Sam North (born November 4, 1985 in

New York, NY New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

), better known as Sammy thrashLife, is an American painter and writer, best known for his art and blog, chronicling his experiences with

borderline personality disorder Borderline personality disorder (BPD), also known as emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD), is a personality disorder characterized by a long-term pattern of unstable interpersonal relationships, distorted sense of self, and strong ...

, his history with heroin addiction and recovery, and his involvement in the American punk rock scene.

Art

thrashLife first began drawing and painting in late 2012 while at Tranquil Shores, an inpatient facility for the treatment of substance abuse and mental illness. His first exhibit was just months after his release from Tranquil Shores, in the lobby of a movie theater, the historic

Sun-Ray Cinema The Sun-Ray Cinema at 5 Points, formerly known as Riverside Theater and 5 Points Theatre, is a historic two-screen movie theater in Jacksonville, Florida.Jean-Michel Basquiat but the text written across his canvases more directly (and in great detail) addresses his issues with girls, love, sex, self-esteem, anxiety, and identity. In a biographical article for

Folio Weekly ''Folio Weekly'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Jacksonville, Florida. It covers topics such as politics, lifestyle, and entertainment. It is the largest and most influential alternative paper in Northeast Florida and is distribut ...

, Janet Harper wrote, "Sam's openness with his art, and with perfect strangers, could be off-putting, the way he lets his guard down almost instantly and chats easily about the darkest parts of his life. He's open about his mental illness and drug addiction. About his issues with women and his need to be accepted and adored ... But Sam's brutal honesty, always with a dose of

narcissism Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in one's physical appearance or image and an excessive preoccupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Narcissism exists on a co ...

and boyish charm, makes it easy to be comfortable around him, and to trust him ... It's a rare trait, and one that leaves an impact on almost everyone he meets. He gives so much of himself, both through his art and the short biographical stories he includes with each piece – which is exactly why it's selling." A review of a 2015 show in Minneapolis similarly noted, "While displays fill the gallery, the hectic work of artist Sammy thrashLife steals the show. When walking into the gallery, the first image you see straight ahead on the back wall is a jumbled mess of color captioned with a commanding "HAVE SEX WITH AND/OR BUY ART FROM ME." After a light giggle from this order, you make your way to the piece and start reading the lighthearted fine print that lets you know that the aforementioned options are Sammy's only worth in this life. The dark, humorous piece, like many others he has on display, takes you on an introspective journey that leads you through Sammy's struggles with drugs, women, and depression—all of course presented with a special kind of dark humor that elicits simultaneous sadness and happiness. The piece features vibrant colors and characters that seem lifted from some darker, more anxious version of ''

Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn ( Jeremy Shada) and ...

''. All of Sammy's pieces in the show have this same laughable-but-sad style that creates a special kind of closeness between him and viewers. I wouldn't be surprised if I now know more about his life than some of his friends do."

Music

thrashLife is responsible for Traffic Street Records, has played in a number of punk bands, has created art for other groups, and is an occasional contributor to

Razorcake Razorcake is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that publishes the Razorcake fanzine, a DIY punk rock fanzine published bi-monthly out of Los Angeles, California. It was co-founded by Todd Taylor (former Flipside managing editor) and Sean Car ...

magazine, for whom he's interviewed

Banner Pilot Banner Pilot is a punk band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Their music is influenced by acts such as Jawbreaker, The Lawrence Arms, Screeching Weasel, and Hot Water Music. History The band was formed by Nate Gangelhoff and Nick Jo ...

and Rational Anthem. Other notable interviews include Off with Their Heads for Punknews.org in 2007. Through his own website, he also occasionally publishes editorials and short articles on subjects relevant to the punk scene and in promotion of bands he supports.

Traffic Street Records

While in attendance at

Georgetown University Law Center The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment a ...

