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The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Ep527: Tales from the Stooges with Mike Watt

The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Nate Goyer

Music, Music History, Music Interviews

4.7 • 579 Ratings

🗓️ 28 November 2025

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Mike Watt played with Iggy & The Stooges for over 10 years - today he shares all about his times with the brotherhood - Iggy, the Asheton Brothers, Steve Mackay, the comeback tours, The Weirdness, the end of the road and more!

Topics Include:

  • Mike Watt discusses new Record Store Day release: 40-minute version of "We Will Fall"
  • Without the Stooges, Watt believes punk movement wouldn't have existed as we know it
  • Played with Stooges for 126 months after Iggy Pop called him in 2003
  • First heard Funhouse in 1970-71 when most people dismissed the band entirely
  • Stooges music helped Watt recover from serious illness 25 years ago
  • Initially met Ronnie Asheton at Minutemen gigs in Detroit's Greektown neighborhood
  • Played with Ronnie in 1996 for Todd Haynes film Velvet Goldmine
  • Iggy and Ronnie hadn't spoken for 29 years before 2003 reunion
  • Watt received fateful call at Tallahassee club: "Ronnie says you're the man"
  • Iggy's first concern: Would Watt wear T-shirt instead of flannel? "Fuck yeah"
  • Thought Coachella would be one-off gig, became decade-long musical journey
  • Being youngest member at 45 allowed Watt to absorb everything from legends
  • Asheton brothers had telepathic connection, communicated through rhythm more than words
  • Lost Ronnie in 2009, Brother Steve in 2014-2015: "You always think you got time"
  • Watt never wore same T-shirt twice during entire Stooges tenure
  • One time played shirtless in New Orleans after wearing orange triggered Iggy's nightmare
  • After Ronnie died, switched from T-shirts to black flannel honouring his memory
  • Final years wore Dickies work clothes, embracing mechanic aesthetic Iggy appreciated
  • Still calls Iggy every April 21st for his birthday, ringtone is "TV Eye"
  • Instrumental tribute albums with Larry Mullins represent "paying back the debt"

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Vinyl Guide, the podcast for record collectors and music nerds.

0:10.0

Here's your host, the biggest record nerd of them all, Nate Goyer.

0:13.0

Oh, well, hey everyone, it's Nate.

0:15.0

It's episode 527 of The Vinyl Guide, and I gotta tell you, I'm back so quick with another interview. I mean,

0:21.6

we just had Larry Mullins on talking about the Stooges. Here's what's happened. I was supposed

0:27.0

to interview both Larry Mullins and Mike Watt together. They just did a Stooges tribute record for

0:33.7

record store day. It's a 40-minute version of We Will Fall. Larry lives out in Berlin,

0:39.4

Mike lives in San Pedro, and I'm in Sydney. However, we did find time that we thought

0:45.0

kind of worked for everyone, and guess what? Watt double-booked himself, but no worries. That actually

0:51.3

kind of worked out well because I was able to go in deep on Stoge's talk

0:55.0

with both Larry and Watt separately. So quite happy it worked out that way. But it was a

1:00.8

fuck done of work. But hey, it's all sorted now. So today, Mike Watt, legendary bass player and

1:06.8

member of the creative community. He's one of the coolest guys you could ever imagine. I love

1:10.8

talking to Watt, always so full of wisdom and humor. And he played with Iggy and the Stooges

1:16.5

for 10 years, 126 months, as he'll let you know. Watt absolutely loves this band, loves those guys,

1:23.2

and we even get a bit emotional today at some of the memories. Watt digs deep and shares his love and brotherhood with some of the best who's ever done it.

1:32.3

That's Iggy.

1:33.3

That's Ron Scott Ashton.

1:34.9

That's Steve McKay.

1:35.9

That's James Williamson.

1:37.0

That's Dennis Tech.

1:37.9

That's everyone who played a part in the Stoja's second and final run of their career.

...

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