Reggie Watts | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Watts in July 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Reginald Lucien Frank Roger Watts |
| Born | (1972-03-23)March 23, 1972 (age 53) Stuttgart,West Germany |
| Origin | Great Falls, Montana, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1996–present |
| Website | reggiewatts |
Reginald Lucien Frank Roger Watts (born March 23, 1972) is an American comedian, musician, beatboxer, and actor. His improvised musical sets are created using only his voice, akeyboard, and alooping machine. He refers to himself as a "disinformationist" who aims to disorient his audience in a comedic fashion. He was the regular house musician on the spoofIFC talk showComedy Bang! Bang! and led thehouse band forThe Late Late Show with James Corden from 2015 to 2023.
Reginald Lucien Frank Roger Watts was born inStuttgart (which was then inWest Germany) on March 23, 1972, the son of French mother Christiane and African-American father Charles Alphonso Watts.[1][2][3] His parents were there at the time due to his father's role as aMaster Sergeant in theU.S. Air Force, which also later led the family to live in France, Italy, and Spain before returning to the U.S. They settled inGreat Falls, Montana, where Watts grew up and graduated fromGreat Falls High School in 1990.[3] He began piano and violin lessons at the age of five,[4] with his love of music beginning as a young child when he sawRay Charles play the piano on television.[5] He moved toSeattle at the age of 18 to study music, attending theArt Institute of Seattle before studying jazz atCornish College of the Arts.[1]
In 1996, Watts became thefrontman for the bandMaktub.[6][7][8] While recording and touring from 1996 to 2000 withWayne Horvitz's 4+1 Ensemble as a keyboardist, he was forced to downsize his effects pedal from aRoland Space Echo tape delay to aLine 6DL4 delay modeler, a smaller device that makes it easy to travel. He began using the Line 6 in live shows with Maktub to replicate the duplicate harmonies from the recorded material. He experimented with improvising entire songs in solo acts with the Line 6, while trying to sound likeTom Waits, playing initial gigs at small Seattle venues and artist bungalows. While in Seattle, he composed musical scores for dance choreographers and dabbled insketch comedy with longtime friend and future playwrightTommy Smith,[9] who later ended their collaborative relationship when Watts failed to credit him for co-writing the lyrics of his viral hits "Fuck Shit Stack" and "What About Blowjobs?"[10]
In 2004, after recording five albums over eight years, Watts moved to New York City'sLower East Side. In 2005, he recorded his first solo single, "So Beautiful". Inspired byThe State andWet Hot American Summer, he began infusing spontaneous comedic material with the beatbox-driven musical compositions.[11] He also shot comedic shorts for Superdeluxe,Vimeo, andCollegeHumor.
In 2007, Watts appeared onPlum TV'sScott Bateman Presents Scott Bateman Presents and starred in theCollegeHumor internet video "What About Blowjobs?" The video became a viral hit. The same year, he also wrote and performed the theme song forPenelope Princess of Pets, a web comedy series featuringKristen Schaal andH. Jon Benjamin. In 2008, Watts recorded a new special entitledDisinformation, which features his performance at the Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theater. He also appeared in the independent filmSteel of Fire Warriors 2010 A.D. as a Mutantzoid Underling and on an episode ofLate Night with Jimmy Fallon, as well as making other various television appearances.
In 2009, Watts recorded his first solo EP,Pot Cookies. He also began appearing on thePBS Kids' children's programThe Electric Company. He performed in his first solo short filmWatts Does London and made a small appearance on Comedy Central'sMichael and Michael Have Issues. He then did voice work for an episode ofAdult Swim'sThe Venture Bros., Australia'sGood News Week, and appeared in the U.S. documentaryThe Yes Men Fix the World. He also toured in support ofDevo in a fall 2009 tour.
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In 2010, Waverly Films shot a one-hour special on Watts calledWhy Shit So Crazy? The special features Watts in live performance at New York venues Galapagos, The Bellhouse, and(Le) Poisson Rouge, bookended with brief sketches and a music video of Watts' "Fuck Shit Stack".Comedy Central airedWhy Shit So Crazy? and released the film as a dual DVD/CD package.[7] Afterwards, Watts made various public appearances, including duringConan O'Brien'sThe Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour.
Watts's second stand-up special,A Live at Central Park, premiered on Comedy Central in the "Secret Stash" on May 12, 2012. It was completely uncensored and received positive reviews.[12][13] The film was made available as a CD/DVD through Watts' official website as well as Comedy Central's online store.
Soon afterwards, Watts performed a song withLCD Soundsystem on their farewell documentary movie,Shut Up and Play the Hits.
In 2012, Watts began starring oppositeScott Aukerman on theIFC seriesComedy Bang! Bang! based on thepodcast of the same name.[14] That same year, Watts began collaborating withMichael Cera,Tim & Eric, andSarah Silverman to create a comedyYouTube channel calledJash.[15][16]
In 2013, On the Boards recorded a new Watts special entitledTransition, which played at various arts festivals including theUnder the Radar Festival atThe Public Theater; it was winner of the MAP Fund Award and Creative Capital award. The same year, Watts was invited to perform at Yoko Ono'sMeltdown 2013 on the South Bank in London where he was supported by[17]Mac Lethal.
In 2014, Watts contributed the outro vocal on "Holy City" and beatbox on the title track of theJoan As Police Woman albumThe Classic. He also appeared as the last act in the season 4 premiere ofJohn Oliver's New York Stand-Up Show where he told some jokes and performed a song. In December 2014, following CBS's announcement that Watts would leadThe Late Late Show band, Aukerman announced that Watts would leaveComedy Bang! Bang! after the first half of 2015.[18] Watts' final episode ofComedy Bang! Bang! was on June 5, 2015.[19]
Watts served as the bandleader and announcer forThe Late Late Show with James Corden for its entire run from 2015 to 2023. He described his role on the show as "a mix ofPaul Shaffer andAndy Richter".[20] His band on the show was unofficially named Karen,[21] but in response to the rise of that namebeing used as an insult, the band was renamed Melissa.[22] Watts had a slot on the show to ask a guest a question about anything called Reggie's Question. The questions were a continuation of his time onComedy Bang! Bang! and followed his preference for surreal comedy in his stand-up act.[23]
On December 6, 2016, Watts'Netflix specialSpatial was released.[24]
Great Falls, MT; Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again[25]
The audio version, read by Watts, includes sounds and samples of his music.
Watts utilizes improvisation in his solo shows,[26][27] which consist of him singing and rapping both with words and withsound poetry, accompanying himself by eitherbeatboxing, performing vocal basslines into a loop machine, or simply by playing the keyboard. His act also showcases his trademark style of stand-up comedy, consisting of him rapidly alternating between topics of discussion in both rational and nonsensical manners, making random sounds and gibberish noises, and speaking in other accents and languages at unexpected times, all with the intent of playfully and comically disorienting his audiences.[28] He has a four-and-a-half octavevocal range.[29][30]
Watts is the winner of the 2005Malcolm Hardee "Oy Oy" Award, the 2006Andy Kaufman Comedy Award, and the 2006 Seattle Mayor's Arts Award.[49] He was also awarded the 2008 MAP Fund and the 2009 Creative Capitol Grant for the performing arts, and won the 2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act.[6]
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