Advertisement
Pop & Hiss

Morning glory: Mike Watt’s ‘Hyphenated-Man’ opera, manifested as a short film

By Randall Roberts
Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

On Thursday morning, Pop & Hiss received a quick little note relating to San Pedro bassist/Stooge/composer Mike Watt’s most recent project, his third opera, ‘Hyphenated-Man.’ In the missive was a link to a video by an Irish painter, Norton Wisdon, and features the artist listening to Watt’s opera while working. If you’ve got 15 minutes to see something beautiful while you drink your morning coffee, you probably won’t regret it. (Note: the backing music for this clip isn’t from ‘Hyphenated-Man,’ but one of Bach’s ‘Goldberg Variations.’)

The Times spoke to Watt last year while he was working on the opera. He described it thusly: ‘’Hyphenated-Man’ is a voyage into the middle, without being all sappy about it. You played the game, but still you confront yourself: What is ‘Man’? In middle-age you start asking yourself these questions, and it’s not like you’ve gotta figure it out. But you’re more open. There’s more questions than answers.’

Advertisement

-- Randall Roberts

Pop & Hiss
Randall Roberts

Former staff writer Randall Roberts covered Los Angeles music culture for the Los Angeles Times. He had served various roles since arriving at The Times in 2010, including music editor and pop music critic. As a staff writer, he explored the layered history of L.A. music, from Rosecrans and Sunset to Ventura Boulevard and beyond. His 2020 project on the early Southern California phonograph industry helped identify the first-ever commercial recording made in Los Angeles.

Advertisement