I believe the first words of my gasping reaction to Reggie Watts’ appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon were, “I didn’t know you were allowed to do that on television!” Watts had somehow managed to achieve the psychedelic intensity of his live performances in spite of the natural reductions caused by broadcast television and proximity to Jimmy Fallon. Months later, in an event that retroactively rendered my reeling exclamation prophetic, comedy hero Conan O’Brien asked Watts to join him on the Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour, elevating the tour from pre-legendary to pre-traumatic.
For those unfamiliar with the bear-shaped mouth-music maestro, Reggie Watts is the lead singer of patchwork-genre band Maktub. In recent years, Watts has branched out on his own with an act that combines live-sampled singing and beatboxing with absurd, impression-based, stream-of-consciousness rambling. His live performances are often spontaneous, the tech setup worked into the act, as he performs in several shows per night. Regardless, Watts frequently achieves a level of transcendence otherwise uncommon to the New York City comedy scene that has come to adore and support him.
If you need more convincing to pre-order Reggie Watts’ new CD/DVD, Why $#!+ So Crazy? (due May 18 in Europe and July 6 in the US), turn off your lights and watch the video for “Fuck Shit Stack” in HD. Don’t have any eyeballs? Listen to some tracks on his Muxtape page, using ears.
Reggie’s still on tour with Conan O’Brien. Check out the remaining dates:
05.05-07.10 - Brighton, UK - Brighton Festival
05.09.10 - Boulder, CO - Mackey Auditorium *
05.10.10 - Denver, CO - Ellie Caulkins Opera House *
05.13.10 - Dallas, TX - McFarlin Memorial Auditorium *
05.14.10 - Austin TX - Austin Music Hall *
05.15.10 - Tulsa, OK - The Brady Theater *
05.16.10 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theater *
05.18.10 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theater *
05.19.10 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theater *
05.20.10 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theater *
05.22.10 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall *
05.30.10 - Atlantic City, NJ - The Borgata, 7:00 & 10:30 shows *
06.01.10 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall *
06.02.10 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall *
06.04.10 - Boston, MA - Wang Center *
06.05.10 - Boston, MA - Wang Center *
06.06.10 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun *
06.07.10 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theater *
06.08.10 - Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall *
06.14.10 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theater *
* Conan O’Brien
Why $#!+ So Crazy? tracklist:
01. Fuck Shit Stack
02. Thanks for Coming
03. A Future in the Future
04. Squirrel Joke
05. Get Your Shoes On
06. Muffins
07. Social Construct Intro
08. Social Construct
09. 7 Xanax, Glass of Wine
10. Rainbows
11. Gnome Sayin’?
12. Tuck Tuck Squirrel
13. My History Thus Far
14. Fields of Donegal
15. Butter + Toast
• Reggie Watts: http://reggiewatts.com
• Comedy Central: http://comedycentral.com