Ex-Minuteman/fIREHOSE bassist Mike Watt spills his vivacious guts while on the road with J Mascis and the Fog! Check out his astute, heartfelt day by day account of the tour -- and get a backstage pass into the life of this incredible musician.

wednesday, march 14, 2001 - austin, tx
thursday, march 15, 2001 - austin, tx
friday, march 16, 2001 - austin, tx
saturday, march 17, 2001 - baytown, tx
sunday, march 18, 2001 - new orleans, la
monday, march 19, 2001 - birmingham, al
tuesday, march 20, 2001 - memphis, tn

saturday, march 17, 2001 - baytown, tx

pop to find a dude konked across from me on the deck. whoa. there's another one in the back room spot uses for prac. whoa again. I didn't anyone last night. well shit, I didn't hear anything - I was out cold, konked. turns out they're in _grandpa's ghost_, a band on joe carducci's label. spot did say something about them staying over some time, guess it was last night. they're nice cats and we talk all morning. eric's bringing a rental car to drive to houston to play w/the fog tonight after I do a gig w/perk and _banyan_ at the 'high times magazine' party around five. the guy on bass, bill, offers to let me use his bass for that gig. that's great cuz my little one got left on the truck that's already left for houston. it's a copy of a rickenbacker 4001 made by someone called 'electra' - maybe a japanese company? built pretty close and even w/the regular scale, I think it'll work good for the gig. thanks bill. I go and hoof to get some supplements and try to combat this cramping thing. I remember being a boy and my pop telling me how they navy had him taking potassium pills cuz he sweat so hard in the engine room. j's girlfriend, luisa, told me thursday about her ma getting prescribed magnesium-calcium pills for muscle cramps she'd get while she slept. I pick up on this and get both potassium pills and magesium-calcium ones. I swallow some w/water and eat some bananas.

spot has to bail early to do part two of that celtic thing, today is st. patrick's day (I wear a flannel I got that has some green worked into the plaid). my team arrives and gimili volunteers to drive me when I'm done w/banyan. she takes me into town. we're lucky and find a place close to park. the gig's at what seems is a frat bar, a psuedo-french quarter place called _fat tuesday's_ and the stage is in an outside part of the pad. whoa, what's this? I'm on the cover of the _austin chronicle_ w/ron asheton - it's of us playing the instore yesterday. damn, that was quick! there's issues of the party's namesake's mag around the pad and I look through one. damn, some intense mota shots! guess there was a competition in holland called the 'canibus cup' and they got bud pics you wouldn't believe. yo. gotta hoof around so I go to the street. lots of cops around on the sides and in the alleys, all dressed l.a.p.d. style in the stormtrooper mode. I do not like that look. move on and quick. back to the pad and elizabeth is here! happy watt. perk comes too - still wearing that mohawk. seems he got sunburned last week in hawaii and now the skull sides of the mo are peeling. poor perk. I tell him about the time me and d. boon cut our heads bald and then went down to camp out on rosarita beach in baja and swam in the ocean the whole first day we got there. boy, did our heads get blistered and burned from that! I can empathize w/him.

we go on at quarter after five. they got an ampeg svt driving two 4x10 cabs for me (one of them eden - great! love their shit) so that's happening. usually nels is w/us but we have a protege of his, woody (who plays in his _destroy all nels cline_ band) on guitar. norton's here also to interpet the music w/painting and of course willie is on trumpet. he's hurting w/a cracked rib from falling down some stairs while moving shit. damn, that must hurt - especially to blow that horn. I'm kind of scared for the gig (kind of?). elizabeth's gang of pals comes and it's a blast being w/them. eileen's here too, she's great. me and elizabeth go down the street to this place called "tears of joy" that has chili sauces and I get one of my favorites, "gil's crying tongue" - not that hot but a great smoked habanero and garlic flavor. I really dig it - so good. I get some "endorphin rush" too. this stuff is hot. the reason I want it because of a grudge I got w/it. see, a few years ago, elizabeth took me to chow at this pad in her town called "mexican radio." I had some salad made w/octopus. this was before my tolerance for chilies was built up to what is now and also, I was so wrapped up in talking w/her, I didn't realize that I was dumping tons of this on the salad. I started chowing it and cuz the sauce being mainly an oil, they take time to take effect and by that time I had chowed the whole plate. well, I kind of had some congestion going and all that dumped out of my nose quick. then the eyes flooded. my lips swelled way up and my tongue was fat like a sleeping bag. my hair was drenched w/sweat - I was swimming in it and steaming. elizabeth was very nice and didn't freak out at all but it was obvious I was going through incredible changes and she just had to let out a little snicker - inside she was probably roaring w/laughter. I had to go to the head to use paper towels to sop all the fluids that sprung forth. well, I'm gonna turn the tables on this sauce and show it who's boss now. I got the tolerance and I surely have the will. I'm gonna get revenge. elizabeth gets a neat one made w/mangos and habaneros - I try a spoonful when we get back - good flavor.

