Nivek Ogre
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Kevin Graham Ogilvie (born December 5, 1962), known professionally as Nivek Ogre, is a Canadian musician, performance artist and actor, best known for his work with the industrial music group
Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy was a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group was among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crom ...
, which he co-founded with
cEvin Key Kevin William Crompton (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as cEvin Key, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. He is best known as a member of the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded in 1982 ...
. Since 1982, he has served as Skinny Puppy's primary lyricist and vocalist, occasionally providing instrumentation and samples. Ogre's charismatic personality, guttural vocals and use of costumes, props, and fake blood on stage helped widen Skinny Puppy's fanbaseReed (2013): pp. 176-182 and has inspired numerous other musicians. In 2001, he formed the
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
group ohGr along with longtime collaborator Mark Walk. Originally named W.E.L.T., ohGr has released five studio albums since 2001, three of which have placed on '' Billboard's''
Dance/Electronic Albums Top Dance Albums (formerly Top Electronic Albums and Top Dance/Electronic Albums) is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine which ranks the top-selling dance music albums in the United States based on sales compiled by Nielsen ...
chart. Ogre has also been involved with several other musicians including the
Al Jourgensen Alain David Jourgensen (born Alejandro Ramírez Casas; October 9, 1958) is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is t ...
bands Ministry and Revolting Cocks, Pigface and Rx with Martin Atkins, and
KMFDM KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority") is a multinational industrial rock band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art proje ...
. Ogre has on several occasions worked as an actor in low-budget
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
s. He appeared as Pavi Largo in the
rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...
film '' Repo! The Genetic Opera'', as well as Harper Alexander in the comedy-horror film entitled '' 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams''. Ogre was reunited with ''Repo!'' director
Darren Lynn Bousman Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the ''Saw (franchise), Saw'' films: ''Saw II'', ''Saw III'', ''Saw IV'', and ''Spiral ( ...
for the 2012 musical short film '' The Devil's Carnival'' and its sequel '' Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival''. In 2014, he starred in the Canadian film '' Queen of Blood''.


Early life

Ogre was born on December 5, 1962, in
Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
,
Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Canada. From a young age, he had imagined working in a studio as a singer, believing it was his own "
manifest destiny Manifest destiny was the belief in the 19th century in the United States, 19th-century United States that American pioneer, American settlers were destined to expand westward across North America, and that this belief was both obvious ("''m ...
". He was also interested in magic and had attempted to become a magician, joining the International Brotherhood of Magicians. He entertained his parents with magic shows, during which his tricks would often fail humorously. He described his childhood as "introverted", and that he would take refuge in watching monster movies; he also enjoyed the horror fantasy writings of
H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...
and
Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...
. As a child, he was fascinated with words and would spend time in his basement writing poetry. He would write several pages at a time and then play around with what he had written. "From that, I developed a keen sense of how words sound, how they can phonetically sound and be changed. How words obviously have different meanings and with a slight displacement can take on almost a surreal meaning". This interest in language and vocabulary stemmed from his love of music and lyrics. His subsequent musical stylings were informed by the likes of
Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...
,
Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 â€“ 7 July 2006) was an English singer, guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Until his departure in 1968, he was Pink Floyd's frontman and primary songwriter, ...
, and
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...
. He has cited
the Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...
's ''
Pornography Pornography (colloquially called porn or porno) is Sexual suggestiveness, sexually suggestive material, such as a picture, video, text, or audio, intended for sexual arousal. Made for consumption by adults, pornographic depictions have evolv ...
'',
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
's '' Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)'', and
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Meols, Merseyside in 1978 by Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals). Regarded as pioneers of electronic musi ...
's ''
Organisation An organization or organisation ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is an entity—such as a company, or corporation or an institution ( formal organization), or an association—comprising one or more people and having a pa ...
'' as pivotal records during his youth. Ogre said that
Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...
's ''
Unknown Pleasures ''Unknown Pleasures'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band Joy Division. It was released on 15 June 1979 through Factory Records. The album was recorded and mixed over three successive weekends at Stockport's Strawberry Studios i ...
'' introduced him to "the dark side of music"; he soon found himself gravitating towards musicians such as
Throbbing Gristle Throbbing Gristle were an English music and visual arts group formed in Kingston upon Hull by Genesis P-Orridge and Cosey Fanni Tutti, later joined by Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson and Chris Carter. They are widely regarded as pioneers of in ...
, Portion Control, and
Front 242 Front 242 is a Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. Pioneering the style they called electronic body music, they influenced the electronic and industrial music genres. History Formation Front 242 were for ...
. Ogre left Calgary for
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
at the age of twenty. "Vancouver has an edge to it; an attitude; an arrogance when it comes to music. I came there as a young 20-year-old from Calgary and entered into a world I’d never seen before". In 1982, he attempted to start a record distribution company using borrowed money, a venture that ultimately failed. He was further troubled by the death of his father and a divorce from his wife. Ogre was roommates with Images in Vogue member Gary Blair Smith when he met
cEvin Key Kevin William Crompton (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as cEvin Key, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. He is best known as a member of the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded in 1982 ...
(Kevin Crompton), the drummer for Smith's band, at a party.Reed (2013): p. 172 He also met future collaborator Steven Gilmore, whom he learned had also attended Ernest Manning High School in Calgary. Key asked Ogre to join his project,
Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy was a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group was among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crom ...
, an invitation he accepted. Images in Vogue recording engineer
Dave Ogilvie Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer, mixer, songwriter and musician based in Vancouver. Ogilvie started his recording career as a mixing engineer at Mushroom Studios. He frequently collaborated with industrial band Skinny Puppy ...
also signed up. The pair adopted stage names to avoid the confusion brought by having two people named Kevin in one group.Barclay (2011): p. 507 (cEvin Key and Nivek (Kevin spelled backwards) Ogre)


