Meat Puppets
Encyclopedia
The Meat Puppets are an American rock
band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona
. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood
(guitar/vocals), his brother Cris Kirkwood
(bass guitar), and Derrick Bostrom
(drums). The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School
in Phoenix. The three then moved to Tempe, Arizona
(a Phoenix suburb and home to Arizona State University
) where the Kirkwood brothers purchased two adjacent homes, one of which had a "shed" in the back where they regularly practiced.
One of the more notable groups on the roster of SST Records
(who released most of their albums), the Meat Puppets started as a punk rock
band, but like most of their SST peers, the Meat Puppets established their own unique style, blending punk with country
and psychedelic rock
, and featuring Curt's warbling vocals. The Meat Puppets later gained significant exposure when the Kirkwood brothers served as guest musicians on Nirvana
's MTV Unplugged
performance in 1993. The band's 1994 album Too High to Die
subsequently became their most successful release. The band broke up twice, in 1996 and 2002, but reunited again in 2006.
The Meat Puppets have influenced various rock bands such as Nirvana
Dinosaur Jr
, and Pavement
. In 2011 they performed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for SPIN's 20th anniversary tribute to Nirvana's
album "Nevermind
".
played with guitarist Jack Knetzger in a band called Atomic Bomb Club, which began as a duo, but would come to include bassist Cris Kirkwood
. The band played a few local shows and recorded some demos, but began to dissolve quickly thereafter. Derrick and Cris began rehearsing together with Cris' brother Curt Kirkwood
by learning songs from Bostrom's collection of punk rock
45s. After briefly toying with the name The Bastions of Immaturity, they settled on the name Meat Puppets in June, 1980 after a song by Curt of the same name which appears on their first album. Their early works were made up of hardcore punk
, and attracted the attention of Joe Carducci
as he was starting to work with legendary punk label SST Records
. Carducci suggested they sign with the label, and the Meat Puppets released their first album Meat Puppets
in 1982, which among several new originals and a pair of heavily skewed Doc Watson
and Bob Nolan
covers, featured the songs "The Gold Mine" and "Melons Rising", two tunes Derrick and Cris originally had written and performed as Atomic Bomb Club previously.
By the release of 1984's Meat Puppets II
, the bandmembers "were so sick of the hardcore thing," according to Bostrom. "We were really into pissing off the crowd." The band experimented with acid rock
and country western sounds. While the album had been recorded in early 1983, the album's release was delayed for a year by SST. Meat Puppets II turned the band into one of the leading bands on SST Records
, and along with the Violent Femmes
, the Gun Club and others, helped establish the genre called "cow punk".
Meat Puppets II was followed by 1985's Up on the Sun
. The album's sound resembled the folk-rock of The Byrds
more than punk, and some of the group's fans accused the Meat Puppets of sounding dangerously like hippie
s and abandoning their punk roots. In keeping with their unconventional way of doing things, both Cris and Curt purposefully sang the entire album off key.
Over the next decade, the Meat Puppets remained on SST and released a series of albums while touring relentlessly. Between tours they would regularly play small shows in bars around the Phoenix area such as "The Mason Jar" and "The Sun Club" in Tempe. After the release of Out My Way
in 1986, however, the band was briefly sidelined by an accident when Curt's finger was broken after being slammed in their touring van's door. The accident delayed the band's next album, the psychedelic Mirage
, until the next year. The final result was considered their most polished sounding album to date.
Their next album, the heavier Huevos
, came out less than six months afterward, in late summer of 1987. In stark contrast to its predecessor, Huevos was recorded in a swift, fiery fashion, with many first takes, and minimal second guessing. These recordings were completed in only a matter of days, and along with a few drawings and one of Curt's paintings taken from the wall to serve as cover art (a dish of three boiled eggs
, a green pepper, and a bottle of Tabasco sauce
), were all sent to SST shortly before the band returned to the road en route to their next gig. Curt revealed in an intervew that one of the reasons for the album being called Huevos (meaning 'eggs' in Spanish) was because of the multitude of first-takers on the record, as similarly eggs can only be used once.
Monsters was released in 1989, featuring a new sound with extended jams such as "Touchdown King" and "Flight of the Fire Weasel".
, on the indie-friendly London Records. Forbidden Places is now out of print.