after an intro by high times music editor and friend steve bloom, it's time to get on and we start out good, doing a nels tune, "new old hat." then a riff from that _lost poets_ tune, "oh my people" and we jam on that. stuff gets intense between me and perk, we really lock in and kick the shit up. like yesterday, I'm sweating my jacket hard but even more so cuz I got it all buttoned up, just like elizabeth's. I am truly insane. it's really fun locking in w/perk and trading phrases, can't tell you how it feels to have such a connection w/someone. even w/words I try to find to fit this feeling there is no real way to explain it except to do it. as an observer, I tragically interfere and corrupt it. it is something natural and also a result of the big heart inside of perkins. it shines through and finds me every time. however, after about halfway through our set, I get feeling like I want to bolt, it's like we ran out of gas and are just repeating ourselves. I'm not blaming the banyan cats, I'll take the responsibility on myself but he seems like the only one listening is perk - he's w/me lock-step and it's great but on the other side of the stage it seems like willie's just blowing the same licks over everything and overplaying, not letting the music breathe. I must be not that inspiring for him. woody seems totally rolled and intimidated in a way. I wish my playing was more nurturing, maybe it's from all the power trios I've been in. even norton is hardly painting - when I look back at him, I just see scowls on his face. that's very strange from the guy who's the oldest lifeguard in malibu. man, has this degenerated into regurgitation. I gotta say that perk is indomitable and his spirit floats above any kind of lame shit that might be happening, I love this man. woody and willie too, it's just not happenig. no disrespect to any of these fellas but I have to say I'm one very much relieved motherfucker when we get through. by the end there, I was really pounding the fuck out of that bass and it started to go out and get intermittent - hope it ain't broke. I thank bill and give it back to him.

bye bye to all and then hellride for houston. bye elizabeth. rain is coming down now. aaarrrrggghhhh. ain't no sunshine. it's two and a half drive east to houston and who's needs this? stowe it, watt - onward. I'm real glad gim is driving cuz my nerves are shot from that last gig experience. she does great and we get there w/no probs. on the way, though - I exact my revenge on that "endorphin rush" shit. gim bought some beef jerky so I take a hunk of that and cover it w/the the sauce. then into my hatch. it ain't shit - I take her down w/'nary a tear. a flash of steam through the brain and that's it. ha! get thee behind me, trouble my door no more! the hair of the capsicum dog that bit me and I've beat it, tooth to tooth, mano y mano. ok, back to tour spiel: here we are, smack in downtown houston at the _engine room_ which is owned by mitch, the cat who used to have the pad I played the last few times here, _instant karma_. it's gone now. we arrive right in the middle of the set the openers, _cobra verde_ are playing. they're a band of buds of mine from cleveland. I really dig both them and their sounds. the venue is like a big cinderblock cakebox and doesn't really focus they sound much. I get right up front and snap shots w/the digicamera. then it's our turn.

I'm a little tired but willing. love playing w/mr. mascis. first tune, the marshall plexi I'm using crashes to the deck, a stage guy out of control? someone was running around near it when it happened. what a fucked-up scene. oh well, I patch right into the ampeg and go w/that alone. it's enough to get us through. the sound on the stage is pretty bad so I come in close to george and bear down hard to keep things tight. there's some tuning issues - david is still new to that skill but is coming along great. once it gets rolling, the ball is spinning good! our first real fog gig of the tour and though I'm kind of spinning myself (a little bit of fatigue), I'm into it all the way. what an honor to throw it w/these cats. one thing bugging me though is two televisions above the bar playing movie video stuff. damn, can't they shut that off for the gig? I don't say anything - don't want to put damper in anyones pamper and wreck the flow but boy, is it getting on me. aaaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhhhhh! I fight that sensation w/more focus on getting on the job at hand - making it tight for my two compadres on stage. when we get to the big jam at the end of "not right," I holler over and over w/the bass inflating me through the back. I want to go fucking off! when j tears that guitar up, it just makes me feel that way. I want to wail the bottom under him like it was waterspout almost - make it crazy but taunt enough to help him ski right over it. make it like a slalom, he's never been down before and has to stay right in the moment and charge hard. well shit, he does that any way but I want to make even more a wild ride. like a big mental backhand.

we get done and I gotta say I'm glad I made it but glad I didn't have to shirk or anything like that either and just go half way. so glad too not to get the massive hand cramps - damn, those supplements worked fast! I mean, I had that cramp shit so bad and now, they're gone. all right! I'm way into this. that shit was starting to debilitate me bad. this is such a godsend. I'm so very much grateful. what's lame though is the hellride to the ho. it's almost like an hour before we get to it in baytown, east of houston. luisa has to bail early tomorrow at like five in the morning and this'll make it easier. sitting in wet clothes (wet from sweat) is not happening though but I bear it. fuck it, all this has made it worth it. I didn't know what was up for me w/this convention stuff and was kind of scared of it but ended up having a good time even w/some minus shit factored in. I'm really glad I came. really am.

a cat named craig has given me a care package. boy, what great stuff is inside it! damn - thank you, brother. there's eight great macanudo cigars, four bottles of reed's ginger brew (red caps, my favorite), a big bottle of pear nectar (I love pears), a big bag of fresh habanero peppers (righteous orange gems) and some mota. there's a great card from him and one from his friend jen too. at the ho, I puff a little of the mota w/a prepared root beer can and then give the rest to george. so many feelings in me, playing this time in texas, it's wild on my brain. thoughts are rushing, rushing, rushing through my mind. I can't konk. it's like four now. david's w/me and he probably thinks I'm insane. I'm looking at the shots that have be taken w/the digicamera, my mind reels. finally, lights off but I just lay there on the deck, waiting for sueneo to overtake me. somehow, someway the light inside submits and the candle that burned so bright is snuffed. sweet relief.

NEXT TOURDATE: sunday, march 18, 2001 - austin, TX