i'm truly borderline on this one..

CRAP.

Watt's best work was done in situations where all the players were considered equal parts of the whole (the "3-Way Tie For Last" concept).

I'd love for him to form a new band with players who are his musical peers. Some of the stuff he's done under his name w/Nels Cline has been okay. Form a band (not "Mike Watt and the ...") w/guys who can really play and participate in the songwriting process, and he could do great stuff again.

I seriously doubt this'll happen.

mike watt is a cool mutherfucker

i agree with angus. he at least needs another fIREHOSE (not crap) type band to get back on track.

i also don't like how he sings like a drunken sailor. and that "ball hog or tugboat" album is really bad and has some pretty embarrasing guest musicians on it.

however, "contemplating the engine room" does have some good moments and nels cline is a fantastic guitarist. his work ethic and lifestyle are second to none as well.

it's close, but not crap.

i'm going with NOT CRAP. yes, ball hog... has a few embarrassing moments and yes, he seems to work better in a more "democratic" band context, but i still don't think he's crap. have any of you guys seen him with the secondmen (bass, drums, B-3)? i saw them here sometime last year and they put on a GREAT show. they did covers of "amnesty report" and "genius or lunatic" by the pop group. great stuff. so, watt's made a few missteps, but i think he's more good than bad overall.

"Contemplating the Engine Room" is a very good, emotional album, but I find it hard to listen to on a regular basis. It manages to be interesting and yet uninteresting at the same time.

Anyway, he sold a Minutemen song for a car commercial, but that was to pay the hospital bills for his dying dad, so that's forgivable... I don't have much of a problem with songs in car commercials anyway. He was in a Good Charlotte video, though... that's pretty awful.

I've never seen Watt and the Secondmen, but they have a new album coming out sometime soon, so I guess I'll see after that. I have to vote NOT CRAP for now though, solely because he was in the Minutemen and that makes him awesome.

I will vote NOT CRAP simply because I enjoy listening to that "goin' down to Pedro town" song. Frankly, I just like using the word "Pedro" in general. I've never been to San Pedro and really have plans to ever go, but that word is extremely pleasing to say. Peeed-row. Peeeeed-row. Fantastic. I also enjoy using the Watt bass lingo - "thunder broom", "boom stick", "thud staff" - though in a totally different way.

To cap it off, Mike Watt has a truly Midwest quality work ethic and I can get behind that. Watt - NOT CRAP to you, good sir.

Dan