Editing Nivek Ogre (section)

==Style==
===Vocals and lyrics===
Described by Bill Henderson of ''[[The Orlando Sentinel]]'' as "disturbing, distorted and disconnected from anything real",<ref name=Orlando>{{cite web |last1=Henderson |first1=Bill |title=Skinny Puppy Review (22 February 1987) |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1987-02-22-0110160136-story.html |website=[[The Orlando Sentinel]] |date=February 22, 1987 |access-date=January 18, 2019}}</ref> Ogre's vocal style took influence from the likes of [[Stephen Mallinder]] of [[Cabaret Voltaire (band)|Cabaret Voltaire]] and Ian Sharp of [[Portion Control (band)|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".<ref name="Chaos" /> He started off his career as a "non-singer", with his vocals often heavily treated with effects.<ref name="Whelps">{{cite journal |last1=Shaw |first1=Ted |title=Weird Whelps Howl a Message of Modern Mayhem |journal=[[Windsor Star]] |date=September 24, 1986 |page=A16}}</ref> His guttural and oftentimes unintelligible delivery became a hallmark of Skinny Puppy's music.<ref name="Taboos" /> His lyrics, usually delivered as a [[stream of consciousness]] meant to invoke certain images to the listener,<ref name="Picnic">{{cite journal |last1=Carey |first1=Jean |title='Park' Outing is no Picnic |journal=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |date=November 9, 1990 |page=17}}</ref> range from surrealistic to overtly sociopolitical, and explore topics such as vivisection, war, disease, the environment, addiction, and self-determination.<ref name="TheKnow" /><ref name=Bulky>{{cite magazine|last1=Shurtluff|first1=Kevin|title=Bulky and Surrealistic: Skinny Puppy|magazine=[[Alternative Press (magazine)|Alternative Press]]|date=December 1988|volume=3|issue=14|url=http://litany.net/interviews/shurt88.html|access-date=July 7, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006021627/http://litany.net/interviews/shurt88.html|archive-date=October 6, 2016}}</ref><ref name=Apocalyptic>{{cite journal |last1=Kot |first1=Greg |title=Technology Expands Skinny Puppy's Apocalyptic Sound |journal=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=May 21, 1992 |page=8}}</ref> 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".<ref name=Apocalyptic /> 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".<ref name="Maher">{{cite journal |last1=Maher |first1=Sharon |title=Ritalin |journal=Industrial Nation |publisher=Litany |date=1998 |issue=16 |url=http://litany.net/interviews/in16.html |access-date=March 2, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Skinny Puppy Wave-Gotik-Treffen 2017 04.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A photo of Nivek Ogre onstage at Wave-Gotik-Treffen during Skinny Puppy's 2017 Down the Sociopath to Euro tour.|Ogre (right) performing onstage at [[Wave-Gotik-Treffen]], 2017]]

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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gourley |first1=Bob |title=Ogre of Skinny Puppy Talks about Guantanamo Bay and "Weapon" (November 19, 2013) |url=https://www.chaoscontrol.com/skinny-puppy-weapon-interview/ |website=Chaos Control |date=November 19, 2013 |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Toxicologically">{{cite journal |title=Toxicologically Speaking or an Evening with Nivek Ogre |journal=Industrial Disinformation Station |publisher=Litany |date=June 1998 |url=http://litany.net/interviews/rxids98.html |access-date=March 2, 2019}}</ref> He later said that singing without treated vocals allowed him to express himself in ways he'd never been able to with Skinny Puppy.<ref name="Terrorizer">{{cite journal |title=Ogre Interview |journal=Terrorizer |publisher=Litany |date=April 2001 |url=http://litany.net/interviews/terror.html |access-date=March 2, 2019}}</ref> 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".<ref name="Maher" />

===Live performances===
Ogre's live performances have been referred to as [[performance art]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sullivan |first1=Jim |title=The Thrashing and Gnashing Staturation Point |journal=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=May 26, 1987 |page=39}}</ref> and are influenced by his interest in the horror films,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stewart |first1=Kelly |title=The Undeveloped World of Nivek Ogre |journal=[[Fangoria]] |date=June 2011 |issue=304 |page=85}}</ref> the work of [[Alice Cooper]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Craig |first1=Terry |title=Skinny Puppy Features Shock Rock |journal=[[Star Phoenix]] |date=September 18, 1986 |page=B1}}</ref> and his childhood love of magic tricks.<ref>{{cite journal |title=We got the Dirt (and Blood!) on Ogre |journal=[[Outburn Magazine|Outburn]] |publisher=Litany |date=September 1998 |url=http://litany.net/interviews/outburn.html |access-date=March 2, 2019}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' attributed Ogre's theatrics to him becoming "the first industrial rock star".<ref name="Essential">{{cite journal |last1=Gold |first1=Jonathan |last2=Kendrick |first2=David |title=It's the Industrial Revolution |journal=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 19, 1992 |page=62}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Gitter|first1=Mike|title=Skinny Puppy: Future Shock|magazine=[[RIP Magazine]]|date=1992|url=http://litany.net/interviews/rip92.htm|access-date=September 22, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509194646/http://litany.net/interviews/rip92.htm|archive-date=May 9, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite interview |last=Ogre |first=Nivek |interviewer=Corey Goldberg |title=Litany Webchat with Ogre and Jason Alacrity |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KXsljF0a50 |publisher=Litany |date=November 18, 2013 |access-date=March 1, 2019|time=20:32}}</ref> He considered the ''Too Dark Park'' tour to be a career  high point<ref name="Soundcheck" /> and one of his favorites, and included several large set pieces,<ref name=Politic /> one of which, the stilt-man, involved Ogre walking on stilts while operating a pair of hydraulic crutches as he lurched towards the audience.<ref name=Politic>{{cite journal |last1=Alexander |first1=Chris |last2=Ogre |first2=Nivek |title=The Politic Spasmolytic: Rash Reflections |journal=[[Fangoria]] |date=January 2014 |issue=329 |page=55}}</ref> When asked if he felt [[Marilyn Manson]] 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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tabata |first1=Susanne |title=Bastard Children of Vancouver Return with the Ultimate Weapon (February 17, 2014) |url=http://beatroute.ca/2014/02/17/skinny-puppy/ |website=[[BeatRoute]] |access-date=March 2, 2019}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Burn |first1=Robyn Lisa |title=Band Stresses Imagery |journal=[[Fort Lauderdale News]] |date=May 1, 1987 |page=18}}</ref> He toned down the use of props for his performances with ohGr, wanting the shows to instead focus on music.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cameron |first1=J. |title=ohGr Interview |journal=Slug Magazine |publisher=Litany |date=2001 |url=http://litany.net/interviews/slug2001.html |access-date=March 2, 2019}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Baret |first1=Nathalie |title=OhGr Cuts Flash but Boosts Weird |journal=[[Albuquerque Journal]] |date=December 21, 2008 |page=F5}}</ref> He told the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' 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".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lanham |first1=Tom |title=Nivek Ogre's ohGr Releases 'Tricks' |journal=[[San Francisco Examiner]] |date=August 15, 2018 |page=12}}</ref>