimentations” experienced early recognition, getting the band a recurring late night segment on the hit radio station WPLJ. Hosted originally by Jim Thorpe but later succeeded by Gwenny Guildstein, (who, in 1984, officially signed on as the fourth member, adding background vocals as well as hosting), the band continued on its quest for alternative sound. Light years ahead of its time, HSST began to grow, playing for Princeton University Eating Clubs, Quinn’s of New Hope, and The Spangler Tavern, in Trenton, New Jersey.
It wasn’t until late spring of 1986 where HSST got its first big break. The four men had completed their tenure at the Hun School and were graduating in the beginning of June of that year. Gerald Donaldson, headmaster of the school at the time, requested HSST to perform a few songs at their own graduation. It was here that the songs “Apartment in the City”, “The Backwards Song” and “Stower” got their initial recognition. One of the people attending the graduation was Richard Kensington, a well-known philanthropist and producer of the arts. Richard was immediately taken by the boys’ sheer joy and immense talent and signed them to a 3-year record deal with his production company, Kensington Music, a subsidiary of Kensington Pictures. He also sponsored their weekly radio broadcasts with proceeds from his multitudes of businesses, including Wong Fung Ho and Kensy Wear.
All four men were able to complete college while on tour around the world. It took Strings nearly 7 years to complete his degree due to his commitments on multiple labels. Often known as “Guru-Man”, Strings helped produce albums with The Rolling Stones, Rick Springfield and Muddy Waters while also playing as a guest artist.
In December of 1986, the band made the Platinum Hit “Who Shot Rudolph” which catapulted them into mega-fame. The song, an ode to the depravity of consciousness and the senseless act of killing stereotypes, was hailed as a milestone in Christmas Music. The New York Times said “…with playful banter juxtaposed with the clang of a piercing bell, Who Shot Rudolph will forever change the way we as a society will listen to Christmas music again.”(Frank Rich NYT 1/4/87) Following the success of this song, HSST went on to sell out Madison Square Garden, Wrigley Field, The Royal Albert Hall and Gandhi Stadium in Delhi, India.
Throughout the nineties, the band broke up 11 times, with each band member choosing to go solo for small stints at a time. Alpha Beta’s top single “Drum This, Mo’ Fo’ ” was an instant success, having more remixes made from that song than any other song of that year, 1995. In collaboration with The Beastie Boys, Alpha Beta broke into the Hip Hop world with other melodies like “Dancing Like Frank Sinatra” and “My Dad Does Rush”. Although he realized his dream of being a solo artist, Alpha Beta realized that part of his creative genius stemmed from his long-standing relationship with the remaining band members. They reconvened one more time in 1997 to cut the double album with no name. This album, also known as the Pofo(pronounced fo-fo) album, would soon be realized as “one of the most important contributions to rock and roll, if not music itself, that civilization has ever had the glory to bare witness to.” (Tony Yin, Editor-in-Chief Rolling Stone 2/98). In the following five years, HSST performed periodic gigs throughout the world but stayed low on the radar. Their desire to conquer and wake the world up began to wane with age.
Everything changed, however, in 2000 after the election of George W. Bush. Their blatant political opinions and steadfast struggle to remain a relevant and decisive ensemble peaked when performing live on Saturday Night Live. The band ventured into heated waters with never before performed songs like “Bush, Tush, I Gotta Push”, “My Little Wet Iraqi”, and “Osama Ain’t a Comma”. The latter song received huge praise in the Middle East and Asian countries, citing HSST’s ability to overcome the stereotype views of a world lost in righteous ideals. HSST was the first western band to appear on the Al-Jahzeera Network, singing “Osama Ain’t a Comma” while generating huge flack from the right wing fundamentalists of the U.S.
In the fall of 2005, HSST performed a benefit concert to aid the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. This was something they had familiarity with, having performed with their friend Bob Geldoff in the original Live Aid concert of 1986. The Katrina concert got them the cover of Time Magazine and reinstated their status has a leading rock band of the 21st Century. In January of 2006, the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. All four members contributed over $21 million for a new wing at the legendary Cleveland facility as well as set up a foundation (The H$$T Foundation) to benefit struggling artists and to keep perpetuating the creation of all things music.
The Blue Toast Gang was a name that the boys appropriated from a 1935 Western film. Rogues of the Rio Grande (1930)The film is about El Malo, a quixotic Robin Hood type Mexican bandit and his band cowboys that loved toast with blueberry jam. The Bandits steal wigs from Socialites and give the proceeds to balding cowboys. In 1985, after watching the film on their teachers Mr. Nederier’s Betamax, the boys jumped into Gweeny’s ’81 Diesel VW Rabbit, cranked Pink Floyds “Dark Side of the Moon” and ran off to have Chucks Buffalo wings and decided to steal or as they thought… redistribute taxidermy animals back into the wild. They would leave a painted blue piece of toast as a calling card that read on the back We, the Blue Toast Gang have liberated your dead animal, you may have it back providing you write a fat check to the local animal shelter.” The boys made $434.39 and gave the money to PETA.
The Band
Random images from the bands personal archives
Promotional image for “Journey to Mount Tam” US Tour. 1995
Promotional image for ” Four Winds” Tour. 1997
Promotional image for “Tuck It In” European Tour. 1999
H.S.S.T reunion recording session at an undisclosed location.
Where it all began.
Eating wings at Chucks was HSST religion.
HSST was always stylin..
The first rag to write about H.S.S.T.
WPLJ was the first radio station to play the music of H.S.S.T.
Tribute To Strums
The final picture of Strums just prior to him passing from this worldly plain. “Strums ate his whole guitar whole.” He thought he could ‘pass’ it but he could not. His ashes were sprinkled over Eddie Van Halen’s guitar.
Strings would replace Strums as the official guitarist for H.S.S.T.
The last known photo of Strums
Strings circa 1995
Who says Strings just couldn’t give a shit?
Concert Tours
H.S.S.T. headlines Wrigley Field
Soundboard at Gandhi Stadium in Delhi India. Raj loved his Pepsi and we loved him because he made us sound so good with ancient soundboards.
Spectator view at Gandhi Stadium of HSST World Tour sent in by Mukerjie Batswana.
H.S.S.T. sold-out shows worldwide.
The Songs
The following selection of music is copyright protected. Feel free to select any track for your listening pleasure. Whatever song you choose, we recommend that you play it a minimum of three times in order to comprehend the full extent of our genius. Anything less is simply ignorant.
Discography
The discography is the entire compilation of the bands’ work. For nearly 25 years, HSST has produced music for the world at large, from events as small as high school football games to sold out stadiums in Delhi, India. Most of the earlier work was performed at the Hun School of Princeton, but other studio recordings took place in Boston, Bronxville, New York City and Los Angeles.
Select a song or commercial and be transported to a time where anything is possible….
