Chris Goss

Chris Goss is an American record producer and musician. Best known for producing records for Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, he is regarded as an important figure in the development of stoner rock and desert rock genres. Goss is also the lead singer and guitarist of the hard rock band Masters of Reality.

Recording career As well as being the founding (and only constant) member of influential desert rock outfit Masters of Reality, Goss is also well known for his production work on albums by Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age. Largely credited as the Godfather of desert rock, Goss has on several occasions played down the importance of his role in this musical movement. In 1999, he stated, "I can't make any claim at all to inventing desert rock, or stoner rock, or whatever you want to call it. I make rock n roll records, and hopefully try to make the listener feel like I did when I heard my favourite music."

In 2004, Goss highlighted exactly what kind of music he created, "There's a bunch of weirdos that I work with all the time, and we make what I call 'out of whack' Rock records. That's what I do. When people want an 'out of whack' weird Rock record, they call me, and I take an 'out of whack' amount of money to do it, and I'm glad to be there. It's cool."

In late 2004, Goss had to be hospitalized due to severe internal infection and the European leg of his tour in support of the new Masters of Reality album Give Us Barabbas had to be postponed indefinitely. After his recuperation, he joined Jeordie White and Zach Hill to release I Got a Brand New Egg Layin' Machine, a "mini LP" released under the name Goon Moon.

Goss appeared with his longtime friend Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age as "The 5:15ers" at the "winter edition" of ArthurFest, performing an intimate set which was "crafted in less than a month as the duo was a rather late addition to the Arthurball line-up as Sunday's headliner". Continuing with Goon Moon, Goss, White and Hill released a full-length album in May 2007 entitled Licker's Last Leg containing many guest artists synonymous with the desert rock scene.

Goss also joined Queens of the Stone Age and Billy Gibbons to perform "Burn the Witch" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

In 2013, regarding Josh Homme's supposed decision to sequence the album Era Vulgaris using songs originated in a "Los Angeles studio without a single thing written, just to see what it was like to force songs out of his psyche", Goss was quoted saying: "I've seen him do that before with the Desert Sessions but never with Queens. The Queens of the Stone Age is a business, where he's the CEO. It's not run the same."

In 2014, filming was completed in Las Vegas for Death in the Desert, a full-length movie for which Goss wrote an original song titled "Only the Lonely", performed by singer Roxy Saint, who plays the character Corey in the full-length film, which is directed and produced by Saint's husband, Josh Evans. It stars Michael Madsen, Shayla Beesley and Paz de la Huerta. The movie is inspired by the book Death in the Desert by Cathy Scott, with the screenplay by John Steppling.

In 2024 Goss and Alain Johannes contributed the Jethro Tull song "Aqualung" from the 1971 album Aqualung to the tribute album Aqualung (Redux) released through Magnetic Eye Records. It was performed in a cappella style using voices for the instrumentation along with various electronic percussion noises.

Selected discography Throughout his career, Goss has worked with a wide range of musicians in various genres.

1989: Masters of Reality by Masters of Reality 1992: Blues for the Red Sun by Kyuss 1993: Sunrise on the Sufferbus by Masters of Reality 1994: Welcome to Sky Valley by Kyuss 1994: All of Us by I Love You 1995: ...And the Circus Leaves Town by Kyuss 1995: Marie Mozege by Les Super Stars 1996: Dust by Screaming Trees 1996: Leave the Story Untold by Soulwax 1996: Daaly by Thione Seck 1996: Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop by Stone Temple Pilots 1996: Amusing the Amazing by Slo Burn 1997: How High the Moon: Live at the Viper Room by Masters of Reality 1998: Holiday Man by The Flys 1998: Gaslight by 30 Odd Foot of Grunts 1998: Volumes 3 & 4 by Desert Sessions 1998: Queens of the Stone Age by Queens of the Stone Age 1999: Kimi No Oto Ga Kikoeru Basho by Bird 1999: Welcome to the Western Lodge by Masters of Reality 2000: Spirit\Light\Speed by Ian Astbury 2000: Cocaine Rodeo by Mondo Generator 2000: Rated R by Queens of the Stone Age 2000: Muchas Gracias: The Best of Kyuss by Kyuss 2000: Outta My Way by The Flys 2001: Toasted by Fatso Jetson 2001: Volumes 7 & 8 by The Desert Sessions 2001: Deep in the Hole by Masters of Reality 2002: Songs for the Deaf by Queens of the Stone Age 2003: Flak 'n' Flight by Masters of Reality 2003: Tell Them Hi by Campfire Girls 2003: Vol. 9&10 by The Desert Sessions 2003: Atomic Ritual by Nebula 2003: Here Comes That Weird Chill by Mark Lanegan Band 2003: The Underground Personality Tapes by Roxy Saint 2004: Never, Never Land by UNKLE 2004: Give Us Barabbas by Masters of Reality 2004: Bubblegum by the Mark Lanegan Band 2004: Auf der Maur by Melissa Auf der Maur 2004: Demon Crossing by Yellow #5 2004: Mister Mental by The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster 2005: I Got a Brand New Egg Layin' Machine by Goon Moon 2005: Lullabies to Paralyze by Queens of the Stone Age 2005: Ocean of Confusion: Songs of Screaming Trees 1989–1996 by Screaming Trees 2007: Licker's Last Leg by Goon Moon 2007: The Cool by Lupe Fiasco 2007: Era Vulgaris by Queens of the Stone Age 2007: War Stories by UNKLE 2008: It's OK to be Happy by Smith & Pyle 2008: Neptune by The Duke Spirit 2008: More Stories by UNKLE 2008: End Titles... Stories for Film by UNKLE 2009: Pine/Cross Dover by Masters of Reality 2010: Out of Our Minds by Melissa Auf der Maur 2010: Where Did the Night Fall by UNKLE 2010: Everyman and Woman Is a Star by The Cult 2011: Enjoy Your Psychosis by Drums Are for Parades 2013: Sound City: Real to Reel by Sound City Players 2013: Sons of Anarchy: Songs of Anarchy Vol. 3 by Various artists 2014: Sonic Highways by Foo Fighters 2016: Your Desert My Mind by The Mutants 2017: The Road: Part 1 by UNKLE 2019: The Road: Part II (Lost Highway) by UNKLE 2020: Lavender Blues by Big Scenic Nowhere 2024: Aqualung (Redux) by Various artists 2025: The Archer by Masters of Reality