What’s all this, then?
From 2006 to 2009, I wrote and maintained Tea in the Yahara in my capacity as site editor for madison.com/post (POST), an experiment in user-generated content and reverse-publishing from Madison.com, the website for the Wisconsin State Journal and The Capital Times.
For a short time, POST also existed as a weekly, then a monthly, print digest of arts & entertainment coverage that appeared first online, generated entirely by POST bloggers, Madison.com site forumites, and bloggers in and around Madison, Wisconsin.
At first a general interest weblog heavy on links and light on elucidation, Tea in the Yahara transitioned over time into a more traditional “column” format, focused mainly on a few of my favorite things: music, Green Bay Packers football, and popular culture — not necessarily in that order.
The Yahara Archives is by no means a complete compendium of the content that first appeared on Tea in the Yahara. Instead, it is a selective sample of some of my most popular posts, minus the link-heavy stuff that for many was the main draw in the first place.
Most of those old links, thanks to the vagaries of the Internet and the shifting sands of time, now point somewhere in the general direction of nowhere. I sincerely hope you manage to find something worth your time somewhere within The Yahara Archives; if you don’t, I hear the Internet also features many cute pictures and funny videos, mostly of cats.
My conversation with a Meat Puppet (Part II)
Part one of my interview with Cris Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets got cut off by a phone call he had to take — something, I’m sure, having to do with arrangements for the tour that was to begin last night in Louisville, Kentucky, and is scheduled to bring the band to The Annex here in Madison tomorrow.
With those obligations out of the way, the two of us got back to talking about things that truly matter, like why he’ll always think fondly of Madison, what it means to influence and be influenced, and what ever happened to a certain bass guitar. In case you missed it, part one is over here.
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Cris Kirkwood: Okay, sorry about that.
SJB: Not a problem. I’d imagine you guys have a lot of details to take care of before you get on the road.
Well, you know, one of the things that’s been happening with this — I mean, the press thing has definitely been really cool, you know? For the Meat Puppets, that’s one of the things that’s kind of always been there for us, is that, you know… The press has been interesting, you know what I mean? Like, people have given enough of a shit about the music to write about it or something, and recognize that the Meat Puppets is something worth putting a little ink down about. And that’s happened again on this project. We’ve definitely been doing a lot of press and, you know, that’s cool. And it’s easy at this point, you know? It’s like, “Jesus Christ — having everybody give half a shit after having done it this long!”
Back on the topic of influences: Do you hear a Meat Puppets influence in any of the music you hear these days?
Yeah… I kind of — I just don’t know. That I can’t tell, honestly. You know, what’s the guy’s name — Lou Barlow? Is that the bass player in Dinosaur Jr.? We played with them a few months ago up in New York, and he’s telling me, “Our band wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for Meat Puppets!” And I’m just like, “All right,” you know? And then I listen to their set, and I’m like, “Well, okay. You know, whatever….”
I mean, I think it’s maybe more of an attitudinal sort of a thing. You know? That the influence might be on people. You know, like how do you approach the music? What are you making the music for? What do you think in terms of yourself as an artist? That kind of shit. But specifically sonically? I don’t know. I mean, what is it? Do they — you know — do they throw their guitar around at some point and somehow hurt themselves really badly? Bingo. Then there’s one of my children.
Do you feel like you guys have influences that you draw from these days, or is it now just you? I mean, you’re the Meat Puppets — you have your own sound that influences you. Do you still feel influenced by other artists?
Oh, definitely. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I don’t know specifically in terms of, you know, what we’re trying to sound like or anything, but I mean, there’s still just stuff that I cherish and love. I mean, there’s people that influenced me, that set the Meat Puppets off in the direction that they went off in.
