Sunday Live Chat; The story of Too Dark Park 3/19/23

[@alexlokanin3312]

OMG I'm so glad you made this public

[@huddypop3491]

Very cool. Happy to have found this

[@ditlee6071]

Yes! Thank you for sharing story. Cincinnati show was great

[@knifeswitch5973]

Completely stumbled on this. Skinny Puppy was a big part of my youth (now 55). In one summer I was introduced Skinny Puppy, Test Dept, Einster, Throbbing Gristle, Negativeland and many more. I was just a skate punk and had met this dude with the most unbelievable record collection I have ever seen. Spent the entire summer in his basement smoking weed and falling down the rabbit hole. Thankyou for your contribution to my sweet wonderful warped life!

[@russell_szabados]

Same here. I'm 55 and discovered Skinny Puppy in '87 right after discovering Throbbing Gristle and Coil. Shapes yr aesthetic for a lifetime.

[@te9591]

Lol

[@Kholan95]

Thanks for sharing your experience with this stuff. I started replying with a snapshot of my relationship with this album. It ran long so I made my own comment, though.

[@yt-mca]

Watching this in 2024, some 33 years after I bought Too Dark Park which was the soundtrack of my youth together with Rabies and Last Rites. Life has a way to close all these circles.

[@EightyPredatorsWide]

Wow.. This is the kind of breakdown I've been curious about for at least 26 years. I really REALLY appreciate this accidental public streaming.

[@markmower6507]

Yep, wish I had some of this information two Decades Ago, Hahahahahahahaha 😂!!!

[@ScaryGarrySG1]

I don't think this was an accidental public streaming. Cevin does these via his Pateron first, and after 6-8 months, he posts them here on KZbin. For just $2 you got to view damn near everything there, and it is A LOT. The best I have ever entered into in my entire life and I am not kidding at all, haha!

[@EightyPredatorsWide]

@@ScaryGarrySG1 Thaaaat's what I was going to do. Give ol Keyster here a few several bucks for that access. I owe him and his buddies for the many years of monumentally fantastic brain spaces.

[@jeremyjohnson7441]

This accidental public streaming has earned at least one new Patreon subscriber! Like other folks have said, I’ve dreamed of this kind of breakdown of SP albums for years. I really wish more legendary artists would make videos like this. This is valuable history!

[@treysimmons7707]

Yup it got me to subscribe too ! I was like WHAT???!! No freaking way. Anyone reading this, Cevin's patreon is well worth the money.

[@ScaryGarrySG1]

@@treysimmons7707 $2 is a steal for the amount of content there!

[@ScaryGarrySG1]

Cevin has made his way through almost all of the Skinny Puppy catalog with these breakdowns, besides Last Rites and The Process, and has breakdowns for most of the side-project albums. If you bump up to $5 as a Patreon there are some great studio videos during the chaotic recording of the Process.

[@hazmatforhumanity7318]

Shorelined Poison has always been one of my all time favorite Puppy tracks

[@josephmcconnell5869]

OMG I got cold chills when Cevin said that Too Dark Park video was filmed in Cincinnati because I am definitely out there in the audience!! Oh I wish I could be there again!!

[@williamkjwilliamkj1815]

Just watched footage of some of the “last” Skinny Puppy shows and I became sad. What an incredible band with an astonishing legacy.

[@DEADEYESTUDIO]

god i love the album cover, its perfect. it still inspires my designs cuz its just unsettling af. i remember my dad had a cd or something and i think it had like a 360 view of the cover i think you could look at. I feel the same with the painting where it sucks that the album doesn’t show the full painting cuz it’s awesome I’d hang it on my wall

[@jasoncombs3232]

You are a God walking amongst mere mortals. Thank you so much cEv.

[@PrettyH8Mach1ne]

Definitely my all time favorite SP album. I'll never forget combining natural psychedelics with my listening experiences when this album came out. This album really captures the true essence of puppy in my opinion and had the most poetic and complex lyrics amongst the SP catalog. Must be played as loudly as possible to hear all the delicious layers of sound. Truly brilliant work and sounds as amazing as it first did when I was just 13 years old (gasp!)

[@te9591]

Shrooms and too dark park would blow my mind.

[@seanmayoaguirre1316]

BEST.VIDEO.EVER. Thank You, Cev, for this fantastic video. Having listened to TDP several thousand times i feel like every second of all 38 minutes is essentially part of my DNA now, hands down a matchless MASTERPIECE. What an insanely beautiful gift your taking us through it has been. Cheers to you and the whole SP fam, God Bless You, Dwayne, You are the THUNDERCLAP. Cev, I am crossing my fingers that you'll do this for each SP album, really looking forward to tuning in. PEACE!

