music
Story by Robert Moczydlowsky
Mike Watt likens his latest album and tour to a no-holds barred, wire-to-wire wrestling match. I wholeheartedly agree.
I went the full 13 rounds with Watt and his pseudo-secret tag-team partners on Monday night, trying — inevitably in vain — to get an interview with Watt and his post-punk Band of Gypsys. What started out as the search for a story eventually became a story of its own, combining a masterful musical performance and a frightening discourse on pop-culture hype.
After squeezing through the crowd and into the bar, I smiled. There, amidst the sweat and the smoke, were knowledgeable music fans who had come to see Mike Watt, the musical father figure.
I stashed my coat and looked for Jack.
When I arrived at the club just before 8:30 p.m., the space under the marquee was jammed with pop-radio listeners who came, without tickets, in an attempt to see Eddie Vedder. The news of Vedder's guest appearance had leaked to a couple of radio stations, and a few latecomers opened their wallets wide enough to get a ticket and get inside. The rest were left outside with the rumors and the rain.
Taslister my coat and booked for Jack. Jacki works for the Bottleneck, handling promotions and overseeing entry into each show. On Monday night, she earned her every penny. I'd called her earlier in the day about setting up an interview with Watt, but I had heard nothing.
"O.K. here's what I can do," she yelled in my ear. "I'll find the record company guy and ask him again. You'll kind of be
on your own from there."
She told me to wait at the bar and then drifted toward the back of the club. She returned with Grant, who works in some nebulous capacity for Sony Records. Maybe this guy works hard before the show, but the only work I saw him do was a fast set of forearm curls with a round of complimentary beers.
"Hey, man, I'm really sorry about this deal," he said. "We had a meet-and-greet at the Eldridge Hotel for this radio contest, and I just forgot to call you."
Courtesy Columbia Records
Chalk it up as Lesson No. 1 in a long evening of learning the ins-and-outs of rock'n roll journalism.
Grant did promise to set up something with Watt after the show, however, and he took my credentials and told me to find him later. I decided I wanted his job
With some time to kill, I drifted around the bar, listening to the rumors.
"Thurston Moore and Flea are here!" one woman squealed.
Rumors started in the back and tunneled their way to the front, turning heads and heightening expectations as they went. It was like some twisted version of the Telephone Game; I half expected to hear that Jim Morrison was going to sing backup.
Then the lights went out and the rush to the front was on. Opening the show was the minimalistic Hovercraft. Their stair-stepping, instrumental sound was backed by projected images of various animals and slow-motion space scenes. They had a full sound for a three-piece.
and their twenty-
Music critics have described Watt in many ways — as a songwriter, vocalist, arranger, dadaist, thrasher, punk psycho rocker and the "biggest wrench in the music industry."
The next band to perform was the Foo Fighters. This four member band, fronted by Nirvana drummer-turned-guitar-player Dave Grohl and featuring ex-Germs and Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear, gave the crowd its first glimpse of what the rest of the night held in store.
and their twenty minute piece made for an appropriate overture for the rest of the evening.
They came at the crowd with sharp, driven riffs that answered all questions regarding Grohl's ability to step out from behind the drum kit, and Smear's seasoned guitar only added to the already huge sound.
"Hi!" Grohl said with a laugh. "We're the Foo Fighters, and,uh,we're going to play now. I hope you like us."
Courtesy Sony Music
They closed with "Exhausted," a song that climbed through almost every possible tempo, ending with an
insanely fast set of breaks. It's the kind of song you want to hear on the highway, the kind that blows out the speakers in your mom's Chevy minivan.
And then it was time for Watt to se into the ring. I braced myself for loud cries of "Eddie! Eddie!" and dreaded that the crowd would ignore the presence of one of modern rock's most influential musicians.
What I heard impressed me. The screams for Vedder were there, but when they started, so did the chant of "Watt! Watt!" from way in the back. The burly bass man already was sweating when he hit the stage, and he dove into the set without a second of banter.
Pictures of wrestlers appear on Watt's latest compact disc, titled BallHog or Tugboat?, along with the names of other musicians who perform with him on the disc.
Both Grohl and Smear played with Watt, switching guitar and vocal duties with each song. Watt smiled and manhandled his bass from start to finish, often turning to offer his toothy grin to his fellow bandmates. After the band left the stage, Watt returned alone, wringing a melodic, emotional encore out of his
growled their way through "Against the '70s" and "Big Train" did the stop show to catch its breath. They changed it up with stellar versions of the heartfelt "Chinese Fire Drill" and the funky "E-Ticket Ride," a song that featured double drum kits and a nasty guitar feedback solo from Vedder.
