Meat (1988)

On the days Jim didn't show up for Barking Spiders practice the guys rented The Lovely Basement to legendary underground band Meat. Meat consisted of Ron Dirthum (a.k.a. Dirt) on vocals and bass, Franklin Yes on guitar, and Meet (with two e's) on drums. They were an improvisational concept band. The concept being the tortured soul of Dirt.

"Bruises and moss keep me warm, they love me."

Being an orphan himself, Dirt developed an unhealthy infatuation with comic strip character Little Orphan Annie. She was his muse and her presence bled into many Meat songs (ie: "Trophies", "Little Little Annie Reprise"). Cut off from the outside world, Dirt spent the whole of 3 years locked in a cabin writing and recording a 6 hour rock opera, "Life Without Warbucks", based on the perils of Little Orphan Annie. Upon it's completion Dirt left the reel to reel master tapes on the doorstep of St. Ann's Orphanage in Worcester, Massachusetts. Many consider this act to be the beginning of Meat's decline.

"Constipation takes my soul."

Against his doctor's orders, Dirt miraculously held it together for the tour of Meat's 24th studio album, A Big Mac Is A Big Mac Is A Big Mac – later to be released as a live album. The day the tour ended in Prague, a fatigued Dirt got on the 6:16 train and was never seen or heard from again.

[DOWNLOAD] Meat - A Big Mac Is A Big Mac Is A Big Mac (Big Mac Tour '88)
01- Trophies
02- Dirty Me
03- Meat
04- Beard
05- Little Little Annie (reprise)
06- Caveman Anus
07- Muck
08- Rock & Roll Crotch Rot
09- Love Me Doo
10- I Am God


Where are they now?

FRANKLIN YES: Franklin was the first to dive back into music. During his daily pilgrimage to the zoo, Franklin became obsessed with a troupe of performing seals...two in particular. He immediately formed a band around Mr. Whiskers on nose horns, and the vocal talents of Marigold – whom Franklin often compared to a young Ethel Merman. The trio released one album in 1990: Seals...In the Key of F (Franklin had shortened his name to the letter "F" to distance himself from his Meat days). Critics used the name change as writing fodder and unanimously gave the album an "F" – though it was highly celebrated amongst the local seal population. But the incessant clapping of flippers just wasn't enough. Creative differences and a bizarre love triangle finally broke the band apart. Franklin Yes was last seen busking for change in the streets of Manhattan.

MEET: After the collapse of Meat, Meet went "Hollywood". For a while he was the who's-who at all the who's-who after parties. But life in the fast lane finally caught up. His very public and lurid, on-again-off-again, love affair with Morgan Fairchild left Meet on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He threw himself back into music and in '93 recorded, You're Not So Fair, Child – a double album drum solo. At a press conference on the day it was released, Meet vowed to never play music again. He now resides in Montana and lives off the land.

DIRT: Unknown.