In late 1993, the 'Pups achieved mainstream popularity when Nirvana
's Kurt Cobain
, who became a fan after seeing them open for Black Flag
, invited Cris and Curt to join him on MTV Unplugged
for acoustic performances of "Plateau", "Oh Me" and "Lake of Fire" (all originally from Meat Puppets II
). The resulting album, MTV Unplugged in New York
, served as a swan song
for Nirvana, as Cobain died 138 days after the concert. "Lake of Fire" became a cult favorite for its particularly wrenching vocal performance from Cobain. Subsequently, the Nirvana exposure and the strength of the single "Backwater" (their only charting single) helped lift the Meat Puppets to new commercial heights. The band's studio return was 1994's Too High To Die
, produced by Butthole Surfers
guitarist Paul Leary
. The album featured "Backwater", a minor hit on alternative radio, and a hidden-track update of "Lake of Fire." Too High To Die earned the 'Pups a gold record (500,000 sold), outselling their previous records combined.
1995's No Joke!
was the final album recorded by the original Meat Puppets lineup. Though the band's drug use included cocaine, heroin, LSD and many others, Cris' use of heroin and crack cocaine
became so bad he rarely left his house except to obtain more drugs. At least two people (including his wife and one of his best friends) died of overdoses at his house in Tempe, AZ during this time. The Kirkwood brothers had always had a legendary appetite for illegal substances and during the tour to support Too High To Die with Stone Temple Pilots
, the easy availability of drugs was too much for Cris. When it was over, he was severely addicted to cocaine.
as well as putting out their first live album, Live in Montana. Curt formed a new band in Austin
, TX
called the Royal Neanderthal Orchestra, but they changed their name to Meat Puppets for legal reasons and released a promotional EP entitled You Love Me in 1999, Golden Lies
in 2000 and Live in 2002. The line-up was Curt (voc/git), Kyle Ellison (voc/git), Andrew Duplantis (voc/bass) and Shandon Sahm (drums). Sahm's father was the legendary fiddler-singer-songwriter Doug Sahm
of The Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornados
. The concluding track to Classic Puppets entitled "New Leaf" also dates from this incarnation of the band.
and Volcano. In 2005, he released his first solo album entitled Snow
.
Bassist Cris was arrested in December 2003 for attacking a security guard at the main post office in downtown Phoenix, AZ with the guard's baton. The guard shot Kirkwood in the stomach at least twice during the melee, causing serious gunshot injuries requiring major surgery. Kirkwood was subsequently denied bail, the judge citing Kirkwood's previous drug arrests and probation violations. He eventually went to prison at the Arizona state prison
in Florence, Arizona
for felony assault. He was released in July 2005.
Derrick Bostrom began a web site for the band about six months before the original trio stopped working together. The site went through many different permutations before it was essentially mothballed in 2003. In late 2005, Bostrom revamped it once again, this time as a "blog
" for his recollections and as a place to share pieces of Meat Puppets history.
page with a bulletin that asked: "Question for all ! Would the original line up of the Meat Puppets interest anyone ? Feedback is good — do you want a reunion!?" The response from fans was overwhelmingly positive within a couple of hours, leading to speculation of a full-blown Meat Puppets reunion in the near future. However, a post made by Derrick Bostrom on the official Meat Puppets site dismissed the notion.
In April 2006 Billboard reported that the Kirkwood brothers would reunite as the Meat Puppets without original drummer Derrick Bostrom. Although Primus
drummer Tim Alexander
was announced as Bostrom's replacement, the position was later filled by Ted Marcus
. The new lineup recorded a new full-length album, Rise to Your Knees
, in mid-to-late 2006. The album was released by Anodyne Records on July 17, 2007.
On January 20, 2007, The Meat Puppets brothers performed two songs during an Army of Anyone
concert, at La Zona Rosa in Austin, Texas
. The first song was played with Curt Kirkwood and Cris Kirkwood along with Army of Anyone's Ray Luzier
and Dean DeLeo
. Then the second song was played with original members Curt and Cris Kirkwood and new Meat Puppets drummer Ted Marcus. This was in the middle of Army of Anyone's set, which they listed as Meat Puppet Theatre on the evening's set list. The band performed several new songs in March at the South by Southwest
festival. On March 28, 2007, the band announced a West Coast tour through their MySpace
page. This is the first tour with original bassist Cris in eleven years. The tour continued into the east coast and midwest later in 2007.
In 2008 they performed their classic second album live in its entirety at the ATP New York
festival.
The band parted ways with Anodyne
, signed to Megaforce
and began recording new material in the winter of 2008. The resulting album, entitled Sewn Together
, was released on May 12, 2009.
