Kendall Steven Chinn (October 19, 1962 – July 16, 2020), known under the stage name Mr. Chi Pig, was a Canadian
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
vocalist and artist born in
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
and long residing in
Vancouver
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
. He fronted the
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...
band
SNFU
SNFU was a Canadian hardcore punk band from Edmonton, formed in 1981 as Society's No Fucking Use. They relocated to Vancouver in 1992 and went on hiatus in 2018 due to illness. They released eight albums, two live records, and one compilation ami ...
from 1981 until their hiatus in 2018. Other, short-lived groups that he led included The Wongs, Little Joe, and
Slaveco.
Chinn was an energetic vocalist, prolific artist, and sardonic lyricist. He was also an early advocate for queer identity in punk rock.
His struggles with addiction and mental health problems were well documented,
[''Open Your Mouth and Say...Mr. Chi Pig'']
Film, Dir: Sean Patrick Shaul, 2010. and he died of undisclosed health issues at age 57.
Early life and career
Born to German and Chinese parents in Edmonton, 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
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...
.
Despite this, he remained close to his siblings and parents, who were important influences.
As a teenager, he developed interests in punk rock,
skateboard
A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. It is usually made of a specially designed 7–8-ply maple plywood deck and has polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks.
The skateboard ...
ing, and art.
In 1981, Chinn formed the punk rock band Live Sex Shows with
Marc Marc or MARC may refer to:
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* Marc (given name), people with the first name
* Marc (surname), people with the family name
Acronyms
* MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging,
* MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system ...
and
Brent Belke, twin brothers whom he had met through the skateboarding subculture.
[ Chris Walter. ''...What No One Else Wanted to Say''. Vancouver: GFY Press, 2012 (first edition)] The group was short-lived, but the three musicians next formed Society's No Fucking Use, soon to be known by the acronym SNFU, late that year. SNFU rose in prominence in the Canadian hardcore punk community and ultimately became a formative influence for the
skate punk
Skate punk (also known as skatecore and skate rock) is a skateboarding, skater subculture and punk rock Music genre, subgenre that developed in the 1980s. Originally a form of hardcore punk that had been closely associated with skate culture, sk ...
subgenre, beginning with their 1985 debut ''
...And No One Else Wanted to Play''.
In addition to singing, Chinn wrote the group's lyrics and provided much of the artwork used on their records. He also served as an energetic and charismatic performer, incorporating masks, puppets, and other props into the band's stage show.
While touring behind their second LP, ''
If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish'', Chinn suffered a head injury that he later cited as a cause of his mental and physical decline.
Though the band continued to find increasing success, they suffered from in-fighting, much centering around Chinn and the other members. After three LPs with a changing rhythm section and extensive touring in North America and Europe, SNFU disbanded in 1989 due to creative disagreements and general exhaustion.
Move to Vancouver and height of commercial success
Chinn relocated to Vancouver in early 1990 and formed The Wongs. This band released a cassette and toured briefly with Gorilla Gorilla, a group then featuring
Bif Naked
Beth Nicole Torbert (born June 15, 1971) is a Canadian singer best known by her stage name Bif Naked. Between 1996 and 2016, she was among the top 150 selling Canadian artists in Canada. She charted #1 on Billboard Canada for the single Spacema ...
and
Randy Steffes, before disbanding the following year. Another short-lived group, Little Joe, followed soon thereafter, which was active sporadically for the next two years and recorded a demo in 1992.
After moving to Vancouver, Chinn began what would become a long battle with hard drug addiction.
This period also marked the beginning of Chinn's open identification as a homosexual.
In late 1991, SNFU reformed for a reunion tour behind ''
The Last of the Big Time Suspenders
''The Last of the Big Time Suspenders'' is a compilation album by the Canadian hardcore punk band SNFU. The album is composed of live recordings, demos, compilation and EP tracks, and studio outtakes. It was released in 1991, two years after SNFU' ...
'', a rarities compilation released to satisfy their contract with
Cargo Records. The tour was successful, and the reinvigorated band properly reunited, signing to
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is an American independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. A large portion of the record label, known as Hellcat Records, is owned by Tim Armstrong, frontman of the punk rock band Rancid. Several ...
in 1993. Their five years of activity with Epitaph resulted in three studio albums and the greatest industry prominence in the band's career; the records reached six-digit record sales
and SNFU toured alongside successful punk rock acts like
Green Day
Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
and
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...
.
Chinn's mental and physical health began to diminish during this era, however, due both to increased drug use and the trauma he faced following the death of his mother.
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
David Rees (born June 15, 1969 in Seattle, Washington) is an American-Canadian musician and television editor currently based in Montreal, Quebec. Rees played drums in the punk rock band SNFU and the alternative rock band Wheat Chiefs, and serv ...
; the remaining members nevertheless kept the band active as a four-piece for the first time in its career while seeking a new recording contract. This era ultimately ended after the departure of longtime bassist
Rob Johnson and a hiatus in 2001.
