For
any list of the most influential current bass players to be
credible, it has to include the name Mike Watt. From his early
days with the seminal, genre-bending punk band the Minutemen
- a band that ended with the tragic death of Watt's close
friend, guitarist/vocalist D. Boon in 1985 - through his subsequent
stints with fIREHOSE and as a "deckhand" with bands such as
Porno for Pyros and most recently, J
Mascis and The Fog, Watt has left his own indelible stamp
on the world of modern music. But Watt's influence on a whole
generation of younger musicians - everyone from the Beastie
Boys to Nirvana and Pearl Jam have paid homage to Watt's impact
- isn't just confined to the notes he plays on his self-described
"thud staff." Rather it's his inimitable, heartfelt approach
to being a working musician, his commitment to supporting
those he plays with, and his blue-collar, DIY ethic that's
endeared him to fellow musicians and fans alike. And unlike
any number of ego-driven contemporaries, Watt's humble, self-effacing
assessment of his own abilities belies the huge influence
he has exerted on a generation of musicians that followed
him. StarPolish CEO Vivek Tiwary recently caught up with Watt,
who is currently about to embark on a European tour as part
of J Mascis and The Fog. With his most recent, deeply personal
album, Contemplating the Engine Room, now available, and a
new book, "Spiels of a Minuteman" - which contains all the
lyrics of Minuteman songs plus a tour diary of the 1983 Black
Flag/Minuteman tour -- about to come out, Watt remains as
intensely vital to the world of music as he ever has.
INDIES, MAJORS & D.I.Y.
The Minutemen, 1980:(from left)
D. Boon, Mike Watt and George Hurley - photo by Marty Lyon
STARPOLISH: You started way back [in the '80s] with the
seminal punk band, the Minutemen, and then formed fIREHOSE. The
Minutemen and fIREHOSE were signed to indie label SST, and then,
in '91, fIREHOSE moved over to Columbia Records. So you've spent
a long time in both the indie and major-label worlds. But you also
kind of always embraced DIY (Do It Yourself), did a lot yourself.
Can you some give advice to young artists about the choice between
indies and majors -- how to choose, the pros and cons, as well as
the pros and cons of DIY?
WATT: I have to tell you that
some people think "Doing It Yourself" is just a stage; it's what
you do just to get into the thing. But this is 22, 23 years into
it for me, and I did not evolve that much. Basically, I'm doing
a lot of things the same as those old days, [using] some good ideas
from the old punk days that just didn't go out of style.
[Moving from an indie to a major label], you hit it on the head,
'cause by doing it a long time the other way I kind of just moved
it on over, sort of like some people when they move from Massachusetts
to Cali. I mean there are differences in the weather, but you can
learn a situation and then bring [what you learned] to the new situation.
And what I wanted to continue to do is make crazy music. So I kinda
kept most of the control in my hands. I went for a contract that
was more creative control than money. So there's a trade-off there.
Me and D. Boon divided the world into two categories: there were
gigs and there were flyers. And anything that wasn't a gig was a
flyer. Flyers get people to the gigs. I tour to make a living, and
I kind of put out the records to tell people about the tours --
and to take chances, too, with my creative thing. And I like to
think that I can give Columbia a sound and a point of view that
they don't have on their label. Like I did for [the Minutemen's
indie label] SST. The asset on that kind of thing is taking chances,
coming out with my own sound. So those things, yeah, I would recommend
them to people to do, but I don't know if they want to make those
kinds of choices. That's the only way I can see it. Man, I was in
a band with D. Boon and we had to have creative control. I don't
know that we could be much of a corporate pong or a stooge.
STARPOLISH: But did you ever worry about that sell-out
perception by being on a major?
WATT: Oh, I know I've probably
always had it. Can you imagine a young man in college at the radio
station and he gets the record and he sees the name of that label
probably before he sees my name? But, what can I say about that?
You know, I deliver finished masters -- I have no suits in the office.
