live @ Black Cat 10.16.2000
Mike Watt, the punk rock trailblazer whose bass drove revolutionary California trio The Minutemen, spent a good part of this year recovering from a harrowing ordeal in which emergency surgery prevented a misdiagnosed perineal infection from claiming his life. He apologized for his weakened condition and rusty chops at the Black Cat Monday night, but it was unnecessary: no evidence of either surfaced during a 90-minute set that bolted a varitety of sonic inspirations to unwavering punk attitude.
Clearly Watt feels lucky to be alive, and that spirit has shaped his current tour’s nostalgic vibe, which features favorites from his Minutemen days and a boatload of stirring covers. Working with The Pair of Pliers--- guitarist Tom Watson (ex-Slovenly) and drummer Vince Meghrouni---Watt covered a wide range of Minutemen compositions, highlighted by feisty takes on “Little Man With A Gun In His Hand”, “I Felt Like A Gringo”, and the rousing “Joe McCarthy’s Ghost”. Watt wrapped his croaky baritone around a splendid versions of Wire’s “The 15th” and John Cale’s “Fear Is A Man’s Best Friend” while Watson waxed the Minutemen’s “Glory of Man”. Watt’s remarkable bass firmly guided the trio through tricky dynamic surges, cresting in a buoyant ride through The Urinals’ “Surfin With the Shah”. Contemporary artists who Watt inspired got their props too, as the trio blasted Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” and Sleater-Kinney’s “All Hands on the Bad One”.
When Watt finally put down his bass for the night---the 30-song set’s finale was a spastic tussle with the Stooges’ “Fun House” ---he had reminded those in attendance not only of how invigorating his world of punk rock can be, but of just how much he would have been missed were he not around.
Washington Post
