Mike Watt is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen, Dos, and Firehose. He began a solo career with the 1994 album Ball-Hog or Tugboat?, and has since released three additional solo albums. He is also the frontman for the supergroup Big Walnuts Yonder, a member of the art rock group Banyan and is involved with several other musical projects. From 2003 until 2013, he was the bass guitarist for The Stooges. In November 2008, Watt received the Bass Player Magazine lifetime achievement award, presented by Flea. The Red Hot Chili Peppers dedicated their best-selling album, 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik, to Watt. Watt continues to create and perform a wide array of projects. He wrapped up a 58-date North American tour with mssv (main steam stop valve) in the fall of 2023, and more of his musical collaborations will be released in 2024. Visit mikewatt.com for more information.

Links:

‘mike watt’s hoot page’: http://hootpage.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wattfrompedromusic/

IG: wattfrompedro

Song Samples:

(0:04-0:46) Mike Watt + the Missingmen, “Spillage,” Missing the Minutemen, !Angrr!, 2014. https://archive.org/details/missing-the-minutemen/Mike+Watt+%26+The+Missingmen+-+Side+B+-+Missing+the+Minutemen.wav 

(0:00-0:37) Minutemen, “Jesus And Tequila,” Double Nickels on the Dime, SST Records, 1984. https://archive.org/details/Minutemen1987/Minutemen+-+39+-+Jesus+And+Tequila.wav 

(0:00-0:33) Mike Watt, “Tell ‘Em, Boy!,” Ball-Hog Or Tugboat?, Columbia Records, 1995. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReX5bkDxOWo&list=OLAK5uy_lV1Hh-Ue67bhtiEnGFBNIruG6YgHQ5uAA&index=13 

(0:00-0:41) Minutemen, “Viet Nam,” Double Nickels on the Dime, SST Records, 1984. https://archive.org/details/Minutemen1987/Minutemen+-+04+-+Viet+Nam.wav

Interview transcript: https://sonix.ai/share/tC8Bfuvef4zFH8Zis46ZhT1K

This episode was recorded on March 17, 2024, in front of a live audience at the Frida Kahlo Theater in Los Angeles. 

Bella Gerard edited the audio and interview transcript.