Mike Watt Home Safely to "America's Port"


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Our man Mike Watt‘s home safe and sound after a blast around the world as bassist for Iggy and the Stooges. Along the way, while helping to power the legendary band with his playing, he suffered a “knee-pop,” his term for a torn ACL/MCL and a harrowing episode at the Finnish Sonisphere festival. Now the story can be told, and Watt has “chimped” his tour diary on his hootpage. For a fan/critic’s point of view on the tour, check out the shining reviews from the NY Times and Chicago Tribune, or this great profile on Watt from the LA Times.

I would also recommend anyone into Watt’s spiel check out the program America’s Port on the National Geographic Channel. As a veteran of many trips around San Pedro on bicycle and even in a kayak with the man, this program answers many questions about the intense work that goes on in this busy port, the world’s biggest. Watt has told me about the pilots that board ships to guide them in, and I have asked my comical question about the fireboat (“Where does the water come from if there are no hydrants?”) every time we have gone by.

In fact, if they were really in depth about “America’s Port,” there would be an episode on locals like Watt who have been shaped by the seafaring life, even while on shore most of the time. There’s still time to do an entire episode on Canetti’s, for example, the coffee shop that has been serving port workers since the 40s. In the following clip, you see a pilot take the helm of the Queen Victoria and some of the security measures taken when a ship like that arrives. Incidentally, another tv program featured Pedro’s harbor, at least in stock shots – The Love Boat.

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