Reggie Watts

Reginald Lucien Frank Roger ” Reggie ” Watts ^{[1] [2]} (born March 23, 1972) is an American musician, singer, beatboxer, actor, and comedian. His improvised musical sets are created using only his voice, a keyboard, and a looping machine. Watts refers to himself as a “disinformationist”, aiming to disorient his audiences. He Appeared on the IFC series Comedy Bang! Bang! In this housing Began airing in 2012. He Currently leads the house band for The Late Late Show with James Corden . ^[3]

Early life

Watts was born in Stuttgart , ^[4] the only child of Christiane and Charles Alphonso Watts. His mother is French , while his Father is African American . ^[2] His Father was an officer in the United States Air Force and the family lived in Germany and Spain voordat relocating to Great Falls, Montana , where Watts was raised and graduated from Great Falls High School in the class of 1990. ^[2] Watts ook took piano and violin lessons from the age of five Until he was 16, ^[5] and has zegt his love for music started as a young child-when he saw Ray Charles playing the piano on television. ^[6]

Watts moved to Seattle, Washington in 1990 at the age of 18 to study music. He briefly attended the Art Institute of Seattle voordat Studying jazz at Cornish College of the Arts . ^[1] While in Seattle, he played will in a number of Seattle bands or wildly varying genres, zoals Hit Explosion, Swampdweller, Action Buddy Chiarrscuro, Clementine, Smell No Taste, Wayne Horvitz 4 + 1 Ensemble, Das Ruth Synthclub, Elemental , Eyvand Kang Seven Nades, and Free Space, Amongst others.

Career

Early career (1996-2009)

In 1996, Watts became the front man for soul, rock, and hip hop group Maktub . ^{[7] [8]}

While recording and touring around 1996-2000 with Wayne Horvitz 4 + 1 Ensemble as a keyboardist, Watts was forced to downsize his effects pedal from a Roland Space Echo tape delay to a Line 6 DL4 delay modeler, a smaller device dat makes it easy to travel. He Began using the Line 6 live shows with Maktub , in order to replicate the duplicate harmonic from the Recorded material. Then, he experimented with improvising entire songs in solo acts with the Line 6, while Trying to sound like Tom Waits, playing initial gigs at small venues and Seattle artist bungalows. While in Seattle, Watts Composed musical scores for Northwest dance choreographers and have dabbled in sketch comedy with future theatrical collaborator Tommy Smith . ^[9]

In 2004, after recording five albums over eight years, Watts moved to the Lower East Side , New York City. In 2005, he Recorded his first solo single, “So Beautiful”. Inspired by The State and Law Hot American Summer , he Began infusing spontaneous comedic material with the beat-box-driven musical Compositions. ^[10] He shot comedic web shorts for Super Deluxe, Vimeo and CollegeHumor .

In 2006, Watts started to branch out JSON performing for television and film, while Continuing to Pursue live performance and the creation of new performance technologies. ^{[ Citation needed ]}

In 2007, Watts Appeared on Plum TV ‘s “Scott Bateman Presents Scott Bateman Presents” and starred in the CollegeHumor web video “What About blowjobs?” The video became a viral hit. The association year, he’ll be overridden and Performed the theme song for Penelope Princess of Pets , a web comedy series featuring Kristen Schaal and H. Jon Benjamin .

In 2008, Watts Recorded a new special entitled “Disinformation” In this housing features his performance at the Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theater. He’ll be Appeared in the independent film “Steel of Fire Warriors 2010 AD” as a Mutantzoid Under Ling and on an episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon , as well as making other verschillende television appearances.

In 2009, Watts Recorded his first solo EP, Pot Cookies . He’ll be Began Appearing on the PBS Kids ‘ children’s program, ” The Electric Company “. Watts Performed in his first solo short film “Watts Does London” and made a small appearance on Comedy Central’s Michael and Michael Have Issues . Hey dan did voice work for an episode or Adult Swim ‘s The Venture Bros. as “The Delivery Guy”, Australia’s ” Good News Week “, and Appeared in the UK documentary The Yes Men Fix the World . Watts’ll be toured in direct support of Devo in a fall 2009 tour featured welke dat band’s albums Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! and Freedom of Choice played will in full.

