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.
Wornin'
Skinny Puppy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
within the baker's deadly toll
in the morning's dirty rash
the rush hours kissing ass
finger through the dirty things
inside and out of everything
skirmish on the outer edges
of every single body's mind
these vision makers only fail
the fear of god on high
I've been out, so out of it
I've been hiding out
I've been hiding out of it
hiding so far out
I've been out, so out of it
I've been so far out
I want to be out of it
What a way back out....
this been toasted walk upon
then giving up what we've become
all cinders on this rocky road
melted ice cream overload
jump the prison plan advised
we'll make you feel the jim jones vibe
as if to drink their poison
somehow better than what we become
by vaporizing any of this wishful unsafe trip
catch the very essence draining
on this slowly sinking ship
moving on towards horizons
what's conceived will never be
i'm thinking of saying anything
and clinging
i've been out, so out of it
i've been hiding out
i've been hiding out of it
hiding so far out
find a way back out
what a way back out...
The lyrics of "Wornin'" by Skinny Puppy suggest a feeling of being stuck in an unpleasant and uncomfortable situation, unable to escape. The opening lines mention rotten soil within the baker's deadly toll, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for being trapped in a job or lifestyle that is damaging or unfulfilling. The morning's dirty rash and the rush hour's kissing ass suggest a sense of being forced to engage in unpleasant or insincere social interactions. The reference to skimming through the dirty things and skirmishing on the outer edges of every single body's mind portray a feeling of being surrounded by negativity and toxicity.
The lyrics go on to mention the fear of god on high, which suggests a sense of guilt or shame, and the desire to escape. The repetition of the phrase "I've been out, so out of it" emphasizes this feeling of being disconnected and removed from one's surroundings. The line "jump the prison plan advised" could be interpreted as a metaphor for breaking free from societal norms and expectations, while the reference to feeling the Jim Jones vibe suggests a sense of being controlled or manipulated by outside forces. The final lines of the song suggest a longing to escape and find a way back out of this unpleasant situation.
Line by Line Meaning
linger tasting rotten soil
Stuck in a place that is contaminated and decaying
within the baker's deadly toll
Affected by the consequences of someone else's actions
in the morning's dirty rash
Dealing with unpleasant situations that arise suddenly
the rush hours kissing ass
Being forced to conform to societal norms and expectations during busy times
finger through the dirty things
Inspecting and uncovering the unclean and unpleasant aspects of life
inside and out of everything
Fully aware of all aspects of everything
skirmish on the outer edges
Engaging in conflicts that are on the periphery of everyone else's thoughts
of every single body's mind
That occupy the thoughts and concerns of everyone
simmer on the holy scale
The sacred and important issues seem to be underrepresented and unresolved
these vision makers only fail
Those who are supposed to provide answers and solutions are unsuccessful
the fear of god on high
The threat of divine punishment looms large in people's minds
this been toasted walk upon
Navigating a difficult and challenging path
then giving up what we've become
Abandoning hard-won gains and progress
all cinders on this rocky road
The remnants of past struggles litter an already arduous journey
melted ice cream overload
Experiencing the disappointment and messiness of things not going as planned
jump the prison plan advised
Taking a risk and deviating from what is expected or suggested
we'll make you feel the jim jones vibe
Offering a sense of belonging and purpose that can be dangerous and cult-like
as if to drink their poison
To accept something harmful or toxic as a solution
somehow better than what we become
Believing that a harmful solution is more desirable than the current state
by vaporizing any of this wishful unsafe trip
Ignoring the dangers and impracticalities of unrealistic aspirations
catch the very essence draining
Trying to hold on to what little energy and life remains
on this slowly sinking ship
Navigating a situation that is doomed to fail
moving on towards horizons
Continuing onward despite the bleakness of the current situation
what's conceived will never be
Expectations and ideals will never match reality
i'm thinking of saying anything
Considering the possibility of speaking out or acting out despite the risks
and clinging
Holding on to what little hope and sanity remains
i've been out, so out of it
Feeling disconnected from reality and society
i've been hiding out
Avoiding the unpleasantness and difficulties of reality
i've been hiding out of it
Trying to escape not only the present situation, but also the feeling of being lost and disconnected
hiding so far out
Going to extremes to avoid confrontation or engagement with reality
find a way back out
Seeking a way to escape or return to a more comfortable state
what a way back out...
Expressing the difficulty of finding a viable way out of the current predicament
Contributed by Oliver A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Michael A
i love this song, and this is one of my favorite SP albums, but I giggle every time I hear this song and hear Ogre say "melted ice cream overload"
Neska Lapicki
that's kinda how i felt the first time i heard him sing "you and me and rainbows" (tear garden)
Kyle Olday
No matter what Puppy does, its Epic... the music is incredible... and the message within is something that keeps me striving each and every day... TO GET OUT, SO OUT OF IT... TO GET SO FAR OUT :)
fred handy
I like the sampling from the early days but this is still good stuff. I've heard that getting the rights to use samples has gotten too expensive and it just takes too long to get clearance that's why many bands don't use them anymore. Besides, finding all those cool Outer Limits/Twilight Zone/Horror samples was Dwayne's Goettel's job.
RLee Roberts
Nah...they just got lazy and irrelevant.
There are PLENTY of public domain movies available to sample from
Demetrios Pappas
The only way to use samples without having to pay royalties is you can only use up to 30 seconds of a sample
Saitove.Bg
+fred handy yeah to me this album got more of the sp old style than all the albums after the process.
Anthony Delucia
i have listened to this song regularly since this album dropped this album is fucking raw i love it.
Dario Palčić
Evolution... SP as it should sounds today... Really enjoying to pure industrial sound... Modern, simple and pure samples... OhGr finally has its own competition :-). Go on guys...
Kim Galle
Harsh vocals matched with melodic synths? Match made in heaven.