Music career


Skinny Puppy

Ogre's work with Skinny Puppy has primarily been as the lead singer, though he would occasionally contribute work with
percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...
and
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s. The first song he wrote for the group was titled " Canine" and helped establish the philosophy of writing songs about the world as seen through a dog's eyes. "It was about a dog watching his master beat his wife and then questioning himself - should he be loyal to the man or rip his head off?" Along with Bill Leeb (Wilhelm Shroeder), Ogre and Key produced the EP '' Remission'' in 1984 and released it through the newly established
Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is an independent record label founded in 1984. The Vancouver-based company was created by principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record label to distribute recordings by the band Moev, but the label expanded in Ca ...
label. Next to follow were two full-length albums, '' Bites'' in 1985 and '' Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse'' in 1986, the latter of which spawned their first single, " Dig It". Many of Ogre's early songs, specifically from the album ''Bites'', were about his ex-wife. Following ''Bites'', Ogre began to construct more politically and socially minded lyrics such as those for the song "Dig It", which he says describes "a fight to rise above in the work force/ which can turn into your early grave". Ogre's writing would gradually become more "worldly" and "
ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...
-minded".
Animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...
and environmental degradation would become recurring elements in Skinny Puppy's music. 1988's '' VIVIsectVI'', written as "a biting commentary on animal rights", spawned the single " Testure" which peaked at no. 19 on '' Billboard's''
Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...
chart. Skinny Puppy became known for their
performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
laden live shows, a result of Ogre's use of costumes, props, and fake blood. The set design for a live show often falls to Ogre, who usually builds the sets himself. Ogre described the '' Too Dark Park'' tour as his career high point, during which he ran off what he called "car-crash energy". While recording the Skinny Puppy album '' The Process'' in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, a split began to grow between the band members with Ogre on one side and the other two band members, Key and keyboardist
Dwayne Goettel Dwayne Rudolph Goettel (February 1, 1964August 23, 1995) was a Canadian Electronic music, electronic musician, best known for his work in the industrial music group Skinny Puppy. Starting his career playing for a variety of acts around Edmonton, h ...
, on the other. In 1994, Skinny Puppy completed the master tapes for the album. Key and Goettel returned to Vancouver with the tapes while Ogre decided to stay in Los Angeles. Ogre quit Skinny Puppy in June 1995, two months before Goettel died from a
heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...
overdose. He joined the
Banff Centre Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (formerly Banff Centre) is an arts and culture educational institution in Banff, Alberta, Banff, Alberta. It offers arts programs in the Performing arts, performing and fine arts, as well as leadership trai ...
as an artist-in-residence in spring 2000 before reuniting with Key to perform at the Doomsday Festival in
Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
as Skinny Puppy. Relations improved between the two band members after the performance and they released '' The Greater Wrong of the Right'' in 2004; they followed this up with the release of '' Mythmaker'' in 2007 and ''
hanDover In cellular telecommunications, handover, or handoff, is the process of transferring an ongoing call or data session from one channel connected to the core network to another channel. In satellite communications it is the process of transf ...
'' in 2011. In 2013, inspired by the news that their music had been used for torture at
Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, also known as GTMO ( ), GITMO ( ), or simply Guantanamo Bay, is a United States military prison within Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), on the coast of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It was established in 2002 by p ...
, they released the album ''
Weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...
''. In early 2014, Ogre and Key sent the US government an invoice for $666,000 for the use of their music at the camp. Ogre told the ''
San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and has been published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst and the flagship of the He ...
'' that "they didn’t even use our actual recordings – they used bootlegs, so there was all sorts of hiss and distortion in the mix, which was probably even more disturbing to the person who was having it done to them". In 2015, they embarked on the ''Down the Sociopath'' tour with
Youth Code Youth Code is an American Electronic body music, EBM duo, formed in 2012 by Sara Taylor and Ryan George in Los Angeles, California. The duo's musical style, following the model of early Wax Trax! Records, has been described as industrial music i ...
through North America. A follow-up tour in Europe entitled ''Down the Sociopath too Euro 2017'' began in May 2017.