In the summer of 2009 the band continued to tour across America. They appeared in Rochester Minnesota outside in front of over 5,000 fans, after playing Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin the night prior. The Meat Puppets performed at the 2009 Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans over the Halloween weekend.
As of November 2009, Shandon Sahm is back as the drummer in the Meat Puppets, replacing Ted Marcus. The band have been chosen by Animal Collective
to perform the album 'Up On The Sun
' live in its entirety at the All Tomorrow's Parties
festival that they will curate in May 2011.
The band's thirteenth studio album, entitled Lollipop
, was released on April 12, 2011. The Dandies
supported the Meat Puppets on all European dates in 2011.
Former members
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood
Curt Kirkwood
Curtis Matthew Kirkwood is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, but currently resides in Austin, Texas....
(guitar/vocals), his brother Cris Kirkwood
Cris Kirkwood
Christopher "Cris" Kirkwood is an American musician who is the bassist and a founding member of the Meat Puppets, an alternative punk rock band.-Biography:...
(bass guitar), and Derrick Bostrom
Derrick Bostrom
Derrick Bostrom is an American musician. He was the original drummer of the band Meat Puppets, which he founded together with the Kirkwood brothers, Cris and Curt, in 1980....
(drums). The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School
Brophy College Preparatory
Brophy College Preparatory is a Jesuit high school located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school is currently limited to all-male enrollment of approximately 1,200 students. It is operated independently of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix...
in Phoenix. The three then moved to Tempe, Arizona
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
(a Phoenix suburb and home to Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
) where the Kirkwood brothers purchased two adjacent homes, one of which had a "shed" in the back where they regularly practiced.
One of the more notable groups on the roster of SST Records
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
(who released most of their albums), the Meat Puppets started as a punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band, but like most of their SST peers, the Meat Puppets established their own unique style, blending punk with country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, and featuring Curt's warbling vocals. The Meat Puppets later gained significant exposure when the Kirkwood brothers served as guest musicians on Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
's MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
performance in 1993. The band's 1994 album Too High to Die
Too High to Die
Too High to Die is the eighth album by the Meat Puppets, released on January 25, 1994. This album sold very well due to the success of its single "Backwater", which reached #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The album itself also reached #1 on the Heatseekers chart, making it one of...
subsequently became their most successful release. The band broke up twice, in 1996 and 2002, but reunited again in 2006.
The Meat Puppets have influenced various rock bands such as Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
Dinosaur Jr
Dinosaur Jr
Dinosaur Jr. is an American alternative rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1984. Originally called Dinosaur, prior to legal issues that forced the group to change their name, the band disbanded in 1997 until reuniting in 2005...
, and Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
. In 2011 they performed "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for SPIN's 20th anniversary tribute to Nirvana's
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
album "Nevermind
Nevermind
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records...
".
Early career (1980–1990)
In the late 70's, drummer Derrick BostromDerrick Bostrom
Derrick Bostrom is an American musician. He was the original drummer of the band Meat Puppets, which he founded together with the Kirkwood brothers, Cris and Curt, in 1980....
played with guitarist Jack Knetzger in a band called Atomic Bomb Club, which began as a duo, but would come to include bassist Cris Kirkwood
Cris Kirkwood
Christopher "Cris" Kirkwood is an American musician who is the bassist and a founding member of the Meat Puppets, an alternative punk rock band.-Biography:...
. The band played a few local shows and recorded some demos, but began to dissolve quickly thereafter. Derrick and Cris began rehearsing together with Cris' brother Curt Kirkwood
Curt Kirkwood
Curtis Matthew Kirkwood is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, but currently resides in Austin, Texas....
by learning songs from Bostrom's collection of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
45s. After briefly toying with the name The Bastions of Immaturity, they settled on the name Meat Puppets in June, 1980 after a song by Curt of the same name which appears on their first album. Their early works were made up of hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
, and attracted the attention of Joe Carducci
Joe Carducci
Joe Carducci is an American writer, record producer, and former A&R executive, formerly most closely associated with the influential record label SST Records....
as he was starting to work with legendary punk label SST Records
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
. Carducci suggested they sign with the label, and the Meat Puppets released their first album Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets (album)
Meat Puppets is the first LP by the Meat Puppets, released in 1982. The album is unlike their later, more well-known releases due to its hardcore punk sound....
in 1982, which among several new originals and a pair of heavily skewed Doc Watson
Doc Watson
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
and Bob Nolan
Bob Nolan
Bob Nolan was a Canadian-born American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a founding member of the Sons of the Pioneers, and composer of numerous Country music and Western music songs, including the standards "Cool Water" and "Tumbling Tumbleweeds." He is generally regarded as one of the...
covers, featured the songs "The Gold Mine" and "Melons Rising", two tunes Derrick and Cris originally had written and performed as Atomic Bomb Club previously.
