The band packed it in 2005 not long after the release of In The Mean Time and In-Between Time. Marc "Muc" Belke went back to school, and the other band members went their own ways rather than try to replace him.
That is, until 2007 when Ken "Mr. Chi Pig" Chinn appeared on stage again fronting a band he was calling "asSNFU" for a small number of shows to celebrate the band's long history.
Allegedly an acronym for Society's No Fucking Use, SNFU initially comprised Chi Pig, the Belkes, bassist Warren Bidlock and drummer Evan "Tadpole" Jones. However, over the next decade the group's rhythm section changed from album to album and tour to tour. As you can see from the list to the left, there are currently 17 people on the SNFU roster that have played at one time or an other with the band.
SNFU's first two releases, 1985's ...And No One Else Wanted to Play and If You Swear, You'll Catch No Fish, were straight- ahead skate punk albums with strongly political lyrics, released on BYO Records. For 1988's Better Than a Stick in the Eye the quintet moved to the larger indie label Cargo Records, for whom they also recorded 1992's mostly live The Last of the Big Time Suspenders, intended to be their final album.
Just as SNFU appeared to be finished, Epitaph Records -- the most commercially successful U.S. independent label of the 1990s -- offered them a record contract. Along with new bassist Rob Johnson and drummer Dave Rees, Chi Pig and the Belkes returned with 1993's Something Green and Leafy This Way Comes, which, not surprising, had a more typical West Coast/Epitaph sound. Following the release of 1995's The One Voted Most Likely To Succeed, the group returned with 1996's FYULABA (produced by Dave Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy), their first album not to have a seven word title (though it does have a seven letter title). In 1997 Brent Belke and David Rees left the group; SNFU decided to continue on as a four-piece with new drummer Sean Stubbs, recording the Canada-only live release Let's Get It Right the First Time.
In 2000 SNFU released a 5 song EP on Alternative Tentacles titled The Ping Pong EP. Currently (Sept. 2004), SNFU has recorded their 8th full-length album In the meantime and in between time. This future release is set to be released on their own record label, Rake Records. On July 16th, 2020 Ken Chinn pasted away at the age of 57.
Past SNFU Lineups:
SNFU mach 1:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc "muc" belke - guitar
brent "bunt" belke - guitar
warren bidlok - bass
evan c "tadpole" jones - drums
SNFU mach 2:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent "bunt belke - guitar
jimmy schmitz - bass
evan c "tadpole" jones - drums
SNFU mach 3:
mr.chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
dave bacon - bass
jon card aka seth hornblend - drums
SNFU mach 4:
mr.chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
dave bacon - bass
ted simm - drums
SNFU mach 5:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc bellke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
curtis creager - bass
ted simm - drums
SNFU mach 6:
mr.chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
curtis creager - bass
jon card - drums
SNFU mach 7:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
ken fleming - bass
david rees - drums
SNFU mach 8:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
brent belke - guitar
rob "starbuck" johnson - bass
david rees - drums
SNFU mach 9:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
rob johnson - bass
sean stubbs - drums
SNFU mach 10:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
rob johnson - bass
chris "cpl. ninny" thompson
SNFU mach 11:
mr. chi pig - vocals
marc belke - guitar
matt warhurst - bass
shane smith - drums
Charlie Still Smirks
SNFU Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Her blood's on the fridge
Those hippies, they've gone too far
Once, they were passive
they've done too much acid
While freaking out at the farm
Charlie is up for parole today
They won't let him out, you know, but that's ok
Charlie deserves to die in jail today anyway
They needed a leader
To make them feel bigger
than their parents ever could
Some went to jail
Some, they found god
I heard that Axl Rose once gave him a blow job
Charlie is up for parole today
Charlie still smirks behind rusted bars today
They won't let him out, you know
It's safe to say
Charlie will never see the light of day
The lyrics of SNFU's song "Charlie Still Smirks" depict a scene of violence and tragedy as a murdered starlet lies dead and her blood stains the fridge in the background. The song suggests that a group of hippies went too far with their indulgence in drugs and ended up committing this heinous act. The lyrics imply that the hippies sought a sense of identity and purpose through their experimentation with drugs but ended up losing themselves in the process. The line "They needed a leader, To make them feel bigger, Than their parents ever could" suggests that the hippies were seeking guidance and meaning in their lives, but found it all in the wrong places.
The song goes on to mention Charlie, who is up for parole, and who is still smirking despite being behind bars. The lyrics suggest that Charlie was the leader of the group of hippies and was responsible for the murder. The line "I heard that Axl Rose once gave him a blow job" is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the rumors about the famous Guns N' Roses singer and his supposed admiration for Charles Manson. The overall message of the song seems to be a cautionary tale about the dangers of indulging in drugs and losing oneself to the point of committing heinous acts.
Line by Line Meaning
A starlet lay dead
Someone has been killed
Her blood's on the fridge
The murder was brutal and bloody
Those hippies, they've gone too far
The killers were likely associated with the counter-culture hippie movement
Once, they were passive
The hippies were not always violent
they've done too much acid
The hippies' use of drugs may have contributed to their descent into violence
While freaking out at the farm
The murder likely took place on a farm where the hippies were living
Charlie is up for parole today
Charlie, the leader of the hippies, is eligible for early release from prison
Charlie still smirks behind rusted bars today
Charlie is still proud of what he did and shows no remorse
They won't let him out, you know, but that's ok
The parole board will not grant Charlie's release
Charlie deserves to die in jail today anyway
Charlie is a dangerous criminal who deserves to remain in prison for the rest of his life
They needed a leader
The hippies followed Charlie's lead in committing the murder
To make them feel bigger
Charlie made the hippies feel powerful and important
than their parents ever could
The hippies found more meaning and purpose in Charlie's leadership than in their upbringing
Some went to jail
Some of the other hippies involved in the murder were arrested and convicted
Some, they found god
Some of the other hippies may have found religion as a way to cope with their guilt
I heard that Axl Rose once gave him a blow job
This line is likely irrelevant to the main story and is included for shock value
Charlie is up for parole today
Charlie is still hoping to be released from prison, despite his crime
Charlie still smirks behind rusted bars today
Charlie is unrepentant and proud of what he did
They won't let him out, you know
The authorities know that Charlie is a dangerous criminal
It's safe to say
Charlie will likely never be released from prison
Charlie will never see the light of day
Charlie will probably spend the rest of his life in prison
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRENT JONATHON BELKE, MARC STEVEN BELKE, KEN STEVEN CHINN, ROBERT ARTHUR JOHNSON, DAVID ANTHONY REES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert G
I first heard this song on an old motocross video back in like 1996...... I was hooked ever since!!
Ray Cooper
first yessssssss Terra firma
ProjectV8
At age 42 now listening to that sound now I feel like I was in 1996 listening to this album for the first time.
My God!!!!!
Neil Anderson
I'm 41 now.. when I finish high school (secondary school ) went mad on these. pure fuckin' class..
carrito1981
It's pretty fuckin timeless if you ask me. They were real talented people making punk rock that is real fuckin' music. I will listen to this til i die.
Pamela Parsons
SNFU is legendary....recognize
Con Bat
Saw them twice in the late 80s and once around 90, fucking ruled
weezman
Charlie ain't smirking anymore
KurtsHead
"And I heard charlie was up for parole today, he was rejected for the 12 time today"
Courtney Gold
Charlie still smirks from the otherside!