ohGr

In 1989, Ogre and Al Jourgensen started the side project W.E.L.T. (When Everyone Learns the Truth). Some material was recorded, but the only song they released was turned into Ministry's 1996 song " The Fall", from '' Filth Pig''. During the recording of ''The Process'' in Malibu, Ogre befriended
Ruby Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...
member Mark Walk. They revived the W.E.L.T. project by producing a 14-track album, but this was eventually shelved by their label, American Recordings. Ogre became depressed as a result of the labels decision; he told ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' in 1998 that to relieve the situation, he picked up a book on
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
and started playing the guitar. "That was really good for me, it was really good therapy. It took hours and hours of time that would have been spent fixating on a problem that there was really nothing I could do about". Ogre was kept on the label for three years, unable to do anything with the recordings. "It wasn’t until about 2000 that I pulled myself up by the bootstraps and went to see what was going on. I found out that all that time, I could have just walked away from it because no one was going to do anything". Ogre and Walk landed a deal with
Spitfire Records Spitfire Records was a subsidiary of Eagle Rock Entertainment located in New York City, New York. In September 1998, Paul Bibeau founded, launched and rapidly developed Spitfire Records Inc. from a two-man operation located in his home bedroom i ...
, but were unable to retrieve their original master recordings from American. This meant they had to rerecord the entire album, a feat which took them roughly three to four months. Using the new moniker ohGr, the album was released as '' Welt'' in February 2001. A video for the song "Cracker" was produced by Skinny Puppy collaborator William Morrison, who would join the group on tour. Also joining the tour was cEvin Key, who performed drums. ohGr would produce three more albums including '' SunnyPsyOp'' in 2003, ''
Devils in my Details ''Devils in my Details'' is the third studio album by the electro-industrial band ohGr. It was released in the U.K. and Europe on November 4, 2008, and in the United States on November 5, 2008. It was the only ohGr release through the German l ...
'' in 2008, '' UnDeveloped'' in 2011, all of which landed on ''Billboards
Dance/Electronic Albums Top Dance Albums (formerly Top Electronic Albums and Top Dance/Electronic Albums) is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine which ranks the top-selling dance music albums in the United States based on sales compiled by Nielsen ...
chart. "What makes ohGr different from Skinny Puppy", Ogre explained to '' Westword'' in 2011, "is that Skinny Puppy focuses on sound design with lyrics laid on top, while ohGr bases its music around lyrics". He stated further: "When we're performing live, with ohGr, we strip back a lot of the electronics and the stuff that doesn't need to be there...All the guitars out, all the bass out, when it's played live, and a lot of the keyboards are played live, too". ohGr released their fifth album, '' Tricks'', on June 18, 2018. The album was funded by a PledgeMusic campaign. The album had been intended for release on October 31, 2017, but the release date was pushed back due to a mastering error. The band promoted the album with a 32 date North American tour and included three dates for the 2018 Cold Waves festival, which they had performed in the year prior while supporting
KMFDM KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority") is a multinational industrial rock band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art proje ...
. The tour was the first time in 25 years Ogre performed in his hometown of Calgary. The band was supported by Paul Barker's Lead into Gold and Omniflux. In January 2019, amid similar stories from other bands, Walk told ''Billboard'' that PledgeMusic had owed the band $100,000 in funds raised during the campaign. The company had been unresponsive with regards to when the band would be paid, which had forced them to release the album digitally and tour without merchandise to sell.


