Meat Puppets started as a punk rock band, but like most of their labelmates on SST Records, they established their own unique style, blending punk with country and psychedelic rock, and featuring Curt's warbling vocals. 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.
Meat Puppets has influenced a number of rock bands including Nirvana, Soundgarden, Dinosaur Jr, Sebadoh and Pavement.
Their early works (the In A Car EP and Meat Puppets LP) were wholeheartedly punk, with vocals so feral in their delivery they were often indecipherable, but ultimately humorous and clever once deciphered. The musicianship was mostly thrash, yet the songs were tinged with a subtle, haunting element like that of a long abandoned ghost town. Their brand of cathartic, explosive hardcore attracted the attention of legendary punk label SST, who released their first record in 1982.
Unsatisfied with the result, the band spent plenty of time in the studio before the release of 1983's Meat Puppets II. The band's exciting experimentation with psychedelia, acid rock, and quieter tunes on top of a core western-style thrash sound, gave them their one acknowledged classic album, and propelled the record to legendary status. Meat Puppets II turned Meat Puppets into the one of the leading bands in SST Records league and, along with Violent Femmes, the Gun Club and others, helped establish country punk.
The Meat Puppets' burgeoning musicality led to more intricate and melodic efforts on 1985's Up on the Sun, which was a cohesive collage of songs that further demonstrated their abilities to capture a sound that had all of the wonder of the desert. The band's sound and vision became closely aligned with the legacy of The Byrds; some of the group's fans accused the Meat Puppets of becoming dangerously hippy-sounding (this appreciation of "hippy" music was hardly a sudden development: Curt's guitar solos were, from the beginning of his career, often reminiscent of Jerry Garcia). However, Up On The Sun demonstrated strong musicianship, accompanied by an unfading ability to write sophisticated and intriguing songs. This album generated the band's first major mainstream exposure, and many fans still consider it to be their masterpiece.
Over the next decade, the Meat Puppets remained on SST and released a series of albums, touring almost relentlessly on the underground circuit. 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 a meticulously crafted release in early 1987, and their most polished sound to date. Mirage at the time was hailed by some mainstream critics as the Puppet's best work yet.
Subsequently, their next album, the heavier, power-trio-rooted 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. The album was named, not only after the Spanish word for eggs, but was also a reference to the Spanish slang use of the word "Huevos" to mean "testicles." This was significant not only with regard to the songs themselves, but to the bold, rough manner in which they were recorded. 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), was all sent to SST shortly before the band returned to the road en route to their next gig.
Monsters was released in 1989, featuring Curt-as-guitar-hero on such extended jams 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, grappled with the "going major" decision, so did the 'Pups. Two years after their final studio recording for SST, 1989's Monsters, the trio released its major label debut, Forbidden Places, on the indie-friendly London Records. A three-year break saw the band's studio return with 1994's Too High To Die, produced by Butthole Surfers guitarist Paul Leary. The album featured "Backwater", a hit on alternative radio, and a hidden-track update of "Lake of Fire." Too High To Die earned the 'Pups a gold record (over 500,000 sold), outselling their previous records combined. That same year saw the 'Pups in their brightest mainstream spotlight as the band achieved sudden popularity when Nirvana's Kurt Cobain invited Cris and Curt to join him on MTV 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 six months 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.
1995's No Joke! would be the final album recorded by the original Meat Puppets lineup. Unfortunately, Cris Kirkwood was now a heroin addict, whose heavy and compulsive use of the drug increasingly dominated his life. This was a major departure from the psychedelic drugs with which the Meat Puppets had always been associated; his erratic behavior soon became too much for the band to cope with. The first single from No Joke!, "Scum", charted briefly on the modern rock charts, but ultimately the album paled in success to its predecessor.
First hiatus and reunion (1996-2000)
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 Rykodisc 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 to release 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.
Break up (2001-2005)
Around 2001-2002, the Meat Puppets dissolved as Curt has gone on to release albums with the groups Eyes Adrift and Volcano. In 2005, he released his first solo album entitled Snow.
His brother Cris was arrested in December 2003 for attacking a security guard at a post office with the guard's baton. The guard shot Kirkwood during the melee. Kirkwood was subsequently denied bail, the judge citing Kirkwood's previous drug arrests and parole violations. He eventually went to prison for felony assault. He was released in July of 2005.
Derrick Bostrom began a home page (www.meatpuppets.com) 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.
Second reunion (2006-present)
On March 24, 2006, Curt Kirkwood polled fans at his MySpace page with the following bulletin: "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.
An April 26, 2006 billboard.com story reported that the Kirkwood brothers would reunite as the Meat Puppets without original drummer Derrick Bostrom. Primus drummer Tim Alexander was announced as Bostrom's replacement. Curt mentioned that a new Meat Puppets album was written, but it has not yet been recorded. Curt continued to tour on his solo material with his son Elmo.
Tim Alexander never ended up drumming with the Meat Puppets. Instead, Ted Marcus is the band's current drummer.