Like the Dead, you know, and just tons of stuff — the fuckin’ Beatles, you know? The pillars, in terms of rock. And then all the other things that I was into as a kid, you know, or that I’ve still got to be into. And I still find myself able to see, well, practically any band and realize that, okay, one of the cool things about music is one of the cool things about people: they’re all individuals, you know? They all have their own slant on things. And I’ll see things and go, “Gee, I wish I could do that,” you know? And then maybe actually apply that to my sitting around and farting around and go, “Hmm…” and discover, “Well, I can’t. Oh, well. It takes all kinds.” You know? But it adds to the fucking sense of what music can be.
Yesterday I heard, [sings] “Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little thing like you,” by the Atlanta Rhythm Section — and the fucking bass tones the guy had was just so beastly. And I think it’s that big, fat guy with glasses, if I’m not mistaken, who was the bass player in that band. And you just go, “Well, god damn, just listen to that.” That’s a pretty old song, you know? But man, what a badass fuckin’ bass tone. What a cool way of, just, of locking in with the drummer. I mean, I still get it left and right. I’ll just hear something and it’ll just catch my attention.
There’s a friend of mine — a musician from Milwaukee, who I’m sure will be catching you guys at Summerfest in June — who wanted me to ask you about the “Fucker” bass. Is it still around, or is it long gone? What happened to it?
The “Fucker” bass… Well, there’s two. There was the “Fucko” bass — that got smashed in, like, 1985, so that must not be what he was talking about. That was some beautiful music, man, that I fucking smashed in a fit of fucking retarded artistic pity, and I regret it still because it was a lovely guitar.
The “Fucker” bass, now, that got fuckin’, uh… pawned… for, you know… to support my need for “chocolate.” And I lost it when I got shot and went to prison this last time.
Ah. So it’s long gone, then.
It’s… It’s not gone — I mean, how “gone” could it be, right? You know, if you believe the spiritualists, it lives on in my heart. Somebody bought it. But, you know, the pawn shop that sold it actually sold it as mine, right? So somebody who gave half a shit, because it was pretty banged up — I mean it was a beast, because it had been made strong through, you know, weathering — and I think somebody bought it who gave a fuck that it was mine. I found out when I got out — the guy who sold it told me how much they got for it, and that meant that somebody who gave a shit got it. So maybe someday, somebody out there will come floating up and go, “Dude, I got your bass! I got it for you!” You know? And I’ll be like, “Hey, if you give it back to me, man, I’ll give you a T-shirt.”
So you’ll be here in Madison on the 29th, and you’ll be playing at a place called The Annex. Ever played there before?
We were in Madison, like, a year and a half ago or something, and it was at, like… kind of like a little… like a school cafeteria or something. It was this building that looked kind of like a… school auditorium or something. It had like a… I don’t know. It had stairs…
It was probably the High Noon Saloon, I would think.
Oh, that sounds right. You know, I was gonna say… We were in Madison — we were on tour, what was it? ‘84. And we heard about this movie that was being released, and we were like, “We gotta see that.” We were actually on tour, and we went and saw it. That’s where we saw Spinal Tap. It was showing, like, at the University. And to get in cheap, I heard somebody in front of me tell them what sorority they were in or whatever, so I told the ticket guy that we were in that, too. So we snuck beer in and sat there and watched it, so Madison holds a special place in my heart.
Well, I’d say that’s probably a pretty fitting end for the interview, so I’ll stop here.
Even more fitting: Remember Dharma? From fuckin’, uh… “Don’t Fear The Reaper”? What are they called?
Blue Oyster Cult?
Blue Oyster Cult! He told me: “Spinal Tap is my life.” And in closing my interview with you today, I will just tell you this: “Buck Dharma is my life.” Oh, and I’m reading a book about James Madison, speaking of Madison.
Well, since we’re speaking of Madison: Through your involvement with SST and everything back in the day, do you remember ever meeting up with the Tar Babies, or any of the other smaller indie bands in or around Madison?
You know, the Tar Babies, specifically, I don’t remember.
I might have, definitely. But I can’t remember if I know those guys. But I probably did. I mean, you know, Madison we’ve definitely been through bunches of times. But the Tar Babies doesn’t stick in my mind as something I can put a face to, but I might have. But you know, I’m a fucking spaced-out, you know, baboon.
