Inspired by the groundbreaking music of Chrome, Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Portion Control, The Legendary Pink Dots, and others, Skinny Puppy experimented with electronic recording techniques and methods. the band composed multi-layered music generally using keyboards, synthesizers, found sounds, drum machines, live percussion, tape splices, samplers, and conventional rock music instruments. Whereas many contemporary remixes and re-edits of songs were created in order to make a song more suitable for dancing or different radio formats, Skinny Puppy approached remixing and re-editing as an artistic process of reinterpreting compositions, often using remixes to push their sound into styles of ambient, dub and techno. Skinny Puppy's often informal, improvisational approach to musical composition is indicated by use of the term brap, coined by them and defined as a verb meaning "to get together, hook up electronic instruments, get high, and record".
Skinny Puppy's first two proper releases, Bites and Remission, fall somewhere between the found-sound chaos of early Cabaret Voltaire and the abrasive, futuristic synthpop of the Units or Crash Course in Science. While the intense synth programming, abstract rhythms, and surreal samples--all Puppy trademarks--are present here, the albums owe as much to new wave as to industrial.
A subsequent EP, Chainsaw, featured a remix of Bites's "Assimilate" that earned the band some attention from club DJs. 1986's Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse earned Skinny Puppy greater attention, as "Dig It" and "Stairs and Flowers" became alternative club and college radio hits; the video for the former was played occasionally on MTV. The album is arguably less club-friendly than its predecessors, as the band continues to refine a claustrophobic, almost surreal sound that buries rhythm and melody. The follow-up, Cleanse, Fold, and Manipulate treads similar territory.
VIVIsectVI was a breakthrough for the band, with "Testure" becoming their biggest club hit to date, and the album itself was received warmly by college radio. The title of the album was a pun intended to associate vivisection with Satanism (ie. the "666 sect"). The album shows SP integrating more political and social themes: "Testure" is an animal rights song; "VX Gas Attack" concerns the use of chemical weapons; "State Aid" promotes sexual abstinence to stop the spread of AIDS/HIV.
Ogre had become very interested in Ministry and Al Jougensen's side projects, and he persuaded the rest of the band to allow Jourgensen to produce Rabies. While "Worlock" (a track Jourgensen didn't produce) remains an industrial club classic, the album was received coolly, as many thought Jourgensen's heavy metal guitar-based signatures did not compliment SP's more complex, intricate sonic sculptures. The band briefly disbanded afterward.
They reformed and returned to their electronic roots with Too Dark Park, a hallucinogenic album that owes as much to psychedelia as industrial music. Two years later, "Last Rights" covered similar territory, culminating in the epic sound sculpture "Download." Although their sound had moved away from industrial dance, these albums expanded the band's audience, and provided the template for many industrial bands of the 1990s.
Following "Last Rights", the band, poised for a major breakthrough in the wake of Nine Inch Nails' commercial success, left their longtime label Nettwerk for American Recordings. Their highly anticipated followup was unfortunately marred by personal tragedy - the death of Dwayne Goettel - and the band's inability to agree on a direction for the record. Numerous producers, including Martyn Atkins (PigFace/Invisible Records founder) and Roli Mosimann (Swans), came and went without success; finally the band regrouped with longtime collaborator Dave "Rave" Ogilvie to finish "The Process". The band expanded their range, working with gothic pop and heavy metal, alongside their familiar electronic textures. While seemingly rushed to completion following Goettel's death (it sounds half-finished in parts), it is an interesting change for the group. Unfortunately American Recordings, tired of waiting for the record, did little to promote it. Skinny Puppy broke up afterward.
With interests in filmmaking, they made a number of music videos, each attempting to further the theme and concept of the composition at hand. Most of these videos received little air play by major music video networks such as MTV (USA) and MuchMusic (Canada) and some were outright banned. For example the video for "Worlock" was universally banned because it is a "non stop gore fest" of clips from various horror movies. Because none of these clips were authorized for usage in the video it has never been commercially available.
Their concerts have been marked by their bizarre and bloody conceptual performance art, which for every concert was planned with the intention of challenging the notions of all who observed. Their music had some acceptance in dance clubs because of its danceable beats, but had little play on commercial radio. Skinny Puppy had little commercial success outside of Canada, but their influence on industrial music is immense.
The band began with the intention of doing something "raw" and "real." Ogre's vocals, one of Skinny Puppy's most recognizable features, are typically roughly growled snarls of half-sentences and fragmented stream of consciousness. Lyrical themes included animal rights, politics, religion, horror, drug abuse, disease, and environmental degradation; these themes were often lyrically and conceptually intertwined. Other core aspects of the Skinny Puppy sound include the mixture of heavy sampling and experimental noise with softer musical styles sometimes approaching synthpop.
