Working Man’s Blues

The working life of John Armtstrong, front-man for first wave Vancouver punks the Modernettes, took quite a few hard left turns, all documented in his new book, Wages. Having published his punk-rock memoir, Guilty of Everything in 2001, Armstrong’s latest is substantially more meaty. Wages colourfully details every shitty job he ever held, and he presents a 14-year-old’s working world with all the politically incorrect candour one would expect from a hardened punk rocker. Beginning with shovelling chicken shit as a kid and right through his journalism career, Wages will resonate with anyone who’s ever hated their job. Armstrong’s plight may not be unique, but his narrative voice certainly is.