February 2017
Another year is gone and 2017 is upon us. With the New Year, of course, comes a new book, Tales From the Tattoo Shop. This one veers slightly away (but not too far) from the usual topics of punks, drunks, junkies, and whores, on which GFY Press usually relies. With the new book will come sporadic touring, general insanity, and more readers. Hope to see you at the shows.
September 2016
Randy Rampage’s book is here and it’s a good one. We were a bit cautious at first and weren’t sure if it would be sufficiently entertaining or not, but Randy fully exceeded our expectations. In the vast sea of rock memoirs, we’d have to say this one floats to the top.
Next up for GFY Press is a book of stories about tattoo shops and the strange and crazy things that happen within. Some of the people who frequent tattoo shops are more colourful than the ink that decorates their skin, and this book documents everything from dead customers on the tattoo table to gunplay and fistfights. This one is guaranteed to be wild.
December 2015
2015 was yet another active year for GFY Press, and Chris Walter was busy with short tours and readings around Canada. Chris was also featured in Kathryn Martin’s Piss On You, which documents the early Winnipeg punk scene. Liquor & Whores, however, took slightly longer than anticipated, and won’t be released until February of 2016. Meanwhile, work continues on Randy Rampage’s book on DOA, and Mr Rampage will be throwing dirt with a big shovel on this one. Brick-and-mortar retail stores continue to close their doors, but online sales and e-book revenues have increased to make up the difference. As always, writing is a sucker’s game and only the strong survive.
May 2015
The first draft of Richie Dagger: Life & Times is nearly complete, and the book will launch in August or September. In other news, GFY Press will be publishing the memoirs of legendary ex-DOA bassist Randy Rampage about his time with the iconic punk band known as the originators of hardcore. Projected to launch in the spring of 2016, this one is sure to be a scorcher.
January, 2015
After much frenzied work, the Real McKenzies biography is finally complete. Even when the project we renamed Under the Kilt: The Real McKenzies Exposed began to spiral out of control, the book was a labour of love, a juggernaut that couldn’t be derailed by a ballooning word count and various timeline issues. The problems were eventually fixed and no trace of those early difficulties are evident in the finished book. Packed full of booze-fueled debauchery and trashy hijinks of every nature, the story is crazy enough for even the most jaded punk rocker, and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we do. Preparations for a national book tour are well underway, and Under the Kilt: The Real McKenzies Exposed will be available in early March.
Chris Walter’s next project will be a novel entitled Richie Dagger: Life and Times. The projected due date is somewhere near the end of 2015.
January, 2014
Despite the shaky Canadian economy, 2013 was a good year for GFY Press and business continues as usual. Chase the Dragon, which was released in June of 2013, will always be regarded by this author as one of his better novels, even if the music biographies sell in larger numbers. Unfortunately, the Duane Peters biography hit an unexpected snag and the project is on indefinite hiatus. A new punk biography, Up Yer Kilt With the Real McKenzies is slated for release in late 2014 or early 2015.
February, 2013
My new fiction novel Chase the Dragon, is finished, and has entered the editing stages. The story involves an unfortunate addict who unintentionally angers two nasty characters in his home town of Vancouver and must flee to stay alive. I don't often say so in advance, but this one came together better than I'd expected, and I'm reasonably pleased with the results. My next book, which I will start in mid February, is a biography on American punk and skate legend Duane Peters. I'm very excited to be doing this project, and we plan to launch the book in Los Angeles in April of 2014. Meanwhile, TV executives are still pondering the fate of the Langside series, and we are expecting an answer soon. Stay tuned.
June, 2012
The SNFU book is in the final stages of proofreading, and the official launch date is set for July 21st, 2012. In general, this project represents a huge learning curve, and I'm glad I didn't set an unrealistic deadline for myself as I did with the DayGlo book. This one is 50,000 words longer and I know now that shortcuts are never a good idea. With this book at least, I know that I put the effort in, and I believe it will show. Emotionally uplifting at times, and downright depressing at others, this project gave me a greater appreciation for the effort it takes for punk bands to operate year after year. In terms of sacrifice and hard work, the price they pay to be onstage is more than most can afford.
That said, I'll be signing books and kicking babies on the GFY Press tour this summer, so drag your sorry ass down to the show.
Thursday, Aug 16th - Kitchener @ Chainsaw
Friday, August 17 - Toronto @ the Bovine
Saturday, Aug 18th - Hamilton @ Crash Landing (EARLY, ALL AGES, Chi Pig doc screening)
Sunday, Aug 19th - Hamilton @ This Ain't Hollywood
Monday, Aug 20th - Peterborough @ The Spill
Tuesday, Aug 21st - Ottawa @ Dekuf
Wednesday, Aug 22 - Montreal @ Crobar
Thursday, Aug 23 - OFF
Friday, Aug 24th - Winnipeg @ the Cavern
Friday, Sept 14th - Edmonton @ DV8
Saturday, Sept 15th - Calgary @ the Distillery
November, 2011
As work on the SNFU book continues, GFY Press has released a collection of short stories, Shrieks From the Alley, by Chris Walter to keep readers happy in the interim. SNFU: What No One Else Wanted To Say, also by Chris Walter, is slated for a launch in late July or early June of 2012. Don't miss out.
April, 2011
GFY Press will launch Up & Down in the Downtown in Edmonton on July 15th. Buy the author a Beck's non-alcoholic and listen to him rant about Canadian drug laws and the insanity of drug prohibition.
December, 2010
Tonight at Funky Winker Beans, Chris Walter will launch Sins of the Poor, his latest work of fiction. Sins of the Poor is a dramatic, fast paced tale involving a lost wallet, a struggling single mother, two inept drug dealers, and a psychotic loan shark. As always, the dirt is real enough to smell and the prose is tough and lively. Buy one now with the last of your welfare cheque.
August, 2010
The DayGlo Abortions biography has been successfully launched, and at least three people claim to have read it (but they could be lying). Nevertheless, this is substantial increase over other books, which have never been read by anyone. In light of this phenomenal success, GFY Press is gearing up to release the next work of fiction by Chris Walter in late November or early December of 2010. Sins of the Poor, a rollicking good tale of poverty and madness, is eagerly anticipated by a drunken punk rocker in London, Ontario.
April, 2010
Argh Fuck Kill: The Story of the DayGlo Abortions will be available on June 10th, 2010. Orders placed received before then will possibly be shipped even earlier. The official launch for the book will be held at the Biltmore Hotel on June 25th with the DayGlo Abortions and SNFU. Don�t make any plans for the next day because this one is going to be wild.
February, 2010
Punch the Boss is available in stores across Canada, and feedback so far has been positive. Meanwhile, Argh Fuck Kill: The Story of the Dayglo Abortions has now entered the editing phase. Anticipation for the biography is high, with at least seven people expressing interest in purchasing a copy when it hits store shelves in the summer of 2010.