, thrashLife founded and operated an independent record label, Traffic Street Records. When his heroin addiction spun out of control post-graduation in the fall of 2011, a deal was struck with Kiss of Death Records to manage Traffic Street's catalog and fulfill all pending orders. In its active years, Traffic Street released recordings by

Andrew Jackson Jihad AJJ is an American folk punk band from Phoenix, Arizona, originally formed in 2004 as Andrew Jackson Jihad. Their lyrics handle themes of shyness, poverty, humanity, religion, addiction, existentialism, and politics. Singer/guitarist Sean Bonnet ...

The Dopamines The Dopamines are an American punk rock band from Cincinnati formed in late 2006 by Matt Hemingway (drums), Jon Lewis (guitar, vocals) and Jon Weiner (bass, vocals). In 2008, Hemingway left the band and was replaced by Michael Dickson. Occasio ...

, The Brokedowns, The Measure, The Taxpayers, and many others. While thrashLife oversaw all elements of production at Traffic Street, he did not often create album covers himself. Artists responsible for Traffic Street album covers include

Mitch Clem Mitch Andrew Clem (born September 15, 1982) is an American cartoonist best known for his web comics '' Nothing Nice To Say'', ''San Antonio Rock City'', and ''My Stupid Life''. Biography Early life Clem was born in Minneapolis, on September 1 ...

Aldo Giorgini Aldo Giorgini (March 15, 1934 – October 1994) was an Italian artist and a pioneer in computer graphics. He is the father of music producer Mass Giorgini and Flav Giorgini. Biography Giorgini was born in Voghera, in the province of Pavia (nor ...

, and

Lauren Denitzio Worriers are an American melodic punk band from Brooklyn, New York. The band’s music is centered on the songwriting of Lauren Denitzio, the former vocalist/guitarist of The Measure (SA). Primarily a solo project, Worriers has also featured a rot ...

Bands

Extra Day For Riots

As a teenager, thrashLife sang for Florida band, Extra Day For Riots. The band lasted from 2003 to 2005. In a 2013 interview, drummer

Chris Hembrough Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nig ...

, said of his time with the group: "Before Rational nthem I played in a band called Extra Day For Riots in high school. My buddy, Sam North, who used to run Traffic Street Records, was the singer. We just played basic simple pop punk. Really jumpy

blink-182 Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...

-esque stuff. We won a talent show and did lots of drugs. The band broke up after we almost killed each other at band practice." * ''The Most Fun I Ever Had'' CDEP (self-released, 2004) * ''Keeping '95 Alive'' CDEP (self-released, 2005)

Troublemake

After the demise of Extra Day For Riots, thrashLife formed Troublemake, a band consisting of himself as songwriter/singer/bassist and whichever friends he could gather up to record his songs or play shows. In contrast to Extra Day For Riots, Troublemake was warmly received by critics. Of the group's second EP, ''Feral'',

Jersey Beat Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...

wrote, "Sloppy lo-fi bedroom recordings never sounded so good before" and further praised "the socially fitting and heartfelt lyrics, sung with emotion and angst."

's similarly enthusiastic review of the band's split EP with Turkish Techno described Troublemake as "a solid anathematic band, hailing from D.C., but making sounds in the

Dillinger Four Dillinger Four, sometimes abbreviated as D4, is an American punk rock band formed in 1994 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They have released four full-length studio albums. Since 1996, the band's lineup has been Patrick Costello on bass guitar and ...

universe. This feels more produced than earlier songs—but with the strong, eager oomph they've always had—driving the songs with a spirit you can get on board with. This is the kind of stuff that makes house parties pop, getting everyone to sing and scream together." Much more of a project than an active band, Troublemake's only activity was recording sporadically in the years 2005, 2006, and 2008, and several shows in support of Rational Anthem during that band's tour in the summer of 2008. * ''Staying Afloat in Florida'' CDEP (self-released, 2005) * ''Feral'' CDEP (self-released, 2007) * Turkish Techno / Troublemake 7-inch split (Traffic Street Records, 2009) * ''Dangerous Intersections V'' 7-inch compilation (Traffic Street Records, 2009; also featuring The Legendary San Diego Chargers, Shang-a-Lang, and

) * ''Dirt Cult Mix Tape, Vol. II'' (Dirt Cult Records, 2009; also featuring

Tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, i ...

