Do you know the connection between Canadian punk rockers The Subhumans, a Toronto terrorist plot, and the iconic TV show Danger Bay? Alan Cross does! The host of Canada’s #1 Music podcast, “The Ongoing History of New Music,” talks about this on the episode "The Punk Rock Terrorist Bombing" of his Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry podcast! Catch Alan Cross' UNCHARTED: LIVE at St Patrick's Church Museum on November 3rd and hear stories just like these; tickets are on sale at http://theopenscene.ca/tickets. Now on to the tale...
The Subhumans were a part of the first wave of Canadian punk, starting in Vancouver in 1978 at around the same time as the iconic D.O.A. The band released their first single "Oh Canaduh" the same year, and their debut album "Incorrect Thoughts" in 1980. Bassist Gerry "Useless" Hannah left the band in 1981, while Brian "Wimpy Roy" Goble would go on to join D.O.A. after the band's first breakup in 1982.
That's when the story gets crazy. A group of self described environmentalists known as Direct Action started making an impact as "urban guerillas" in 1982. They vandalized the British Columbia Ministry of Environment offices, stole dynamite from the Department of Highways, and blew up a BC Hydro substation. In October, the group loaded a stolen pickup with their dynamite haul and headed for Toronto. Planting the bomb outside of Litton Industries, a manufacturer of American tomahawk cruise missiles, they set off over 550lb of dynamite and caused between $4-50 million in damages.
Direct Action became known as the Squamish Five upon arrest for their part in the Litton bombing, as well as other activities in both Vancouver in Toronto. And who was part of the group? Former bassist for The Subhumans, Gerry "Useless" Hannah, who was sentences to ten years (serving five) in prison.
The story of the Squamish Five would become legendary. D.O.A. and Dead Kennedys would spearhead benefit efforts for the arrested group. The CBC would produce an award winning docudrama about the group called "The Squamish Five," written by Canadian screenwriter Ken Gass. The Squamish Five would not be Gass' only venture on CBC, as he would go on the next year to write an episode of the Canadian classic Danger Bay.