By the release of 1984's Meat Puppets II
Meat Puppets II
Meat Puppets II is the second album by the Tempe, Arizona band the Meat Puppets, released in 1984. It is a departure from their self-titled debut album, which consisted largely of noisy hardcore with unintelligible vocals...
, the bandmembers "were so sick of the hardcore thing," according to Bostrom. "We were really into pissing off the crowd." The band experimented with acid rock
Acid rock
Acid rock is a form of psychedelic rock, which is characterized with long instrumental solos, few lyrics and musical improvisation. Tom Wolfe describes the LSD-influenced music of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Iron Butterfly, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Cream,...
and country western sounds. While the album had been recorded in early 1983, the album's release was delayed for a year by SST. Meat Puppets II turned the band into one of the leading bands on SST Records
SST Records
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was initially called Solid State Transmitters through which Ginn sold electronics equipment...
, and along with the Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes
Violent Femmes were an American alternative rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, initially active between 1980 and 1987 and again from 1988 to 2009...
, the Gun Club and others, helped establish the genre called "cow punk".
Meat Puppets II was followed by 1985's Up on the Sun
Up on the Sun
Up on the Sun is the third album by the Meat Puppets, released in 1985 by SST Records. In 1999 the album was reissued on Rykodisc with bonus tracks and recording notes...
. The album's sound resembled the folk-rock of The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
more than punk, and some of the group's fans accused the Meat Puppets of sounding dangerously like hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
s and abandoning their punk roots. In keeping with their unconventional way of doing things, both Cris and Curt purposefully sang the entire album off key.
Over the next decade, the Meat Puppets remained on SST and released a series of albums while touring relentlessly. Between tours they would regularly play small shows in bars around the Phoenix area such as "The Mason Jar" and "The Sun Club" in Tempe. After the release of Out My Way
Out My Way
Out My Way is a mini-album released by the alternative rock band the Meat Puppets in 1986. It features a more hard rock oriented sound than the band usually has, leading some critics to say that the sound is similar to southern/hard rock stylings of ZZ Top...
in 1986, however, the band was briefly sidelined by an accident when Curt's finger was broken after being slammed in their touring van's door. The accident delayed the band's next album, the psychedelic Mirage
Mirage (Meat Puppets album)
Mirage is an album by the Arizona alternative rock band Meat Puppets.The album was reissued in 1999 by Rykodisc with five additional bonus tracks, including early demos of "The Mighty Zero," "I Am a Machine" and "Liquified" as well as a cover of the Elvis Presley song "Rubberneckin'" and the...
, until the next year. The final result was considered their most polished sounding album to date.
Their next album, the heavier Huevos
Huevos (album)
Huevos is an album by the Arizona alternative rock band the Meat Puppets. It is said to have a strong ZZ Top influence in terms of style ; in a Musician magazine interview Curt Kirkwood claimed that a fan letter he had received from ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons...
, came out less than six months afterward, in late summer of 1987. In stark contrast to its predecessor, Huevos was recorded in a swift, fiery fashion, with many first takes, and minimal second guessing. These recordings were completed in only a matter of days, and along with a few drawings and one of Curt's paintings taken from the wall to serve as cover art (a dish of three boiled eggs
Boiled eggs
Boiled eggs are eggs cooked by immersion in boiling water with their shells unbroken. Hard-boiled eggs are either boiled long enough for the egg white and then the egg yolk to...
, a green pepper, and a bottle of Tabasco sauce
Tabasco sauce
Tabasco sauce is the brand name for a hot sauce produced by US-based McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana. Tabasco sauce is made from tabasco peppers , vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. It has a hot, spicy flavor...
), were all sent to SST shortly before the band returned to the road en route to their next gig. Curt revealed in an intervew that one of the reasons for the album being called Huevos (meaning 'eggs' in Spanish) was because of the multitude of first-takers on the record, as similarly eggs can only be used once.
Monsters was released in 1989, featuring a new sound with extended jams such as "Touchdown King" and "Flight of the Fire Weasel".
