Born on December 27: John Watts and Fischer-Z are one and the same…

He was born in 1954 in Frimley, a small town in the south-east of England that hasn't deigned to add him to its list of celebrities. He currently lives in Brighton.

After working as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital and a stint in various punk groups, he formed Fischer-Z in 1976 with Steve Liddle and Steve Skolnik. Playing with the words “fish” and “head”, as only islanders can understand, the trio also didn't care whether their name would be spelled correctly on the old continent. And yet, it was the latter that rolled out the red carpet for them. Finally, in 1989, the band titled one of their albums “Fish's Head”, just to set the record straight!

John Watts is undeniably one of those stubborn artists. Following his band's initial, strictly continental, success with “Remember Russia” and “The Worker”, two reggae albums tinged with muddled pop around '79, he ventured out on his own without much success before relaunching the Fischer-Z machine. As proud of his small family (his brother works in the shadows with him) as of his Going Deaf micro-label, John Watts returned to the efficiency of the trio (with a few regular guests) and effective melodies on “Destination Paradise” in 1992. 

With his characteristic quavering voice (which we either love or loathe), John Watts invites us to listen to his stories. He always strikes a balance between serious reflections and more classic love fables. I particularly remember “Protection”, the story of a 13-year-old prostitute on the 1995 album “Stream”. After fifteen albums with Fischer-Z and a handful under his own name, John Watts is in no way trying to reinvent the wheel. He accepts that the audiences who always flock to his concerts want to hear “Marliese”, “Room Service”, “Berlin”, “So Long” or “The Worker” first, but he also continues to produce excellent melodies hemmed in by intelligent lyrics. Just a few examples? “The Perfect Day” on the album ‘Reveal’ (1987), ‘A.I. Owns U’ on ‘Til The Oceans Overflow’ (2021) or, for example, ‘Jesus Give Me Back My Life’ on ‘Stream’ (1995).

With an admirable tenacity, John Watts continues to hone his craft, writing new songs. Twelve times in 2024 for the album "Triptych". And again ten times in 2025 for "PUNKTI". As usual, with tracks like Amoral Vacuum, he proves he's still not afraid to speak his mind.

(Stéphane Soupart - Tr.: MH - Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)
Photo: John Watts with Fischer-Z backstage during a TV recording in Brussels (Belgium) in 1982.