Bassist Mike Watt stormed out of San Pedro, California in the early 1980’s with the influential punk power trio the Minutemen; blending elements of funk, jazz and classic rock into the hardcore scene. The tragic death of his close friend and bandmate, D. Boon, put an end to that great band and sent Watt into depression. Eventually, he re-emerged with the help of Sonic Youth, playing on several of their recordings before forming another trio, firehose, and the all-bass duo called Dos.

Watt has released several solo albums, written operas, and played on other peoples’ albums too numerous to mention. Now comes Mike Watt – On and Off Bass – a collection of his (surprisingly good) photography, which also includes excerpts from his tour diary. Icon Fetch talks with Mike Watt about the origins of the new book, his recent spoken-word collaboration with rock critic Richard Meltzer, and how a day doesn’t go by without him thinking of his late friend, D. Boon.