Ken Chinn

Ken Chinn
Ken Chinn performing with SNFU at the Starlite Room in Edmonton
Background information
Birth name	Kendall Chinn
Also known as	Mr. Chi Pig
Born	October 19, 1962 (1962-10-19) (age 49)
Origin	Edmonton, Canada
Genres	Punk rock
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1981–present
Associated acts	Live Sex Show, SNFU, The Wongs, Slaveco.

Kendall "Ken" Chinn (born on October 19, 1962 in Edmonton, Alberta) 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.

Early life and career

Born to German and Chinese parents, Chinn was the second youngest of twelve children.^[1] His early life entailed traumatic episodes related to his unstable family, including manifestations of what would later be diagnosed as schizophrenia.^[1] Despite this, he remained close to his siblings and parents, who were important influences.^[1] As a teenager, he developed interests in punk rock, skateboarding 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.^[2] 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.^[3][4] 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.^[1]

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.^[1] This period also marked the beginning of Chinn's open identification as a homosexual.^[1]

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^[5] and toured alongside of such successful punk rock acts as Green Day,^[6] Bad Religion^[6] and Iggy Pop.^[7]

Late in 1997, Epitaph opted against renewing the band's contract.^[1] This resulted in heavy band debt^[1] 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.

Personal struggles; third SNFU incarnation

Chinn then formed the new group Slaveco. 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.^[1][2] Slaveco. became inactive shortly thereafter, and Chinn spiraled into depression, poverty and addiction, which ultimately resulted in his homelessness.^[1]

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,^[8][9] 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.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Open Your Mouth and Say...Mr. Chi Pig, [1] Film, Dir: Sean Patrick Shaul, 2010.
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.theskinnymag.info/view_article.php?article_id=208
3. ^ http://www.push.ca/blogs/andrewsk/archive/2009/08/19/the-undeniable-influence-of-skate-punk-and-snfu.aspx
4. ^ http://www.troopertribute.com/snfu.htm
5. ^ Official bio at Alternative Tentacles.com
6. ^ ^{a b} Official Marc Belke biography at Marcbelke.com
7. ^ The Sound Research - Dave Rees bio
8. ^ Razorcake Review
9. ^ Official web page for the film

External links

• Official SNFU web page
• Ken Chinn at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Ken Chinn from 2008
• Interview with Ken Chinn from 2008

Persondata
Name	Chinn, Ken
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	October 16, 1962
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death