Major label career (1991–1995)
As numerous bands from the seminal SST label and other kindred punk-oriented indies had before them, the Meat Puppets grappled with the decision to switch to a major label. Two years after their final studio recording for SST, 1989's Monsters, the trio released its major-label debut, Forbidden PlacesForbidden Places
Forbidden Places is a 1991 album by the Meat Puppets. It is their first release on London Records. It is currently out of print.The seventh track, "Whirlpool," was later recorded by They Might Be Giants for their 1993 EP Why Does The Sun Shine? .-Track listing:All songs written by Curt Kirkwood.# ...
, on the indie-friendly London Records. Forbidden Places is now out of print.
In late 1993, the 'Pups achieved mainstream popularity when Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
's Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
, who became a fan after seeing them open for Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
, invited Cris and Curt to join him on MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
for acoustic performances of "Plateau", "Oh Me" and "Lake of Fire" (all originally from Meat Puppets II
Meat Puppets II
Meat Puppets II is the second album by the Tempe, Arizona band the Meat Puppets, released in 1984. It is a departure from their self-titled debut album, which consisted largely of noisy hardcore with unintelligible vocals...
). The resulting album, MTV Unplugged in New York
MTV Unplugged in New York
MTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by the American rock band Nirvana. It features an acoustic performance taped at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993 for the television series MTV Unplugged. The show was directed by Beth McCarthy and first aired on the cable television...
, served as a swan song
Swan song
"Swan song" is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. The phrase refers to an ancient belief that the Mute Swan is completely silent during its lifetime until the moment just before death, when it sings one beautiful song...
for Nirvana, as Cobain died 138 days after the concert. "Lake of Fire" became a cult favorite for its particularly wrenching vocal performance from Cobain. Subsequently, the Nirvana exposure and the strength of the single "Backwater" (their only charting single) helped lift the Meat Puppets to new commercial heights. The band's studio return was 1994's Too High To Die
Too High to Die
Too High to Die is the eighth album by the Meat Puppets, released on January 25, 1994. This album sold very well due to the success of its single "Backwater", which reached #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The album itself also reached #1 on the Heatseekers chart, making it one of...
, produced by Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second...
guitarist Paul Leary
Paul Leary
Paul Leary is an American musician from Austin, TX, best known as the guitarist for American rock band Butthole Surfers. He is also the producer of a number of songs and albums by other bands, including U2, Sublime, the Meat Puppets, Daniel Johnston, The Reverend Horton Heat, Pepper, Maggie...
. The album featured "Backwater", a minor hit on alternative radio, and a hidden-track update of "Lake of Fire." Too High To Die earned the 'Pups a gold record (500,000 sold), outselling their previous records combined.
1995's No Joke!
No Joke!
No Joke! is the ninth album by the Meat Puppets, released in 1995 , and their third album for London Records. It was the follow-up to the band's highly successful release Too High to Die, and was the last Meat Puppets release with bassist Cris Kirkwood and drummer Derrick Bostrom .- Track listing...
was the final album recorded by the original Meat Puppets lineup. Though the band's drug use included cocaine, heroin, LSD and many others, Cris' use of heroin and crack cocaine
Crack cocaine
Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
became so bad he rarely left his house except to obtain more drugs. At least two people (including his wife and one of his best friends) died of overdoses at his house in Tempe, AZ during this time. The Kirkwood brothers had always had a legendary appetite for illegal substances and during the tour to support Too High To Die with Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
, the easy availability of drugs was too much for Cris. When it was over, he was severely addicted to cocaine.
First hiatus and reunion (1996–2001)
Derrick recorded a solo EP under the moniker Today's Sounds in 1996, and later on in 1999 took charge of re-issuing the Puppets' original seven records on RykodiscRykodisc
Rykodisc Records is an American record label. It is owned by Warner Music Group, operates as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and is distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance.-Company history:...
as well as putting out their first live album, Live in Montana. Curt formed a new band in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, TX
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
called the Royal Neanderthal Orchestra, but they changed their name to Meat Puppets for legal reasons and released a promotional EP entitled You Love Me in 1999, Golden Lies
Golden Lies
Golden Lies is a 2000 album by the Meat Puppets. After the You Love Me EP, in 1999, this was the second release from the second line-up of the Meat Puppets.-Track listing:All songs written by Curt Kirkwood, unless otherwise noted....
in 2000 and Live in 2002. The line-up was Curt (voc/git), Kyle Ellison (voc/git), Andrew Duplantis (voc/bass) and Shandon Sahm (drums). Sahm's father was the legendary fiddler-singer-songwriter Doug Sahm
Doug Sahm
Douglas Wayne Sahm , was an American musician from Texas. Born in San Antonio, Texas, he was a child prodigy in country music, but became a significant figure in blues rock and other genres. Today Sahm is considered one of the most important figures in what is identified as Tejano music...
of The Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornados
Texas Tornados
Texas Tornados is a Tejano band. Its music is a fusion of rock, country and various Mexican styles.-History:The initial combination of musicians of the Texas Tornados happened almost by chance at a concert performance of a mutual acquaintance...