[@PrettyH8Mach1ne]

beautifully stated

[@EnervatedSociety]

Skinny Puppy is hands down my fav band ever. Too Dark Park & Last Rights are my two favorite albums ever. I feel kinda nuts saying that because of all the amazing music and musicians there are throughout history up to current day and likely tomorrow but it's true. You guys changed the way I understood and listened to music, for the better. Much respect & thank you so much! I'm very much looking forward to watching this vid so off I go!

[@spellcards]

So glad I found this

[@SteveKusek]

Coming from a audio production background, Too Dark Park specifically was one of those albums that flipped me out into listening and re-listening obsessively, just trying to make sense of what I was hearing! That got me right into college radio (at the age of 14) trying to get a hold of all the electronic music I could find... I went right to college in '96 and studied audio production and DSP, post-production - got my degree. Getting this detailed and deep explanation (with images!) of the vibes behind the production of that album, it just gives me crazy chills. Can't thank you enough, man!!

[@te9591]

Did you ever do anything with yhe degree?

[@SteveKusek]

@@te9591 I had a great job at a multicast streaming startup as a production director and programmer, but sadly they went bankrupt and disappeared. Few more jobs doing event production and live sound/video as well...

[@te9591]

@SteveKusek sounds good while it lasted.

[@reannataylor8320]

For a ton more videos like this you can subscribe to cEvin's Patreon page at Patreon.com/cevinkey also visit our shop for stuff from cEvin's personal collection at subcontoy.com

[@twangology]

supported all the way!!!

[@jordansullivan3087]

Proud supporter! 🙂

[@amberdawn5756]

Thank you! 🖤

[@darryldarkland]

Being a long life Skinny Puppy fan this is pure gold. Thanks man 🤘🤘

[@michalh.1942]

thank you so much cEvin for all the stories... too dark park, last rights.... such beautiful insights. Looking forward to hear about The Process, The Greater Wrong of the Right.... so so much about Download's Furnace and also your amazing Music for Cats.

[@vaprex]

So awesome for this to be made public. I'll be seeing you play in Charlotte and Asheville in less than a week!! Puppy has been my favorite band since 1989 (when I was 16) ... Brap on!

[@scottsommer8382]

Thank you so much for this. I've been a fan since 86. And my 14 yo son is chomping at the bit for the Pittsburgh show in April. I am so grateful that I get to share the live SP experience with him.

[@Swaggycat_yt]

My Favorite, Listened to it on LSD when I was a teenager, blew my mind

[@ResonantSerpent]

I was talking to both you and Dwayne in San Antonio on the Last Rights tour. Dwayne was saying that he thought Too Dark Park was unfinished as an album, and he thought longer should have been spent in the studio on it. He also said that Spasmolytic was "100% Yamaha SY-77", so it seems you were using the FM synths at that time.

[@mykolakorzh]

Thank you for the video cEvin, glad to be learning such a details about Skinny Puppy history

[@laid-backgaming]

What I gather from this is that the disconnect from Cevin and Ogre is blatantly obvious. It reminds me a lot like Tool. The "band" would lay down the music and the lyrics would be added afterwards. Surprisingly it works so well.

[@vincenzollamas]

cEvin - if you read this, i am so grateful for you doing this! this is my fave Puppy album by a long shot, i heard it when it came out and have revisited it so many times, deep huge inspiration!

[@dxmayer]

Amazing. Such a monumentally heavy and chaotic album. Just a blast. It’s great to get all this insider info on the gear. (Love my Emax II. Really can make strange and musical samples.) Thanks for the this.

[@bgp001]

Damn, that's cool seeing cEvin use clips from my channel for his stream! glad they came in handy.

[@chriswilloughby48]

Music For Grass Bars is one of my favourite albums.

[@Decoy303]

My favorite album.

[@thewavingbear]

I bought this album when it came out and I was so impressed with the music and the artwork I got myself a pair of white jeans and painted the album art all over them, took me ages but they became the Too Dark Pants and I still wonder what happened to them.

[@jadelopehandia1096]

Shout out from Van City ~ This Album's a Notorious Masterpiece

[@Cyborgmarsupial]

Excellence. To hear a narrative fleshing out further some lore I've heard shared via word of mouth with other fans. -Brap On

[@MrDogmanstarr]

Great demo at the end. Just a beauty of a synth.

[@Kholan95]

I've got a small story about the impact of this album on my life. Skinny Puppy and Too Dark Park specifically has helped give me catharsis through some pretty dark times and allowed me to connect with my dad in ways I doubt I would have otherwise. I'll reply with the rest.