Personal struggles and third SNFU incarnation
Chinn then formed the new group Slaveco. with
Matt Warhurst
Matt Warhurst (born June 28, 1975 in Sechelt, British Columbia) Chris Walter. ''...What No One Else Wanted to Say''. Vancouver: GFY Press, 2012, pp. 213 is a Canadian musician and record producer. He has played bass guitar in the punk rock grou ...
and
Shane Smith, both future members of SNFU, and Jay Black. SNFU returned to activity late in 2003, releasing ''
In the Meantime and in Between Time
IN, In or in may refer to:
Dans
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* Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN)
* In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast
Businesses and organizations
* Independen ...
'', their seventh studio album, and touring subsequently before again disbanding in 2005 due to further exhaustion and disagreements.
Slaveco. became inactive shortly thereafter, and Chinn spiraled into depression, poverty, and addiction, which ultimately resulted in his homelessness.
Nonetheless, Chinn at this time began work on an unfinished solo album in collaboration with other Vancouver musicians, including Johnson.
Chinn and former SNFU bassist
Ken Fleming, now on guitar, began playing sets of SNFU material with a new rhythm section in 2007 before deciding to reform the band officially. Later joined by early drummer
Jon Card
Jon Card (December 11, 1960 – April 8, 2024) was a German-born Canadian drummer. He played in the punk rock bands Personality Crisis, SNFU, D.O.A., and The Subhumans.
Life and career
Card was born to a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot in Zwe ...
and several new members, this third incarnation of SNFU spent the next several years touring Europe, Canada, and Central America.
''Open Your Mouth and Say... Mr. Chi Pig'', a biographical documentary film about Chinn, was released in March 2010. Produced by the Canadian company Prairie Coast Films and directed by Sean Patrick Shaul, the film told the story of Chinn's life and career, containing interview footage with such notables as
Jello Biafra
Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and political activist. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.
Init ...
of the
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run.
Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...
,
Brendan Canning
Brendan Canning (born 1969) is a Canadian indie rock
Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used ...
of
Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a Canadian indie rock band and musical collective including as few as six and as many as nineteen members, formed by Kevin Drew (vocals, guitar) and Brendan Canning (vocals, bass) in 1999. Alongside Drew and Canning, the ...
, and
Joey Keithley
Joseph Edward "Joey Shithead" Keithley (né Keighley; June 3, 1956)
is a Canadia ...
of
D.O.A. citing SNFU's influence on them personally and the rock scene at large. The film also documented Chinn's struggles with addiction and ill health, and the escape from these conditions that the 2007 SNFU reunion represented.
In 2011, Chinn suffered from severe
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
, and SNFU became fractured following various members' emigrations.
Despite this, the group managed to tour the following year in support of the band's official biography,
Chris Walter's ''...What No One Else Wanted to Say'', released via GFY Press. Chinn also began performing solo acoustic sets, sometimes billed as DNFU (Distortion's No Fucking Use), in 2013. This same year, SNFU released ''
Never Trouble Trouble Until Trouble Troubles You'', their eighth and final studio album, before this lineup disbanded.
From 2014 to 2017, Chinn led new lineups of SNFU featuring former bassist Dave Bacon, Steffes, guitarist
Kurt Robertson, and several drummers across various Canadian and European tours. The final SNFU performances occurred in Europe early in 2017. Though the band intended to continue, they announced a hiatus in early 2018 due to Chinn's health.
Illness and death
After Chinn became too ill to continue performing with SNFU, he focused his attention on his art.
[Walter, Chris. ''...What No One Else Wanted to Say,'' Vancouver: GFY Press, 2020 (third edition), pg. 269.] In November 2019,
BeatRoute
''BeatRoute'' is a monthly print and online magazine published in Western Canada. The magazine is distributed across Alberta and British Columbia, with offices in Calgary and Vancouver. BeatRoute is a primarily music-oriented publication, with a ...
journalist Sean Orr interviewed Chinn, who stated that he had been diagnosed with a serious medical condition expected soon to be fatal.
Chinn recorded a solo 7" single with orchestral versions of "
Hurt
Hurt may refer to:
* Suffering
* Pain
* Injury
Film and television
* ''Hurt'' (2003 film), a Canadian drama film
* ''Hurt'' (2009 film), an American horror film
* ''Hurt'' (2015 film), a Canadian documentary film
* ''Hurt'' (2018 film), an ...
" (written by
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN (stylized as NIИ), is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1988. Its members are the singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Trent Reznor and his frequent col ...
and later famously covered by
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
) and SNFU's "Painful Reminder" that was released in May 2020, just a couple of months before his death. He died on July 16, 2020.
SNFU released the acoustic track "Cement Mixer" via YouTube shortly after his death.
As per Chinn's wishes, the song was released the day of his death, with his remaining bandmates writing, "Mr Chi Pig wanted to give all his friends and fans one last gift the day his soul took flight. Enjoy."
Discography
Solo and collaborative
* Removal Featuring Mr. Chi Pig: "Some Other Time" (7" single, 2000)
* "Hurt" b/w "Painful Reminder" (7" single, 2020)
SNFU
* See
SNFU discography
The Wongs
* ''Don't Fuck with the Wongs'' cassette (1990)
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinn, Ken
1962 births
2020 deaths
20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people
21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people
Artists from Alberta
Canadian gay musicians
Canadian LGBTQ singers
Canadian musicians of Chinese descent
Canadian people of German descent
Canadian punk rock singers
Musicians from Edmonton
People with schizophrenia
Singers from Alberta
Slaveco. members
SNFU members