Meat Puppets

The Profile

Meat Puppets are an American band from Phoenix, Arizona, widely described in these reviews as pioneering a paradoxical blend of hardcore punk energy with country, blues and psychedelia, led by brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood and (in classic early-era accounts) drummer Derrick Bostrom.

From the reviews: formed in the early 1980s; associated with Phoenix/Arizona; core members cited are Curt Kirkwood (guitar/vocals) and Cris Kirkwood (bass) plus drummer Derrick Bostrom; linked to wider recognition via Nirvana performing “Plateau”, “Oh Me” and “Lake Of Fire” on MTV Unplugged; noted stylistic shifts across the 1980s–1990s catalog and later return to activity.

Across these DeBaser reviews, Meat Puppets are framed as an Arizona (Phoenix) trio led by brothers Curt and Cris Kirkwood (with drummer Derrick Bostrom), famed for fusing hardcore, country, blues and psychedelia. Their early classics “Meat Puppets II” and “Up on the Sun” are praised as peak creative statements, and “Too High to Die” is argued as their most complete album. Multiple reviewers tie their broader fame to Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged performances of “Plateau”, “Oh Me” and “Lake Of Fire”. Live accounts describe the band as loud, playful, and still capable of turning old material into exhilarating chaos decades later.