[@Kholan95]

I'm 29 now, so I suppose it was 17 years ago that I thought I was being real rebellious moving over from stuff like SOAD and Rage Against the Machine to more industrial and dark wave music. My dad was/is a big fan of grunge and wasn't big on anything with an electronic bent. I listened to NIN, but craved more experimental stuff, and found my way to Android Lust, Ministry, and pretty quickly Skinny Puppy. One evening I was chilling in my bedroom (the garage) listening to an album I had found at a random pawn shop in my small hometown. My dad came into the room super surprised that I was listening to Too Dark Park, and it got him talking about a phase of his life (Austin in the 80s) that I hadn't heard much about. It was a dark time for him trying to cope after serving in the Marines, and through this music I felt a lot closer to him.

[@claudiaweier1153]

Thank you. Much respect for the generosity of your memories. ❤ 🐥

[@deepsurface]

last rights and too dark park completely changed what i expected from an album, and the way id approach making music and painting

[@markkevorkian]

Such a brilliant album. It's so disjointed but at the same time catchy. It's an album that you keep hearing different things the more you listen to it. I don't know how to explain it but the songs don't even sound like they would be possible for humans to create. I swear it frightened me when I was younger. 30 years later and i enjoy it more now than ever.

[@deckofcards87]

Recently listened to TDP for the first time in years and...Wow. How did this come out in 1990? It still sounds futuristic to me. You guys were pushing the envelope.

[@VacancyOfDisco]

Too Dark Park came out on my birthday! What a great present!

[@hunterdavis3003]

I saw you guys on the too dark park tour. I saw the show in Charlotte and too this day it’s the BEST shoe I’ve ever witnessed. Dwayne was there you were on drums it was just incredible

[@maxeypad]

Hi cEvin! TDP is also my favorite SP album. Remission a close second place.

[@standardissue69]

Skinny Puppy & Download are my greatest influences. Thanks for everything you guys have done.

[@somethingelsedoesmatter]

Thanks for doing this. You guys have been a top-10 band for me ever since I was a kid and first heard this album. Well, not the first listen - initially, it terrified me - but I accidentally took the cassette home from my uncle's place, and curiosity got the best of me, and I gave it another listen. That time, it stuck. It's still my favourite industrial/electronic album of all time, and one of my top 5 favourite albums ever, too. I have all your CDs that I could find over the years. I was sad when I bought The Process and learned about what all went down. Then later on, I was so happy about the reunion, and always hoped I'd get to see the new incarnation of the band. Unforunately, it's not going to work out for this tour, and that means never. I'm assuming it means no new music, either. Very sad about that, but you've made a significant amount of material, and I enjoy all of it. But Too Dark Park is my favourite of it all, and it was cool to watch this video. Thanks for sharing with us!

[@amberdawn5756]

I just love you guys! 🙌🏻

[@thezenboy]

Thank you for the Toronto show! I was 3 people back from the front and still managed to get some of the white "brain" goo spit on me. Best moment of my life. I also loved the many little extras you pumped into the songs. Fresh and alive. Sadly you didn’t get much time to Brap away during the first encore

[@RandyM5]

This is awesome. Revealing the mystery of one of the most mysterious and important bands of my life. Hearing Who’s Laughing Now in the back seat of my friends car tripping on acid changed my life and forever upgraded my musical taste. A few years ago I was standing right next to Mr. Key in Chicago and I felt the urge to tell him his influence on me, but I couldn’t bring myself to be a fanboy. Much Love from Chiraq

[@thejodyjourney219]

Thanks for this video. My father and I played the hell out of this when it came out. We were late on discovering you, living in the Fla Keys. My father had heard of you, found something in the cut outs. Gave it a try, probably around 1989. I was afraid it was gonna be cheesy because of the band name. Turns out to be one of the best bands ever! Plus, I totally relate to the concept. Living my life as an undesirable woman, I have always known the underbelly of society. Anyways, great music, great therapy for the ptsd of the soul!

[@Rotten13mgOxy]

A couple times Jim Van Bebber told me he filmed the entire show and gave all the footage to you guys when I asked. I hope you guys get the too dark park show on DVD or something!

[@420dAn]

I asked him (Van Bebber) back on myspace days and he said he would never sell the footage, that it was priceless. I was really wanting to see the footage badly after those clips on the greater wrong of the right.

[@AliceBowie]

Rabies is a great album, I never got why so many people hated it. Yeah, it sounds like Skinny Puppy with Al Jourgensen. It's got great tracks, warlock is great. Too Dark Park is awesome. I was a young kid into metal and hardcore, this album, ministry, and nin really changed my taste towards industrial and electronic music

[@williamaeronlewis]

so cool . thank you for the amazing show in vancouver thursday , damn dude. so cool. Wanted to see you guys for like one zillion years, was my fantasy that the show would be at the commodore, loved your albums forever but that was the first live show with you, and it was very , very good.

