Ken Chinn
Encyclopedia
Kendall "Ken" Chinn is a Canadian
punk rock
lead vocalist
and artist. He is best known, under the pseudonym Mr. Chi Pig, as the lead singer of the band SNFU
. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.
. Despite this, he remained close to his siblings and parents, who were important influences. As a teenager, he developed interests in punk rock, skateboard
ing and art.
In 1981, Chinn began the punk rock band Live Sex Show with Marc
and Brent Belke
, twin brothers whom he had met through the skateboarding subculture. The group was short-lived, but the three musicians next formed Society's No Fucking Use, better known by the acronym SNFU, late that year. The band rose in prominence in the Canadian hardcore punk
community and ultimately became a formative influence for the skate punk
sub-genre. In addition to singing, Chinn wrote the group's lyrics and provided much of the artwork used on their records, creating their sardonic aesthetic. He also served as an energetic and charismatic front man, incorporating masks, puppets and other props into the band's stage show.
After releasing three LPs with a rotating rhythm section and embarking on extensive touring in North America and Europe, SNFU disbanded in 1989 due to in-fighting and general exhaustion.
In late 1991, SNFU reformed for a reunion tour behind a record released to satisfy their contract
with Cargo Records. The tour was successful, and the reinvigorated band properly reformed, and were signed to Epitaph Records
in 1993. Their five years of activity with Epitaph resulted in three studio albums and the greatest industry prominence in the band's career: they enjoyed six-digit record sales and toured alongside of such successful punk rock acts as Green Day
, Bad Religion
and Iggy Pop
.
Late in 1997, Epitaph opted against renewing the band's contract. This resulted in heavy band debt and the departure of Brent Belke and longtime drummer Dave Rees
; the remaining members, however, kept the band active as a four-piece for the first time in its career while seeking a new recording contract. This era ultimately terminated after the departure of longtime bassist Rob Johnson
and a resultant hiatus in 2002.
with Matt Warhurst
and Shane Smith
, both future members of SNFU, and Jay Black. SNFU returned to activity late in 2003, releasing an eighth studio album
and touring subsequently before again disbanding in 2005 due to further exhaustion. Slaveco. became inactive shortly thereafter, and Chinn spiraled into depression, poverty and addiction, which ultimately resulted in his homelessness.
Chinn and former SNFU bassist Ken Fleming
, now on guitar, played two sets of SNFU material with a new rhythm section in 2007 before deciding to officially reform the band. Later joined by early drummer Jon Card
and new members Sean Colig
and Denis Nowoselski, this third incarnation of SNFU spent the next several years touring Europe, Canada and Central America while slowly amassing new material.
A biographical documentary film
about Chinn entitled Open Your Mouth and Say...Mr. Chi Pig was released in March 2010. Produced by the Canadian company Prairie Coast Films, the film reviews Chinn's life and career, containing interview footage with such notables as Jello Biafra
of the Dead Kennedys
, Brendan Canning
of Broken Social Scene
and Joey Keithley of D.O.A.
citing SNFU's influence on them personally and the rock scene at large.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
and artist. He is best known, under the pseudonym Mr. Chi Pig, as the lead singer of the band SNFU
SNFU
SNFU is a Canadian punk rock band formed in 1981 in Edmonton, Alberta and later relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia. They have released nine full-length albums and are cited as a formative influence on the skate punk sub-genre....
. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Early life and career
Born to German and Chinese parents, Chinn was the second youngest of twelve children. His early life entailed traumatic episodes related to his unstable family, including manifestations of what would later be diagnosed as schizophreniaSchizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. Despite this, he remained close to his siblings and parents, who were important influences. As a teenager, he developed interests in punk rock, skateboard
Skateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
ing and art.
In 1981, Chinn began the punk rock band Live Sex Show with Marc
Marc Belke
Marc Belke is a Canadian musician and radio personality. He played guitar in the punk and alternative rock bands SNFU and The Wheat Chiefs, and also sang lead vocals in the latter...
and Brent Belke
Brent Belke
Brent Belke is a Canadian guitarist and composer. After playing in the punk and alternative rock bands SNFU and The Wheat Chiefs from 1981–1998, Belke began a career composing music for film and television....
, twin brothers whom he had met through the skateboarding subculture. The group was short-lived, but the three musicians next formed Society's No Fucking Use, better known by the acronym SNFU, late that year. The band rose in prominence in the Canadian hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
community and ultimately became a formative influence for the skate punk
Skate punk
Skate punk is a sub genre of punk rock, originally a derivative of the West Coast hardcore punk scene, that is named after its popularity among skateboarders and association with skateboarding culture. Skate punk most commonly describes the sound of melodic hardcore bands from the 1990s with an...
sub-genre. In addition to singing, Chinn wrote the group's lyrics and provided much of the artwork used on their records, creating their sardonic aesthetic. He also served as an energetic and charismatic front man, incorporating masks, puppets and other props into the band's stage show.
After releasing three LPs with a rotating rhythm section and embarking on extensive touring in North America and Europe, SNFU disbanded in 1989 due to in-fighting and general exhaustion.
