Raised in Paradise Valley

Raised in Paradise Valley, Arizona, Cris took up the banjo after seeing Deliverance, moved on to guitar, and ultimately picked up the bass when he started playing together in bands with his older brother Curt. In 1980 the brothers and their friend Derrick Bostrom, a drummer, decided to form a band, which they eventually named the Meat Puppets. Besides playing bass Kirkwood's role in the band grew over the years to include singing and songwriting. Their certified gold album of 1994, Too High to Die, featured two songs written and sung by Cris. Unfortunately, his use of drugs had at this point begun to spin out of control, and he developed a heroin addiction. After the release of the album No Joke! 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.

At this time Kirkwood retreated to his house in Tempe, Arizona, where he and his wife, who was also an addict, lived in virtual isolation. His wife eventually died of a drug overdose. But despite numerous interventions and rehab stays, Kirkwood remained addicted to narcotics for a number of years.[1]

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