![]() So I don’t want to rest on my laurels at all. ![]() Show business is very slippery, and there are no givens. “And in a way we have plenty but we could have also been missed. ![]() We’re talking about in a lot of cases stuff that has a lot more exposure than my band. It’s like whatever Robert Plant is doing, I’m going to check it out. “Even Ozzy (Osbourne), I love Black Sabbath, and he kind of lost me with ‘Crazy Train’ and the hair-metal era, but that’s OK. He’s just doing it because he wants to do it. ![]() I’ve been absorbed with his music for years, and at that point I thought it was really cool he was trying something else. I thought it was really cool because I’m a Neil Young fan, and I’m interested to see where he’s going. “When Neil Young put out ‘Trans,’ I wasn’t somebody in the audience booing like I heard people doing at that show. “My favorite bands have always been that way,” Kirkwood said. While that description may come as a surprise to some, Kirkwood’s knowledge of his predecessors allows him to keep exploring what The Meat Puppets means to him. While the outfit’s previous effort, 2007’s “Rise to Your Knees,” was pieced together by Kirkwood, the new project finds the Brothers Kirkwood joined by drummer Ted Marcus, for what amounts to a power trio sound along the lines of The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream. So it was cool.” With The Meat Puppets’ latest album, “Sewn Together,” the band is, well, finally a band again. You can get it on the Internet these days, you can get it in strange ways, You can get it like that crazy (‘Britain’s Got Talent’) lady (Susan Boyle) from England. It was like, ‘We wanted to do that because you never got your due here, and so here’s your due.’ “And that’s like how your due gets got sometimes, you know? It’s like you can get it one way or another. “We had been together for a while, and we knew it was kind of a ‘thank you.’ Kind of like, ‘I don’t know if I would have been able to do this if I hadn’t heard you guys.’ I talked to (Cobain) about it and with (Nirvana bassist) Krist (Novoselic) over the years and found out they really listened to that (album) a lot. “I knew that it was a good show, but I didn’t really think about it in terms of ongoing (publicity),” Kirkwood said. In fact, both Kirkwood brothers were guest musicians at the taping, which included three of their songs - “Lake of Fire,” “Plateau” and “Oh Me” from their 1983 album “Meat Puppets II.” It’s safe to say the ongoing legacy of the Meat Puppets remains this connection to Cobain. While most people recognize the iconic Cobain performance of “Lake of Fire,” many folks don’t realize it’s actually a Meat Puppets tune. However, the biggest mainstream touchstone for The Meat Puppets - aside from its shocking moniker - remains its unlikely involvement in the 1993 taping of Nirvana’s “MTV Unplugged in New York” when Kurt Cobain decided to shed light on the influential SST Records underground band that proved so pivotal in not only his life as a youth, but also his development as a musician. There have been breakups and drug addictions and plenty of drama along the way. “So it’s not a total rip-off.” Formed by Kirkwood and his brother Cris Kirkwood (bass, guitar) nearly 30 years ago, The Meat Puppets have existed mainly in the margins of contemporary music with its dozen or so albums gaining a cult following. “Sometimes I dress up as a giant hogweed,” laughed Kirkwood, calling from his Texas home. He characterizes the idea as the Meat Puppets’ own “Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.” First of all, you don’t find many hardened punk acts referencing Genesis, let alone the fact its then-lead singer Peter Gabriel’s penchant for dressing up like a pretty flower. The proof comes when he mentions his influential band, which boasts an oeuvre that ranges from hardcore to cowpunk and alternative rock, is playing its new album, “Sewn Together,” in its entirety on the group’s current tour. ![]() The Meat Puppets founder and visionary Curt Kirkwood (vocals, guitar) is a student of music history. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |