See 5 more photos

Meat Puppets

On Tour

82,611 listeners (1,146,775 plays)

Listening now: cgullo

Add to my Library Share

grunge, alternative, alternative rock, punk, cowpunk… see all

177 shouts

Phoenix, United States (1980 – present)

The Meat Puppets are a popular alternative rock band formed in Phoenix, Arizona in 1980. The band’s best known lineup consisted of Curt Kirkwood (vocals, guitar), Cris Kirkwood (bass) and Derrick Bostrom (drums) (a lineup that lasted from its inception to 1996). The band is best known for songs like “Lake of Fire”, “Plateau”, “Backwater” and “We Don’t Exist”.

Early career(1980-1990)

They began rehearsing together by learning songs from Bostrom’s collection of punk rock 45s. After briefly toying with the name “the Bastions of Immaturity,” they settled on the name Meat Puppets in June, 1980, after a song by Curt of the same name which appears on their first album.

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.

1	Lake of Fire	605
2	Plateau	529
3	Backwater	442
4	Lost	338
5	Aurora Borealis	333
6	Split Myself In Two	320
7	Oh, Me	310
8	Magic Toy Missing	308
9	I'm a Mindless Idiot	276
10	New Gods	267
11	We're Here	251
12	Climbing	240
13	the Whistling Song	221
14	Up On the Sun	162
15	I'm Not Here	108

Top Albums

Meat Puppets II
Meat Puppets
Buy
- Amazon
- eBay
Download
Too High to Die
Meat Puppets
Buy
- Amazon
- eBay
Download
Up On The Sun
Meat Puppets
Buy
- Amazon
- eBay
Download
Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets
Buy
- Amazon
- eBay
Download

Shoutbox

Leave a comment. Log in to Last.fm or sign up (it’s free).

bobthewalrus wrote:
9 days ago

well, it's actually Pavarotti, but that's not what fistisfast said.

View Profile | Leave bobthewalrus a shout
Shy-Guy wrote:
10 days ago

pavoratti

View Profile | Leave Shy-Guy a shout
bobthewalrus wrote:
10 days ago

"kirkwood makes bob dylan sound like pavoratti" Very true.

View Profile | Leave bobthewalrus a shout
Trent_Jr wrote:
12 days ago

@ Fistisfast: Pavarotti

View Profile | Leave Trent_Jr a shout
TheOnlyRoc wrote:
19 days ago

yea meat puppets were a pre grunge band that inspired the genre. its NOT just because nirvana covered them. other great pregrunge bands: tales of terror, wipers & flipper.

View Profile | Leave TheOnlyRoc a shout
fistisfast wrote:
25 days ago

kirkwood makes bob dylan sound like pavoratti

View Profile | Leave fistisfast a shout
paliona wrote:
25 days ago

Quase da vontade de chorar...

View Profile | Leave paliona a shout
hamalainen wrote:
last month

Can someone tell me more songs like backwater?

View Profile | Leave hamalainen a shout
goblinman007 wrote:
last month

ditto that

View Profile | Leave goblinman007 a shout
fru-shaw-nte wrote:
last month

love these guys... eternally grateful to nirvana unplugged for introducing me haha

View Profile | Leave fru-shaw-nte a shout
SanPdro wrote:
last month

Meat Puppets II FTW!

View Profile | Leave SanPdro a shout
wizzxx wrote:
last month

FINALLY

View Profile | Leave wizzxx a shout
gehrung wrote:
last month

Join my awesome new group, Hooray for the Power Trio! It's the shit!

View Profile | Leave gehrung a shout
Lunnny wrote:
last month

Not grunge, only tagged as that because Nirvana covered a few songs

View Profile | Leave Lunnny a shout
holysnakes wrote:
June 2008

grunge? hardly.

View Profile | Leave holysnakes a shout
AmandaBaylie wrote:
June 2008

love this band

View Profile | Leave AmandaBaylie a shout
Sillyworld wrote:
June 2008

Barefeet enthusiasts unite @ Barefoot Bandits

View Profile | Leave Sillyworld a shout
intricid wrote:
June 2008

i've seen them twice in the last year, August and March, August was early but they kicked ass... in March they were in another universe, they outplayed Built to Spill and half the people left in the middle of them. both times they only played one or two new ones, a cover or 2, Snow, and a fast Box of Limes was an encore the first time. they were everything i hoped for and more! Good people, and a badass band. my top albums right now are II, Mirage, and Up on the Sun. but Mirage is usually first. and to whoever says too high is too 90s or commercial or whatever, i used to be one of those people until i really sat down and paid attention to it. it's #4 right now, usually #2. I also thoroughly enjoyed the new one, so poo on you haters.

View Profile | Leave intricid a shout
bryantee wrote:
June 2008

I only have Rise, II and Sun but I like them all.

View Profile | Leave bryantee a shout
bodysnatcher4 wrote:
June 2008

Up On The Sun isn't that great at all, the only really good song on it is the title track. Meat Puppets II is by far and away their best

View Profile | Leave bodysnatcher4 a shout

12…9 Next

Listeners

cgullo
Listening now
to Split Myself In Two
AmyBoogerman
Listening now
to We're Here
enthusemarc
Listening now
to Aurora Borealis
unclemuscle
Top Listener
iMaxx
Top Listener
deadxagain
Top Listener

Events

Aug 29 HoCo Festival Club Congress, Tucson, United States
Add shout | 1 attendee
Sep 16 Built to Spill Chameleon Club, Lancaster, United States
Add shout | 2 attendees
Sep 17 Built to Spill Toad's Place, New Haven, United States
5 shouts | 22 attendees

Add event | See more

Recent Activity

beardsleyjames, lone_hunter, label9 and 9 other people added Meat Puppets to their libraries. 9 minutes ago
DownHighway61 tagged Meat Puppets with ‘mid 90s indie rock’. yesterday morning
s0ph714 and katelynny7268 added Meat Puppets to their libraries. yesterday morning
nicogrungelo tagged Meat Puppets with ‘alternative rock’. yesterday evening
atomicanne, spleinmuncher, hamacasboy and 7 other people added Meat Puppets to their libraries. yesterday evening
DownHighway61 tagged Meat Puppets with ‘mid 90s indie’. Thursday morning
drkl0pek added Meat Puppets to drkl0pek’s library. Thursday morning
DownHighway61 tagged Meat Puppets with ‘grunge’. Thursday morning
sadiet added Meat Puppets to sadiet’s library. Wednesday evening
Boccista added Meat Puppets to the lineup of HoCo Festival at Club Congress. Wednesday evening