And I talked to Columbia about this [chuckling]. I went up to the
top floor and I asked the boss, "Can I make an opera about three
guys in a boat?" (Watt's latest album, Contemplating The Engine
Room). I told him I really wanted to. I mean, I think there's room
enough for [all kinds of] people, but they gotta know what they
want. You know, do they really want to fuckin' find out where the
wall is by pushing against it?
It seems you don' t have to be like a rock-and-roller now - it seems
like you can be anything, you just try to convince people, "Hey,
I'm gonna write a million seller or something." I don't know how
to approach people like that. I want to make some different sounds.
You know, I brought that kind of philosophy in the way I try to
run things.
I did nine years, 10 years -- 11 years, I should say -- of SST before
I did 10 years on a major label, and that's not like some kids.
I've seen ads in the paper where a guy's already got the deal before
he's got the band! "WANTED: BASS PLAYER, DRUMMER, GUITARIST-- HAVE
DEAL". You know, its like, "Whoa!" So I can't really tell you from
that situation.
There are a lot of nightmare stories out there. My experiences with
a major label and an indie label have both been good. But then,
I did a lot of footwork myself, and I still do.
JAM ECONO: TOUR SUPPORT AND SURVIVAL ON THE ROAD
STARPOLISH: I know you've never really asked for tour
support and you drive your own bus. I was wondering if you could
talk about that, and maybe give some road survival tips to the younger
bands. And also talk about the concept of tour support, because
a lot of bands think that's one of the things they should seek out
when they get to a label.
WATT: Yeah, but it's actually
like taking out a loan. It makes your situation more precarious
because they are going out on a limb to throw money at you. The
lifestyle is so expensive, too. The buses cost $800, $1,000 a week,
the driver is a couple hundred dollars a day. I don't think young
bands understand that at all. They think it's part of the MTV video…which
it kind of is. Because one out of 20 -- or one out of 30, or one
out of a hundred -- of those bands will make big returns on them,
I guess. But if you're in it for the long haul there's gonna be
hills and valleys.
"I'm
still like a little boy in some ways, where it's incredible
that I get to do any of this."
I don't know about the princess thing. Shit, I sleep on the deck.
I don't even use a mattress. I mean, I've learned to conk out without
my shoes off; it's time to conk, you know I'm out -- I gotta little
mask, pull over my eyes. I just really like wrestling the bass in
front of people, so I don't really need the big comfort thing.
I'm still like a little boy in some ways, where it's incredible
that I get to do any of this. So I jam econo, like a lot of bands
do at first, and then, as I was saying before, they say that's a
"phase" and they move beyond that phase. Well, in some ways I don't
move beyond that phase. I would say look at bacteria, the most successful
life form on the planet, and it didn't evolve at all, it's almost
just like when it was [created], you know, way back…so for me its
more like that.
I don't think that kids or older people or anybody in this business
or racket have to think they have to live up to any kind of latch-down.
I think music and doing all this stuff is to prove to each other
that we're alive. It's a very vital thing for society -- especially
if the money goes bad. Now with the new boss maybe the economy is
gonna dive. So the art's very important. If you've got something
to offer, I think no matter what it takes for you to bring it there
-- if you have to jam econo -- don't be ashamed, there's no lifestyle
you have to live up to. A lot of that's just an extension of consumerism,
I think. It's been kind of force-fed down the arts. I can understand
the marketing reasons but I can't understand the personal reasons.
STARPOLISH: Anything to say about how you should treat
people?
WATT: There are people you meet
going up, and you meet them again going down. You shouldn't be too
much of a weirdo, or mean. I see this happen a lot. I'm not saying
don't stand up for yourself and [ask for] an honest wage for honest
work and all that. But don't think like, "Hey, I'm never gonna see
this motherfucker again, so I'm gonna walk all over him." Because
if you're in this a while, chances are you'll see him if he's in
it a while, too. And then you're an asshole. You know, you're a
total asshole.
