Mike Watt lands in NYC for his book release party a Le Poison rouge t

5/04/12 22:40 I just finished Mike Watt’s book On and off bass recently published by Three Rooms Press. I was surprised the book is a photography and memoir. I was more surprised by the scarcity of pages and content. Mike’s web page consists of thousands of pages of his journal capturing his life through the past twenty years. The editors pulled snippets which read like haiku’s interwoven with Watt’s beautiful pictures of wildlife. In some of the interviews I read and I tried to hear his interview at his book release party this past Wednesday at Le Poison rouge on Bleeker I learned Watt wakes up early a few days out of the week and takes his kayak and watertight camera out into the waters of San Pedro bay. There are a lot of pelicans in the book, and Watt said they are the only birds that do not sing. His writing expresses vulnerability through poems. The journal entries depict his love of music and the band as well as thoughts of his departed father and memories of d Boon. Coltrane is mentioned which is no surprise when it comes to Watt who finished each show by shouting, Coltrane! Coltrame! One entry is brief expresses his love for Coltrane, visiting Colrane’s grave on Watt’s 40th birthday and imaging Coltrane laying in the ground, looking up…Watt laid on the plot…The show contrasted the sanctuary of the nature. Hellride East consists of J Mascis, and Murph from Dinosaur Jr. and played mostly Stooges covers. Special guests included Thurston Moore/Sonic Youth and there were others but I wish I knew who they were. Please send me an email and I will add to the blog. Mike signed my book and I reminded him of our emails, I’d to get him to see Coltrane’s house, so he slapped his head…Dix Hills…right…Dix Hills…I hope we can work something out. After the show my friend and I walked down the block and I saw two punk kids, with bent knees, sitting in a darkened store front reading Watt’s book…the torch has been passed.