. The concluding track to Classic Puppets entitled "New Leaf" also dates from this incarnation of the band.
Break up (2002–2005)
Around 2002, the Meat Puppets dissolved as Curt had gone on to release albums with the groups Eyes AdriftEyes Adrift
Eyes Adrift was a three piece rock supergroup consisting of Krist Novoselic , Curt Kirkwood , and Bud Gaugh...
and Volcano. In 2005, he released his first solo album entitled Snow
Snow (Curt Kirkwood album)
Snow is the first solo album of Curt Kirkwood, of the alternative rock band Meat Puppets. In his solo career, short though it was, Curt has pursued a more countrified aspect of his music. "Golden Lies" was originally written as the title track for the previous Meat Puppets album, hower, it was...
.
Bassist Cris was arrested in December 2003 for attacking a security guard at the main post office in downtown Phoenix, AZ with the guard's baton. The guard shot Kirkwood in the stomach at least twice during the melee, causing serious gunshot injuries requiring major surgery. Kirkwood was subsequently denied bail, the judge citing Kirkwood's previous drug arrests and probation violations. He eventually went to prison at the Arizona state prison
Arizona State Prison Complex - Florence
Arizona State Prison Complex – Florence also known as Florence State Prison is one of 13 prison facilities operated by the Arizona Department of Corrections . The main FSP prison is located in Florence, Arizona...
in Florence, Arizona
Florence, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,054 people, 2,226 households, and 1,540 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,056.2 people per square mile . There were 3,216 housing units at an average density of 387.7 per square mile...
for felony assault. He was released in July 2005.
Derrick Bostrom began a web site for the band about six months before the original trio stopped working together. The site went through many different permutations before it was essentially mothballed in 2003. In late 2005, Bostrom revamped it once again, this time as a "blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
" for his recollections and as a place to share pieces of Meat Puppets history.
Second reunion (2006–present)
On March 24, 2006, Curt Kirkwood polled fans at his MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page with a bulletin that asked: "Question for all ! Would the original line up of the Meat Puppets interest anyone ? Feedback is good — do you want a reunion!?" The response from fans was overwhelmingly positive within a couple of hours, leading to speculation of a full-blown Meat Puppets reunion in the near future. However, a post made by Derrick Bostrom on the official Meat Puppets site dismissed the notion.
In April 2006 Billboard reported that the Kirkwood brothers would reunite as the Meat Puppets without original drummer Derrick Bostrom. Although Primus
Primus (band)
Primus is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, currently composed of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde and drummer Jay Lane. Primus originally formed in 1984 with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth, later joined by Lane, though the latter two departed...
drummer Tim Alexander
Tim Alexander
Tim "Herb" Alexander is an American musician, best known as the former drummer for the rock band Primus. Tim played on the Primus recordings Suck on This to Tales from the Punchbowl, before leaving the band in 1996, only to rejoin in 2003 for the EP Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People...
was announced as Bostrom's replacement, the position was later filled by Ted Marcus
Ted Marcus
Ted Marcus is an American drummer formerly of the Meat Puppets. Marcus replaced original drummer Derrick Bostrom, for the band's 2006 reunion. He was present on their 2007 reunion album Rise to Your Knees and its follow-up Sewn Together...
. The new lineup recorded a new full-length album, Rise to Your Knees
Rise to Your Knees
Rise to Your Knees is the Meat Puppets' eleventh full-length studio album, which was released on July 17, 2007. Not only was it their first studio release since 2000's Golden Lies, it was also their first to feature the original bassist Cris Kirkwood since his departure after the release of 1995's...
, in mid-to-late 2006. The album was released by Anodyne Records on July 17, 2007.
