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MIKE WATT contemplAtes the
ft's almost 15 years since the release of Double Nickels on
the Dime The further away one gets from the '80s. the more
one realizes that the Minutemen s 1984 double LP may have
been one of that decade's most important American mile
stones — right up there with the invasion of Grenada
Mike Watt could have coasted on the Minutemen (and sub
sequent flREHOSE) legend alone Judging by I995's Ball-Hog
or Tugboat?, it seems he was serious about breaking with tra
dition For his solo debut. Watt rounded up some 40 alterna
rock luminaries (including members of Pearl Jam. the Meat
Puppets and Sonic Youth) for a collaboration loosely themed
as a big wrestling match
Following a stint as the tour bassist for Perry Farrell's
Porno for Pyros, Watt began work on solo album number two
Reverting back to his traditional three-person line-up, he
enlisted guitarist Nets Cline (now with the Geraldine Fibbers)
and ex-Tom Waits drummer Steven Hodges What that trio
produced may well be Watt 's most ambitious unirk to date
Purportedly a "punk rock opera." Contemplating the
Engine Room (Columbia) is Watt's long-delayed meditation
on his Minutemen days, though it shoots for universal themes
rather than self-absorbed rock-star autobiography Using the
metaphor of three guys on a nautical journey (a theme partly-
inspired by Watt's career Navy man father), the sentimental
songs alternately pay homage to his hometown ( "Pedro
Bound'"), D Boon ("Boilerrnan"). George Hurley ("Fireman
Hurley") and the early ‘80s SSTscene ("Topsiders ")
Since its release seven months ago. Contemplating the
Engine Room has drawn critical acclaim, as has Watt's tour
in support of the alburn with the "Black Gang Crew," Hodges
and guitarist Joe Baiza (Cline's commitments with the Fibbers
kept him from participating) More recently. Bob Lie took
over for Hodges on drums
Flagpole recently chatted with Watt via telephone from a
tour stop in Baton Rouge, two days before an Athens show at
the aptly-named 40 Watt Some excerpts, for your pleasun
Flagpole: The last time we talked. Contemplating the
Engine Room had just been released, and you were a couple
of days away from kicking off your tour In the months since,
the album's received nothing but excellent reviews, and peo
ple everywhere have been raving about your shows with the
Black Gang Crew What do you make of all this 7
Mike Watt: Well you know. I made a commitment to
myself that I was going to tour the album for a year.
Emotionally — and maybe even creativity-wise — this was
a little bit of growth for me. I really didn’t know what peo
ple would think of it; I think I was kind of introspective
about it. like I was doing it for me. But you know, my twen
ty-third record, my thirty-seventh tour — maybe it was just
time for me to be like that a little bit.
I’m very grateful, though, for cats picking up on it I can
imagine what it must seem like to them, and I really didn't
put a lot of explanation on the record But I did that on pur
pose: I wanted to keep it open enough. Then when I talk to
writers, yeah. I explain it: there's three guys on a boat — a
metaphor for the Minutemen, it takes place over 24 hours
and each song is a part of the day. and I kind of parallel
some of my father's story. But in a way. I wanted mystery
around this, mystery mixed in with a lot of personality
FP: / know turning 40 had a lot to do with your wanting to
make this album
MW: Yeah. I've been 40 for six months, now It's a trip I
think my 40 s are going to be better than my 30‘s or 20’s.
FP: Has that affected your outlook on life in general 7
MW: Oh. it’s affected it big-time. It is just a number, but
it feels like you’re at a crossroads You wonder why you are
where you are. how you got there, and where you’re going
— and if you make any sense A 40-vear-old punk rocker’s
probably a strange thing. You know, what are you going to
do. play out the “Happy Days’’ thing? Or are you gonna just
make fun of the kids who dress punk? They probably think
they’re real punk — and maybe they are. What is punk?
There’s a questioning time.
FP: You still tour at a pace lots of pi’ople half your age
would have trouble handling [on this leg of his tour. Watt
will play 48 shows in 51 days) As you've gotten older has
that been harder to keep up. especially since you’ve never
been known for traveling very lavishly 7
MW: I'll tell ya. touring with Perry and playing three
days a week was harder than this. When you have endeav
or. when you have routine, you get into the rhythm of it.
You get tired, you learn to take naps /laughs) 1 don’t think
this is too tough a burden I feel pretty justified, or reward
ed. by the effort I put out to have the cats come with an
open mind and let me play my piece
FP: It's rare to see someone on a major label who can get
away with doing something like a punk nnk opera, especially
since you don t sell millions of records Has Columbia ever
given you shit about doing things your own way 7
MW: I don’t know I didn’t ask permission in the old
days. I’m not gonna ask permission now I am what I am.
They re-signed me for two more records, so 1 don’t know
what to say, except I give them a lot of respect for letting
me have my say
FP: Given the corporate subversion of "alternative " music,
do you think there s a modern-day equivalent to what you SST
guys were doing in the '80s 7
MW: Oh. absolutely. Look at Slim with Kill Rock Stars...
Ian MacKaye still sells a couple hundred thousand records
out of his house! I mean, it didn't die In some ways, it got
stronger — there s more indie records now than there ever
were in the old days
FP: You re something of a legend to folks m mJieland
MW: That is strange, because then it s not even about
tunes anymore, or even cultuie It’s more like baseball card
trading /laughs) A lot of respect to them but sometimes I
wonder if it’s an excuse not to listen to what you’re doing
now. You just can’t get too self-important about that shit —
you're only as good as your last gig I'm very proud to have
played with George and Edward and D Boon, but you gotta
draw the line somewhere and say. “It's today."
FP: Now that you've paid homage to that aspect of your
past, what comes next 9
MW: I’ve started writing songs. I wrote some for my cat;
I wrote a lot about my town It’s kind of a political record
next. I think The Yugoslavia thing reallv had a strong effect
on me. and I see that happening to my town — the
Balkanization. In fact, to America
I want to play with the organ, and drums and bass My
next record is going to be much different. I’m going to call it
f*urr. Man
FP: Where 'd that come from 9
MW: I call my cat "man." The guitar’s kind of a pointy-
sounding instrument, and I want to play with the organ
because it kind of purrs Lately. I’ve been playing my bass
kind of conservatively, because of the guitar — not wanting
to compete with the guitar But playing with the organ. I
won't have to worry about that, so l‘m going to play my
bass pretty aggressively I want to be like a pole vaulter
who puts tin* fuckin’ bar up a little higher each time, you
know ’
Jeremy Cohen
The individual in
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This four part series, produced by
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InternatioMl and Comparative Lix
- examines the process of qlobaliza-
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riqhts and responsibilities. With
The Prof «k
“The [merqinq System of Global Governance* - May IZ
'The Individual in a Global Lronomy:
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