Post-punk politics are a recurring theme utilised by Skinny Puppy. Some say the meaning of their name is that their music and lyrics give a view of the world from the eyes of a starving animal. They have long had an interest in animal rights; this is most obvious in their song Testure, which is about vivisection and other animal testing being scientific fraud. During many of their concerts Ogre would take the role of "scientist" and experiment on a stuffed animal. In 1988 they were arrested for their mocked-up vivisections, and found it ironic to be arrested for a parody of what was happening for real across the street from their concert. During their TGWOTR tour, criticism of the Bush regime was a recurring theme, particularly during their performance of VX Gas Attack, a song about atrocities perpetrated by Saddam Hussein, originally released while he was still considered an ally of the United States.
The last two studio albums are points of contention for old school Puppy fans. During the recording of The Process, the band broke up. Even more tragically, Dwayne Rudolph Goettel died, from an apparent heroin overdose at his parent's home, soon afterwards. Some people say that cEvin, Nivek, and Dwayne didn't connect as well on this album as they had earlier because their respective musical interests were diverging at the time, others claim it was the heroin.
Key and Ogre later reunited as Skinny Puppy for a one-off concert in Germany in 2003. Afterwards, they decided Skinny Puppy should continue as an ongoing project. The newly reconstituted Skinny Puppy released The Greater Wrong of the Right in 2004, their first studio album in 8 years, and have been continuing since, constantly evolving their sound.
There have been a number of Skinny Puppy side projects, both before, and after the breakup in 1995. The Tear Garden is a collaboration between cEvin and Edward Ka-Spel (and later most band members) of The Legendary Pink Dots. Other noteable side projects include Download, Hilt, Plateau, Cyberaktif (a collaboration between Key & Goettel and Bill Leeb, a.k.a. Wilhelm Schroeder), Rx (one-off collaboration between Ogre and Martin Atkins), ADuck (Goettel's side project), A CHUD Convention (one-off collaboration with a;GRUHM...), Ogre's contributions to Pigface, Ogre and Mark Walk's band ohGr and solo releases from cEvin Key.
Ode to Groovy
Skinny Puppy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not quite as dumb as they seen
With or without God's poor judgment
Screams just the same to me
Leave it up to government
Medicine speeds your life away
Who shot the cat in the hat
To experiment is insane
Never was a dog's best friend
License to kill
Look behind the sentient line
What's alive feels the heat of a flame
The fascist mask media blinds
What's perceived through the tunnel of pain
Through sleight of hand, no one reprimands
The research gone astray
Forgotten flesh, we're bottle-fed
On a need to know basis
Teaching lies, the little dog cries
The tears of the quiet ones
License to kill
Wisdom's race false delight
To kill time and time again
Tube down the next
Flesh pulled back
To crawl underneath the skin
The corporate death no sentiment
The pain sustained at will
They preach on high morals lie
In this farce called vivisection
What research finds as the animal dies
Never did a goddamn thing
License to kill.
The song Ode to Groovy by Skinny Puppy deals with the topic of animal testing in the name of scientific research. The lyrics talk about the experience of animals being tested on and how they are not as "dumb" as they are seen. The governmental institutions that allow animal testing to take place are criticized for being responsible for the "license to kill" that animals are given.
The song goes on to highlight the inhumane practices that animals are subjected to, including being "bottle-fed" and "experimented" on without their consent. This is seen as an immoral and corrupt practice that is fueled by the need for scientific knowledge at any cost. Skinny Puppy argues that the supposed scientific knowledge gained through animal testing is meaningless because it does not come from a natural context, and is instead forced upon animals in confined and unnatural environments.
The lyrics also discuss the societal propaganda that endorses animal testing, with the fascist mask media blinds and teaching lies. Skinny Puppy concludes that such practices cannot fall within the confines of high morals and that killing animals in the name of research is immoral and barbaric. Overall, the song is a critique of the practice of animal testing and the governmental and societal factors that allow it to continue.
Line by Line Meaning
Dog has sight feels pain sorry
Dogs are capable of emotion and pain, contrary to what some people believe, and deserve better treatment and empathy.
Not quite as dumb as they seen
Dogs are actually much smarter and more sentient than they are often given credit for by humans.
With or without God's poor judgment
Regardless of religion or morality, mistreating dogs is wrong and should not be condoned.
Screams just the same to me
The pain and suffering of dogs is just as distressing and real as that of humans and must not be ignored.
Leave it up to government
Society and those in power have a responsibility to ensure that dogs are treated fairly and humanely.
Medicine speeds your life away
The medical industry often prioritizes speed and convenience over ethics and the well-being of animals and humans.
Who shot the cat in the hat
The senseless and cruel experimentation on animals is unforgivable and must be stopped.
To experiment is insane
Animal experimentation is unethical and unnecessary, and alternative methods should be sought out.
Fetching bones for the government food bowl
Dogs are often used and abused by those in power as a means to an end, with little regard for their well-being or dignity.
Never was a dog's best friend
Despite the popular saying, humans have historically not always been kind to dogs and have often mistreated them.