On January 20, 2007, The Meat Puppets brothers performed two songs during an Army of Anyone
Army of Anyone
Army of Anyone was a supergroup formed by Filter frontman Richard Patrick with two of the then-former members of rock band Stone Temple Pilots. In addition to Patrick on vocals, the band featured Dean DeLeo and Robert DeLeo on guitars and bass, respectively, and Ray Luzier on drums...
concert, at La Zona Rosa in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. The first song was played with Curt Kirkwood and Cris Kirkwood along with Army of Anyone's Ray Luzier
Ray Luzier
Raymond Lee "Ray" Luzier is an American drummer. He is currently the drummer of the band Korn, becoming a full-time member of the band in April 2009.-Life and career:...
and Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo
Dean DeLeo is an American guitarist for the rock band Stone Temple Pilots.He is also known for his role in the short-lived bands Talk Show and Army of Anyone, which featured his younger brother Robert DeLeo, Filter frontman Richard Patrick, and session drummer Ray Luzier...
. Then the second song was played with original members Curt and Cris Kirkwood and new Meat Puppets drummer Ted Marcus. This was in the middle of Army of Anyone's set, which they listed as Meat Puppet Theatre on the evening's set list. The band performed several new songs in March at the South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
festival. On March 28, 2007, the band announced a West Coast tour through their MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page. This is the first tour with original bassist Cris in eleven years. The tour continued into the east coast and midwest later in 2007.
In 2008 they performed their classic second album live in its entirety at the ATP New York
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival.
The band parted ways with Anodyne
Anodyne Records
Anodyne Records was founded in 1997 in Kansas City by John Hulston marking its coming-out with the now eponymous live “Making Love EP” from seminal Kansas City indie rockers, Shiner...
, signed to Megaforce
Megaforce Records
Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution...
and began recording new material in the winter of 2008. The resulting album, entitled Sewn Together
Sewn Together
Sewn Together is the Meat Puppets' twelfth full-length studio album. It was released on May 12, 2009, both on CD and vinyl. It was the follow-up to their 2007 reunion album Rise to Your Knees.-Album information:...
, was released on May 12, 2009.
In the summer of 2009 the band continued to tour across America. They appeared in Rochester Minnesota outside in front of over 5,000 fans, after playing Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin the night prior. The Meat Puppets performed at the 2009 Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans over the Halloween weekend.
As of November 2009, Shandon Sahm is back as the drummer in the Meat Puppets, replacing Ted Marcus. The band have been chosen by Animal Collective
Animal Collective
Animal Collective is an experimental psychedelic band originally from Baltimore, Maryland, currently based in New York City. Animal Collective consists of Avey Tare , Panda Bear , Deakin , and Geologist...
to perform the album 'Up On The Sun
Up on the Sun
Up on the Sun is the third album by the Meat Puppets, released in 1985 by SST Records. In 1999 the album was reissued on Rykodisc with bonus tracks and recording notes...
' live in its entirety at the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival that they will curate in May 2011.
The band's thirteenth studio album, entitled Lollipop
Lollipop (album)
Lollipop is the Meat Puppets' thirteenth full-length studio album. It was released on April 12, 2011, through Megaforce Records.-Track listing:# "Incomplete" - 4:09# "Orange" - 4:11# "Shave It" - 4:18# "Baby Don't" - 3:11# "Hour of the Idiot" - 3:35...
, was released on April 12, 2011. The Dandies
The Dandies
The Dandies are a 4 piece Rock band from Hochdorf, Lucerne Switzerland.- Current line up :*Adrian Weber -Vocals/Guitar*Eric Weber - Guitar/Vocals*Dimitri Schubiger - Bass/Vocals*Fabian Voirol - Drums/Vocals- Biography :...
supported the Meat Puppets on all European dates in 2011.
Members
Current members- Curt KirkwoodCurt KirkwoodCurtis Matthew Kirkwood is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, but currently resides in Austin, Texas....
– lead vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
(1980–1996, 1999–2002, 2006–present) - Cris KirkwoodCris KirkwoodChristopher "Cris" Kirkwood is an American musician who is the bassist and a founding member of the Meat Puppets, an alternative punk rock band.-Biography:...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals (1980–1996, 2006–present) - Shandon Sahm – drums (1999–2002, 2009–present)
Former members
- Derrick BostromDerrick BostromDerrick Bostrom is an American musician. He was the original drummer of the band Meat Puppets, which he founded together with the Kirkwood brothers, Cris and Curt, in 1980....
– drums (1980–1996) - Andrew Duplantis – bass (1999–2002)
- Kyle Ellison – guitar (1999–2002)
- Ted Marcus – drums (2006–2009)
Studio albums
- Meat PuppetsMeat Puppets (album)Meat Puppets is the first LP by the Meat Puppets, released in 1982. The album is unlike their later, more well-known releases due to its hardcore punk sound....
