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| '''Kendall "Ken" Chinn''' (born on October 16, 1962 in ]) is a ] ] ] and artist. He |
'''Kendall "Ken" Chinn''' (born on October 16, 1962 in ], died November 11 2010) is a ] ] ] and artist. He was best known, under the pseudonym '''Mr. Chi Pig''', as the lead singer of the band ]. He was pronounced dead on the evening of Novemeber 11 2010 after being mobbed by a bunch of washed up old school punks hell bent on re living past glory. | ||
| ==Early life and career== | ==Early life and career== | ||
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| A biographical ] 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,<ref></ref><ref></ref> containing interview footage with such notables as ] of the ], ] of ] and ] of ] citing SNFU's influence on them personally and the rock scene at large. | A biographical ] 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,<ref></ref><ref></ref> containing interview footage with such notables as ] of the ], ] of ] and ] of ] citing SNFU's influence on them personally and the rock scene at large. | ||
| ==Death== | |||
| On the evening of Novemeber 11, a mob of washed up punkers smothered Ken to death while begging him to help them re live their old glory. Despite the valiant effort of fans and emergency personell, Ken sucumbed to his injuries. His grave is located next to a sewer outlet in Gordon Head, BC | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 20:39, 31 August 2011
| Ken Chinn | |
|---|---|
 Ken Chinn playing with SNFU at the Starlite Room in Edmonton | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kendall Chinn |
| Also known as | Mr. Chi Pig |
| Born | (1962-10-16) October 16, 1962 (age 62) |
| Origin | Edmonton, Canada |
| Genres | Punk rock |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1981–present |
Kendall "Ken" Chinn (born on October 16, 1962 in Edmonton, Alberta, died November 11 2010) is a Canadian punk rock lead vocalist and artist. He was best known, under the pseudonym Mr. Chi Pig, as the lead singer of the band SNFU. He was pronounced dead on the evening of Novemeber 11 2010 after being mobbed by a bunch of washed up old school punks hell bent on re living past glory.
Early life and career
Born to German and Chinese parents, Chinn was the second youngest of twelve children in his family. His early life entailed traumatic episodes related to his unstable family, including manifestations of what would later be diagnosed as schizophrenia. Despite this, he remained close to his siblings and parents, who were important influences. 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. 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 frontman, 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 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.
Struggles; third SNFU incarnation
Chinn then formed the new group Slaveco. with Matt Warhurst and Shane Smith, both future members of SNFU, as well as guitarist 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 officially deciding that they had properly reformed the band. Later joined by early drummer Jon Card, second guitarist Sean Colig, and bassist 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.
Death
On the evening of Novemeber 11, a mob of washed up punkers smothered Ken to death while begging him to help them re live their old glory. Despite the valiant effort of fans and emergency personell, Ken sucumbed to his injuries. His grave is located next to a sewer outlet in Gordon Head, BC
References
- ^ Open Your Mouth and Say...Mr. Chi Pig, Film, Dir: Sean Patrick Shaul, 2010.
- ^ http://www.theskinnymag.info/view_article.php?article_id=208
- http://www.push.ca/blogs/andrewsk/archive/2009/08/19/the-undeniable-influence-of-skate-punk-and-snfu.aspx
- http://www.troopertribute.com/snfu.htm
- Official bio at Alternative Tentacles.com
- ^ Official Marc Belke biography at Marcbelke.com
- The Sound Research - Dave Rees bio
- Razorcake Review
- 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
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| Related articles | |