Skinny Puppy - Biography
Skinny Puppy is a band that initially drew from industrial acts like Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle and the electro-punk of Suicide to help spawn the electro-industrial subgenre.
Kevin William Crompton was born on February 13th, 1961 in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1981 he joined vocalist Dale Martindale, guitarist Don Gordon (later of Numb), synth players Joe Vizvary and Glen Nelson and bassist Gary Smith in the band, Images in Vogue. Crompton, nicknamed “cEvin Key,” originally intended Skinny Puppy to be a side project. With the addition of vocalist Kevin Graham “Nivek Ogre” Ogilvie (born December 5, 1962 in Calgary) and his other band’s relocation to Toronto in 1982, Skinny Puppy became Key’s primary focus. They played their first live show at Unovis in February, 1884 and released a self-produced cassette, Back and Forth (1984 Skinny Puppy). Afterward they were signed to Nettwerk who released the Remission EP, the first of their many collaborations with producer David "Rave" Ogilvie. The following year they opened for Chris & Cosey on their 1985 Canadian tour. By the time of their full-length debut, Bites (1985 Nettwerk), they were joined by synth player Wilhelm Schroeder, better known as Bill Leeb. The album included one of their biggest hits, “Assimilate.”
In 1986, Leeb left to form Front Line Assembly and was replaced by Dwayne Goettel, formerly of Psyche. With his addition, they transitioned from dark, dance music to their trademark, sample heavy brand of goth-industrial, as showcased on Mind - The Perpetual Intercourse (1986 Nettwerk). The following year, the band released Cleanse, Fold and Manipulate (1987 Nettwerk). At the same time, the earliest signs of their future division began to appear as Key began to pursue other projects. With The Legendary Pink Dots’ Edward Ka-Spel, he formed Tear Garden and released Their Eyes Slowly Burning. Without Ogre, Key and Goettel formed Doubting Thomas.
1988's VIVIsectVI (1988 Nettwerk) offered little sign of dissention, offering a cohesive work that introduced an outspoken animal rights and environmentalist agenda. Ironically, Key and Ogre were arrested for "disorderly conduct" at a 1988 concert in Cincinnati, after the two vivisected a stuffed dog. On the sides, Ogre followed his bandmates’ lead and began outside work, first as a member of Ministry. For 1989’s Rabies (1989-Nettwerk), Ministry's Al Jourgensen added vocals, guitars and produced the album, adding his signature industrial metal touch with the result that it occasionally sounds more like Ministry than Skinny Puppy. It was followed by a live album, Ain't It Dead Yet (1989 Nettwerk).
The dawn of the new decade was marked by Skinny Puppy turning up the groove for Too Dark Park (1990 Nettwerk). Key formed another side project, Hilt, with Alan Nelson. Ogre, meanwhile, joined Pigface. The following year they reconvened after being commissioned by the Quebecois dance group La La La Human Steps for their production Infante C'est Destroy. Goettel and Key’s Doubting Thomas released The Infidel (WaxTrax!), a collection of works composed from 1987 to 1990. Skinny Puppy’s Last Rights (1992 Nettwerk) proved to be their last for Nettwerk.
Skinny Puppy signed to American Recordings in 1993 and relocated to sunny Malibu. Not entirely surprising, the results were disastrous with everyone drifting in different directions. For the first time in nearly a decade, David Ogilvie wasn’t used for production and the group went through several, including Swans’ Roli Mosimann and PiL’s Martin Atkins. Meanwhile, Key was injured in a film shoot and Ogre began a collective built around art, philosophy and cocaine with Genesis P-Orridge. The two recorded a jam session which was released on Key's subCON label in 2002 and credited to Puppy Gristle. Goettel and Phil Western started Subconscious Records in Toluca Lake. Key, Western and Goettel formed Download with Mark Spybey. In 1994, frustrated by the lack of progress, Key and Goettel returned to Vancouver and Ogre remained in California.
Ogre announced he had quit Skinny Puppy to start a new project, W.E.L.T., in June 1995. On August 23, Goettel died from a heroin overdose. Before his passing, Download recorded an album, Furnace (Cleopatra 1995). The following year, Key and Ogilvie finally completed stripped down and straightforward The Process (1996 American). The multimedia history of the Skinny Puppy, Brap: Back and Forth, Series 3 & 4, followed. A few months later, Ogre composed two music tracks for the computer game Descent II (1996 Interplay). Tear Garden released To Be an Angel Blind, the Crippled Soul Divide. Download released the Microscopic EP, Charlie's Family (Cleopatra), Sidewinder EP (Metropolis Records) and The Eyes of Stanley Pain (1996 Subconscious Communications) — all of which had been recorded in 1995.
Over the next few years, the former members of Skinny Puppy had their hands full with side projects. Ogre sang with KMFDM on their 1997 album Symbols. Key and Western began another project, PlatEAU, around the same time, who released Music For Grass Bars (1997 Cleopatra). Another Download album, III (1997-Subconscious Communications) was also released. In 1998, Key released his first solo album, Music for Cats (Metropolis) with contributions from The Subconcious Orchestra (which included Genesis P. Orridge, Ashok Sarkar, John West, Philth and Spybey). Ogre and Atkins reunited as Ritalin (but changed their name to ?for legal reasons) and released Bedside Toxicology (1998 Invisible Records). PlatEAU released Spacecake (1990 Subconcious Communications), Tear Garden released Crystal Mass (2000) Download released Effector (2000 Subconcious Records) and then, seemingly out of the blue, it was announced that Key and Ogre were once again recording as Skinny Puppy.
In 2001, before any new Skinny Puppy material surfaced Ogre and Key released a slew of material. Ogre started ohGr with Mark Walk and released Welt (2001 Spitfire Records) and Key drummed for them on their tour. Key also released The Ghost of Each Room (2001 Subconscious Communications) and oversaw the From the Vault series, releasing seven CDs of previously unreleased music from Skinny Puppy, Download, Tear Garden, PlatEAU and Hilt. Tear Garden released a compilation of previously unreleased songs, Eye Spy with My Little Eye (2002 Subconscious Communications). PlatEAU released Iceolator (2002 Subconscious Communications). Dowload Inception - The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 compiled unreleased tracks and III Steps Forward (2002 Subconscious Communications) offered new Download tracks. Key's solo The Dragon Experience (2003 Subconscious Communications) featured Spencer Elden on the cover, better known the baby on the cover of Nirvana's Nevermind. ohGr released SunnyPsyOp (2003 Spitfire). Finally, Skinny Puppy once again became the two members’ priority after they signed with SPV in late 2003.
Skinny Puppy’s long hiatus ended with Greater Wrong of the Right (2004 SPV), which saw them joined by members of Tool, Collide, and Static-X. With Ogre now singing fairly conventionally, it was closer to industrial pop of Nine Inch Nails than their earlier albums. The similarly-styled Mythmaker (2007 Synthetic Symphony) followed as did a Skinny Puppy tour. After that, Key and Ogre again turned their attention to other projects. Tear Garden released The Secret Experiment (2007 Subconscious), PlatEAU released Kushbush (2007 Subconscious Communications) and Download released Fixer (2007 Subconscious Records). ohGr released Devils in my Details (2008 Synthetic Symphony). Tear Garden released Have a Nice Trip (2009 Subconscious) and ohGr are currently working on album tentatively titled Collidoskope. Also in 2009, Key started another project, Scaremeister, with Ken 'Hiwatt' Marshall. Recently he recorded a batch of songs on MIDI s apparently taught to him by a time-traveling creature called Bananasloth. In 2009 the band released an new rcord called HanDover, followed by their upcoming 2013 release Weapon.