[@KyleClements]

On top of learning the history of one of my favourite albums, this video also taught me I've been pronouncing "spasmolytic" wrong all these years.

[@CamilleDePalo-xi2qj]

Yes! Great to run into ya on utube! Great show! Coñt.on.....

[@myflatlineconstruct]

Wow. I had no idea this channel existed. I've lamented for years missing this tour. I unfortunately will miss your 40th anniversary final tour. I did have the pleasure seeing 3 earlier. Not TDP though. The greatest horror opera of all time by every account I've read. If all possible, I'd pay high price to see the film.

[@ObsidianContraption]

It's wonderful to hear how this album was made. Def one of my favorites of Skinny Puppy

[@DigitalMiVa]

Very informative, and I thought the whole album you played live drums.

[@crypticmoses]

I was introduced to Skinny Puppy in a dark smokey basement in 1999. I lived in a town called Hope, B.C then and I was in high school. I knew nothing about electronic music and it blew my mind. My friend introduced me to SP, Delerium, MLWTTK, PWEI, Severed heads, Aphex Twin, u-ziq, NIN, Bochum Welt, and many others. I've never looked back since.

[@rumo510]

Completely forgot about Bochum Welt!

[@raygun1966]

The extra keyboard videos are wonderful.

[@TheAmazingSnarf]

thank you so very much for this. Too Dark Park was, and remains, a touchstone for myself and many of my friends. in those days, we would often wonder 'how in the heck would they even begin to assemble something like this?' today, all of these years later, i find myself much further along in my own personal sound design journey, and the technical knowledge of 'how' really pales in comparison to the larger concept of music 'as' pure expression of Art. i'm filled with gratitude, and i can think of no better way to (accidentally, perhaps) advertise a membership into your patreon archive service as a huge, and highly important, record of mindset, set and setting, technical analysis, and vision. Brap On. see you out on this tour.

[@KittyKandy]

Thank you so much guys, and cEvin, for this live chat! I wish you all a great remaining of tour. So far, you really put on just all the best and the gear setup looked good! Be all safe in the trip back. Much love!

[@amberdawn5756]

Skinny Puppy and Ministry my two all time favorite bands. Ministry was the first band I ever saw when I was 16 in 1996? And yes Skinny Puppy (although certainly have been a part of my inner and outer life for many many years)so far is the last band I've seen live with Lead into Gold in May. 🖤🖤 very synchronized and poetic for me.

[@evanbates1212]

Glad to stumble here and have so many answers now. Helps me make my music honestly. Love you guys, changed my life, opened my eyes, made me a better person somehow 🖤🔥💣💥

[@lowgradesignal9046]

Thanks for the Stories and your thoughts regarding music. Helps me in a way I can't explain, music creation is an amazing thing I'm glad I decided to mess with a few years ago. Not many understand what I do or like, but the few that do is a great feeling. Cheers brother.

[@gloomforged]

Wow. Love this deep dive. Saw the TDP tour in Milwaukee, still have my shirt and mask (I can't believe the mask survived being in the pit all night). Thanks for doing this, I'll be looking into the patreon.

[@monsterbox6]

Thanks for sharing this! Such amazing insight into the history and inspiration behind one of my all time favorite albums!

[@CamilleDePalo-xi2qj]

Ty so Much cevin! Fascinating!

[@kinomemusic]

This is fascinating! So cool to hear an artist I've loved since I was 14 (28 years ago) talk about one of my favourite albums. Btw I'd buy a live album from this era in a second

[@stevenclutter4710]

I’ve never seen a video like this we’re he breaks down the albums so so sweet

[@stevenclutter4710]

Man I love for them to come back to Cincinnati went to the final tour I really hope you guys do one more. Amazing experience

[@MrYerathrall]

This is wonderful. What great timing for this series.Thank you aCevin and I will See you in POrtland at the Crystal Ballroom in May!

[@rumo510]

I'll be at that one too! Saw them about 20 years ago in San Francisco and it's still the best show I've ever been to.

[@MrYerathrall]

@@rumo510 I was at that show in San Francisco! They all came out in the alley after the show and we all smoked out and chatted it up! Hell I'm tempted to drive up to Seattle for their FINAL SHOW!

[@lostcauseindustry]

Thank you for sharing the history TDP and the stories!

