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
Crazy Steve: vocals
Godzilla : guitar
Scumbag: bass
Mad Dog: drums
Engineered by Donamix
Executive Producer: Filthyswine
Recorded at Fort Goof Studios
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