License to kill
Those who engage in unethical practices and experimentation on animals are granted impunity and are not held accountable for their actions, allowing them to continue causing harm.
Look behind the sentient line
It is important to recognize the intelligence and capacity for emotion in animals, and not just view them as objects to be used or experimented on.
What's alive feels the heat of a flame
Animals are not immune to pain and suffering, and must not be subjected to cruelty and neglect.
The fascist mask media blinds
The media often portrays a distorted and inaccurate view of animal testing and other cruel practices, obscuring the truth and preventing progress toward more ethical treatment of animals.
What's perceived through the tunnel of pain
It is easy to overlook or ignore injustices and cruelty when they are not directly affecting us, but we must endeavor to empathize with those who are suffering.
Through sleight of hand, no one reprimands
Those who engage in unethical practices and experimentation on animals often use deception and trickery to avoid scrutiny and criticism.
The research gone astray
Animal experimentation rarely leads to meaningful breakthroughs or advancements, and often takes resources away from more promising areas of research.
Forgotten flesh, we're bottle-fed
The truth of animal experimentation is often hidden or brushed aside, leaving consumers ignorant and complacent in their support of unethical practices and products.
On a need to know basis
The medical industry and others who profit from animal experimentation often operate with a veil of secrecy and only disclose information when it is deemed necessary or convenient for them.
Teaching lies, the little dog cries
The often-dishonest portrayal of animal testing and other mistreatment leaves those who care about animals feeling helpless and heartbroken.
The tears of the quiet ones
The suffering of animals is often ignored or minimized, causing pain and sadness to those who witness it but feel powerless to stop it.
Wisdom's race false delight
The pursuit of knowledge should not come at the cost of ethics and morality, and humans should not take pride in causing harm to other beings.
To kill time and time again
The repetition and persistence of animal testing and other cruel practices is needless and cruel.
Tube down the next
Animals are often seen as disposable and interchangeable in the eyes of those who engage in experimentation and other abusive practices.
Flesh pulled back
The graphic and traumatizing nature of animal testing and other forms of abuse demonstrate a fundamental disregard for the wellbeing of living beings.
To crawl underneath the skin
The mistreatment and abuse of animals reveals an ugly, cruel side of humanity that is difficult to bear witness to.
The corporate death no sentiment
The merciless nature of big business and capitalism often dehumanizes animals and people alike, with profits overshadowing ethics and justice.
The pain sustained at will
Animals are at the mercy of humans, who too often wield their power irresponsibly and unethically, causing needless pain and suffering.
They preach on high morals lie
Those who engage in unethical practices and experimentation on animals often claim to have the moral high ground or defend their actions as necessary, which is simply not true.
In this farce called vivisection
Animal experimentation is a cruel and unnecessary practice that is often defended with flimsy excuses and reasoning.
What research finds as the animal dies
The results of animal experimentation are often questionable or inconclusive, and are not worth the enormous cost to the animals who are subjected to the experiments.
Never did a goddamn thing
The suffering and death of animals due to experimentation and other forms of mistreatment is senseless and unjustified, and serves no greater purpose or benefit.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Stephanie Bennett
Was driving home listening to 93.9fm (time warp) in Detroit and this song came on and my friend lost it because he has been trying to figure out the name of this song for 15 years! So good and it made his shit day a bit better.
Cynthia Novoselsky
Oh yeah I am from Detroit
Brent Heritier
Time Warp was on 88.7 (89x) and she played this song often. It's also how I found it. Her show is online now, basically in podcast form. It's still great, and even more diverse.
Chad
Stephanie Bennett that’s a great story. Thanks for sharing! The only Skinny Puppy song I’ve ever heard on the radio was The Choke several years ago on a college station. That’s really awesome that this song received radio play considering it was only released on this long out of print compilation.
Gremlin AfterMidnight
I lost track of this in '98. Thanks for the upload. Nostalgia rocks the cradle of time.
Scott Scruggs
27 years old and still relevant. These guys were and still are genius's.
Delhi Delirium
This is more a Ohgr solo song than a Skinny Puppy one , a great one at that , mind you.
Dwayne´s O.D. , Def Jam fiasco , band disintegrating , serious substance issues ... soaring above all of that ugly period , here´s Ohgr and Dave with such a great , beautiful song which sits along pretty well the entire Skinny Puppy + ALL side projects catalogue .
Saraiva Toledo
@Chad Great link ! Thank you ( again ) . Just when I thought there probably wasn´t any Puppy songs I had never listened to , here´s more not only a song but a side project which eluded me 100% .
Saraiva Toledo
@Chad Foking YT not delivering me things properly , as it was meant no(t)o ( looking for Ohgrities everywhere after some time immersed in the SP aesthetics :-))... 3 months to receive this.
Thank You so much man !
Chad
Delhi Delirium only one song was officially released under the name Raw Dog on another compilation album. Check it out here:
https://youtu.be/9Tq_sfO6BOQ