Cris Kirkwood

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Cris Kirkwood (born October 22, 1960) is the bassist and founding member of the Meat Puppets, an alternative/punk rock band.

Cris initially began by playing the banjo, after seeing Deliverance, but eventually moved on to guitar before picking up the bass when he started playing together in bands with his older brother Curt. In 1980 the brothers and their friend Derrick Bostrom, on drums, decided to form a band, which they eventually named the Meat Puppets. Besides playing bass Cris' role in the band expanded slightly over the years as he began singing more. Their 1994 gold certificated release Too High to Die, featured songs entirely penned and sung by Cris. Unfortunately, at this time, Cris' indulgence with drugs had begun to spin out of control and he developed a heroin addiction. Following the release of their 1995 album No Joke! Cris' compulsive behavior, coupled with an already stressful period for the band, lead to the Meat Puppets falling into a hiatus.

Following the inactivity of the group, Cris retreated to his house, and along with his wife, who was also a junkie, they lead a life in practically isolation. Despite the eventual death of his wife, due to a drug overdose, and numerous attempts of intervention and rehab stays, Cris remained addicted to narcotics for a longer period of time.[1]

In December 2003, Cris got into an argument with a woman over a parking lot at a postal office. A security guard got involved in the scuffle, which escalated furthermore when Cris grabbed the guard's baton and began striking at him. The guard drew his handgun and shot Cris in the back, leading him to be hospitalized and subsequently jailed. In August 2004 he plead guilty to assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 24 months in prison.[2] He has since served out his time, been released and is reportedly clean and doing well.

[edit] Cris Kirkwood returns to The Meat Puppets

In April, 2006, Billboard announced that Cris and Curt Kirkwood will be recording again as The Meat Puppets. The brothers plan to release an epic album of "big Meat Puppets stuff", as described by Curt, followed by a tour. Original drummer, Derrick Bostrom will be replaced by Tim Alexander, formerly of Primus.

"I haven't seen my brother since like 1998, but I'm talking to him a lot," Curt says. "He's [been] clean 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." [3]