Editing Mike Watt (section)

===Illness, recovery and The Stooges===
[[File:Mike Watt, The Stooges, ATP Festival, May 2010.jpg|alt=Watt performing with Iggy and the Stooges in 2010|thumb|upright|Watt performing with Iggy and the Stooges at an [[All Tomorrow's Parties (festival)|ATP Festival]] in [[Minehead]] in 2010.]]
In January 2000, Watt fell ill with an infection of his [[perineum]],<ref name=splendid>{{cite web|title=Mike Watt: To Hell and Back|author=Kelly, Jennifer|year=2004|url=http://www.splendidezine.com/features/watt/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090214090804/http://www.splendidezine.com/features/watt/|access-date=January 18, 2011|archive-date=February 14, 2009|publisher=Splendid}}</ref> forcing him into emergency surgery and nine weeks of bedrest in his San Pedro apartment. Initially unable to play his bass, he rebuilt his strength with intense practice as well as live club gigs where he performed sets of Stooges covers with Hellride in [[California]] and with [[J Mascis]] and [[Dinosaur Jr.]] drummer [[Murph (drummer)|Murph]] in [[New York City]] under the name Hellride East.

In 2000, Mascis asked Watt to participate in a world tour behind Mascis' first post-Dinosaur Jr. release, [[J Mascis and the Fog]]'s ''More Light''. At several of the shows, [[Ron Asheton]] formerly of The Stooges joined Mascis and Watt onstage, wherein the group would play entire sets of Stooges songs. Watt and Mascis later joined Asheton and his brother, Stooges drummer [[Scott Asheton]], for a one-time-only performance at a Belgian festival under the name '''Asheton, Asheton, Mascis & Watt'''. In 2001, Watt was one of several bassists invited to participate in the sessions for [[Gov't Mule]]'s ''[[The Deep End, Volume 1|The Deep End]]'', partly on the recommendation of [[Primus (band)|Primus]]' [[Les Claypool]]. Watt and Gov't Mule recorded a cover version of [[Creedence Clearwater Revival]]'s "Effigy" for the album. The sessions were immortalized in the documentary feature film ''[[Rising Low]]''.

In 2002, Watt, along with [[Pete Yorn]] and members of [[The Hives]], backed [[Iggy Pop]] for a short set of Stooges songs at that year's [[Shortlist Music Prize]] ceremony, after which Watt was asked to play bass in the reunited Stooges lineup in 2003.  The reunited Stooges played their first show in almost 20 years at the [[Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival]] in May 2003.