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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Dolphin Field
Meat Puppets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Burn the backs of my eyes out
While my heart plays a tune
I want to roll on the ground
Eat shit off the ground like a pig
If I could be oriented
I would be happy
This is not all
Than there is on the table
Like pins and half-tendons
Leaked like glue from a tube
A random search reveals
Worms at the base of my spine
But my eyes have yet to decay
I've been left here
With my torso and my eyes
To keep a watch on the place
Where glass birds keep a watch
On the big yellow ovaries
The lyrics of "Dolphin Field" by Meat Puppets are open to interpretation, but they seem to describe a desire for a heightened sensory experience, even at the expense of bodily discomfort or disorientation. The singer wants to watch the sun until it burns their eyes out, and their heart plays a song in response. They also express a desire to roll on the ground and eat off of it like a pig. The singer acknowledges that their desires may seem unusual or disturbing, but they would find happiness if they could just orient themselves to this way of being.
However, the second half of the song takes a decidedly darker turn. The singer mentions pins and half-tendons on the floor, suggesting an unsettling or even violent setting. They also mention worms at the base of their spine, suggesting decay or corruption. Despite these grotesque images, the singer describes their eyes as being intact, indicating a separation between their physical body and their sensory experience. They are left to keep watch on a place called the "dolphin field," where glass birds watch over large yellow ovaries. The significance of this final image is unclear, but it adds to the surreal and dreamlike quality of the song.
Overall, "Dolphin Field" is a lyrically complex and vivid song that invites multiple interpretations. It explores themes of sensory desire, bodily decay, and surreal landscapes in a way that is both unsettling and captivating.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to watch the sun
I desire to witness the sun's light burn through my eyes
Burn the backs of my eyes out
I long to see the sun's light so intensely it overwhelms my vision
While my heart plays a tune
I wish for my heart to create a melody while I gaze at the sun
I want to roll on the ground
To tumble around on the dirt in a carefree manner is my urge
Eat shit off the ground like a pig
I yearn to consume the filth on the floor without worry, just as a swine does
If I could be oriented
Being properly situated would bring me happiness, if only I could attain it
I would be happy
Finding proper alignment would bring about joy
This is not all
There is more than meets the eye; things exist beyond what we can see
There is much more on the floor
Numerous components are scattered on the ground
Than there is on the table
The number of items on the floor surpasses the amount on the tabletop
Like pins and half-tendons
Similar to needles and incomplete ligaments
Leaked like glue from a tube
Oozing out akin to adhesive from its container
A random search reveals
An arbitrary quest discloses
Worms at the base of my spine
Organisms situated at the foundation of my vertebrae
But my eyes have yet to decay
Despite these discoveries, my vision has not deteriorated
I've been left here
I remain in this location
With my torso and my eyes
Only my upper body and my sight remain with me
To keep a watch on the place
My purpose is to guard this spot
Where glass birds keep a watch
A place of interest where artificial birds remain vigilant
On the big yellow ovaries
This area holds significant, attention-grabbing subjects
Contributed by Makayla O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
xpanderxt2
I worked in a clothing store in 1982 and when people wouldn't leave at closing time I would put this EP on and the store would clear out. Great EP!
James Menzies
I wish they would still play this live as it is an absolutely brilliant track.
kris ingwersen
Curt and cris did an interview with a dj in Melbourne years ago and talked about 5 songs that influenced them. They picked an anne Murray song, and kept their faces straight and convinced the dj it was important to them. Was roll on the floor 🤣 fun
kris ingwersen
Is it true that when the s/t album was re-released, the first ep was included, and lyrics for all tracks came with? Just been looking online for lyrics to in a car, big house, which seem almost right, who knows and seen lyrics to this song which seem, well, who can tell? Still absolutely hilarious and brilliant.
James Menzies
Yes the In A Car EP is on the Rykodisc re-released 1st album.
Ernesto Catalan
This is the real deal! Fuckin' intense!!!
onomonopiama
True punk music
craigmac303
oh yeah
great madness
onbeyond
holy shit
Anthony Navarro
Ya!!