Collaborations with Al Jourgensen

Ogre's first collaboration with
Al Jourgensen Alain David Jourgensen (born Alejandro Ramírez Casas; October 9, 1958) is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is t ...
was in 1987 during the recording of the song "Show Me Your Spine" for the film ''
RoboCop ''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American Science fiction film, science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen (actress), Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Dani ...
''. The song was recorded by PTP, a side project of Jourgensen's alongside Ministry cohort
Paul Barker Paul Gordon Barker (born February 8, 1959), also referred to as Hermes Pan, is an American musician, best known as the former bass guitarist, producer and engineer for industrial metal band Ministry from 1986 to 2003. Prior to Ministry, he pr ...
. Jourgensen explained that he "didn't even know who he grewas, but somebody said he was some singer from somewhere, so I just said "hey man, make yourself useful, get in here and sing". Ogre would later go on tour with Ministry to promote their album '' The Land of Rape and Honey'' in 1988. Ogre asked Jourgensen if he would produce the 1989 Skinny Puppy album ''
Rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...
'', a job he accepted. Jourgensen described his experience with Skinny Puppy as tumultuous since it had been Ogre, not Key and Goettel, who asked for assistance on the record; "Sometimes bad vibes make for great, tension-filled music, and that's what Skinny Puppy thrived on". Ogre next worked with Jourgensen on the Ministry album ''
The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste ''The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste'' is the fourth studio album by American industrial metal band Ministry (band), Ministry, released on November 14, 1989, by Sire Records. The music took a more hardcore, aggressively guitar-driven directio ...
'', receiving credit as a writer on the song " Thieves". Ogre introduced Jourgensen to
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
native Angelina Lukacin whose voice was recorded for the album closer "Dream Song". Ogre joined Ministry on tour contributing guitars, keyboards, and vocals. He said that "Playing with Ministry was insane everywhere, especially during the tour for ''The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste'', which had the cage set up at the front of the stage. It became all you saw, the cage separating you from the raging mass of people in front of you". The single " Burning Inside" featured a live cover of the Skinny Puppy song "Smothered Hope", with Ogre contributing vocals. Ogre had also worked with Jourgensen in the industrial group Revolting Cocks, originally as a touring member. Ogre mentioned that he "had a gas" while on tour, referring to it as an initiation; "My brain was rotating about four feet above my head". He continued to work with the group by providing vocals for their 1990 effort '' Beers, Steers, and Queers''. When Ogre was again invited to tour with the band, he declined, explaining that his friendship with Jourgensen had become strained. "There were a few things that happened between me and him ourgensenthat really made me question our whole friendship and his reason for having me down there. So I decided to bow out of the Revolting Cocks tour. If I hadn't, I would have come back totally addicted to heroin".


