Meat Puppets: 2019

The Meat Puppets have their own unique and venerated place in the history of rock. As a crucial bridge between hardcore punk in the '80s (on one of the decade's most important indie labels, SST) and what was labeled "alternative rock" on major labels in the '90s, they helped invite a handful of sub-genres along the way with names like "cowpunk," "alternative country" and "psychobilly."

That transition was epitomized by the game-changing success of Nirvana, who invited the Kirkwood brothers to help them play a handful of Meat Puppets songs for 1993's MTV Unplugged in New York television performance and subsequent album, released in 1994 after Kurt Cobain's death.

Almost 40 years have passed since the original Meat Puppets trio of Curt and Cris Kirkwood and drummer Derrick Bostrom got together, and in 2019, that lineup has reunited for their first album together since 1995. The release of Dusty Notes — also featuring Curt's son Elmo and new keyboardist Ron Stabinsky — is the occasion for the Meat Puppets' return to WFUV's Studio A.

This FUV Live session features a pair of new tunes and one blast from the past. In conversation between the songs, Curt Kirkwood generously chatted about the Meat Puppets' past as well as their present plans.

[Recorded: 5/8/19; Engineer: Chris Russo; Producer: Sarah Wardrop]