Skinny Puppy invoice military after their songs were used at Guantanamo Bay

by Tyler Munro

February 3, 2014

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When Metallica heard their music was being used to interrogate prisoners of the Iraq war, they politely asked the United States military to stop. But when Canadian industrial outfit Skinny Puppy heard their music was being used to stun and torture prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, they took a different approack—they asked to be compensated.

“We thought it would be a good idea to make an invoice to the US government for musical services,” said founding member cEvin Key.

“We never supported those types of scenarios,” he went onto tell the Phoenix New Times. “Because we make unsettling music, we can see it being used in a weird way. But it doesn’t sit right with us.”

Nor should it. Throughout their nearly 30-year tenure atop the industrial scene Skinny Puppy have made it their cause to speak for the unspoken, with protest anthems and songs about human rights, animal rights and so forth. But while Key was clearly upset, he says the band never sent the invoice.

The incident served as the influence for their new album, Weapon, which was released in May 2013. Below, listen to two songs confirmed on tour by the band to have been used in Guantanamo Bay.

Update: It turns out the band is sending the invoice after all, telling CTV that they’re billing the United States military $666,000 for the unauthorized use of their music at the infamous naval base prison.

“We sent them an invoice for our musical services considering they had gone ahead and used our music without our knowledge and used it as an actual weapon against somebody,” said Key to CTV’s Kevin Newman. “I wouldn’t want to be subjected to any overly loud music for six to 12 hours at a time without a break.”

According to Key, the band was notified that their songs were being used by a Guantanamo Bay guard who happened to be a fan.

Tags: Music, News, Skinny Puppy

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