[@afiddlercrab]

Thank you for this! I'm so glad this IS public. TDP is my FAVORITE Skinny Puppy album - your Magnum Opus. It's totally unique in your catalog as well as in Industrial music as a whole. PS: OMG! Atari ST club! *hi-five*

[@turbinerocks]

Atari ST club is best club ☺️

[@Peibolmusic]

It is great content to be able to see it on this platform. This way I can understand and enjoy it with the subtitles. Thank you very much Cevin.🖤

[@kahwigulum]

i have no money because canada but im glad this video peeked out from behind the pay wall i have loved your stuff for thirty years thank you for sharing

[@infernalcapricorn]

I can’t wait to see you guys in Lauderdale!! Thank you for making this public.

[@zipzip8239]

normally i dont care to much about what musicians have to say about their music or listening to their interviews but this was very interesting and cevin comes off as a down to earth guy and not a pretentious artist. im def going to subscribe to the patreon now.

[@te9591]

I think Cevin grew into the person he is now. And overcame a lot of his old negativity.

[@QWLMusic]

I love Too Dark Park! I also love Rabies and feel it's a perfect SP album.

[@MorbidManoeuvres]

I loooooove that you shared the insight to this album

[@gytrplr]

I have a sign copy of that poster from that tour. Still the best concert I have ever seen and was a honor to meet you. Excellent breakdown of my all time favorite album by Skinny Puppy.

[@thezenboy]

A lifetime devotion to SP and reading everything I could find that was written about the band and then I stumble upon this. I’ve longed for an open door into the SP world that created these masterpieces of music and then I find this. I literally became emotional when I listened to parts of this history. I was lucky enough to see the TDP tour when you played at the concert hall in Toronto. A show by which all other live performances have been rated against. Thank you for sharing cKevin. A massive gift. Looking forward to see you in Toronto on the 26th. You’ve often popped out back after the show to say hi to fans - hope to be able to see you and say thanks for all of the music.

[@Yong_Goh]

Too Dark Park was the first Skinny Puppy album i bought... Ive sinced owned about 20 other Albums/EPs/Singles by Skinny Puppy and eventually Download... that was a great time in my musical journey

[@hellonblades]

To dark park - An utter masterpiece of sonic terror!!!

[@VaultNormie]

Cev we've all been eager to see concert footage. Any future plans for a release?

[@u812notme]

This made my day

[@myflatlineconstruct]

@scaremeister are you meeting fans post show? I'd be a bucketlist moment for me.

[@bassfx1]

After hearing all this I enjoy listening to it even more. 😁

[@babylon616]

Love love love

[@mheberling5939]

This is unreal. I saw this tour in Cleveland, Ohio and man I so wanted to talk to you guys like this as a kid back then and ask questions.

[@jmd76family]

Thanks for the deep dive into the guts of the album! Wished more artists did this. Surprisingly you remember all this detail!

[@jmd76family]

Very inspiring for me in my home recording studio!

[@kingbalzak]

My favorite album of all time. I was excited when I saw this on KZbin. What I would give for that unopened OG Too Dark Park album.

[@RabbitintheMoon]

Amazing to hear! thank you

[@beeftwinkle]

thanks, cEvin and crEw!

[@purm0ndis]

thank you for sharing this one so quickly

[@rocznik83]

This is fantastic. Thank you so much for this insightful breakdown of an incredible album . TDP is a masterpiece. "Tormentor" blows my mind to this day. The synth work on this one is absolutely insane. I'd love to hear the separated tracks of it to have a glimpse at it's inner workings. That would be a treat.

[@torisefford5671]

Funny hearing CeVin sat take a stress pill,lol.i guess that was his "angry" moment.

[@NullStaticVoid]

You guys are so lucky you went hard on the samples before the current copyright regime. I find myself resorting to public domain documentaries and public lectures for my clever vocal clips.

[@countvanbruno182]

I love these kind of break downs. Thanks cEvin!!!

[@coleashmore]

Thank you for this album. It goes so far beyond industrial it’s not a genre it’s original!

[@BroodXindustrial]

C'mon Mr Key .. You said Moog, when you know it's Moog. ;) Great cast my brother in sounds. Thanks for public. Fkn great job. Once again man, thank you for years of brilliant work. Keep killing it my brotha.

[@theweilfamily]

Halfway through this... so good! The "It appeared to me as if in a dream" sample on Morpheus Laughing is Bruce Willis in a Wayne's World skit from '89. One of my fave songs, but I have to admit, I don't think it translated well live in '09. I just wanted to hear the kick and snare samples from the record.

[@Djkold]

I am quite sure it was the remixed version of Spas I heard before the original. That beat right from the go, so powerful. It really spoke to me.