Not until he and Vedder had
Hell, it isn't everyday that one gets to interview a musician who helped define the '80s punk scene. It was Watt's bass line that, along with the guitar of D. Boon, scorched my ears as an adolescent when I picked up the Minutemen's Double Nickles on the Dime.
I set out to find Grant. Questions bounced around in my head, and I finally admitted to myself that I was nervous.
navy blue bass.
Then he thanked
the crowd and
darted upstairs.
I found Grant by the back stairs, chatting with the same two shapely women I saw him with earlier. When I finally got his attention, I asked about the interview.
"Well, right now Mike's talking to the guy from Rolling Stone," he said. "You can hang out down here though."
their own amps knocked them down a couple of pegs. It just shows that what they're concerned with is the music, not the who, why, where, or how much. These guys just came to play.
That was never more clear than when Grant told me to go upstairs to talk to Watt. I walked up the stairs, greeted by a grinning Pat Smear. I introduced myself and asked if he would do an interview. No dice, he said.
Lesson No. 2 — when it comes to interviews, Rolling Stone is more important than everybody else.
He and the other musicians had agreed not to do any interviews.
Rumors started in the back and tunneled their way to the front... I half-expected to hear that Jim Morrison was going to sing backup.
It was Watt's show, Smear said, and the rest of them were there for support.
There was nothing else to do, so I sat on the stage and watched Vedder, Grohl and Smear carry their gear to a waiting van. Something about seeing them carry
Introduced me to Vedder
who promptly handed me the beer he was carrying. Yes, I drank it, but no, I didn't keep the bottle. As I shook hands with Grohl, Watt came bounding up the stairs.
"You're Bob, huh?" he sald, laughing. "I heard you want to spiel. Wait a second, let me see that flannel you got. Two pockets? Good. I can't stand those flannels with one pocket. I mean I really hate those fuckin' things. Wait downstairs, I'll be right down."
their tour.
So I went back to the stage, continuing to talk with Smear about the grueling nature of
It was time for Lesson No. 3: After a show, when you're just sitting around, pay attention. Sometimes during my brief conversation with Smear, Watt walked out of the bar and back to his hotel. Our earlier conversation had become our entire interview. So much for my questions. So much for my story.
Or so I thought.
I guess there is just one thing left to say.
Hey, Mike? Wanna finish our spiel? You have my phone number, just give me a call.
Cultural Calendar
EXHIBITIONS AND LECTURES
Exhibition—"Etchings of Peasant Life in Holland in the Golden Age," by Adriaen van Ostade, through May 14 at the Spencer Museum of Art.
Exhibition—"Prints from the United States since 1945," through May 21 at the Spencer Museum of Art.
Exhibition—"The Jade Studio: Masterpieces of Ming and Qing Painting from the Wong Nanping Collection," through June 18 at the Spencer Museum of Art.
Lecture—"Jan Steen and the Confiation of Art and Life in Holland's Golden Age," by H. Perry Chapman, 7 p.m. Monday at 211 Spencer Museum of Art.
Exhibition—"The Natural Beauty and Iconic Imagery of Mount Fuji," through August at the Spencer Museum of Art.
Exhibition— "The Prints of Wayne Thiebaud," April 28 through June 25 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak Street, Kansas City, Mo.
Department of Music and Dance presents a Doctoral Recital, featuring Soon Jung Lee, 7:30 tonight at Swarthout Recital Hall. Free.
University Theatre Series presents "The Adding Machine: A Virtual Reality Project," 8 tonight, tomorrow, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Crafton-Preyer Theatre. Tickets $4, $7 and $8.
PERFORMANCES
Department of Music and Dance presents a Doctoral Lecture-Recital, featuring Alexandra Mascolo-David, 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Swarthout Recital Hall. Free.
Department of Music and Dance presents a Concert, featuring University Band and Jazz Ensembles II and III, 7.30 p.m. Tuesday at the Lied Center. Tickets $2 and $4.
Department of Music and Dance presents a Faculty Recital, featuring John Perry, 7:30 p.m. Monday at Swartouth Recital Hall. Free.
Department of Music and Dance presents a Spring Recital, featuring New Music Ensemble, 7:30 p.m. Friday at Swarthout Recital Hall. Free.
Department of Music and Dance presents a Student Recital, featuring Wendy Elrod, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Swarthout Recital Hall. Free.
Topeka Performing Arts Center presents "The Sisters Rosensweig," 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday at 214 Southeast Eighth St., Topeka, Tickets $20, $25 and $29.
Folly Theater presents The Harold Malern
Jazz Trio, 8 p.m. Friday at 300 W. 12th St., Kansas
City, Mo. Tickets $12 and $15.
Kansas City Symphony presents a Concert, featuring Horacio Gutierrez, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Lyric Theatre, 11th and Central Streets, Kansas City, Mo. Tickets $14, $16, $28 and $32.