My conversation with a Meat Puppet (Part I)
Cris Kirkwood and his brother, Curt, have been through a lot — some of it together, some not so much. The three-man outfit they started with drummer Derrick Bostrom as a punk band from Paradise Valley, Arizona, almost three full decades ago eventually managed to establish not just its own distinctive sound and style, but a full-blown punk- rock subgenre along the way.
When the brothers reunited to record the 2007 release Rise To Your Knees (with drummer Ted Marcus) after roughly ten years apart — yes, thereʼs a story there, but this isnʼt where youʼre gonna read it — the bandʼs focus was on simply getting into the studio to see if they could even play together anymore. Two more years down the road, suddenly here we are with yet another Meat Puppets album — one that feels not like a reunion, but like a full- fledged “vintage” Meat Puppets release, all weird and funny and, well, as welcome as ever.
The Meat Puppets are set to play The Annex this Friday as part of a tour that kicks off tonight in Louisville, Kentucky. Late last week, I spoke with Cris Kirkwood about where the band finds itself these days musically, how it feels to be punk-rock elder statesmen, and the newest Meat Puppets album, Sewn Together, released on Megaforce Records just a few weeks ago.
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You havenʼt started touring yet, but you did play a show in L.A. on the 12th, right? How did that go?
Oh, it was a fuckinʼ blast. It was just great. We did a few things. We did an in-store at Amoeba Records out there, which is, just.. Itʼs just the sickest music store Iʼve ever been in. Itʼs just the size of a fuckinʼ… Costco or something. I mean, itʼs just massive. They actually have a stage, and a P.A. and shit in there. Just a bunch of folks came out. It was really nice.
That was the first thing we did. That was last Monday, and Tuesday we had a record release party in the evening at The Mint — it was cool — at this club thatʼs been around, like, forever, out in L.A. It was just really a blast.
We played the whole new record, you know, and some of our old stuff, just… seeing how the new stuff works out live, and seeing how this next tour — the direction itʼs gonna go in. It was a blast. A really fun gig. I broke my amplifier, it was so fun.
And how was the new material? How did it go over live?
Really well, you know? I mean, I donʼt really keep that close a track of that kind of shit in a way. I mean, if I did, I think Iʼd maybe actually be able to afford, you know, shoes that donʼt always stink. Like if I was a little bit better at engaging with how the audience actually felt about it… I get a little bit swept up in it. Iʼm obviously a loose cannon to a degree. You know, my past eight years speaks for itself. But as far as I could tell, people liked it. But as far as I can tell, Iʼm fuckinʼ, you know, Elton John. So…
And what did you play at Amoeba? Did you do the same set?
It was different. I mean, we didnʼt play as long… Tuesday night actually turned into, like, a good old time. We wound up playing for, like, two and a half hours. It just turned into one of those things where itʼs like, youʼre just havinʼ a good time and it really… It ran away with itself.
Amoeba — that thing was a little bit shorter. That was only like a 40-minute set or something. We did a handful of new things and a couple of old things.
And was that a more stripped-down performance?
I mean, no matter what it is, itʼs just the three of us, playing, you know? But it was the afternoon, and there were all these record stacks — rows and rows of records, and racks, and CDs and racks, or whatever, and stuff — but still… You know, plenty of people came out.
It was nice, considering how it could have been — you know, just us up there kind of plunking away while the fuckinʼ classical music fans of L.A. search for that latest recording of, you know, Mozart music or something, you know? It turned out to be actually, really, a blast.
A lot of people came, and you know, at those in-store things they set up a table and you actually get to meet folks, so thatʼs sweet. Thatʼs a sweet thing, in a way, you know? Itʼs just nice.
Yeah… I mean, it maybe didnʼt get as loopy. I mean, the amplifier survived that set.
Did you have a good turnout at both shows?
