Nivek Ogre is a Canadian musician, performer, and actor best known for co-founding the industrial band Skinny Puppy. His charismatic persona, growling vocal style, use of costumes, eerie props, and fake blood on stage have drawn a large fan base to Skinny Puppy and inspired countless other musicians to embrace theatrics. Nivek’s music addresses critical social and political issues. Learn more about Nivek Ogre’s biography, creative journey, and views in this feature on calgary-trend.
A Young Magician and Poet
Kevin Graham Ogilvie (Nivek Ogre’s real name) was born on December 5, 1962, in Calgary. As a child, he became fascinated with magic and even aspired to be a magician, joining the International Brotherhood of Magicians and performing magic shows for his family. He was an introverted child who spent much of his time watching monster movies and reading the mystical works of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft.
Kevin often retreated to his basement to write poetry, producing pages at a time. Through this practice, he developed a keen sense of phonetic sound, recognizing the surreal power of words.
A Life-Changing Encounter
From a young age, Ogilvie imagined himself as a singer, believing it to be his destiny. He has cited listening to The Cure’s Pornography album as a transformative moment and credited Joy Division for introducing him to darker musical themes. He began his singing career in 1982 at the age of 20.
Kevin moved to Vancouver, a city that embraced music more than Calgary at the time. There, he attempted to start a record distribution company using borrowed money, though the effort failed. Around this time, Kevin also faced personal setbacks, including a divorce and the death of his father.
Ogilvie lived with Gary Smith, the bassist of the Canadian new wave band Images in Vogue. At a party, he met drummer Kevin Crompton of the same band and musician Steven Gilmore.
Crompton invited Ogilvie to join the creation of Skinny Puppy, to which he agreed. To avoid confusion, the two Kevins adopted stage names: Crompton became cEvin Key, while Ogilvie chose Nivek Ogre, a reversal of his first name.
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is one of the pioneers and popularizers of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. In addition to core members Key and Ogre, the band has featured musicians such as Dwayne Goettel, Dave “Rave” Ogilvie, Bill Leeb, and Mark Walk over the years.
The band released its first demo tape in 1984 and signed with Vancouver-based label Nettwerk. That same year, they debuted with the EP Remission. By the 1990s, Skinny Puppy had developed a devoted following. Their music blended elements of industrial, noise, new wave, funk, electro, and rock.
Onstage, Skinny Puppy became renowned for theatrical horror-inspired performances that highlighted issues such as animal testing, chemical warfare, environmental pollution, drug addiction, and self-determination. The song “Dig It” critiques workplace exploitation and its link to early death.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ogre battled drug addiction and was hospitalized during a European tour with Pigface. He later entered rehab in Edmonton.
In 1993, Skinny Puppy signed with American Recordings and moved to Malibu, California, though substance abuse and creative conflicts disrupted their music-making process.
Ogre left the band in June 1995, two months before Dwayne Goettel’s death from a heroin overdose. In 2000, Key and Ogre reunited for a one-off performance at the Doomsday Festival in Dresden, Germany. The band officially reformed in 2003 with producer Mark Walk, releasing albums such as The Greater Wrong of the Right (2004), Mythmaker (2007), HanDover (2011), and Weapon (2013).
Through their music, Skinny Puppy has also addressed the AIDS epidemic and the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Their music videos, often featuring disturbing and raw imagery, were frequently banned or restricted from commercial airplay.
Other Musical Projects
In 1990, Ogre joined the industrial supergroup Pigface, contributing vocals to tracks like “Tapeworm” and appearing on several of their albums.
In 2000, Ogre co-founded the industrial band ohGr with Mark Walk. Unlike Skinny Puppy, ohGr’s music incorporates a lighter tone with elements of hip-hop and synth-pop, reflecting Ogre’s lifelong interest in pop culture.
He also collaborated with Walk on tracks for the video game Descent II (1996) and created numerous remixes and covers, including a rendition of Madonna’s “Borderline.”
Ogre’s first acting experience came when he auditioned for the role of Funboy in The Crow (1994), though he disliked the process.
He later appeared with Skinny Puppy bandmates in the dark comedy The Doom Generation (1995) and returned to acting in the musical horror film Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008), playing the flamboyant Pavi Largo. The movie received mixed reviews.
Ogre also starred in the horror anthology series The Devil’s Carnival, the musical horror film Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival, the slasher film Scream Park, and the horror drama Queen of Blood. He appeared in the documentary Diary of a Dead Beat about filmmaker Jim Van Bebber.
Passion for Animal Rights
Ogre is a staunch animal rights advocate. In a 2000 interview with Zillo magazine, he argued that no human would willingly endure the tortures animals face in sterile laboratory environments.
In 1988, Skinny Puppy staged a show recreating animal experiments on a fake dog, resulting in their arrest and a fine for causing psychological distress to the audience.
Ogre has shared disturbing real-life accounts of animal abuse in labs, such as monkeys being disfigured for crash-test research or dogs undergoing live vivisections.
Although he was a vegetarian for 14 years, Ogre eventually returned to a standard diet due to health concerns.
