10 years: RIP Dwayne R. Goettel

[Unfed]

 

 

(couldn't find a better live pic for some reason...)

[J3RK]

Wow, it has been 10 years.

[midi]

...Never heard of him,

[electrobaby]

I think hes the guy behind skinny puppy.

[Meatball Fulton]

midi,

 

He was a member of Skinny Puppy. As the pic shows well he became a heroin addict and ODed in 1995.

 

Don't try that at home folks

[Sinner6]

RIP

 

 

I still think 'the proscess' is a sadly underrated album.

 

Though "last rights" is a wonderful soundtrack to addiction and depravity.

 

I wouldn't be here talking KSS if it were not for this guy.

 

 

Brap on.

[Unfed]

words from Phil Western, a close friend of Dwayne's and collaborator on the Download project...

 

"It was about 3pm on a Wednesday in August in 1995. I was working at my record store. Relationships at the store were a little strained. My partner and I could barely stand to be in the same room together, mainly because I was, at 25 years old, still heavily in party mode, and running a record store was not something I really wanted to do anymore. I was restless, and all I really cared about was writing music anyway. I spent most of my days across the street in Subconscious Studios, working with Kevin on the first Download LP. I was in a good mood that day, even though my store partner Tobin and my heroin-addicted friend Greg were in the store vibing me out continually. But things were looking up - Dwayne was in Edmonton cleaning up after a failed suicide attempt, and Kevin and I were getting more and more used to working together. Dwayne had called me up only hours before, late in the evening the previous night , and reported that he was feeling much better after a week clean, and that he couldn't wait to get back and start making some really good techno tracks with me. Having been mentored and tutored by the boy-wonder had left me in awe of his skills which to this day remain unparalleled in my humble opinion, except by some of the world class artists we have come to know like Squarepusher (whom Dwayne never got to hear) and Aphex Twin (who Dwayne loved) - I have no doubt that Dwayne would have surpassed anyone that comes to mind in modern day electronic music - in many ways, he already had in 1995, using a Mac Quadra 950 and a Kurzweil K2000 and an Akai S1000. Who the hell knows what Dwayne could have done with todays technology. Dwayne and I spent a good hour or more on the phone that night. He had sort of missed my birthday about a week before so he gave me some nice birthday wishes, and we just talked like we had in the past, before he got really torn apart by the drugs. So I was pretty happy in the store that day. Greg was subletting Dwaynes room in our apartment, and so I was still having to live with a junkie, but Greg and I were old friends, and he was more of a "professional" junkie than Dwayne. Greg was one of those guys you would never have known was a junkie. Dwayne, on the other hand, had only been using junk for 6 - 9 months heavily, and it took him down really fast. When Greg took that room, I made sure to take him aside and tell him that Dwayne was in no position to handle a heroin addiction. He was far too fragile and sensitive to handle much of anything rotten. I said "Greg, I know junkies have camaraderie, and Dwayne will probably ask you to score for him and it is extremely important that you don't assist him or enable him" - Greg agreed, Dwayne went to Edmonton, and we waited and hoped on his healthy return. So that day in the store, it was me and Tobin and Greg. Around 3pm, the phone rang, and I answered it. It was Kevin across the street. He said I should get up to the studio right away. I said ok and hung up the phone. I didn't go up right away though. I figured Kevin had scored a bag of really good pot and was waiting for me to bomb one. So I set about finishing what I was doing in the store and the phone rang again. It was Kevin...."Phil, you gotta get up here right away" - his voice was breaking. Something was wrong. There was very little question that that something had to do with Dwayne. I ran across the street and got in the elevator the whole time muttering under my breath "no no no". When I got to the studio upstairs Kevin was a wreck, and told me that Dwayne was dead. At that point reality narrowed down to a pinpoint as I experienced an acute pain unlike anything really that I can describe. Ive lost people before. This was different. This was waaaay different. Kevin and I just looked at eachother through blurs of tears as the comprehension of what was happening hit me. Kevin had recieved the news from Dwaynes sister only minutes before. We were both in a state of shock, to say the least. We were the two people closest to him, and we had only eachother in our grief. I will always be extremely grateful that Kevin was around that day, to understand what I was feeling. Then Kevin told me that the heroin Dwayne had overdosed on had been sent to him in the mail by Greg. Greg and I were very close as well - he was living in Dwaynes bedroom in my apartment. The situation was also complicated by the fact that Greg was using as well, and not totally stable. I loved the guy though, and was extremely hurt by the fact that he had ignored my plea not to score for Dwayne. I was horrified by the fact that I had to now go down to the store and face him - my other best friend who shared some responsibility for Dwaynes death. Kevin and I went down to the store. I went straight to the back and fell apart in private, while Kevin had words with Greg - Greg and Kevin knew eachother well, because Greg had been close pals with Ogre, and played guitar on K9, the first SP recording. Greg was part of their early crew, and so everyone knew eachother. That day, everyones lives were changed. It was an end and a beginning. It was the beginning of a partnership between Kevin and I that lasted for several years and many releases, and for Greg it was the end of any peace he may have felt in his life. He committed suicide a short time later.

