Reggie Watts Biography

American comedian, actor and musician

Musical artist

Reginald Lucien Frank Roger Watts (born March 23, 1972) is an American comedian, actor, beatboxer, and musician. His improvised musical sets are created using only his voice, a keyboard, and a looping machine. Watts refers to himself as a "disinformationist" who aims to disorient his audience in a comedic fashion. He was the regular house musician on the spoof IFC talk show Comedy Bang! Bang!. From 2015 to 2023, Watts led the house band for The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Early life

Reginald Lucien Frank Roger Watts was born in Stuttgart on March 23, 1972, the son of French mother Christiane and African American father Charles Alphonso Watts. His father was a Master Sergeant in the Air Force, leading the family to live in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain before returning to the United States and settling in Great Falls, Montana, where Watts was raised; he graduated from Great Falls High School in 1990. He began piano and violin lessons at the age of five, with his love of music beginning as a young child when he saw Ray Charles play the piano on television. He moved to Seattle at the age of 18 to study music, attending the Art Ins*ute of Seattle before studying jazz at Cornish College of the Arts.

Career

Early career (1996–2009)

Watts performing in March 2013

In 1996, Watts became the frontman for the band Maktub. While recording and touring from 1996 to 2000 with Wayne Horvitz's 4+1 Ensemble as a keyboardist, he was forced to downsize his effects pedal from a Roland Space Echo tape delay to a Line 6 DL4 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 like Tom Waits, playing initial gigs at small Seattle venues and artist bungalows. While in Seattle, he composed musical scores for dance c*ographers and dabbled in sketch comedy with longtime friend and future playwright Tommy Smith, who later ended their collaborative relationship when Watts failed to credit him for co-writing the lyrics of his viral hits "* * Stack" and "What About *?"

In 2004, after recording five albums over eight years, Watts moved to the Lower East Side of New York City. In 2005, he recorded his first solo single, "So Beautiful". Inspired by The State and Wet Hot American Summer, he began infusing spontaneous comedic material with the beat-box-driven musical compositions. He also shot comedic shorts for Superdeluxe, Vimeo, and CollegeHumor.

In 2007, Watts appeared on Plum TV's Scott Bateman Presents Scott Bateman Presents and starred in the CollegeHumor internet video "What About *?" The video became a viral hit. The same year, he also wrote 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 en*led Disinformation, which features his performance at the Under the Radar Festival at the Public Theater. He also appeared in the independent film Steel of Fire Warriors 2010 A.D. as a Mutantzoid Underling and on an episode of Late 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 the PBS Kids' children's program The Electric Company. He performed in his first solo short film Watts Does London and made a small appearance on Comedy Central's Michael and Michael Have Issues. He then did voice work for an episode of Adult Swim's The Venture Bros., Australia's Good News Week, and appeared in the U.S. do*entary The Yes Men Fix the World. He also toured in support of Devo in a fall 2009 tour.

Why * So Crazy? (2010–2011)

Watts at PopTech 2011

In 2010, Waverly Films shot a one-hour special on Watts called Why * 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' "* * Stack". Comedy Central aired Why * So Crazy? and released the film as a dual DVD/CD package. Afterwards, Watts made various public appearances, including during Conan O'Brien's The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour.

A Live at Central Park (2012)

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. 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 their farewell do*entary 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 podcast of the same name. That same year, Watts began collaborating with Michael Cera, Tim & Eric, and Sarah Silverman to create a comedy YouTube channel called Jash.

In 2013, On the Boards recorded a new Watts special en*led Transition, which played at various arts festivals including the Under the Radar Festival at The 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's Meltdown 2013 on the South Bank in London where he was supported by Mac Lethal.

In 2014, Watts contributed the outro vocal on "Holy City" and beatbox on the *le track of the Joan As Police Woman album The Cl*ic. He also 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. In December 2014, following CBS's announcement that Watts would lead The Late Late Show band, Aukerman announced that Watts would leave Comedy Bang! Bang! after the first half of 2015. Watts' final episode of Comedy Bang! Bang! was on June 5, 2015.

The Late Late Show with James Corden and Spatial (2015–2023)

Watts served as the bandleader and announcer for The Late Late Show with James Corden for its entire run from 2015 to 2023. He described his role on the show as "a mix of Paul Shaffer and Andy Richter". His band on the show was unofficially named Karen, but in response to the rise of that name being used as an insult, the band was renamed Melissa. 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 on Comedy Bang! Bang! and followed his preference for surreal comedy in his stand-up act.

On December 6, 2016, Watts' Netflix special Spatial was released.

Performance style

Watts utilizes improvisation in his solo shows, which consist of him singing and rapping both with words and with sound poetry, accompanying himself by either beatboxing, performing vocal b*lines 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. He has a four-and-a-half octave vocal range.

