The Watt from Pedro Show
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| The Watt from Pedro Show | |
| Hosting | Mike Watt, Brother Matt |
|---|---|
 RSS |
WTFPS RSS feed |
| Updates | semi-regularly |
| Debut | May 19, 2001 (as streaming webcast) January 10, 2006 (as podcast) |
| Genre | Music, interview |
| Website | www.twfps.com |
The Watt From Pedro Show (TWFPS for short) is a podcast and internet radio program hosted by American punk rock legend Mike Watt (best known as one third of the influential Minutemen, and presently a member of Iggy Pop & The Stooges), originating from the musician's hometown of San Pedro, California.
The Watt From Pedro Show first started as a terrestrial radio broadcast on an unlicensed low-power FM station, KBLT-FM; the show disappeared from the airwaves, along with all of KBLT, when the Federal Communications Commission shut down KBLT's transmitter on October 30, 1998. Watt then briefly experimented with using Live365.com to broadcast an internet version of the show, before various factors, including his touring schedule and a near-fatal 2000 illness, forced him to indefinitely curtail furtner internet radio activities.
TWPFS in its current form as an internet radio broadcast debuted on May 19, 2001. The show is often recorded at the "Wild Kingdom", the in-home studio of friend and co-host Brother Matt (although there have been exceptions — see below), and the internet broadcast is hosted by Portland, Orgeon-based ISP Sightworks. The show became so popular with Watt's fans that Sightworks were forced for several months to keep the show offline on weekdays until a sponsor or other solution could be found. The solution eventually came in the form of podcasting, and TWFPS became available as a podcast starting on January 10, 2006 (although a few previous episodes automatically became available on that date), and since then, the entire archive of TWPFS episodes has become available in both streaming and downloadable forms.
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[edit] Show Format and Featured Segments
The Watt From Pedro Show runs three hours; Watt typically records each of the three hours separately, combining them into one streaming or downloadable file only at the completion of every session. The shows are often only recorded on an almost weekly basis when Watt is home from touring and recording commitments, although as of 2007 he has begun to experiment with shows recorded on location using his own PowerBook G4 laptop.
Watt begins every broadcast by announcing the show's recording date and title, followed immediately by a selection from the discography of one of Watt's biggest musical heroes, jazz legend John Coltrane and, as of the November 19, 2006 broadcast, recordings by Japanese electronic musician Mi-gu. Other blocks of music — a mixture of personal favorites from Watt's own record and CD collection, and CDs and demos he is given by bands who open for him on tour — are interspersed with discussions (or as Watt calls them, "spiels") between Watt, Brother Matt, and whichever guests are in the studio with them.
Frequent segments featured on The Watt From Pedro Show include or have included:
Brother Matt's Spin Cycle: An improvised musical segment, with Brother Matt playing a long, sample and loop-based electronic composition. If one of Watt's guests is a musician (as with the likes of Petra Haden and Pete Mazich), these guests are often invited and encouraged to improvise along with Brother Matt's soundscapes, and on occasion Watt himself joins in these improvisations on bass. This segment does not appear when Watt records his show on location or in the rare instance when the show's recording takes place in Watt's own home due to circumstances preventing him from doing the show at Matt's facilities.
Special guest's playlist: When Watt has a guest on the program, they are often invited to bring some favorite CDs and/or records along to play; these guests' selections often make up the second musical segment of the program's first hour.
Spoken word featurette: Not a formally named segment, but a traditional part of the show where Watt will play an installment from a longer spoken word recording (more often than not, a less commercial literary work).
Kaori In England Segment: A newer, infrequent feature of the show, Watt has generously given The Go! Team guitarist Kaori Tsuchida a block of time to play some of her own selections. As the title suggests, Tsuchida records this segment from her home in London, England.
Interview segments: Not to be confused with the panel discussions that take place live in the studio during the recording of each episode, Watt frequently presents unedited (and sometimes jocular) recorded interviews, done either in-person or over the telephone, with various musical luminaries and associates.
[edit] Location shows
Not counting a show on June 10, 2002 that originated from Sightworks' Portland, OR offices during a Watt concert tour, Watt had restricted his internet broadcasting activities to times when he was not on tour and could then hook up with Brother Matt to record and compile an episode. As of 2007, thanks to his commitments as a member of Iggy & The Stooges to promote their album The Weirdness, Watt has been experimenting with shows recorded on location using his Apple PowerBook G4. The first episode of this originated from Crans-Montana, Switzerland on March 7 and featured for the balance of the show a lengthy "spiel" with The Stooges' Scott Asheton and Steve MacKay. A second on-location recording took place in Watt's Austin, Texas hotel room on March 17 during the 2007 SXSW festival and featured Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley.
Watt has also done a couple of recent episodes (and an emergency replacement "spiel" segment for the March 17 broadcast with Steve Shelly) direct from his own home studio (nicknamed "Studio Thunderpants") in San Pedro when he was unable to hook up with Brother Matt for a normal TWFPS broadcast.
[edit] References
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