Other musical ventures

Ogre became involved with Pigface, an industrial music collective formed by Martin Atkins, on their 1990 debut '' Gub''. He sang on the song "Tapeworm" and was featured on the 1991 live album '' Welcome to Mexico... Asshole''. Ogre also contributed to the studio albums '' Fook'' (1992) and '' Notes from Thee Underground'' (1994), and the live album '' Truth Will Out'' (1993) as a guitarist. Ogre again teamed up with Atkins to form the band Ritalin, later renamed Rx. The duo's only release, 1998's ''Bedside Toxicology'', provided a showcase for Ogre's singing, something which he had worked on while spending time in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. Ogre also made several contributions to KMFDM, providing vocals for the song "Torture" on their 1997 album ''
Symbols A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise different concep ...
''. He joined the band as a guest musician for their ''Symbols'' tour. He said of his experience: "There was a really great vibe on that tour and I really got along with all the people and it gave me a chance to laugh maniacally". He worked with KMFDM again in 1999, singing on the songs "That's All" and "Full Worm Garden" for the album '' Adios''. Ogre appeared on The Final Cut's 1991 debut album, ''Consumed'', alongside Chris Connelly, and provided Monster Voodoo Machine a remix of the song "Copper Theft" on their 1994 album ''Defense Mechanism''. Ogre worked with Mark Walk on several tracks for the 1996 video game '' Descent II'' and later on a remix of "Smothered Hope" for the album '' Remix dystemper'' in 1998. The pair also provided a remix of the song "Edge of the World" by The Crüxshadows on their release '' Shadowbox''. He covered the song " Borderline" by
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
for the album ''Virgin Vocies 2000: A Tribute to Madonna'' and appeared on cEvin Key's 2001 solo album, '' The Ghost of Each Room''. Ogre supplied a remix of the track "Wraith" for
John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...
's 2014 album '' Lost Themes'' and also contributed to the 2015 '' Demons'' (1985 film) remix album.


Style


Vocals and lyrics

Described by Bill Henderson of ''
The Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...
'' as "disturbing, distorted and disconnected from anything real", Ogre's vocal style took influence from the likes of Stephen Mallinder of Cabaret Voltaire and Ian Sharp of Portion Control, and has in turn influenced a number of subsequent artists. "If I can do it and can emote, then anyone has a chance. And you don’t need to be a vocal acrobat to get an emotion across". He started off his career as a "non-singer", with his vocals often heavily treated with effects. His guttural and oftentimes unintelligible delivery became a hallmark of Skinny Puppy's music. His lyrics, usually delivered as a
stream of consciousness In literary criticism, stream of consciousness is a narrative mode or method that attempts "to depict the multitudinous thoughts and feelings which pass through the mind" of a narrator. It is usually in the form of an interior monologue which ...
meant to invoke certain images to the listener, range from surrealistic to overtly sociopolitical, and explore topics such as vivisection, war, disease, the environment, addiction, and self-determination. The meaning behind his lyrics is often obscured by the cacophony of music surrounding them. "We're more into creating moods, and within them there's a lot more freedom for people to make up their minds and apply the lyrics to themselves and different situations". When asked if he was bothered by people misinterpreting his lyrics, he replied "art is for interpretation, and interpretation can take on whatever form it wants". In the mid 90s, fearing that after years of strain he was beginning to lose his voice, he started receiving vocal training and implemented various exercises to save it. For the W.E.L.T. project, producer Mark Walk encouraged Ogre to sing without vocal effects, a prospect which initially terrified Ogre, who said the effects were like a protective shield. To boost his confidence, he spent eight months working with his voice to test its capabilities. He later said that singing without treated vocals allowed him to express himself in ways he'd never been able to with Skinny Puppy. He continued this method with ''Bedside Toxicology'', during the production of which he said he learned that not only could he compose music, but he could also harmonize with his voice. "I have more control over harmonies. In these incremental ways you like grow as an artist, hopefully".


Live performances

Ogre's live performances have been referred to as
performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
, and are influenced by his interest in the horror films, the work of
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
, and his childhood love of magic tricks. The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' attributed Ogre's theatrics to him becoming "the first industrial rock star". On stage, he employs a wide range of props and costumes, and uses liberal amounts of fake blood despite an allergy to red food dye. He considered the ''Too Dark Park'' tour to be a career high point and one of his favorites, and included several large set pieces, one of which, the stilt-man, involved Ogre walking on stilts while operating a pair of hydraulic crutches as he lurched towards the audience. When asked if he felt
Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...
had stolen parts of his old stage show for himself, Ogre insisted that Manson had only ever used the stilt-man character, incorporating it into his own show. Despite his work being labeled shock rock, he says that his performances are meant to get the audience to think and see different viewpoints rather than simply gross them out. He toned down the use of props for his performances with ohGr, wanting the shows to instead focus on music. He clarified his stance while touring in support of ''Devils in My Details'': "For me, ohGr is not a way to reinvent the wheel but to be open to anything. So it doesn't mean, necessarily, that there's going to be a lot of flash on this tour, because that's more of a Skinny Puppy trademark". He told the ''
San Francisco Examiner The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and has been published since 1863. Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst and the flagship of the He ...
'' that he had disliked his early work with Skinny Puppy, saying that he thought of himself as a "ham-fisted hack". It wasn't until he revisited old concert footage that he changed his mind. "I recently watched a concert video of me cutting a smile into my face during 'Assimilate', and I was creating tension even though I didn't know I was doing it. It all came from my love of magic".


