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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael David Watt |
| Born | (1957-12-20) December 20, 1957 Portsmouth, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | Punk rock, hardcore punk, post-punk, alternative rock, art rock |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | Columbia, SST, New Alliance, Kill Rock Stars, Clenchedwrench |
| Associated acts | Minutemen, Firehose, Ciccone Youth, Dos, Banyan, The Reactionaries, Bootstrappers, Hellride, Big Walnuts Yonder, J Mascis + The Fog, The Stooges, Porno for Pyros, The Black Gang, The Secondmen, Unknown Instructors, Anywhere, Il Sogno del Marinaio, Funanori, The Clubber Lang Gang, Floored By Four, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters |
| Website | http://www.mikewatt.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Fender Precision Bass 1968 Fender Telecaster Bass Gibson EB-3 |
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Michael David “Mike” Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter.
He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, Dos, and Firehose; as of 2003, he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen projects.
CMJ New Music called Watt a “seminal post-punk bass player.” In November 2008, Watt received the Bass Player Magazine lifetime achievement award, presented by Flea.
Watt was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. When he was young, Watt’s family moved to San Pedro, California, where he became good friends with D. Boon. Watt and Boon picked up bass and guitar, respectively. Watt was a fan of T Rex and Blue Öyster Cult, while Boon’s exposure to rock music was limited to Creedence Clearwater Revival, another Watt favourite.
In 1978, Watt and Boon formed a band called The Reactionaries with drummer George Hurley and vocalist Martin Tamburovich. The band later became Minutemen with another drummer named Frank Tonche, who only lasted two shows with the group; Hurley, who had been in the short-lived new wave group Hey Taxi! at the time Minutemen first formed, rejoined Watt and Boon. After signing with SST Records in 1980, Minutemen began touring constantly, releasing a number of albums along the way. Their music was based on the speed, brevity and intensity of punk, but included elements of jazz, folk, and funk.
In 1984, Watt met Black Flag bassist Kira Roessler during a Black Flag/Minutemen tour. They soon became romantically involved, and subsequently began collaborating on songs, including material on Minutemen’s final album 3-Way Tie (For Last). They also formed a two-bass duo, Dos, and have since recorded and released three records.
Minutemen ended tragically on December 22, 1985, when Boon was killed in an automobile crash while driving to Arizona with his girlfriend. Their fifth full-length album, 3-Way Tie (For Last) had already been scheduled for release at the time of the accident. In the documentary film We Jam Econo, Watt mentioned that the last time he saw Boon, he had received lyrics for 10 songs from critic and songwriter Richard Meltzer for a planned collaboration with Minutemen. Minutemen were also planning to record a triple album with the working title 3 Dudes, 6 Sides, 3 Studio, 3 Live as way to counteract bootleggers.
Bass Stuff 