Move to Vancouver; height of commercial success
Chinn relocated to Vancouver and fronted a group called The Wongs, who debuted in 1990 and released an EP before disbanding the following year. After moving to Vancouver, Chinn began what would become a long battle with various hard drugs. This period also marked the beginning of Chinn's open identification as a homosexual.In late 1991, SNFU reformed for a reunion tour behind a record released to satisfy their contract
The Last Of The Big Time Suspenders
The Last of the Big Time Suspenders is an album by Edmonton punk rock band SNFU. The album, a compilation of mostly unreleased studio and live tracks, was released in 1991, two years after SNFU's first breakup, to satisfy their unfulfilled two-album contract with Cargo Records...
with Cargo Records. The tour was successful, and the reinvigorated band properly reformed, and were signed to Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
in 1993. Their five years of activity with Epitaph resulted in three studio albums and the greatest industry prominence in the band's career: they enjoyed six-digit record sales and toured alongside of such successful punk rock acts as Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
and Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
.
Late in 1997, Epitaph opted against renewing the band's contract. This resulted in heavy band debt and the departure of Brent Belke and longtime drummer Dave Rees
Dave Rees
David Rees is an American-born musician and television editor currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Rees played drums in the punk rock band SNFU and the alternative rock band Wheat Chiefs...
; the remaining members, however, kept the band active as a four-piece for the first time in its career while seeking a new recording contract. This era ultimately terminated after the departure of longtime bassist Rob Johnson
Rob Johnson (musician)
Rob Johnson is a Canadian musician currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia...
and a resultant hiatus in 2002.
Personal struggles; third SNFU incarnation
Chinn then formed the new group Slaveco.Slaveco.
Slaveco. was a Canadian alternative rock band primarily active from 2002–2004, and sporadically active until 2006. The group was composed of three former members of the group Ocean 3, joined by Ken Chinn , the lead singer of the influential skate punk band SNFU.-History:The band members first met...
with Matt Warhurst
Matt Warhurst
Matt Warhurst is a Canadian musician and record producer. He has played bass guitar in the punk rock group SNFU and the industrial rock band Jakalope.-Career:...
and Shane Smith
Shane Smith
Shane Smith is a Canadian drummer. He has performed with the punk rock bands SNFU and Slaveco., and the alternative industrial rock bands Neurosonic and Jakalope.-Career:...
, both future members of SNFU, and Jay Black. SNFU returned to activity late in 2003, releasing an eighth studio album
In the Meantime and In Between Time
In the Meantime and In Between Time is an album by Vancouver, British Columbia punk rock band SNFU, released in 2004. It reached number six on the Top Ten Metal/Punk chart on ChartAttack's radio charts for the week of December 10, 2004 and charted at various Canadian campus and community radio...
and touring subsequently before again disbanding in 2005 due to further exhaustion. Slaveco. became inactive shortly thereafter, and Chinn spiraled into depression, poverty and addiction, which ultimately resulted in his homelessness.
Chinn and former SNFU bassist Ken Fleming
Ken Fleming (musician)
Ken Fleming is a Canadian punk rock musician. He is the current guitarist in SNFU, and has also played bass in the early Canadian hardcore punk band The Unwanted and the industrial alternative rock band Econoline Crush.-Career:...
, now on guitar, played two sets of SNFU material with a new rhythm section in 2007 before deciding to officially reform the band. Later joined by early drummer Jon Card
Jon Card
Jon Card is a Canadian punk rock drummer. He is the current drummer in the long-standing punk bands SNFU and The Subhumans.-Career:Card grew up in Calgary, Alberta and formed his first band, Plasticide in his late teens. In 1981 he joined the Winnipeg-based band Personality Crisis, with whom he...
and new members Sean Colig
Sean Colig
Sean Colig is a Canadian musician and record producer who currently serves at the guitarist for the punk rock band SNFU and the heavy metal group Savannah.-Early years :...
and Denis Nowoselski, this third incarnation of SNFU spent the next several years touring Europe, Canada and Central America while slowly amassing new material.
A biographical documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Chinn entitled Open Your Mouth and Say...Mr. Chi Pig was released in March 2010. Produced by the Canadian company Prairie Coast Films, the film reviews Chinn's life and career, containing interview footage with such notables as Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
of the Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
, Brendan Canning
Brendan Canning
Brendan Canning is a founding member of Broken Social Scene and a veteran indie rock performer who has been a member of various notable bands including By Divine Right, Blurtonia, Valley of the Giants, Len, and hHead....
of Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band, a musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. Most of its members currently play in various other groups and solo projects, mainly based around the city of Toronto...
and Joey Keithley of D.O.A.
D.O.A. (band)
D.O.A. is a hardcore punk band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They are often referred to as the "founders" of hardcore punk, along with Black Flag, Bad Brains, Teen Idles, and Minor Threat. Their second album Hardcore '81 was thought by many to have been the first actual reference to...
citing SNFU's influence on them personally and the rock scene at large.
External links
- Official SNFU web page
- Ken Chinn at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Interview with Ken Chinn from 2008
- Interview with Ken Chinn from 2008