Vacation Bible School Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a religious term usually used to represent a week long event in the summer. History The origins of Vacation Bible School can be traced back to Hopedale, Illinois in 1894. Sunday school teacher D. T. Miles, who also ...

Unwelcome Guests ''Unwelcome'' is the fifth studio album by the Death Metal band Arsis. It was released on April 30, 2013 through Nuclear Blast Records. This is the first full-length album to feature Shawn Priest on drums and Brandon Ellis on guitar. The second t ...

, and others).

Shitty Children

In the summer of 2014, thrashLife fronted a Chicago-based band called Shitty Children. The band performed in Chicago just once before being invited to play at the eighth annual Awesome Fest in San Diego, CA. In announcing their addition to the bill, festival organizer Marty Ploy wrote, "Super stoked on this! Sammy thrashLife has been a huge inspiration the last couple years and really is just rad as fuck. Come see his band with the dudes from Like Bats and ex-members of Rational Anthem." While thrashLife, bassist Chris Spillane, and drummer were constant members of the band, Shitty Children had a different guitarist at each of the three shows they played before disbanding. No studio recordings were ever produced but a live video with lyrics was posted on thrashLife's website shortly after the band's first performance.

Design

In his later role as a visual artist, thrashLife has designed album art and merchandise for

Todd Congelliere Todd Congelliere is an American musician and label owner. Congelliere's many projects include F.Y.P, Toys That Kill, Underground Railroad to Candyland, and Jumpstarted Plowhards with Mike Watt of Minutemen. Congelliere started the label Rec ...

and Apocalypse Meow, Rational Anthem,

Lipstick Homicide Lipstick is a cosmetic product used to apply coloration and texture to lips, often made of wax and oil. Different pigments are used to produce color, and minerals such as silica may be used to provide texture. The use of lipstick dates ba ...

, Like Bats and others.

Personal life

thrashLife's father is musician

Ian North Ian North (March 24, 1952 – February 28, 2021) was an American musician, producer, and painter known for being part of the bohemian punk movement in United States with his power pop band Milk 'N' Cookies. Early life and career Ian North was ...

Milk 'N' Cookies Milk 'N' Cookies was an American power pop band from Long Island, New York. Active during the 1970s, a particularly fertile and creative period in the suburban New York music scene, the band had a loyal following of fans attracted to their un ...

Neo Neo or NEO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Neo (''The Matrix''), the alias of Thomas Anderson, a hacker and the protagonist of the Matrix film series * Neo (''Marvel Comics'' species), a fictional race of superhumans * ...

, and Darkjet. In the summer of 2013, thrashLife auditioned for, and was cast in, the short film ''No Real Than You Are.'' The film premiered to a sold-out audience at the 2014

Sarasota Film Festival The Sarasota Film Festival is a film festival located in Sarasota, Florida and is held in April. Its mission is "to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-lo ...

and found its first overseas audience at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

in France. On August 25, 2015, the state of Illinois charged thrashLife with criminal sexual assault. One week later, a blog entry appeared on thrashLife's website, stating: "I didn’t do this. The truth will come out." At a preliminary hearing on September 15, a circuit court judge ruled there was no probable cause to believe thrashLife had committed any crime and the charges against him were dismissed.

External links

sammythrashLife.com
– Official website
Television feature
by

WJXT WJXT (channel 4) is an independent television station in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is owned by Graham Media Group alongside CW affiliate WCWJ (channel 17). Both stations share studios at 4 Broadcast Place on the south bank of ...

Exhibit review
from The Wake Magazine
Report / interview
by

Minnesota Public Radio Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), is a public radio network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, YourClassical MPR and The Current, MPR operates a 46-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest. MPR ha ...

Biographical article
from

Traffic Street Records
on

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:thrashLife, Sammy Living people 1985 births 21st-century American painters Outsider artists People with borderline personality disorder 21st-century American singers