SNFU

SNFU

Yesterday evening I was visiting my son. He showed me a video which the featured a Canadian punk rock band called SNFU. There was a time when I once enjoyed the music of punk bands such as the Sex Pistols and the DOA. What I liked about punk rock is that you usually didn't have to be a great musician to play the music. It was also a good way for young people to get out a lot of their angst. In the 1990s the music of bands like Nirvana was really in a similar vein. Prior to yesterday evening I was not really familiar with the Canadian punk rock scene. I had heard of DOA from Vancouver but that was about it.

The video we watched was called Open Your Mouth and Say Mr. Chi Pig. A good portion of this documentary follows the struggles of SNFU’s front man, Ken Chinn. Ken Chinn has more than a few demons to struggle with. He is burdened with serious mental health issues and addictions. He has been homeless and has tried to get his life back on track. With the help of some fellow musicians he has been able to do this. His story is a story of recovery. This does not mean that Ken Chinn now leads a fully functional life. For people with schizophrenia this is often not possible. What recovery means is developing and maintaining a better standard of life than what one previously had. Actively working in a band appears to be very therapeutic for Ken Chinn. People with schizophrenia cannot usually lead what we call normal lives. People suffering from this illness may still seem very strange to us but we have no idea of the obstacles that they have to contend with on a daily basis. On top of all this they have the added stigma of mental illness that society places upon them. I believe that this video is of great educational importance to those who work with people suffering from serious mental illness. Society needs to wake up and recognize that individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses are people with talents and skills. They need to be respected for the truly strong individuals that they are.