Yeah, the club we sold out. And at the Amoeba thing, they told us there were, like, over 600 people. So for the Meat Puppets, thatʼs fuckinʼ plenty.
Right on. So how about the new album? How do you feel about it, generally?
I donʼt know… I dig it. I think itʼs fucking cool. I think that, listening to it — I find myself listening to it a lot and starting to formulate my opinion about it — you know, how I feel about it — and Iʼve started to realize, you know, Iʼm so drawn to this thing. You know? In the same way that Iʼve been drawn to where the band has managed to get to live.
Itʼs just like… If Iʼm not mistaken, Curt and I are doing what we — whatever the fuck it is that we do. And this record kind of represents that to me. Itʼs kind of us getting back to the place where we always were. You know? Just making music together. And then on top of it, weʼve done it for so long, been through the shit that weʼve been through or whatever, and this record is like… It just sounds like… Just that. Just us getting back in a groove, in a way. And I find myself listening to it a lot.
So do you feel like itʼs a stronger record than Rise To Your Knees, or do you feel like itʼs just different?
Itʼs just… I mean, itʼs different, you know? Itʼs different in that Rise To Your Knees was made as Curt and my “calling card” to each other or whatever. That was Curtʼs idea to get us back playing together, and it all was to go right into the studio. And we didnʼt have a drummer when we started that.
We actually met Ted in the studio. He was doing sound engineering on this film project — and he was doing that because he was a big fan of the band — and we didnʼt even know he was a drummer. And Curt was doing the drumming, and the second day in there, Tedʼs like, “Let me check out that drum kit.” He opens up his little bag and heʼs got drumsticks in there. He goes up and starts playing, and weʼre like, “Fuck, youʼre a drummer! You wanna record this album for us? You wanna do the drumming on this for us?”
So since then, weʼve been playing with him and kind of gelled into something that — you know, I think this oneʼs just a little less… You know, itʼs not so steeped in, like, “Crisʼs troubles,” and whatever. Itʼs a very — just back to, like, a very musical effort on mine and Curtʼs part. Or some shit, you know?
Uh, better? Worse? Whatever. I really do dig some of the shit on this, like, “That sounds fucking nice.” And I get a sense that itʼs like, “Ah… Back in a groove,” in a way, or something. Itʼs just a little less encumbered for me.
Any particular highlights on the album for you at this point?
Yeah, you know… I love “Smoke.” That song, “Smoke”? Thatʼs Curtʼs kid playing guitar on that — thatʼs just touching, to hear the fucking, you know, “multi-generational Kirkwood weirdness” type of thing. I donʼt know, thereʼs some of that — you know, itʼs just really pretty. I mean, I like a lot of it.
Thereʼs a few things that are, like, new things that weʼve never gotten into, like on that one song, “Iʼm Not You” — when it gets to the chorus thereʼs that vocal thing thatʼs, like, multi- stacked-up fuckinʼ falsetto, and I donʼt think weʼve ever had falsetto on any of our shit before. So some of the vocal stuff I really, really dig. You know? Like weʼre in a nice place vocally.
And I find myself being able to listen to things and anticipating a chorus, and since Curt was the producer on this, we got to do whatever the fuck we wanted to do without having to, like, try to bend anybodyʼs arm or having anybody else tell us what part of it to get rid of or anything like that, you know?
I mean, with Curt being the final say and everything… He just really pushed all my buttons, definitely. And I think Curtʼs guitar playing on this is just fucking sick. And Iʼve managed to, you know, not muck things up with my half-assed bass playing too much, so….
So how long did the album actually take to put together?
Well, we recorded it last summer. But it took like 5 days to record the basics, and then, like, another 5 days just to do all the rest of it. So it was like a ten-day process, recording-wise. And we went in real fast after we hooked up with Megaforce and found out, “Well, these guys want to do a record,” so we just went into the studio and made it. We did it pretty quickly.
And the process — in terms of Curt being producer on it — how would you compare this to other recording experiences you guys have had in the past?
