Photo by Stevo Rood Mike Watt is an archetype. Now 65, he remains a living legend of the bass whose totally original approach and bold, untethered sound has inspired generations of low-enders through his work with Minutemen, Firehose, The Stooges, Porno For Pyros, Big Walnuts Yonder, The Missingmen, Dos, and his solo releases. Watt is all heart when it comes to music or anything, for that matter. His prolific body of work has embodied and influenced punk, rock and roll, hardcore, surf rock, alternative, art rock, and pop—even though he has no regard for the concept of genres or any specific classification. Watt’s relentless touring schedule finds him on the road for long stretches at a time, but when he’s at home in San Pedro, California, he keeps busy with his podcast, The Watt From Pedro Show, and collaborations with musicians from all over the world.  When it comes to gear, Watt has enlisted a revolving selection of basses and amps over his 45-year career—from road-worn Gibsons, Fenders, Rickenbackers, and Moon Guitars to mismatched Eden, Peavey, Acoustic, Laney, and TC Electronic amps—never quite finding a combination that can endure his high energy performances and aggressive playing style, while maintaining his booming and cutting tone. At long last, he has found the solutions to his sonic search with the introduction of his Reverend Guitars Wattplower Signature Basses, and his newfound love of Bergantino amps. After discovering the Bergantino forté HP2 head while on tour in Chicago, he was blown away by the 1200-watts of power and the amazing clarity that it provided. He immediately took it on the road to give it the proper “Watt test.” With expectations exceeded, he added a Bergantino NXT212 cabinet and the Bergantino Super Pre Bass Preamp Pedal to his arsenal, and hasn’t looked back since.  We caught up with Watt at his San Pedro home to discuss his new rig, his latest projects, his philosophy on bass, and whatever else happened to be on his mind in the moment. Like his music, talking with Mike Watt is always an adventure. And much like his live performances, the man never disappoints. Photo by Stevo Rood As someone who is always either on tour or working on a new album, what’s been keeping you busy of late? I’m getting ready to hit the road with [guitarist] Mike Baggetta and [drummer] Stephen Hodges for our mssv “aki tour 2023,” so that’s gonna be a whole lot of fun. I was off the road for a while because of my knee, but I got a Pro Tools Omni HD setup here in my pad, so I can record everything but live drums. I've made albums with people I’ve never even met. Part of it is just to prove that the Internet doesn’t have to be used to spread lies and hate, it can actually be used to collaborate and get creative and shit. What’s your writing process like, whether you’re collaborating or writing on your own? There are a few different situations I’ve found: Fir