1995 was a tragic and horrible year. So much despair and pain for so many people. The next year, we took Download on the road, and hopefully the spirit of Dwayne was with us. I would venture to say it was, cuz those shows had an incredible effect on alot of people - something Dwayne was able to do effortlessly throughout his life. He was my best friend, my brother, my teacher and I will never forget him. In his short life he accomplished things many people only dream of, and his talents were truly unbelievable. I loved him and hope that he found peace that dark day in August '95.

Dwayne, I miss ya buddy."

[Guest Anonymous]

good man, philth. puppy woona been puppy without dr goettel.

 

what a waste.

[Texas Noise Factory]

 

Originally posted by Sinner6 RIP I still think 'the proscess' is a sadly underrated album. Though "last rights" is a wonderful soundtrack to addiction and depravity. I wouldn't be here talking KSS if it were not for this guy. Brap on.

 

 

+1. I wouldn't be into production if it weren't for SP.

 

My sentiments exactly Sinner...

[greaseenvelope]

I announced this a while back shortly before the anniversary and carefully took the time to listen to his whole back catalog. In the world of synthesists and even musicians in general I cannot think of a drug casualty I mourn more deeply than Dwayne when I hear the brilliance in his music. SP and Download were never the same after he left, his few solo tracks under the name Aduck would have revolutionized the stale breakbeat scene they were coming out of, and his collaberations with the LPD's in Tear Garden produces some of the strongest music any of those musicians were ever involved in at the time. His musical sense was a lesson in the balance of noise and melody, disruption and rhythm. Everytime I hear the melody line in "Nature's Revenge/Shiela Liked.." or any of the brilliant tracks off "Last Rights" or "Furnace", I feel a weight on my heart from the knowledge that the man who made this music was taken much too soon. I wonder if his parents/family know how much he affects and inspires people who never even had the opportunity to see him perform live back in the day?

 

RIP Dwayne, we're still listening.

[Hexfix93]

I miss him a lot.

 

I cried for days when he died. To me, when he died, industrial music died.

 

and the new puppy is no where near as good now.. he is sorely missed...

[blue halo]

 

Originally posted by electrobaby I think hes the guy behind skinny puppy.

 

Behind? No. A part of? Well, yes, and a major part of the band for his tenure. But make no mistake, as awesome as DRG was, Puppy was around before him and after.

[Chao]

Originally posted by Sinner6 RIP I still think 'the proscess' is a sadly underrated album.

Definitely. It's sad that there's so much hate for that album from fans of the old SP sound. Bands evolve. People tire of doing the same things over and over.

[blue halo]

 

Originally posted by Chao Definitely. It's sad that there's so much hate for that album from fans of the old SP sound. Bands evolve. People tire of doing the same things over and over.

 

Even more hate for The Greater Wrong of the Right.. That is a world apart from anything else. But bands change and evolve, so when I heard that Puppy was coming out with another album a few years ago, I wasn't expecting it to be exactly as SP of old, and with that line of thinking, I really really enjoyed the album for what it was.

 

I want to make an amendum to my previous post about DRG, as it might have come across as harsh and/or derogetory towards him: He was an amazingly talented musician, and added much to the group and it's music, and yes, his absence is indeed noticable. I just wanted to note that the band was around before him and again after.