(1982) - Meat Puppets IIMeat Puppets IIMeat Puppets II is the second album by the Tempe, Arizona band the Meat Puppets, released in 1984. It is a departure from their self-titled debut album, which consisted largely of noisy hardcore with unintelligible vocals...
(1984) - Up on the SunUp on the SunUp on the Sun is the third album by the Meat Puppets, released in 1985 by SST Records. In 1999 the album was reissued on Rykodisc with bonus tracks and recording notes...
(1985) - MirageMirage (Meat Puppets album)Mirage is an album by the Arizona alternative rock band Meat Puppets.The album was reissued in 1999 by Rykodisc with five additional bonus tracks, including early demos of "The Mighty Zero," "I Am a Machine" and "Liquified" as well as a cover of the Elvis Presley song "Rubberneckin'" and the...
(1987) - HuevosHuevos (album)Huevos is an album by the Arizona alternative rock band the Meat Puppets. It is said to have a strong ZZ Top influence in terms of style ; in a Musician magazine interview Curt Kirkwood claimed that a fan letter he had received from ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons...
(1987) - Monsters (1989)
- Forbidden PlacesForbidden PlacesForbidden Places is a 1991 album by the Meat Puppets. It is their first release on London Records. It is currently out of print.The seventh track, "Whirlpool," was later recorded by They Might Be Giants for their 1993 EP Why Does The Sun Shine? .-Track listing:All songs written by Curt Kirkwood.# ...
(1991) - Too High to DieToo High to DieToo High to Die is the eighth album by the Meat Puppets, released on January 25, 1994. This album sold very well due to the success of its single "Backwater", which reached #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. The album itself also reached #1 on the Heatseekers chart, making it one of...
(1994) - No Joke!No Joke!No Joke! is the ninth album by the Meat Puppets, released in 1995 , and their third album for London Records. It was the follow-up to the band's highly successful release Too High to Die, and was the last Meat Puppets release with bassist Cris Kirkwood and drummer Derrick Bostrom .- Track listing...
(1995) - Golden LiesGolden LiesGolden Lies is a 2000 album by the Meat Puppets. After the You Love Me EP, in 1999, this was the second release from the second line-up of the Meat Puppets.-Track listing:All songs written by Curt Kirkwood, unless otherwise noted....
(2000) - Rise to Your KneesRise to Your KneesRise to Your Knees is the Meat Puppets' eleventh full-length studio album, which was released on July 17, 2007. Not only was it their first studio release since 2000's Golden Lies, it was also their first to feature the original bassist Cris Kirkwood since his departure after the release of 1995's...
(2007) - Sewn TogetherSewn TogetherSewn Together is the Meat Puppets' twelfth full-length studio album. It was released on May 12, 2009, both on CD and vinyl. It was the follow-up to their 2007 reunion album Rise to Your Knees.-Album information:...
(2009) - LollipopLollipop (album)Lollipop is the Meat Puppets' thirteenth full-length studio album. It was released on April 12, 2011, through Megaforce Records.-Track listing:# "Incomplete" - 4:09# "Orange" - 4:11# "Shave It" - 4:18# "Baby Don't" - 3:11# "Hour of the Idiot" - 3:35...
(2011)
See also
External links
- Interview with Curt Kirkwood by Jarrod Dicker
- Meat Puppets reunited band's official web site, maintained by the band and Anodyne Records
- Flipside Interview - Meat Puppets interview from 1982
- A concert to download of May 9, 1987
- A Conversation with Meat Puppets' Curt Kirkwood (9/2007)
- Shooting Star Article on band from Phoenix New TimesPhoenix New TimesThe Phoenix New Times is a free, weekly Phoenix, Arizona newspaper, put out every Thursday. It is the founding publication of the New Times Media , but The Village Voice is now the flagship publication of that company....
- Live Repository
- Moonglampers Ramble - a music blog primarily focusing on live Meat Puppets.
- Trouser Press entry
- Interview with Curt Kirkwood on groundcontrolmag.com
- The Second SupperThe Second SupperThe Second Supper is a web site and newspaper published in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The newspaper is published weekly from its headquarters in Downtown La Crosse....
Interview with Curt Kirkwood - Orange music video directed by Mike Etoll from the 2011 album Lollipop.
- Meat Puppets collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive - Meat Puppets Live Repository
- Shandon Sahm on the Meat Puppets