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: One of the most delightful things about growing up in Phoenix many a year ago was The Wallace And Ladmo Show, which had a run on local TV here for 35 years. Ostensibly a typical children’s variety show, it managed to be so much more to generations of little desert rats by not playing down to its audience. In the process, it influenced the likes of Steven Spielberg, Alice Cooper and the little ol’ Meat Puppets. The show starred Bill Thompson as the derby-wearing Wallace, the late Ladimir Kwiatkowski as the top hat-wearing Ladmo and Pat McMahon, who played a bunch of different characters, including Captain Super (a not-so-super hero), Marshall Good (a down-on-his-luck silent-movie never-was) and Gerald (a knickers-wearing brat). When “Ho-Ho, Ha-Ha, Hee-Hee, Ha-Ha,” the show’s theme song (by the late Mike Condello), announced the beginning of another episode, life was good in the desert. A real gem. YouTube video after the jump.
