MIKE WATT

I am the son of a sailor, born in Portsmouth, VA in the year of Sputnik: 1957. My pop was a machinist mate in the navy and that’s why I ended up in San Pedro, CA starting w/the third grade: it was closer to Vietnam. I met d boon when I was twelve and his ma wanted us in a band w/me on bass and so that’s why you prolly know me now.

We started the Minutemen in 1980 inspired by the punk movement and especially the scene up in Hollywood along w/records we’d get at Zed’s in Long Beach. The band ended when we lost him at the end of 1985. I kept going on bass w/dos and fIREHOSE and then started to do sidemouse stuff like for Porno for Pyros, Banyan, J mascis + the Fog, Stooges, Tav Falco, mssv and Flipper while doing my own music w/the Black Gang, Pair of Pliers, Jom & Terry Show, Secondmen and Missingmen and constant collabs and projs via the internet and in real time/life w/all kinds of music cats (Crimony, Wylde Ratttz, Pelicanman, Spielgusher, Brother’s Sister’s Daughter, il Sogno del Marinaio, Big Walnuts Yonder, Jaded Azurites, Three-Layer Cake, Fitted, etc).

I have written/recorded/preformed three big pieces I call operas plus a buttload of other stuff. I take pictures of my pedro town and hobble by the waterfront at the crack of dawn. 

On bass, Watt.

Current Projects

I’ve run the hoot page since 1996, it’s at http://mikewatt.com/ and has all kinds of info on me there.