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Climbing
Meat Puppets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out of bed in the morning on a mountain made of sand
And I know this doesn't rhyme
But the clutter on the table has been getting out of hand
I know that you tried to see me through
But honey I'm still having trouble finding out what's you
Well they say it's nonexistent but it's playing with my mind
And phone calls don't cost a dime
In the caverns of your feeling where the sun will never shine
I know that you tried to see me through
But honey I'm still having trouble finding out what's you
Mine, mine, which things are mine?
Well I thought I saw a few before I found out I was blind
And I think I see a sign
And it's saying where to go and when I get there what I'll find
I know that you tried to see me through
But honey I'm still having trouble finding out what's you
The song "Climbing" by Meat Puppets is a philosophical exploration of the themes of identity, personal growth, and the search for meaning. The opening lines, "Climb, climb, I always climb/ Out of bed in the morning on a mountain made of sand" suggest that life itself is an uphill struggle, as we strive to make sense of our existence and find our place in the world. The reference to a "mountain made of sand" suggests the ephemeral and transitory nature of our lives, and the challenges we face as we try to build a foundation for ourselves that is both meaningful and enduring.
The following lines, "And I know this doesn't rhyme/ But the clutter on the table has been getting out of hand" suggest a sense of disorientation and uncertainty, as the singer struggles to make sense of the chaos around them. The clutter on the table can be read as a metaphor for the confusion and disorder in the singer's life, and their attempts to sort through it all and find some sense of order.
The chorus, "I know that you tried to see me through/ But honey I'm still having trouble finding out what's you" suggests a sense of alienation and disconnect from those around us. The singer acknowledges that others have tried to help them, but ultimately they must navigate their own path and find their own way.
The second verse explores the theme of time, and how it can play tricks on our minds. The lines "Well they say it's nonexistent but it's playing with my mind/ And phone calls don't cost a dime/ In the caverns of your feeling where the sun will never shine" suggest a sense of disorientation and confusion, as the singer tries to grapple with the elusive nature of time and the way it shapes our experiences.
The final verse explores the idea of ownership, and what truly belongs to us in life. The lines "Well I thought I saw a few before I found out I was blind/ And I think I see a sign/ And it's saying where to go and when I get there what I'll find" suggest a sense of possibility and hope, as the singer begins to find clarity and direction in their life.
Overall, "Climbing" is a deeply introspective and philosophical song that explores some of the fundamental questions that we all face in life. It suggests that the search for meaning and identity is a never-ending journey, one that we must all undertake for ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Climb, climb, I always climb
I always try to move forward in life, no matter what obstacles I face.
Out of bed in the morning on a mountain made of sand
Every day, I wake up to face a new challenge, and it often feels like I'm trying to climb a mountain made of sand - difficult and unstable.
And I know this doesn't rhyme
I am aware that my thoughts and feelings don't always fit into neat and tidy boxes - they are messy and complex.
But the clutter on the table has been getting out of hand
There are many things in my life that feel chaotic and disorganized, and it's beginning to weigh on me.
Time, time, it's so sublime
Though time may feel like a mystery or an illusion, it has a profound impact on my life and my psyche.
Well they say it's nonexistent but it's playing with my mind
Despite the fact that some people argue time doesn't truly exist, it still has a way of influencing our thoughts and emotions.
And phone calls don't cost a dime
Communication is an invaluable tool, and it doesn't need to be expensive to have a meaningful impact on our lives.
In the caverns of your feeling where the sun will never shine
Sometimes we experience difficult emotions that can feel like we're in a dark, sunless cave with no way out.
Mine, mine, which things are mine?
I struggle with defining my own personal sense of ownership and identity.
Well I thought I saw a few before I found out I was blind
Though I once believed I knew what was important and valuable to me, I've come to realize that some of my assumptions were incorrect or misguided.
And I think I see a sign
Despite my confusion and uncertainty, I feel hopeful that I will eventually find clarity and direction in my life.
And it's saying where to go and when I get there what I'll find
I believe that if I keep moving forward and following my intuition, I will eventually discover my true purpose and destination in life.
I know that you tried to see me through
I recognize that others have offered me support and guidance along the way.
But honey I'm still having trouble finding out what's you
Despite the help of others, I still struggle to understand myself and what I truly want in life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: CURT KIRKWOOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PollyPocket
listening to meat puppets makes me feel nostalgic... so many years listening to this band, and I'll proudly never get tired
Thiago Figueira Silva
hi Polly
Paul Mueller
Time, time, it's so sublime
And they say it's non-existent, but it's playing with my mind
arnaldohanatarashi
Amazing composition. I 'd love to hear a yo la tengo version, they are the covers masters and I think this song would fit them very well
Roscle Hilltopple
It sounds like I'm listening to this through a rusty coffee can.
Joe Nevico
They were drinking from a rusty coffee can...
Charles Lobster Kane
I know these guys didn't (and still don't) get the recognition they deserve, well maybe because the derivativeness in their songwriting could sometimes apall you. But if they're capable of forging something as beautiful as this with it, then they probably do deserve the accolades
Seth Moses
Before this album they were a seriously deranged sounding hard-core punk band. This is one of the best alt. albums to ever exist. I know it might not sound like a whole lot to some, but there is some pretty descent guitar playing and melodic harmonies that make up the foundation of the songs on this album.
Micke
Amazing song, sounds like its about lazyness and living your own life
nosequiters
...and eventually they reached the plateau