You know, I think itʼs more just down to just specifically Curtʼs tastes, you know? Weʼve always had multi-tracking on our shit, or overdubbed stuff — weʼve done a lot of that. And certain records where we didnʼt that much, or songs where we didnʼt that much, but — thereʼs definitely some multi-tracking on this. Quite a bit, really. And personally, I dig that. Itʼs fun, you know? I like the studio, and itʼs a fun way to flesh things out.
But ultimately itʼs more just a question of us being able to go in unencumbered, without anything other than just maybe the music we want to make. You know? I mean, weʼve made a few records with producers, and you know — one was our buddy Paul Leary, and the other ones were with Pete Anderson — so you’ve got guys who are sort of watching out for certain specifics and whatnot, and they, you know… Suddenly youʼve just got somebody elseʼs opinion in there. And those records are definitely cool, but this oneʼs just like, the lack of that, you know?
And at this point, the point weʼre at is definitely about the lack of anybody elseʼs opinion. Itʼs not a major-label release. You donʼt have the fuckinʼ — that bottom line staring you in the face as much at all. Itʼs just a question of, “What do we do this for? Why do we make music? What kind of music do we want to make?” And after weʼve done it for so long, you know, itʼs just like, Curt and I see eye-to-eye pretty fucking heavily, musically, so, itʼs just like, “Fine, youʼre the producer. That means this is gonna go down just exactly how we want it to.”
Well, it seems like itʼs been getting pretty positive reviews. The major line thatʼs getting thrown around is that this feels like a “return to form” in some way. Is that how you feel about it?
Yeah, I mean, if thatʼs what people think. I mean, I definitely think that the last couple of years of playing together again didnʼt hurt at all in terms of me reacquainting myself with myself as a fucking artist. And I think my contribution to this is definitely cool, and Tedʼs been playing with us for a while. You know, as far as “returning to form” or any of that kind of crap, I donʼt know. Thatʼs just… other peopleʼs opinion.
And I think itʼs a cool enough record. I like the cover art — itʼs pretty. Itʼs just… You know, itʼs another Meat Puppets record. And it definitely has a lot of the elements Iʼve liked about our records all along, you know? We always did the fuckinʼ… the record- cover art, the little thisses and thats, you know, and all the music and whatnot, so itʼs a nice addition to our catalog. I guess. Fuck, I donʼt know.
And the cover: thatʼs a painting that was just lying around. Is that right?
Yeah, it was a painting that Curt had — I donʼt think he was quite finished with it. It had been around for a while — and then we were trying to figure out what to call the album, what to use on the cover… And, you know, there was already a song called “Sewn Together,” and that painting actually features, like, a quilt-like pattern that looks almost like stitches or something. And it was like, “Huh… This is kind of good together.” Or serendipitous — like that.
And now — now thereʼs all this, like, implied meaning behind it: “Oh, ‘Sewn Together.ʼ” Like, “The brothers have been ‘sewn back together,ʼ” or some crap, you know? But I read a quote by Curt that I like a lot about it. The interviewer was asking Curt something about, you know, “Is that whatʼs implied by the painting, and the name?” and all that stuff, and Curt said he could directly trace the use of stitches in the painting to his lifelong love of Frankenstein.
So you guys have been playing together, minus various separations for various reasons, for twenty or thirty years. At this point, do you get a lot of younger bands or musicians telling you that youʼre a “major influence” on them?
Yeah… You know, definitely, yeah. We get told that. I mean, you get told a lot of crap, right? I mean, at this point, weʼre like “the venerable old Meat Puppets” in a way, you know? And I donʼt keep that much track of it — weʼve kind of always gotten that, in a way.
We were part of a scene that came up that was, like, “American punk rock” — and it was, like, the second phase of it or some shit, you know? And then we played a particular part in taking it in the direction that it was looking like it wanted to head into or whatever, and… Yeah, I guess. Weʼre pegged as “the influential this or that,” but you know, I donʼt put any stock in it. Whatever. I mean, influence just is what it is.
