Information/Write-up
Bunchofuckingoofs (often abbreviated as BFGs) are a seminal Toronto, Ontario hardcore punk band rooted in the Kensington Market scene. The group formed in November 1983, emerging from a volatile local environment marked by frequent confrontations with neo-Nazi skinheads and street violence. From the outset, the band functioned less as a conventional music project than as a nucleus for an aggressively anti-authoritarian, confrontational punk subculture.
Central to the band’s early history were two long-running communal spaces: a Baldwin Street residence known as Fort Goof (active from July 1983 to July 1988) and later a warehouse at 26A Oxford Street, referred to as Goof World, which operated until May 5, 1991. These spaces became hubs for an extended network of Toronto punk and hardcore bands and served as informal venues, rehearsal spaces, and gathering points for the scene. Several bands either formed directly from or were closely associated with this environment, including 4½ Reasons for Retroactive Abortion, Brutally Honest, Ded Fuck, No Identity (No I.D.), Blasphamy, Nunoyerfuckinbiziness (N.F.B.), Armed and Hammered, B. Bob’s Banned, Verboten, and PolitiKILL inCOREct. Members and affiliates of Bunchofuckingoofs later intersected with bands such as Random Killing.
The band became notorious for its confrontational live performances, heavy alcohol consumption, and frequent conflicts both on and off stage. This reputation extended to their audience and contributed to their status as one of the most polarizing acts in Canadian hardcore. During the late 1980s, Bunchofuckingoofs released material on God Records and Fringe Product, placing them alongside labelmates such as the Dayglo Abortions within Canada’s most extreme punk output of the era.
Vocalist Crazy Steve Goof became a visible and controversial figure beyond the music itself. Under the name Steve BFG Johnson, he ran for municipal office on two occasions, reinforcing the band’s blending of provocation, performance, and anti-establishment rhetoric.
The band’s reach extended internationally and into other media. In 1985, Kieran Plunkett — later the singer and bassist of UK punk band The Restarts — spray-painted the Bunchofuckingoofs logo on the Berlin Wall. Following the wall’s collapse, that section reportedly entered the art-exhibition circuit in Basel and New York. Former bassist Thor also played in Armed and Hammered and later in the goth band Perdition.
Bunchofuckingoofs appeared on screen in a range of Canadian television productions, including T. and T., where they portrayed a street gang in the series’ first episode, and appeared as extras in subsequent episodes. Additional television appearances included Night Heat, Street Legal, Captain Power, Friday’s Curse, Knightwatch, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, My Secret Identity, Katts and Dog, War of the Worlds, and Friday the 13th: The Series. Film appearances included Class of 1984, The Fly, Short Circuit 2, Millennium, Amerika, Freakshow, Dragon Hunt, Twin Dragon Encounters, Blindside, Still Life, Pater Noster, and Apology. The band was also featured in a 1980s episode of W5 examining punk culture, which portrayed the scene in a largely negative light.
After roughly 25 years of activity, the band temporarily dissolved following an anniversary event, remaining inactive for more than two years. They reunited on April 27, 2011, to mark the release of Dirty, Drunk and Punk, Jennifer Morton’s book documenting the band’s history, published by Insomniac Press. That event featured two separate lineups representing different eras of the band.
Bunchofuckingoofs performed again on October 28, 2011, at Toronto’s Hard Luck Bar, billed as the group’s “Last Show Ever.” The lineup included Crazy Steve Goof on vocals, Maddog on drums, Scrag and King Kong Goof on bass, and Airock and Stompin Al Miller on guitars.
-Robert Williston
Musicians
Crazy Steve: vocals
Stompin Al Miller: guitar
Bardon Wasfeld: guitar
Merikiss: bass
Mad Dog: drums
Songwriting
All songs by Bunchofuckingoofs
All lyrics by Crazy Steve
Production
Produced by James Stanley, Jeff Bearhall, and Bunchofuckingoofs
Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Umbrella Sound by James Stanley and Jeff Bearhall
Artwork
All artwork and layout by Thor
Photography by Chris Buck
Notes
The experience is dedicated to Rob Angel and Lee
For C/O:
253 College East
Box 313 MS 175
THANX
BOB KANE
BRAINIX
SMASHER
BUNGI STUDS
HUMMER
THOR
DKI
CITIZEN X
LEE
APPLE
FRET
ANIMAL
RAT
SLICK
FANG
TEAG
GOPHER
LIZZO
TISHA
RANDOM KILLING
SONYA
CHRIS (HUGE GROOVE)
GRADY
RAYMI (WILD THINGS)
BURKHANN
ERIC X J.D.
TEMPEST
ENGLISH SEAN
SANYA
MIKI TOMA
OWEN
BIG GREEN BEEF
BUZZ BUZZA
LISA THE DOG
JOE
DUSTY
LIZO
GREEN FANG
CLINT
SEAN PHILTHY SWINE
CUM
AUTUMN
SUSANA + MUTA
BO
GODZILLA
MUD
SCRAG
SLAG
TERRY RUBENSTONE
BUDDY
BEAMISH
SCOTTY BUCKLEY
CARLOS SATIVA
RANDY BEAST
THE MERCHANTS OF KENSINGTON MKT
BERLIN
JENNIFER MORTON
QUISHE
ZACK
SHEENA
MOLLY (INFIDELS)
JOHNSON
DUCHESS
MIXED BAGS
BLEED
PETE HUDSON
CARSON
ILIKO
DOUGIE
JOE T.P.
LIL
BRONX
TOM HATERON
BRAD R.K.
AMDA DEAN
LOREN
THE IMMORTAL DAYGLO ABORTIONS
MINI GOOF
BA
KIRK
NORTHERN VULTURES
TAGGER DOOM
TABBY JOHNSON
CHRISTOPHER
OX BALDWIN
TONY MENDEZ
PAUL
NO GOVERNMENT
BARKER
FANGED ANGER
SHAWN MACNAB
A.M.F.
HAMMERED
MARK HERRINGTON
BEER
JOHNNY + IRENE “THE GREEKS”
JOHN (HUGE GROOVE) GROVE
VICKY
TOM
RUTH
TAYLOR
GRAFFITI WRITER
RICHARD LAROUCHE
FORCE OF HABIT
ALL THE BANDS WE EVER PLAYED WITH
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF CRO FLIX
RUSTY
EPMI
RBG
BIG TOM SMALL
STROKER
JON LONG
STEVE THE FAG
DAVIES
NORTON
NANCY
BIG THE ALTERNATIVE
TREVOR
LA FOUFOUNES ELECTRIQUES
JOHN TAYLOR
AND OF COURSE DIRT
( + DOG )
THANX BUT NO THANX
MARIANO (THE PARAMOUNT)
THE BEAN (BLOODIES)
M.T.P.
AJOY MAGAZINE
ELLI LEFRO
CRAIG (LEE’S PALACE)
T.O. LIFE MAG
ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT THAT TRY TO CONTROL OUR LIVES + MINDS
AND A SPECIAL THANX TO ALL YOU ASSHOLES WHO’VE INSPIRED US
YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE + FUCK YOU.
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