Christopher "Cris" Kirkwood (born October 22, 1960) is an American musician who is the bassist and a founding member of the
Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood (guitar/vocals), his brother Cris Kirkwood (bass guitar/vocals), and Derrick Bostrom (drums). The Kirkwood brothe ...
, an
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
punk rock band.
Biography
Raised in
Paradise Valley, Arizona
Paradise Valley is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb of Phoenix, the state's largest city. It is Arizona's wealthiest municipality. The town is known for its luxury golf courses, shopping, expensive real estate, and ...
, Cris took up the banjo after seeing ''
Deliverance
''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American survival thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman, and starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their feature film debuts. The screenplay was adapt ...
'', moved on to guitar, and ultimately picked up the bass when he started playing together in bands with his older brother
Curt
Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor.
In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and i ...
. In 1980 the brothers and their friend
Derrick Bostrom, a drummer, decided to form a band, which they eventually named the
Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood (guitar/vocals), his brother Cris Kirkwood (bass guitar/vocals), and Derrick Bostrom (drums). The Kirkwood brothe ...
.
Besides playing bass Kirkwood's role in the band grew over the years to include singing and songwriting. The Meat Puppets songs that Cris has been credited with co-penning have included the majority of the group's
self-titled debut, as well as "Maiden's Milk," "Animal Kingdom," "She's Hot," "Other Kinds of Love," "Not Swimming Ground," and "The Mighty Zero," "Paradise," "Bad Love," "Automatic Mojo," and "I Can't Be Counted On," while being solely credited for penning the tracks (which he also sang lead on) "Station," "Evil Love," "Cobbler," and "Inflatable."
Kirkwood's use of drugs began to spin out of control after the success of 1994's ''
Too High to Die'', and he developed a severe heroin addiction. Kirkwood retreated to his house in
Tempe, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Vale of Tempe
, image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg
, imagesize = 260px
, image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...
, where he and his wife, Michelle Tardif, who was also an addict, lived in virtual isolation. Tardif eventually died of a drug overdose in August 1998. After the release of the album ''
No Joke!
''No Joke!'' is the ninth studio album by the Meat Puppets. The album was released on October 3, 1995, by London Records. It was the follow-up to the band's album '' Too High to Die'' and was the last Meat Puppets album with bassist Cris Kirkwood ...
'' in 1995, Kirkwood's compulsive behavior during what was already a stressful time for the band led to the Meat Puppets entering a period of inactivity. Despite numerous interventions and rehab stays, Kirkwood remained addicted to narcotics for many years.
Imprisonment
In December 2003, Kirkwood got into an argument with a woman over a parking space at a post office in downtown
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
. A security guard got involved in the scuffle, which escalated when Kirkwood grabbed the guard's baton and began striking at him. The guard drew his handgun and shot Kirkwood in the back, resulting in his being hospitalized. In August 2004, Kirkwood pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.
While incarcerated at
Federal Correctional Institution in Phoenix, Kirkwood met
Jerry Posin
Jerry Miles Posin is an American drummer known for his contributions to Steppenwolf in the late 1970s. During this time he penned at least two songs heard at Steppenwolf concerts, "It's Alright" and "Sinsemilla", now available only on bootleg rec ...
, who had been a drummer for
Steppenwolf, and joined in Posin's exercise routine. The two eventually joined in
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
and other original music performances at the facility. Kirkwood's time in prison, which he said "was actually pretty tolerable",
helped him kick his drug addiction
cold turkey
"Cold turkey" refers to the abrupt cessation of a substance dependence and the resulting unpleasant experience, as opposed to gradually easing the process through reduction over time or by using replacement medication.
Sudden withdrawal from dru ...
.
However, no recordings of Kirkwood's jail band performances are known to exist. He served out his time and was released on July 7, 2005.
Return to the Meat Puppets
In April 2006, ''
Billboard'' announced that Cris and Curt Kirkwood would be recording again as the Meat Puppets. Curt said the brothers planned to release an epic album of "big Meat Puppets stuff", followed by a tour. The original drummer, Derrick Bostrom, was replaced by drummer Ted Marcus.
"I haven't seen my brother since like 1998, but I'm talking to him a lot," Curt was quoted as saying. "He's
eenclean for more than two years and he's all raring to go. Cris' resurrection is no less than miraculous – it's like a Lazarus-type thing. I was just like, 'If Cris is back, I know his frame of mind.' If he's upright and walking, it's hard to knock him down."
Cris appeared on the Meat Puppets' first post-reunion album ''
Rise to Your Knees'' (2007) and its three follow-up records ''
Sewn Together
''Sewn Together'' is American rock band the Meat Puppets' twelfth full-length studio album, released on May 12, 2009, both on CD and vinyl. It was the follow-up to their 2007 reunion album '' Rise to Your Knees''.
Recording and background Backgr ...
'' (2009), ''
Lollipop
A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker, sticky-pop, etc. Lollipops are ava ...
'' (2011) and ''
Rat Farm'' (2013).
In 2015, he launched his own self-titled podcast, The Cris Kirkwood Podcast. On July 10, 2015, Kirkwood appeared on
Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor Podcast. In 2016, Cris either produced and/or played with the following artists for
Slope Records
Slope Records is a Sunnyslope, Arizona based music record label.
History
Phoenix-based Slope Records was formed in 2015 as an outlet to bring attention to selected bands and music. Initially, just a hobby for the founder, Thomas Lopez, Slope Rec ...
– The Exterminators, the Linecutters, and Sad Kid.
Personal life
Kirkwood is a grandson of
Carl W. Renstrom, who was owner of Tip-Top Products and a multi-millionaire from
Omaha,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
.
Discography
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkwood, Cris
1960 births
20th-century American guitarists
Living people
American people convicted of assault
American punk rock musicians
American rock bass guitarists
American male bass guitarists
Meat Puppets members
People from Paradise Valley, Arizona
People from Tempe, Arizona
Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government
Musicians from Phoenix, Arizona
Guitarists from Arizona
American male guitarists
American shooting survivors