Kim Shattuck's Got The Hits!

Hard to believe that Kim Shattuck has been gone five years now.  Founder of The Muffs, member of The Pandoras and The Coolies (both with Melanie Vammen), guest vocalist with White Flag, co-leader of The Beards (with Lisa Marr of Cub), and (briefly) bassist of The Pixies. Kim accomplished a lot, even after she developed ALS, a cruel disease that attacks your nerves and muscles and takes away your ability to move, speak or breathe.

You can hear Kim's singing and songwriting on records by all of the artists above.  She didn't sing or write songs in the first incarnation of The Pandoras, but she contributed originals to the band's comeback.  

When Kim sang cover versions other artists' songs, she brought her own personality and sensibility to each tune.  The Muffs had some success with their cover of "Kids In America", but even better is their version of "No Action" (which Elvis Costello called one of the best covers of his songs). Roy McDonald kills it on the drums.  I also love Kim's unhinged take on Frank Black's "Thalassocracy" (a highlight of The Beards' album Funtown).

Her voice could be incredibly raw and snotty or irresistibly melodic and charming, and she could summon the most ungodly roar!  Sometimes it's through hearing a different voice sing a familiar song that we can appreciate a vocalist's style and skill.  Listen to these tracks and you will hear Kim became more confident over the years, and she wasn't afraid to take on "White Rabbit" on Bowie's "Changes".

As a White Flag collaborator, Kim was part of the Bill Bartell story (coming to a theater near you). Bill's universe included the Tater Totz and Redd Kross. RK shared a drummer with The Muffs for a number of years, and that's why today's share is called Kim's Got The Hits!  

Photo of Kim from Analog Love: The Art Of The Mixtape.  ELSEWHERE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE: Kim and Melanie leading The Pandoras live on WFMU in 2015.  We miss you, Kim!