Acting career

Ogre's first attempt at acting came in the form of an audition for the role of Funboy in ''
The Crow ''The Crow'' is a supernatural superhero comic book series created by James O'Barr revolving around the titular character of the same name. The series, which was originally created by O'Barr as a means of dealing with the death of his fiancà ...
'', an experience which he described as being dreadful. "That's where for the first time I really hit that wall of 'whoa, this is very different than being on stage'. The read was with hemale assistant director who was playing the female opposite me in a kind of sexy situation ..I just lost my shit trying to make this work and thought, 'this isn’t for me'". Skinny Puppy were to appear on the soundtrack with the song "Outafter" (which later appeared on the
Download In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar systems. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote ...
album '' The Eyes of Stanley Pain''). However, Ogre nixed the idea as he felt the song sounded too "techno-y"; he later regretted this decision when he found out the film's star
Brandon Lee Brandon Bruce Lee (February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993) was an American actor. Establishing himself as a rising action star in the early 1990s, he landed what was to be his breakthrough role as Eric Draven in the supernatural superhero fi ...
liked the song. Ogre's first experience acting was alongside his Skinny Puppy cohorts in the film ''
The Doom Generation ''The Doom Generation'' is a 1995 independent film, independent black comedy thriller (genre), thriller film co-produced, co-edited, written and directed by Gregg Araki, and starring Rose McGowan, James Duval and Jonathan Schaech. The plot follow ...
''. The film's director
Gregg Araki Gregg Araki (born December 17, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is noted for his involvement with the New Queer Cinema movement. His ''Teenage Apocalypse'' film trilogy, consisting of ''Totally F***ed Up ''(1993), ''The Doom Generation ''(1995) ...
, a Skinny Puppy fan, invited the band to play as a group of goons who attack a car. cEvin Key sustained several injuries from falling off the car; " elanded right on his face. Literally faceplanted into cement". Ogre later stated that, "I don't think we ever heard back from Gregg Araki after that, unfortunately. He's a great director, and it wasn't anything weird between us and him; it was just an odd thing that happened". Ogre returned to the screen in the 2008
Darren Lynn Bousman Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the ''Saw (franchise), Saw'' films: ''Saw II'', ''Saw III'', ''Saw IV'', and ''Spiral ( ...
film '' Repo! The Genetic Opera'' as Pavi, a frequent partier who wears a mask of flesh. The film was released in 11 theaters worldwide and received mostly negative reviews from critics. Ogre responded to the criticism, telling Arielle Castillo of the ''
Miami New Times The ''Miami New Times'' is a newspaper published in Miami, Florida, United States, and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami metropolitan area, and is headquartered in Miami's Wynwood Art District. Overview It was acquired ...
'', "I'm not saying it's not without problems, it was a low-budget film ..There are a few things like editing and connecting things, but it still works, it's still got a lot of heart". Ogre later appeared as Harper Alexander in the Tim Sullivan film '' 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams'', replacing Giuseppe Andrew who had played the character in the film's 2005 predecessor. Ogre reunited with Bousman for the 2012 horror
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
short '' The Devil's Carnival'' and its accompanying road tour as The Twin. He returned for the full-length feature sequel, 2015's '' Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival''. In 2014, he starred in '' Scream Park'' alongside
Doug Bradley Douglas William Bradley (born 7 September 1954) is an English actor best known for his role as the Cenobite leader Pinhead in the ''Hellraiser'' film series. Early life Douglas William Bradley was born in Liverpool on 7 September 1954. He ...
. In the film, he plays psychotic killer Iggy, who, alongside his partner Ogre (played by Ian Lemmon), hunt down crew members of a decommissioning amusement park. He also appeared in the 2014 film '' Queen of Blood'', the spiritual successor to director Chris Alexander's debut film. Ogre was also featured in the 2016 documentary ''Diary of a Dead Beat'', which follows the career of filmmaker Jim Van Bebber.