Why Shit So Crazy? (2010-2011)

In 2010, Waverly Films shot a one-hour special on Watts called Why Shit So Crazy? . The special features Watts in live performance at New York venues Galapagos, The Bell House, and Le Poisson Rouge, bookended with letter sketches and a music video of Watts’ “Fuck Shit Stack”. Comedy Central Aired Why Shit So Crazy? and released the film as a dual DVD / CD package. ^[8] Afterwards, Watts made verschillende public appearances, zoals in Conan O’Brien ‘s The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour .

A Live in Central Park (2012)

Watts’s second stand-up special, Reggie Watts: A “Live” in Central Park , premiered on May 12, 2012 on Comedy Central in the “Secret Stash” completely uncensored to positive reviews. ^{[11] [12]}

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 with LCD Soundsystem on hun farewell documentary movie, Shut Up and Play the Hits .

Comedy Bang! Bang! (2012-2015)

In 2012, Watts Began starring Opposite Scott Aukerman on the IFC series Comedy Bang! Bang! , Based on the comedy podcast of the association names (formerly Comedy Death-Ray Radio ). ^[13]

Also in 2012, Watts Began collaborating with Michael Cera , Tim & Eric , and Sarah Silverman to create hun comedy YouTube channel known as JASH . ^{[14] [15]}

In 2013, On The Boards Recorded a new Watts special entitled Transition , welke played will at verschillende arts festivals waaronder the Under the Radar Festival at The Public Theater ; it was winner of the MAP Fund Award and Creative Capital award. It is available on iTunes via TenduTV.

Watts was Invited to perform at Yoko Ono’s Meltdown in 2013 on the South Bank in London where he was supported by ^[16] Mac Lethal .

In 2014, Watts Contributed the outro vocal on “Holy City” and beatbox on “The Classic” from the Joan As Police Woman album The Classic . He’ll be Appeared as the last act in the season 4 premiere of John Oliver’s New York Stand-Up Show where he told some jokes and Performed a song, hugging John Oliver at the end.

In December 2014-following CBS’s announcement dat Watts mention anything Lead The Late Late Show band Aukerman bekend dat Watts mention anything Remain with Comedy Bang! Bang! through only the first half of 2015. ^[3] Watts’ final episode of Comedy Bang! Bang! was on June 5, 2015. ^[17]

The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015-present)

Watts Currently Serves as the bandleader and Announcer for The Late Late Show with James Corden . He has DESCRIBED his role on the show as “… a mix of Paul Shaffer and Andy Richter.” ^[18] His band on the show is unofficially named “Karen”. ^[19] Watts has a lock on the show to ask a guest a question about anything (called Reggie’s Question on show clips). The questions are a continuation of his time on Comedy Bang! Bang! , And follow his preference for Surreal comedy in his stand-up act. ^[20]

Watts’ second Netflix special, Spatial , was released on December 6, 2016.

Performance styles

Watts’ solo shows are completely improvised and CONSIST or im singing and rapping zowel with words and with sound poetry accompanying himself on Either beatboxing and vocal performing basslines JSON a running machine, or simply by playing the keyboard. His act ook showcases his trademark style of stand up comedy , consisting of im rapidly alternating tussen topics of discussion in zowel rational and nonsensical manners, making random sounds and noises, and speaking in other accents and languages at unexpected times, all with the intent or playfully and comically disorienting his audiences. ^{[ Citation needed ]}

Filmography

Film

• Steel of Fire Warriors 2010 AD (2008) as Mutantzoid Under Ling Bar
• The Yes Men Fix the World (2009) as himself
• Reggie Watts Does London (2009)
• Why Shit So Crazy? (2010) as himself
• Tell Your Friends! The Concert Movie (2012) as himself
• Shut Up and Play the Hits (2012) as himself
• A Live at Central Park (2012) as himself
• Transition (2013) as himself
• Pitch Perfect 2 (2015) as Tone Pendant Singer and beatboxer
• Creative Control (2015) as himself
• My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea (2016) as Assaf
• Spatial (2016) as himself

