To have Cris Kirkwood back as the bassist of the Meat Puppets is nothing short of a miracle. The band he founded with his guitarist/vocalist brother Curt in 1980 broke up in 1996 due to Cris’ addiction to heroin and crack cocaine. In the ensuing years, Cris’ life spiraled far out of his control as he lost his wife to a drug overdose and spent 18 months in prison for attacking a post-office security guard. Now, almost four years clean and sober, Cris is gearing up to hit the road in support of the band’s 12th studio album, Sewn Together. Before he does, Cris will spend the week guest editing magnetmagazine.com. Read our new Q&A with Cris and our 2007 career overview of the Meat Puppets.
Cris Kirkwood: The American punk rock of my youth was a goofy-assed thing. Come to think of it, when you take a good close look, what isn’t pretty goddamn goofy-assed? Of course, it’s all really a question of perception. Or it’s not. It’s all really a question of good toilet training. Of the best and the brightest. Or the lowest of the low. And … and … aww crap, it was right there on the tip of my tongue—or it wasn’t. Hooray for the punk-rock soldiers of our great campaign who battle on, bloodied but unbowed. Yeah, right. Fuck them, fuck you and fuck me, too. I have a great affinity for the Minutemen of the world, for your Sonic Youth and those rascally Butthole Surfers (pictured), and I would really like to say something profound and endearing about them and everyone and everything else, for that matter. But screw it, I gotta take a dump. Tada!
The Minutemen’s “Mr. Robot’s Holy Orders” (download):
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/MrRobotsHolyOrders.mp3
Sonic Youth’s “Silver Rocket” (download):
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/SilverRocket.mp3
Butthole Surfers’ “Gary Floyd” (live) (download):
https://magnetmagazine.com/audio/GaryFloydLive.mp3
