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Spiels of a/d'un Minuteman (English and French Edition) by Mike Watt
What a great collection. Herein you'll find all the lyrics Mike Watt penned for the Minutemen (from 1980-1985); his Black Flag/Minutemen winter of 1983 tour diary; an intro by Mike (of course); as well as introductions from Joe Carducci, Thurston Moore and Richard Meltzer. All rounded off with all the illustrations Raymond Pettibon did for the Minutemen (and there was a lot of them!). Beautifully produced, and all bilingual (in French too).
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About the author
Mike Watt
31 books9 followersNot to be confused with filmmaker and journalist Mike Watt.
Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957 in Portsmouth, Virginia) is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, lyricist and photographer.
He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and fIREHOSE; as of 2003, he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen projects and collaborations.
Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957 in Portsmouth, Virginia) is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, lyricist and photographer.
He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and fIREHOSE; as of 2003, he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen projects and collaborations.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 14, 2010
autographed, bitches!
November 20, 2020
Fascinating little book. Ostensibly it's a book of Mike Watt's lyrics with the Minutemen, but the real appeal here is Watt's lengthy introduction, a tour diary from 1983 with Black Flag, and short essays by Joe Carducci, Richard Meltzer, and Thurston Moore--none of which I've seen before.
The tour diary is a riot, especially when you compare the entires with the same dates from Henry Rollins' Get in the Van. There's one night in Osnabruck where Watt is giddy about meeting and playing with Richard Hell. "I shook his hand!" Meanwhile Rollins entry goes something like this: "I bit a skinhead on the mouth. His blood was all over my face." Two very different view of the same night.
Also, every illustration Raymond Petition did for the Minutemen is here, which is great if you don't have the vinyl.
An overlooked gem.
The tour diary is a riot, especially when you compare the entires with the same dates from Henry Rollins' Get in the Van. There's one night in Osnabruck where Watt is giddy about meeting and playing with Richard Hell. "I shook his hand!" Meanwhile Rollins entry goes something like this: "I bit a skinhead on the mouth. His blood was all over my face." Two very different view of the same night.
Also, every illustration Raymond Petition did for the Minutemen is here, which is great if you don't have the vinyl.
An overlooked gem.
September 13, 2025
I went to this book's book release concert in Montreal in 2003 or so, and got the book then. It is such a great book of Minutemen history and Mike Watt's Minutemen lyrics. I too have a signed copy, with Mike writing "Lots of Bass" as his inscription.
September 2, 2009
Our band could be your self-help movement: Get real with punk rock. This was my first reaction (of age-and-experience) as I first flipped through these reproduced Minutemen lyrics. The celebrations of Mike Watt by Joe Carducci, Richard Meltzer, and (ugh, what a mess) Thurston Moore. It all seemed like a fwapfest of nostalgia. Raymond Pettibon illustrations here reduced to a value-add.
But no. Let me tell you, Mike Watt wins out. The songs lyrics are a product of the 80s punk rock scene, but only in as much as that scene gave a stage to someone as individual and expressive as Mike Watt (and D. Boon). The lyrics stand up strong still. The reproduced tour journal, just a little peek at where the kid's head was at.
(Must read more tour journals; interested in the picaresque qualities.)
Young people, listen up: There is much to learn here about honesty, about um anxiety, and - in the end - about generosity. It's Mike Watt's magnanimity that you're left with. That deserves a celebration. This book is not the best vessel for that: Listen to Double Nickels on the Dime, seek out various YouTube interviews. Better yet go on the road as touring musician. This book was useful as a reminder of the freedom punk rock gave to its listeners: Do it yourself. Eat your wheaties.
Yeah, a little nostalgia. A little self-help, too. But as a plan for living Mike Watt clearly offers a better example than "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" or shit like that.
But no. Let me tell you, Mike Watt wins out. The songs lyrics are a product of the 80s punk rock scene, but only in as much as that scene gave a stage to someone as individual and expressive as Mike Watt (and D. Boon). The lyrics stand up strong still. The reproduced tour journal, just a little peek at where the kid's head was at.
(Must read more tour journals; interested in the picaresque qualities.)
Young people, listen up: There is much to learn here about honesty, about um anxiety, and - in the end - about generosity. It's Mike Watt's magnanimity that you're left with. That deserves a celebration. This book is not the best vessel for that: Listen to Double Nickels on the Dime, seek out various YouTube interviews. Better yet go on the road as touring musician. This book was useful as a reminder of the freedom punk rock gave to its listeners: Do it yourself. Eat your wheaties.
Yeah, a little nostalgia. A little self-help, too. But as a plan for living Mike Watt clearly offers a better example than "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" or shit like that.
January 16, 2008
You can read the description, which is the blurb from the wholesaler, I think. But that's ok with me! This is a goldmine. Watt's lyrics for Minutemen songs in two languages. It's a nice tribute to work that merits such a treatment.
October 30, 2011
This is a books of lyrics by Mike Watt of the Minutemen. It is pretty amazing collection because the lyrics are so weird. They are traditional lyrics with verses and choruses, but more like haiku that you don't understand, but you know they mean something.
July 15, 2008
A short but info-packed history of The Minutemen, including Watt's tour diary from 1983, all his Minutemen lyrics (several unpublished/unreleased), and many Raymond Pettibon drawings.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews