Gabor Csupo

Gabor Csupo (pronounced CHEW-po), a multi-instrumentalist who also works as an animation artist while owning a production company and record label, created the electronica band Tone Casualties to channel his musical output. Although primarily recognized for his contributions to animated series such as Rugrats, the Simpsons, and Duckman, Csupo keeps pushing boundaries in his sonic explorations.

Born in Budapest, Hungary, Csupo completed an apprenticeship at Pannonia Studio spanning 1971 to 1975. Dissatisfied with Hungary’s restrictive political conditions, he fled on foot through a two-and-a-half-hour railway tunnel into Austria before traveling onward to Stockholm. There he contributed to his debut animated feature and met American graphic designer Arlene Klasky, who later became both his wife and business partner. After they fell in love, Csupo and Klasky married and established residence in Los Angeles.

He launched Klasky Csupo, Inc. in 1981 and secured an initial opportunity when tapped to produce Simpsons animated shorts for the Tracey Ullman show, including one segment in which Bart Simpson visits “Mr. Chupo’s Candy Store.” Since founding the one-man project Tone Casualties in 1994, Csupo has issued three solo albums—Liquid Fire, Zombient Music, and Kalmopyrin—while joining forces with the avant-garde ensemble the Accidental Orchestra. In 1997, Csupo and Klasky established the art gallery and bistro Lumpy Gravy, titled after Frank Zappa’s 1967 album.