Chris Walter - SNFU: What no one else wanted to say

Acknowledgments

When I first saw SNFU in the summer of 1983, I had no idea that they would accomplish as much as they did. Sure, I was impressed at the talent and showmanship they wielded so effortlessly, but if Personality Crisis couldnt make it, then what chance did these pups have? The idea that SNFU would sell hundreds of thousands of albums and tour the world for decades was laughable. I didnt mind that the members of SNFU were doomed to die in the gutter like dogs, and I continued to see them whenever they came to Winnipeg. All was as it should be. Then, in 1987, something weird happened. I didnt mind that the band was tighter and more polished, but the venue was packed with non-punk type people. Instead of slamming in the pit, I stood watching from the back like a regular geek. Who were these guys, and what happened to SNFU? Id lost them.

I didnt see Chi Pig again until we met on a Vancouver city bus in 93. We spoke only briefly, but Chi looked well. Although I wasnt a huge fan in those days, I didnt begrudge SNFU their success. They were making music they liked, and it wasnt their fault if people were paying them to do it. I ran into Chi every once in a while after that, and we were always able to pick up where wed left off, as if hours rather than years had passed. Chi was still a punk singer and I was still a fucking drug addict. Later, of course, Chi also ran into problems with drugs, so we had something in common again. For me to lose track of music was one thing, but for Chi it was a catastrophe.

I didnt see SNFU at the Cobalt when they reformed in 2004, even though Id cleaned up by then. My girl went without me, and said later that shed never seen the place so packed. She also raved enthusiastically about the band. Coincidentally, I saw Chi Pig at the supermarket a day later and we talked for a long time. He was clearly overjoyed to be onstage again, and I was happy for him. Nevertheless, the Cobalt is hardly GM Place, and it was obvious that SNFU would never be the next Green Day. I hated to admit it, but I felt closer to them. They were one of us after all.

Curiosity got the best of me, and I went to see SNFU with my girl several months later. I was shocked to see how old Chi Pig seemed with his beard and long hair. Marc Belke, on the other hand, looked young enough to be one of the hired guns onstage that night. Marc and Chi, of course, were the old pros, strutting their stuff as if theyd never stopped. The band sounded great, as did the new album. At that moment, as I stood watching the show, it dawned on me that the story of SNFU would be a compelling one. What I didnt consider was the roller coaster of emotions that I would experience while writing it. From the highest highs to the lowest lows, I emerged on the other side with a better understanding of what it takes to be a dedicated punk musician. More than anything I have ever written, this book has been an exciting but painful reminder that life is about the choices we make and the effort we put into it. Everything else is just fate.

I would like to thank the underpaid and overworked grunts at GFY Press for making this book possible. Editors Rachel Shoemaker, Jen Dodds, Robynn Elaschuk, Allan MacInnis, and Sheldon Birnie did the best they could with the rambling, disjointed manuscript, and if the book is readable, it is because of them. Proofreaders Jason Eagle Eyes Crane and Denis Maile were very helpful, but a few typos probably slipped past, just as they do in every book. Digital assistance was provided by Pete Digiboy and David Giesbrecht, who must be congratulated for their patience. Schoolmarm Cheratra Yaswen settled grammatical disputes.

Thanks also to everyone who endured my endless and seemingly pointless enquiries: Jay Staples, Rod Gillis, Dave Leslie, Lesley Bell, Paul Balanchuk, Damian Saiz, Richard Liukko, Ken Painter, Cam Nikkel, Bif Naked, Tom Pitts, Mike Lambert, Iori Kokotailo, Aaron Chapman, Erik Iversen, Tim Chiba, Cara McDonald, Colleen Britton, Lennon Marshall, Bobbie Belke, Brent Belke, Marc Belke, Mike McDonald, Evan C. Jones, Diyls Jones, Norm Simm, Ken Chinn, David Boswell, Dave Mockford, John Armstrong, Brett Gurewitz, Moe Berg, Ian Tiles, Keith Morris, Ron Reyes, Brett Lober Hopkins, Bob Montgomery, Carlos Soria, Dave Dutton-Fraser, Dave Henry, Shawn Stern, Dave Bacon, Jimmy Schmitz, Cecil English, Paul Karpinski, Mark Smith, Ronald Ramage, Roszay Baumgartner, Stephen Perry, Otto, Mark Langtry, Kevin Person, Slavek Branicki, Simon Head, Duncan Pimlott, Ken Fleming, Marty Chatrin, Bruce McDonald, Monk, Curtis Creager, Al Angus, Dana Bell, Otis Rawding, Collin Slack, Gubby Szvoboda, Hudley Flipside, Ford Pier, PD, Dabey Boy Rees, Rob Johnson, Sean Stubbs, Chris Thompson, Trevor McGregor, Denis Nowoselski, Jon Card, Sean Colig, Trent Buhler, Brian Kassian, Brian Toogood, Dave Fortune, Jim Norton, Dan DeVloo, Brian Downey, Matt Carter, Steve Chase, Renee Poirer, Alex Pullar, Cat Ashbee, Dan Moyse, Jay Black, Jee-P Hold A Grudge, Mikey Moogent, Chad Sluys, Gardo la Gosse, Dan Pavlis, Robyn Moisey, Tyler Mitchell, Michael Hanson, Doc Chiodo, Tony Lorenz, Denis Maile, Greg Cox, Suzanne Kirkwood, Brian McCallum, Shane Smith, Matt Warhurst, Mary-Anne Korosi, Jake Braun, Mark Sommer, Benny Sievert, Jonathan Wregglesworth, Sean Shaul, Denyss McKnight, Mr. Plow, John Tard, Graeme MacKinnon, Chad Mareels, Dominic LeBlanc, Joshua Nickel, and Nardwuar too.

Chris Walter is a Vancouver writer. He is the author of more than twenty books and has appeared in numerous publications including Spin, The Georgia Straight, Razorcake, Absolute Underground, The Big Takeover, Nerve, Mass Movement, Loud Fast Rules, and Vice.

Chris Walter

Beer

Punk Rules OK

Mosquitoes & Whisky

Kaboom

I Was a Punk Before You Were a Punk

Boozecan

East Van

Im On the Guest List

Langside

Welfare Wednesdays

Rock & Roll Heart

Wrong

Punch the Boss

Sins of the Poor

Up & Down on the Downtown Eastside

Biographies

Personality Crisis: Warm Beer & Wild Times

Argh Fuck Kill: Story of the Dayglo Abortions

SNFU: What No One Else Wanted to Say

Short stories

Shouts from the Gutter

Shrieks from the Alley

GFY Press

Stewart Black / Chris Walter Destroy Canada

Simon Snotface Prisoner of Evil

Drew Gates The Crooked Beat

Coming in 2013

Chris Walter Chasing the Dragon

Chris Walter 2012

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Published by GFY Press

Vancouver, British Columbia

All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, saved in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without written permission from the publisher.

Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders of the photographs in this book but several were impossible to identify. We would be grateful if the photographers concerned would contact us.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Walter, Chris, 1959

SNFU-- what no one else wanted to say [electronic

resource] : a biography / Chris Walter ; foreword by Scott

Beadle.

Electronic monograph in HTML format.

Also available in a print format.

ISBN 978-1-927053-08-9

1. S.N.F.U (Musical group). 2. Punk rock musicians-

Canada--Biography. I. Title. II. Title: What no one else

wanted to say.

ML421.S672W23 2012 782.421660922 C2012-904221-8