Under-Sung Heroine of Rock n Roll: Kim Shattuck
- Editor Oh Yeah
- Jul 20, 2023
- 6 min read
"As usual, we're the kids that don't fit in at high school. Story of my life." - K. Shattuck, circa 1997*
With an unmistakable gift for melody, Kim Shattuck was a musical force of nature and a powerhouse dynamo in the underground L.A. music scene.
She was taken too soon from us by the debilitating disease, ALS, (formerly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 2019, but throughout her 30+ years making music, primarily with The Muffs, but also with The Pandoras, The Beards, The Coolies, and Pixies, Kim Shattuck made a tremendous mark on the entire music world.
The Pixies might be the best known of these bands to the world at large and her time with them was the shortest, but it was The Muffs that were truly Kim's band and the primary vehicle that defined Shattuck's sound and songwriting for almost 30 years.
The Muffs, if you look online are described as pop punk, and given the company they kept both in the bands they played with and the producers who recorded them, it's a fair, if not flawed assessment. You probably have heard their cover of "Kids In America" in the 90's comedy Clueless and if you were old enough to remember watching TV in the early-mid 90's, you might've even heard one of their original songs, "Everywhere I Go" in a beverage commercial.
In my mind, The Muffs should have been as big as Green Day or bigger even.
The first three Muffs albums on Reprise and Warner Brothers are classic alternative/pop punk/whatever masterpieces filled to the brim with bright and brilliant pop songs written by Kim Shattuck, played loud and fast through the distorted electric guitar of Kim Shattuck, and snarled, sung, and screamed by The Muffs' front woman, Kim Shattuck.
With pop hooks galore, The Muffs' debut albumThe Muffs as well as follow-up Blonder and Blonder and major label swan song, Happy Birthday To Me are undeniable favorites in the band's catalog and with good reason. The audible influence of Shattuck's songwriting on greater-knowns is staggering. The Muffs' influence is all over Green Day's Dookie and is apparent even before you read Billie Joe Armstrong's admission, citing: "[Shattuck] is one of my favorite songwriters. When we recorded Dookie, we listened to The Muffs' first album constantly."
The Orange County native was a late bloomer music-wise. It wasn't until the age of 19 that Shattuck joined her first real band, the influential pioneering L.A. all female rock group, The Pandoras. The replacement bass player quickly found herself on tour with The Pandoras making her onstage debut with the band at the fabled Greek Theater. With The Pandoras, Kim contributed bass and backing vocals to 1986's Stop Pretending via Rhino Records. When things started to turn too hair metal for her, she made her exit with fellow Pandora, keyboardist Melanie Vammen and formed The Muffs. Vammen was with Shattuck for 1993's self-titled breakout debut The Muffs, but departed before 1995's classic Blonder and Blonder.
Although The Muffs had many high profile admirers, they never quite got their due or the support other bands on the same bill of the same era did, even during the their major label heyday. Despite being plagued by bad luck, bad timing, and bad managers, The Muffs persevered after being dropped in the late 90's, a casualty of the pre-millenium media consolidation and music industry shakeup. Although they never made the "refrigerator money" of old on the indie labels that that they once did on the majors, Kim Shattuck, along with Ronnie Barnett on bass, and Roy McDonald on drums continued on for a few more years recording 1999's Alert Today Alive Tomorrow before going on an extended hiatus following the release of 2004's Really Really Happy.
Thankfully, the hiatus ended in 2012 with Whoop Dee Doo coming out in 2014, but it wasn't long after that Shattuck was diagnosed with ALS and the band fast-tracked all recording to accommodate Kim's rapidly deteriorating health and shrinking recording window. In October 2019, No Holiday was released, but not before Kim Shattuck died of complications from ALS. The last album from The Muffs consisted of a combination of songs Shattuck had written and recorded as demos and songs intended for release on previous albums. It ended up serving as what many critics and fans believed to be a "Best Of The Muffs" in a way, representing all eras, all moods, and all facets of Kim Shattuck's songwriting and The Muffs' music. It's an amazing feat given the timeline of the task, a touching tribute and a real testament to the determination and drive of Barnett, McDonald, and Shattuck and the extended Muffs' family.
Kim's output, much like her influence on the music world, extended beyond The Muffs, though.
During their hiatus, Shattuck balanced motherhood with the side project, The Beards, an all-female trio formed with Cub founding member, Lisa Marr, and Buck drummer, Sherrie Solinger. Funtown released in 2002 proved to be a one-off, but the album is a gem of pop perfection. Shattuck's Beatles-esque ballad "My Pillow," shines brightly and softly as a masterclass in how to write a pop song. Getting back together with The Pandoras for a reunion tour and reconnecting with Melanie Vammen led to another music project, The Coolies, in which once again, Kim's songcraft shone brightly. She was cool enough to join Pixies, but too down-to-earth to stay in the band as Kim Deal's replacement with Pixies' manager citing "Pixies don't crowd surf."
Almost always out of step with both the mainstream AND indie scenes, The Muffs and all of Shattuck's bands seemed out of place sandwiched between better known older bands and more hyped younger ones. Out of time, too. Shattuck remained as enamored with major chords and those 60's pop melodies as she was with her signature white-collared black dresses.
A mainstay of the California music scene, it was no surprise to see Shattuck sharing the stage with Billie Joe Armstrong or Jello Biafra for a charity event or benefit show. Shattuck and her band were beloved by those bands and so many other kindred spirits and like-minded musicians for a reason.
I was late to the party in 2014 or 2015, but not so late that I didn't get bummed when I didn't see any Ohio tour dates to see The Muffs live, or any love/airplay from my local indie alternative station. For me, listening to The Muffs was pure audio joy - even the sad songs.
Shattuck just seemed to possess this expert knack for crafting cool, memorable, and catchy pop songs with a garage-y or punk edge that totally rocked and made you smile or feel good. The hard-to-pinpoint joy I felt from these songs was finally explained in an old interview from the 90's about Hanna Barbara cartoons where Kim said "Yogi Bear and The Flintstones were just as important to me as The Beatles and Sex Pistols. Anything with really good melodies."
Before Kim Shattuck passed away, I remember sharing my love of The Muffs with my kids. My daughter was/is a massive Blondie fan and she could see some parallels between her and Debbie Harry and dug them too. "I love her scream. How does she do that? Do you think it hurts her throat?" I did think it hurt her throat, honestly. Shattuck's throaty and guttural growl was badass and punk AF, but not blood curdling or ugly sounding, and once again, video interview provides the answer "It doesn't hurt. Not at all. It's like scratching an itch. Sometimes I need to do it." For most of us who love music, we can relate.
I believe Kim Shattuck was one of the least known greatest songwriters of the past 30 years.
No one had or has her gift for melody. Lately, more and more, I find myself coming back to that almost bottomless treasure trove of perfect pop songs whose melodies keep me grinning ear to ear. If you love the contrast of loud crunchy rock guitar and sweet poppy melodies (with some hardcore punk screams sprinkled in for good measure), you should definitely listen to The Muffs and celebrate Kim Shattuck. Once you click on the links, listen to the music, watch the videos, and go down these rabbit holes, you might just find your next new (old) favorite band.
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