Not everyone would find the story of SNFU inspiring. Despite having killer songs and a live act showcasing one of the most talented and outlandish frontmen in the annals of Canadian punk, the band’s later years involved homelessness, mental-health issues, addiction, disappointing record sales, and strained relationships between bandmates, with founding guitarists and brothers Brent and Marc Belke eventually jumping ship for more stable careers.

SNFU biographer Chris Walter, whose new book SNFU: What No One Else Wanted to Say, follows the band’s entire trajectory, admires their “true fucking grit” for keeping at it for so long. “I mean, you take your shot, right?” Walter says by phone from his apartment off Commercial Drive. “Sure, they didn’t achieve any real financial or commercial success, but 30 years later, people are still interested enough in them to write books about them, and people still love them and buy their T-shirts and go to their shows. Say Marc Belke had worked at Earls for his entire youth and never picked up a guitar. So what if they didn’t become the next Green Day? Big deal—he still got out there and did that, they had a lot of fun doing it, and they made their mark!”

The current, Belke-less lineup of SNFU will be on hand for Walter’s book launch on Saturday (July 21) at Funky Winker Bean’s (37 West Hastings Street). This may be one of the last opportunities for Vancouver audiences to catch SNFU on-stage: singer Mr. Chi Pig has had serious health issues over the course of the last year, and after the launch, guitarist Ken “Goony” Fleming will be returning to Japan, where he lives with his new wife.