Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast, we are talking to Elmo Kirkwood, son of legendary guitarist of the band Meat Puppets Curt Kirkwood and nephew to bassist Cris. While casual fans might know the band via their connection to the historic and much lauded Nirvana episode of MTV’s Unplugged, the Meat Puppets began in Phoenix in 1980 and cut their teeth in the punk scene after signing with the iconic punk label SST, home of Black Flag, Minutemen, Husker Du et all.
We spoke to Elmo during the Covid lockdown when the band wasn’t touring and in fact, he’s now a member of the band who are still going 42 years later after a lengthy hiatus. Members of the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, the Meat Puppets influenced a generation of bands with their genre spanning music of punk, prog, jazz, and outre artists like the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart to name a few.
Elmo talks to us about his somewhat unconventional upbringing, his passion for the classic power trio lineup of the 80s, playing in a band with his dad and uncle, his own music and how he was getting along NOT touring when the world stopped for a good long while. If you are a fan of punk, alternative, jam bands of classic rock, you must listen to this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take that Huskers!
