Mike Watt Biography
by Mark Deming
One of the most
influential figures in West Coast punk rock, Mike Watt first found
recognition as the bassist with the unique San Pedro punk band the Minutemen (best heard on their 1984 masterpiece Double Nickels on the Dime) and his subsequent project fIREHOSE (typified on 1987's If'n).
While Watt was a superb bassist, he's just as well known for how he
does things as how he plays. Musically, Watt's basslines are a rich
mixture of rock, funk, and jazz influences, powerfully fusing rhythm and
melody, and he's worked with a broad range of collaborators, from Sonic Youth to Kelly Clarkson.
Watt's solo albums are usually conceptual affairs, with a dominant
theme uniting the songs (his father's experiences in the Navy informing
1997's Contemplating the Engine Room, and a near-fatal illness inspiring 2004's The Secondman's Middle Stand),
with the bassist guiding by example but never dominating his fellow
musicians. He also participates in ad-hoc projects with favored
collaborators (such as Dos, Spielgusher, and Unknown Instructors) and sits in with established bands (he handled the bass on Porno for Pyros' Good God's Urge, the Stooges' The Weirdness, and the Cutthroat Brothers' The King Is Dead).
Wherever his muse takes him, Watt is always guided by his philosophy of
Econo, taking the boundaries imposed by working on a limited budget and
using them as a path towards simplicity and creative self-reliance.
Tracklist
1. Big Train
2. Against The 70's
3. Drove Up From Pedro
4. Piss Bottle Man
5. Chinese Fire Drill
6. Intense Song For Madonna To Sing
7. Tuff Gnarl
8. Sexual Military Dynamics
9. Max And Wells
10. E-Ticket Ride
11. Forever - One Reporter's Opinion
12. Song For Igor
13. Tell 'Em, Boy!
14. Sidemouse Advice
15. Heartbeat
16. Maggot Brain
17. Coincidence Is Either Hit Or Miss