Personal life

Ogre is known for being a staunch supporter of
animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...
, often condemning
animal testing Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and ''in vivo'' testing, is the use of animals, as model organisms, in experiments that seek answers to scientific and medical questions. This approach can be contrasted ...
as being "pointless". He has more specifically explained his grievances with cases such as monkeys faces being crushed in laboratories to test car crash physics models or vivisections performed on dogs. He explained his viewpoint in a 2000 interview with '' Zillo'' magazine: "No human being would want to endure that kind of torture. Who would want to be locked up in some sterile laboratory? I love animals more than anything." This stance culminated in the 1988 Skinny Puppy album '' VIVIsectVI'' and its accompanying stage show, which featured re-enactments of animal experiments with a prop dog. These recreations were so provocative that the band was arrested and fined for being a nuisance to the public. In addition, he opposes
factory farming Intensive animal farming, industrial livestock production, and macro-farms, also known as factory farming, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to mass animal husbandry designed to maximize production while minimizing co ...
and was a
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
for fourteen years, but abandoned the diet citing health problems. In the period between the production of the albums ''VIVIsectVI'' and '' Last Rights'', Ogre struggled with
substance abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definition ...
. His addiction to drugs, coupled with his preference for working with
Al Jourgensen Alain David Jourgensen (born Alejandro Ramírez Casas; October 9, 1958) is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is t ...
, led to him often being the odd one out. Ogre was admitted into hospital while touring with Pigface in Sweden. While there he learned he had contracted
hepatitis A Hepatitis A is an infectious liver disease caused by Hepatitis A virus (HAV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Many cases have few or no symptoms, especially in the young. The time between infection and symptoms, in those who develop them, is ...
, and later went to seek treatment from a rehab center in
Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...
. Reflecting on the turbulent production of 1996's '' The Process'', Ogre said: "We all had drug problems but didn't know it from each other ..I was in Los Angeles getting clean while the others were doing drugs in Vancouver." Ogre remains an avid supporter for the legalization of
marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
. Writer Jolene Siana had sent Ogre numerous letters over a span of three years during the 1980s. Following a chance meeting with Siana a decade later, Ogre returned these letters, which he had stored away in a box. Siana then compiled the letters and published them in the book ''Go Ask Ogre: Letters From a Deathrock Cutter'' in 2005.


Discography

Skinny Puppy * '' Remission'' (1984) * '' Bites'' (1985) * '' Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse'' (1986) * '' Cleanse Fold and Manipulate'' (1987) * '' VIVIsectVI'' (1988) * ''
Rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...
'' (1989) * '' Too Dark Park'' (1990) * '' Last Rights'' (1992) * '' The Process'' (1996) * '' The Greater Wrong of the Right'' (2004) * '' Mythmaker'' (2007) * ''
HanDover In cellular telecommunications, handover, or handoff, is the process of transferring an ongoing call or data session from one channel connected to the core network to another channel. In satellite communications it is the process of transf ...
'' (2011) * ''
Weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...
'' (2013) ohGr * Welt (2001) * SunnyPsyOp (2003) *
Devils in my Details ''Devils in my Details'' is the third studio album by the electro-industrial band ohGr. It was released in the U.K. and Europe on November 4, 2008, and in the United States on November 5, 2008. It was the only ohGr release through the German l ...
(2008) * UnDeveloped (2011) * Tricks (2018)


Filmography


References

Bibliography * *


External links


ohGr.org
Official Site
WDIHTF
''&'
tRAGEk
Official ohGr on
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

WDIHTF
Official ohGr on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Full Worm GardenOgre Needs Love
''Miami New Times''
Q&A With Ogre of Skinny Puppy
''Miami New Times:'' Crossfade * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ogre, Nivek Skinny Puppy members 1962 births Living people Canadian male singers Canadian industrial musicians Canadian electronic musicians Canadian guitarists Canadian keyboardists Canadian performance artists Pigface members Ministry (band) members Male actors from Calgary Musicians from Calgary Canadian male film actors OhGr members Canadian male guitarists Singers from Alberta