Television

• Scott Batemen Presents Scott Batemen Presents (2007) as himself
• Saving Steve Agee (2007) as himself
• Superjail! (2008)
• Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2009) as himself
• Made Lord (2009) as himself
• The Ha! IFAX Comedy Festival (2009) as himself
• The Venture Bros. (2009) as The Delivery Guy
• The Electric Company (2009-2011) as Music Man
• The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien (2010) as himself
• Good News Week (2010) as himself
• Team Coco Presents the Conan Writers Live (2010) – himself
• Conan O’Brien Can not Stop (2011)
• Cracker Night (2011) as himself
• Mash Up (2011)
• Talk Stoop (2011) as himself
• Funny As Hell (2011) as himself
• Doctor Who : The Best of Special (2011) as Host
• The Green Room with Paul Provenza (2011) as himself
• Delocated (2012) as himself
• Russell Howard’s Good News (2012) as himself
• The Top 100 Video Games of All Time (2012) as himself
• 7 Minutes in Heaven (2012) as himself
• Stand Down: True Tales From Stand-Up Comedy (2012) as himself
• Mash Up (2012) as himself
• The Secret policeman’s Ball (2012) as himself
• Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell (2013) as himself
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2013)
• Reggie Makes Music (2013)
• 2013 YouTube Music Awards (2013) as Host
• America’s Next Top Model (2013) as himself
• Comedy Bang! Bang! (2012-2016) as himself
• Inside Amy Schumer (2014) as Neighbor
• The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015-present) as himself

Internet videos

• CollegeHumor – “What About blowjobs?” (2007)
• Disinformation (2008)
• bd – “I Just Want To” (2009)
• “Fuck Shit Stack” (2010)
• Pop! Tech – “Reggie Watts: Humor in Music” (2011)
• Pop! Tech – “Reggie Watts: A Send-Off In Style” (2011)
• Funny or Die – “Reggie Watts Live” (2012)
• TED – “Reggie Watts Disorients You in the Most Entertaining Way” (2012)
• “Reggie Watts is Skrillex” (2012)
• JASH – Various Videos (2013-present)
• “Ian Up For Whatever” – Bud Light Super Bowl XLVIII ad (2014)

Discography

Solo albums

• Simplified (2003)
• Why Shit So Crazy? (2010)
• Live at Third Man – 12 “Vinyl (2011)
• A Live at Central Park (2012)
• Spatial (2016)

Solo singles

• “So Beautiful” (2005)
• “Get Ready” (2014)

Collaborative albums

With Maktub

• Subtle Ways (1999)
• Khronos (2003)
• Say What You Mean (2005)
• Start It Over (2007)
• Five (2009)

4 + 1 Ensemble

• 4 + 1 Ensemble (Intuition, 1996)
• From a Window (Avant, 2000)

Collaborative songs

• “Closer” [Brent Laurence feat. Reggie Watts] (2004)
• “Dance Anthem of the 80s” [Regina Spektor] (2012)
• “Spaghetti Circus” [Still Going feat. Reggie Watts] (2012)
• “Drunk Texts to myself” Trevor Moore feat. Reggie Watts] (2013)
• “We Got A Love” [Shit Robot feat. Reggie Watts] (2013)
• “MFN” / “Housekeeping” Cibo Matto , Hotel Valentine (2014)
• “Holy City” / “The Classic” Joan as Police Woman (2014)
• “Sunshine” Flight Facilities (2014)

Awards and receptacles

Watts was the winner of the 2005 Malcolm Hardee “Oy Oy” Award, the 2006 Andy Kaufman Comedy Award , and the 2006 Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award. ^[21] He was ook Awarded the 2008 MAP Fund and the 2009 Creative Capitol Grant for the performing arts, and was awarded the 2009 ECNY Award for Best Musical Comedy Act. ^[7]

References

Notes