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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Wipeout
Meat Puppets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If it doesn't sound real
Or if it's just what it seems
I don't remember, I forgot what I said
But don't let it go to your head
And don't hold me it's just the sound that I make
And what do you care what I say anyway
Unless you choose to hear me confuse
No one's really complaining
About the pouring rain
Somewhere off in the sunset the river bends
And they all look so happy our pissed-off friends
The sound is totally fake
It's kind of like the noise that a cow makes:
Stupid, no more than stupid, so dumb I ought to be beaten
Should be cooked and then be eaten - chewed right down
Planted like corn in the ground
To be fed to the hogs...
No one's really complaining
About the pouring rain
Somewhere off in the sunset the river bends
And they all seem so happy our pissed-off friends
Like a wipeout I hit my face
Right down like a turtle by the fireplace
Glass eyes starin' to the rear
On the table is a baby with five ears
And the baby's has plans to an airplane
The product of his big fat brain
And out in the bushes he hears
A small voice ringing in his extra ears
Like a wipeout I hit my face
Right down like a turtle by the fireplace
Glass eyes starin' to the rear
On the table is a baby with five ears
And the baby's has plans to an airplane
The product of his big fat brain
And out in the bushes he hears
A small voice ringing
No one's really complaining
About the pouring rain
There's no sense in explaining
All the sense has been drained
Somewhere off in the sunset the river bends
And they all look so happy our pissed-off friends
Somewhere off in the sunset the river bends
And they all look so happy our pissed-off friends
The lyrics of Meat Puppets' Wipeout are abstract and nonsensical, with no clear narrative or message. The singer seems to be questioning the meaning of words - "I don't know what it's meant to mean, if it doesn't sound real or if it's just what it seems" - and acknowledging that his own words may be confusing or meaningless to others. The imagery in the song is bizarre and surreal, with references to a baby with five ears, a river bending off into the sunset, and a voice ringing in the bushes. The chorus repeats the phrase "No one's really complaining about the pouring rain" but offers no further explanation or context.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know what it's meant to mean
I am unsure of the intended meaning of this song
If it doesn't sound real
The sound of the song is artificial or fake
Or if it's just what it seems
The lyrics may have a straightforward meaning, or may be open to interpretation
I don't remember, I forgot what I said
The artist is unsure of the specific lyrics they wrote for this song
But don't let it go to your head
The artist doesn't want their words to be taken too seriously or literally
And don't hold me it's just the sound that I make
The singer is emphasizing that the sound of the song is the most important aspect, rather than specific lyrics
And what do you care what I say anyway
The singer is questioning the importance of their words to the listener
Unless you choose to hear me confuse
The artist acknowledges that their lyrics may be confusing to some listeners
I guess I got nothin' to lose
The artist is taking a casual or nonchalant attitude towards their own lyrics
No one's really complaining
The artist is noting the lack of complaints from others about something (in this case, the rain)
About the pouring rain
It is raining heavily, but no one seems too bothered by it
Somewhere off in the sunset the river bends
A picturesque scene is described, with a winding river and a beautiful sunset
And they all look so happy our pissed-off friends
The singer is using irony, suggesting that even their angry or unhappy friends seem content in this serene setting
The sound is totally fake
Again, the singer notes that the sound of the song has an artificial quality
It's kind of like the noise that a cow makes:
The sound being described is reminiscent of a cow's vocalization
Stupid, no more than stupid, so dumb I ought to be beaten
The artist is disparaging themselves, suggesting that the song and their lyrics are foolish or pointless
Should be cooked and then be eaten - chewed right down
The artist is suggesting that their own words should be consumed and discarded like food
Planted like corn in the ground
The singer continues with the metaphor of their own words being planted, grown, and harvested like a crop
To be fed to the hogs...
The singer emphasizes the lack of value of their own words by suggesting they should be fed to animals
Like a wipeout I hit my face
The artist is using the metaphor of a surfer wiping out and falling, to describe their own personal failure
Right down like a turtle by the fireplace
The artist continues with imagery of falling or laying flat
Glass eyes starin' to the rear
The artist uses disturbing imagery of inanimate, non-human eyes to suggest a sense of being watched or judged
On the table is a baby with five ears
The singer invents a surreal, unsettling image to further provoke the listener's imagination
And the baby's has plans to an airplane
The baby (a strange, fictional creation) has unachievable or nonsensical plans, adding more absurdity to the song
The product of his big fat brain
The singer continues a playfully insulting tone, referring to the baby's brain as 'big' and 'fat'
And out in the bushes he hears
The imaginary baby is now in a new setting, adding further surreality to the song
A small voice ringing in his extra ears
The baby has extra ears, adding to the strange and dreamlike nature of the song
There's no sense in explaining
The artist suggests that there is no logical explanation for the song or its lyrics
All the sense has been drained
The artist again emphasizes that the song is nonsensical and illogical
Contributed by Isaiah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.