A Tribute To Chi Pig
A Tribute To Chi Pig
By Noreen Hurst
This is likely the hardest piece of writing for me since it is about someone who has influenced me and so many others. Mr. Chi Pig influenced us with his words, his music, and his unbelievable stage performance, but he was so much more than that. Whether you knew him personally or maybe you were just a fan, like me. I never did get the chance to meet him personally, although I came close once. I’m writing this from my personal experience of how Mr. Chi Pig and SNFU have shaped my life.
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Ken Chinn, infamously known as Mr. Chi Pig, passed away on July 16th, 2020. The man that paved the way for Punk Rock in Edmonton and beyond is gone. As if this year couldn’t get any worse... it just did. I remember the shock I felt the moment I found out he passed away.
“Fuck No! This can’t be real!”
This loss is felt deeply, not just in Edmonton and Vancouver, but worldwide. For days my social media feeds were of Chi Pig stories and pictures and I too cried for days. It is quite evident the impact he has made and I know I am not the only one who is still reeling after Chi Pig’s passing. Chi Pig was the voice of my youth, he made us feel like it was ok to not fit in, to be different, that it was ok to just be yourself. I told my daughter: “Mr. Chi Pig is a name you need to know and remember, his words helped me get through my angry teenage years, and maybe they will help you too”. She is 15 and will be starting high school this fall.
I was in high school when I first heard SNFU. My friend Neal Vantour would make these mixtapes for me and our friends. Neal’s tapes were infamous in our circle.
“Who is this band? It’s SNFU! SNF-who? SNFU it stands for Society’s No Fucking Use. Who is the singer? His name is Chi Pig. Well I think they just blew my mind.”
The music was raw and definitely not like anything else I’d ever heard. Songs about G.I Joe and music from the heart like the song “Tears”, even a song about protecting girls with “She’s Not On The Menu”. I was drawn to the heart-attack drums, raunchy loud guitars, thick bass lines, and Mr. Chi Pig’s captivating voice who sang with such power and emotion with words that had such substance and meaning.
One summer after high school I worked a landscaping job with my Mom. I’d cut grass, weed whack, and work with flowers. I remember rotating between the albums Better Than a Stick in the Eye and Last of the Big Time Suspenders on my Walkman. It was the best music to work to, it made the work more fun, and it still does today. I can't always listen to music at work...but when I do it’s 1-2 SNFU !!!!
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A small group of us social misfits started attending their gigs, it felt like there was finally a place for us to unleash our angsty energy, the mosh pit is where we let it all out.
I saw SNFU twice, once at the Polish Hall and once at the Shaw Conference Center. I was with my friend Shelley and even after 25 years, we still go to gigs together. The Polish Hall gig was my first. SNFU played with Drool and Field Day, I remember feeling nervous, I had heard a few stories about their shows and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of Chi Pig, maybe puffed wheat? Or I heard about the hotdogs. I just hoped I’d make it out alive. I vividly remember the pit during that show, we were upstairs at the Polish Hall in the balcony overlooking the floor, I wanted the best view of Chi Pig and to witness the moment the pit erupted. You could feel the energy shifting as we waited for them to start. I don’t remember what song they opened with but I remember seeing the chaos ensue below me and it was magnificent and beautiful! Chi Pig appeared intimidating, yet charismatic. He commanded your respect and attention. Round and round the circle pit went and we had the glorious view from up above. The pit was safe though and if people fell they would be scooped up quickly by many hands. It was always like that, we didn't need to be afraid. As my best friend and I linked arms, we sang along and with everyone else, it was electric. To me, it was true freedom. The hairs on my arms stand up on end as I write about that moment.
(I don't remember much of the Shaw Conference Show when they played with Bad Religion. I almost forgot about that show since it had been a rough few years for me and I was a wreck and my memory is fuzzy. It wasn’t until Shelley showed me the ticket stubs she had saved from that show. YES! I was there!)
I watched the Open Your Mouth and Say Mr. Chi Pig documentary, it was beautifully done but it was hard for me to watch. It was painful to know that he suffered so much from unhealed trauma and addiction and heartbreaking to hear how he sold all his possessions and was left with only a cockatoo quill (which became a song related to his experience). Mr. Chi pig said he dreamed of being a vagabond, free of society’s grips, which sadly had left him out of reach from the help and resources he was needing. It wasn’t until later he found a place to live in Vancouver for men with addiction and mental health challenges and he found the support services he needed.
The loss of his Mother seemed to be a debilitating blow that sent him in a downward spiral, especially when the grief becomes complicated grief, where it affects your day to day functions even years later. I lost my Mom 8 years ago to suicide and I started experiencing complicated grief and it started taking over many aspects of my life. I developed PTSD on top of the anxiety and seasonal depression I already had. I started numbing myself again, withdrawing from everyone and everything. I became sensitive to sound and everything felt like a trigger. Sadly, my symptoms were so debilitating that I couldn't attend the last Edmonton SNFU show, I regret it now, since this was a band that has influenced me greatly in my own writing and my music.
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Mr. Chi Pig was a creative, misunderstood genius, he was also a very well known artist. I'd consider yourself lucky to have any of his art if he either gifted it to you or you bought it from him. Apparently he would do over 30 drawings a night for people that would run into him. People often would search for him in Vancouver, looking for him in his usuals haunts, hoping to acquire some of his art or to share a drink and a moment of wisdom with him. He is and always will be the essence of art itself.
I heard he has a drink named after him at Funky Winkerbean’s, and the now closed Pub 340 has the beautiful new graffiti art in his honour. I hope we keep sharing our stories, his art, and the memories and we keep listening to his words and his music. Let's keep Mr. Chi Pig’s memory and spirit alive! I recommend signing the petition to have his name on the Canadian Walk of Fame or support the Go Fund Me art mural planned. Let's do something larger than life for the “larger than life man” in his honour. Create some art, play a SNFU cover song on your guitar, or crank your old tapes and records, raise a glass, have a puff or pass around the photo album… whatever it is you do, let's take a moment to pay homage to the late great Mr. Chi Pig. I want to thank Ken Chinn for being an inspiration, for teaching us to be ourselves and to be better human beings. I will honour him through a song I wrote called “Fool’s Gold”, a song with him in mind and with a similar message about being yourself and living your authentic life, and kicking ass. Fuck fitting in!!! Maybe you will hear it one day and my hope is that I can inspire someone else with my words just as Mr. Chi Pig’s words inspired me.
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I don't know who said it but these words seemed like a fitting way to end my tribute to the legendary Mr. Chi Pig.......
Punk Rock 101
When someone falls....
Pick them up ........in the Pit and in Life!
That was Chi Pig taught us, that we’re all humans and we’re all the same, we suffer sometimes but we learn and grow and we all have the choice everyday whether to mosh in the Pit of Life or to sing standing on the sidelines, but no matter what you do, do something to help someone else who’s down, love each other and be good to each other. Love is always the answer.
- Green Noreen
