{"id":2942,"date":"2024-12-04T11:55:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T17:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/?p=2942"},"modified":"2024-12-04T11:55:11","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T17:55:11","slug":"growling-fake-blood-and-shock-the-artistry-of-calgarys-nivek-ogre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2942-growling-fake-blood-and-shock-the-artistry-of-calgarys-nivek-ogre","title":{"rendered":"Growling, Fake Blood, and Shock: The Artistry of Calgary&#8217;s Nivek Ogre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>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&#8217;s music addresses critical social and political issues. Learn more about Nivek Ogre&#8217;s biography, creative journey, and views in this feature on <a href=\"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/\">calgary-trend<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4613e809615\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a4613e809615\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2942-growling-fake-blood-and-shock-the-artistry-of-calgarys-nivek-ogre\/#A_Young_Magician_and_Poet\" >A Young Magician and Poet<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2942-growling-fake-blood-and-shock-the-artistry-of-calgarys-nivek-ogre\/#A_Life-Changing_Encounter\" >A Life-Changing Encounter<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2942-growling-fake-blood-and-shock-the-artistry-of-calgarys-nivek-ogre\/#Skinny_Puppy\" >Skinny Puppy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2942-growling-fake-blood-and-shock-the-artistry-of-calgarys-nivek-ogre\/#Other_Musical_Projects\" >Other Musical Projects<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/eternal-2942-growling-fake-blood-and-shock-the-artistry-of-calgarys-nivek-ogre\/#Passion_for_Animal_Rights\" >Passion for Animal Rights<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Young_Magician_and_Poet\"><\/span>A Young Magician and Poet<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Kevin Graham Ogilvie (Nivek Ogre\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/1-17.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2944\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/1-17.jpg 640w, https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/1-17-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Life-Changing_Encounter\"><\/span>A Life-Changing Encounter<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>From a young age, Ogilvie imagined himself as a singer, believing it to be his destiny. He has cited listening to The Cure&#8217;s <em>Pornography<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/2-14.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2947\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/2-14.jpg 750w, https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/2-14-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/2-14-696x390.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/3-15.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2950\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/3-15.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/3-15-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/3-15-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/3-15-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/3-15-696x522.jpg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/3-15-1068x801.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/3-15-265x198.jpg 265w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Skinny_Puppy\"><\/span>Skinny Puppy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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 \u201cRave\u201d Ogilvie, Bill Leeb, and Mark Walk over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The band released its first demo tape in 1984 and signed with Vancouver-based label Nettwerk. That same year, they debuted with the EP <em>Remission<\/em>. By the 1990s, Skinny Puppy had developed a devoted following. Their music blended elements of industrial, noise, new wave, funk, electro, and rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 \u201cDig It\u201d critiques workplace exploitation and its link to early death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1993, Skinny Puppy signed with American Recordings and moved to Malibu, California, though substance abuse and creative conflicts disrupted their music-making process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ogre left the band in June 1995, two months before Dwayne Goettel\u2019s 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 <em>The Greater Wrong of the Right<\/em> (2004), <em>Mythmaker<\/em> (2007), <em>HanDover<\/em> (2011), and <em>Weapon<\/em> (2013).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"398\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/4-17.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2953\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/4-17.jpg 600w, https:\/\/cdn.calgary-trend.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/12\/4-17-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Other_Musical_Projects\"><\/span>Other Musical Projects<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1990, Ogre joined the industrial supergroup Pigface, contributing vocals to tracks like \u201cTapeworm\u201d and appearing on several of their albums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2000, Ogre co-founded the industrial band ohGr with Mark Walk. Unlike Skinny Puppy, ohGr\u2019s music incorporates a lighter tone with elements of hip-hop and synth-pop, reflecting Ogre\u2019s lifelong interest in pop culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also collaborated with Walk on tracks for the video game <em>Descent II<\/em> (1996) and created numerous remixes and covers, including a rendition of Madonna\u2019s \u201cBorderline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ogre\u2019s first acting experience came when he auditioned for the role of Funboy in <em>The Crow<\/em> (1994), though he disliked the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He later appeared with Skinny Puppy bandmates in the dark comedy <em>The Doom Generation<\/em> (1995) and returned to acting in the musical horror film <em>Repo! The Genetic Opera<\/em> (2008), playing the flamboyant Pavi Largo. The movie received mixed reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ogre also starred in the horror anthology series <em>The Devil\u2019s Carnival<\/em>, the musical horror film <em>Alleluia! The Devil\u2019s Carnival<\/em>, the slasher film <em>Scream Park<\/em>, and the horror drama <em>Queen of Blood<\/em>. He appeared in the documentary <em>Diary of a Dead Beat<\/em> about filmmaker Jim Van Bebber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Passion_for_Animal_Rights\"><\/span>Passion for Animal Rights<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Ogre is a staunch animal rights advocate. In a 2000 interview with <em>Zillo<\/em> magazine, he argued that no human would willingly endure the tortures animals face in sterile laboratory environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although he was a vegetarian for 14 years, Ogre eventually returned to a standard diet due to health concerns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&#8217;s music addresses critical [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":412,"featured_media":2956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[155],"tags":[1658,1480,1650,1648,1661,1649,1652,1657,1653,1651,1659,1660,1654,1655,1656],"moimportance":[32,35],"motype":[160],"moformat":[1285],"class_list":{"0":"post-2942","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-muzika","8":"tag-animal-rights-advocacy-music","9":"tag-calgary-musicians","10":"tag-canadian-musician","11":"tag-industrial-music-pioneer","12":"tag-industrial-rock-history","13":"tag-nivek-ogre","14":"tag-nivek-ogre-acting-career","15":"tag-nivek-ogre-biography","16":"tag-ohgr-band","17":"tag-skinny-puppy-3","18":"tag-skinny-puppy-activism","19":"tag-skinny-puppy-horror-themes","20":"tag-skinny-puppy-live-performances","21":"tag-skinny-puppy-political-themes","22":"tag-skinny-puppy-theatrical-concerts","23":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","24":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory","25":"motype-eternal","26":"moformat-c-l"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/412"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2942"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2959,"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2942\/revisions\/2959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2942"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=2942"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=2942"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/calgary-trend.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=2942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}