So all this talk of The Jesus Lizard reforming next year got me tearing through my mom’s house last week looking for any miscellaneous doo-dads for the reissues happening next year. While I was at it I found a box of various letters, notes and newsletters from around 1988 to 1991 from various bands and labels I was interested in.
I was fortunate enough to see fIREHOSE a lot back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The most memorable show was at the Electric Banana in the fall of 1990 with Scrawl and local Pittsburgh band ATS. Scrawl were running late and proceeded to tear it up. I had met Watt five years earlier at an REM show that the Minutemen were opening and just walked up to him at the bar after the Pittsburgh show just to thank him for everything. Picture Mike Watt tired, wet and slightly irritable just doubled over a pitcher of Iron City and a 20 year old me walking up to him. After saying something to the effect of him changing my life (not a lie) he just took a puff off his cigarette, looked at me, scoffed and went back to drinking his beer. Ah, Watt. I remember one of the guys from ATS coming up to him afterwards wondering how they should go about getting somebody to put out their records. To quote Watt, "Get out of town, homie." Again, ah, Watt.
However, with that said, Mike was always quick to respond to any of my letters that I wrote him and here’s a couple pieces of evidence.
In honor of fIREHOSE, I’m including a 1988 Peel Session for your listening pleasure. Oh, and while we’re at it, can somebody tell me why SST’s back catalog (primarily Minutemen and Hüsker Dü’s back catalog) sound like absolute dog shit?
fIREHOSE – Peel intro (Peel Session ’88)
fIREHOSE – She Paints Pictures (Peel Session ’88)
fIREHOSE – Making The Freeway (Peel Session ’88)
fIREHOSE – Hear Me (Peel Session ’88)
fIREHOSE – Choose Any Memory (Peel Session ’88)