From Punk Rock Operas to DIY Gigs: Q&A With Minutemen's Mike Watt Ahead of March 18 DDC Show

Sonic Youth. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dinosaur Jr. Pearl Jam.

These are but a few of the eclectic and beloved bands who have not only collaborated with Mike Watt, but also cite him as a key influence. The bassist and co-founder of legendary 80's post-punk bands like Minutemen, Firehose, and Dos will soon tour China with his Missingmen backing band, stopping by DDC on March 18.

Watt was prompted to come to the Mainland after getting an invitation from members of Shanghai expat rockers Round Eye, who had collaborated with Watt's friend and fellow reformed Stooges member Steve Mackay, a celebrated saxophonist in his own right who sadly passed away in 2015.

Round Eye was eager to bring Watt to China. After all, he and his long deceased Minutemen co-founder D. Boon not only have a strong musical legacy, but also a down-to-earth, DIY approach called "jammin econo" that defied rock's typical glamor and excess, and inspires many alt-rockers to this day. Below, Watt tells us more about making that impact.

How does it feel too look back at your "jam econo" legacy?
"We jam econo" is a line in a song I wrote a long time ago for the Minutemen. But it's also a philosophy that has allowed me to keep doing what I'm doing, and allowed me to experiment with different ways of expressing myself with music.

All of us in the Minutemen were from working class families. But we found ways to still do what we could, and not let material shortcomings totally snuff out our creatives fires. Then, with the punk movement in the late 70s, we witnessed many bands doing what they could with what they had, and not caring that much about how things were supposed to be. Remember, those were the days of "arena rock" and you couldn't find a bigger contrast between two different ways of bringing music to people.

Actually, there's a long tradition of do-it-yourself in the US I found that out later, like with poet Walt Whitman who in 1855 self-published his Leaves of Grass poems. So "jammin econo" goes way back before us Minutemen. "Econo" doesn't mean the cheapest way, especially if you have to buy again. My pop was a sailor in the navy, an engine room guy, and he used to tell me: "Buy it right, but buy it once.” To me, that means get the most bang for buck and get the most out of what you got. No filler, like you sometimes hear on albums. Making all your punches count.

Round Eye frontman Chachy told us he’s very excited to tour with you in China, adding: "What I loved the most about the Minutemen was they were so obviously close to each other. No rock and roll bullshit. They were just very good friends trying to do their own special thing whether people understood it or not." How do you think D. Boon would feel if he'd known you guys would have that kind of impact on the next generation?
That's very kind of Chach, much respect to him. D. Boon was kind of shy about getting treated special, and he always tried to play his best for people. And he wrote songs for the people. He was about spreading an artistic kind of love, in hopes of making a better place for everyone. He wanted music to help bring people together, I'm very sure of that. 

About influences, he would probably argue that he himself was influenced by a lot folks too like John Fogerty, Buck Dharma, and Pete Townshend, to name just three. I know he would be very grateful for people's respect though, and probably would've worked that much harder for them at a gig. D. Boon believed very much in the next shift, very much.

You've come a long way – from little DIY gigs in San Pedro California in the 80s, to a headlining China tour all these years later. Hows does that feel?
All three of us in Missingmen – myself, guitarist Tom Watson, and drummer Raul Morales – are big time excited to come to China. It'll be our first time there. It's kind of like your first gig or your first recording or even your first practice – you don't know what to expect, but it's very exciting. It’s like a current of voltage flowing through you, and every sense is turned on super-aware to take in all that you can. So we’re very grateful, it’s a huge opportunity for us to open up our minds and get first-hand experience of China and its music scene.

What new music are working on, and what's been inspiring it?
I am writing albums for both my Missingmen – the band coming with me to China – and my Secondmen. Both these bands were put together for two of my punk rock operas – Missingmen for Hyphenated-Man and Secondmen for The Secondman's Middle Stand – but those missions have been realized. Both recorded their pieces and we did many tours of those works. Now it's time for those bands to each have an album that's not connected to such a big project as an opera, but rather a collection of songs written specifically for each band and their members.

For Missingmen, I compose on one of D. Boon’s telecaster guitars. I can't play guitar very well but I can compose on it, and it gives me a different approach then how I compose on bass, which is what I mainly do. Also Secondmen has organ instead of guitar – both bands are trios – so there's that level of separation also. All four guys – Tom and Raul in Missingmen, organist Pete Mazich and drummer Jer Trebotic in Secondmen – have very distinct musical personalities, so that's a major influence I draw from when composing for them.

Though not operas, each album kind of has a theme. The Missingmen one is about thinking of the future, and Secondmen one is songs about work. It’s important to me that both these bands get albums of their own not associated with an opera, so folks can see, hear and experience another dimension of them and in turn, another dimension of me too.

Mike Watt will perform on March 18 at DDC with opening acts Round Eye, SKSA and Swinging Barbarellas. Tickets are RMB 80 presale, RMB 100 at the door. For more information, click here or see the poster above.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
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Photos: PopMatters, FeelNumb.com, Billboard, Round Eye, Mike Watt's Hoot Page, DDC