Filmography

Film

  • Steel of Fire Warriors 2010 A.D. (2008) as Mutantzoid Underling in Bar
  • The Yes Men Fix the World (2009) as himself
  • Reggie Watts Does London (2009)
  • Why * So Crazy? (2010) as himself
  • Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011) as himself (cameo)
  • Tell Your Friends! The Concert Film (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 Hanger Singer and Beatboxer
  • Creative Control (2015) as himself
  • My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea (2016) as *af (voice)
  • Spatial (2016) as himself
  • Keep in Touch (2016) as Dr. Harry Clark
  • Duck Duck Goose (2018) as Carl (voice)
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019) as Additional voices
  • The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020) as Chancellor (voice)
  • Extinct (2021) as Hoss (voice)

Television

  • Scott Batemen Presents Scott Batemen Presents (2007) as himself
  • Saving Steve Agee (2007) as himself
  • Superjail! (2008) as Time-Police Member #1 (voice)
  • Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2009) as himself
  • Made Here (2009) as himself
  • The Ha!ifax Comedy Fest (2009) as himself
  • The Venture Bros. (2009) as The Delivery Guy (voice)
  • 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) as himself
  • Conan O'Brien Can't Stop (2011)
  • Cracker Night (2011) as himself
  • Mash Up (2011) as himself
  • Talk Stoop (2011) as himself
  • Funny As Hell (2011) as himself
  • Doctor Who: The Best-of Specials (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
  • Comedy Bang! Bang! (2012–2016) as himself
  • Reggie Makes Music (2012–2013) as himself
  • Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell (2013) as himself
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2013) as himself
  • 2013 YouTube Music Awards (2013) as Host
  • America's Next Top Model (2013) as himself
  • Inside Amy Schumer (2014) as Neighbor
  • The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015–2023) as himself
  • Adventure Time (2016–2017) as various voices
  • The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show (2017) as Rejgie (voice)
  • Baroness von Sketch Show (2017) as himself
  • Taskmaster (2018) as Taskmaster
  • Tuca & Bertie (2019–2022) as Pastry Pete (voice)
  • Ask the StoryBots (2019) as Bernard the Nurse (voice)
  • HarmonQuest (2019) as Graildokt
  • One Day at a Time (2020) as Mr. Mann
  • Wild Life (2020) as Darby (voice)
  • The Great North (2021–2023) as Quay (voice)
  • History of the World, Part II (2023) as Hans

Internet videos

  • CollegeHumor – "What About *?" (2007)
  • Jake Lodwick - "It's Over" (2007)
  • Jake Lodwick - "The Beginning is Near" (2008)
  • Disinformation (2008)
  • bd – "I Just Want To" (2009)
  • "* * 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)
  • "Brasilia: City of the Future" – Hispanglosaxon (Carolina Rav*a)
  • Good Mythical Morning – "Which Musician Am I?" (2018)
  • RIGHT NOW - "RIGHT NOW w/ John Goblikon S4 E2 (Reggie Watts)"
  • Marti Fischer - "Impro mit REGGIE WATTS | Ein Loop zwischendurch"
  • Reggie Watts @ The Lot Radio (June 26, 2017)
  • REGGIE WATTS AND FLYING LOTUS - Livestream with Marc Rebillet (2021)

Music videos

  • "Night and Day" by Hot Chip (2012)
  • "Stop Desire" by Tegan and Sara (2016)
  • "Move" by Saint Motel (2017)
  • "Ask Yourself" by Panther Modern (2019)

Video games

  • Accounting+
  • Cartoon Network Journeys

Discography

Solo albums

  • Simplified (2003)
  • Why * 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

Maktub

  • Subtle Ways (1999)
  • Khronos (2002/2003)
  • Say What You Mean (2005)
  • Start It Over (2007)
  • Five (2009)

4 + 1 Ensemble

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

Wajatta

  • Casual High Technology (Comedy Dynamics, 2018)
  • Don't Let Get You Down (Brainfeeder, 2020)

Collaborative songs

  • "Closer" (2004)
  • "Tears" (2009)
  • "Dance Anthem of the 80's" (2012)
  • "Spaghetti Circus" (2012)
  • "Drunk Texts to Myself" Trevor Moore feat. Reggie Watts] (2013)
  • "We Got A Love" (2013)
  • "B*face" The Midnight Beast feat. Reggie Watts (2014)
  • "MFN" / "Housekeeping" Cibo Matto, Hotel Valentine (2014)
  • "Holy City" / "The Cl*ic" Joan as Police Woman (2014)
  • "Sunshine" Flight Facilities (2014)
  • "Trumpy Trump" The Cooties (2016)
  • "There Should Be Unicorns" Oczy Mlody, The Flaming Lips, (2017)
  • "Captain Crunch" Czarface Meets Metal Face, Czarface & MF Doom (2018)
  • "Stranded" Flight Facilities (2018)
  • "Daddi (Reggie Watts Remix)" Cherry Glazerr (2019)
  • "OATMILK" (with Chelsea Peretti) (2020)

Awards and honors

Watts is the winner of the 2005 Malcolm Hardee "Oy Oy" Award, the 2006 Andy Kaufman Comedy Award, and the 2006 Seattle Mayor's Arts Award. 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.

References

    External links

    Reggie Watts at Wikipedia's sister projects
    • Media from Commons
    • Quotations from Wikiquote
    • Data from Wikidata
    • Official website
    • Reggie Watts discography at Discogs
    • Reggie Watts at IMDb
    • Official "* * Stack" video
    • Official "What About *?" video
    • Live performance (June 2012) for NPR
    • ReggieWatts/TommySmith Theatre
    • Reggie Watts – "A Live at Central Park"
    Related articles
    • Kia
    • Spike Jonze
    • YouTube Awards
    YouTube

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    Reggie Watts