Reggie Watts: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Comedian and musician Reggie Watts recently visited the NPR Music offices with a simple setup of loop and delay pedals and a microphone. But the spontaneous improvisations he created by building up layers of sound and melody provide a magical showcase for his soulful musicianship and deadpan humor.
Set List:
"Song #4"
"Untitled Improv (Coffee Sips)"
"Another Untitled Improv"
For more videos and to subscribe to the Tiny Desk Concerts podcast, visit npr.org/tinydeskconcerts.

[@verityandstumclellan8585]

How he manages to weave seemingly unhinged fragments of whimsical almost-nonsense and make it fluid and coherent and nuanced and deeply funky...he's a genius.

[@Mrmoe198]

Best description I've heard of his brilliance and technique. *hand slaps*

[@hookbeak3516]

@@Mrmoe198 hand claps & finger snaps, makes his melody more than fine, I say what? Hand claps & ... yeh,yeh ... shut the fffront door on the way out.

[@johnnyklasing4002]

Ikr. That whole bit about "reading the manual and how it is bad engineering if you have to cuz the UI should explain it all, and if you have experience in other programs then that knowledge should transfer to the other software" was so strangely relatable yet just a random train of thoughts that came to him on the spot.

[@eugene3944]

hdfgsjfffgghhshgffghffhgjfgffgfhhgghghggjfffhhffhjhhgfggffffhhhhfggjjffgffffhfffffffghhfffjffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

[@clarifaco]

Genius he is

[@potroastNthEastcoast]

Reggie Watts is an actual wizard. He is a Sonomancer.

[@Mrmoe198]

Ooooh, wonderful terminology! I love it!

[@tomwall2361]

He should absolutely do a performance dressed in wizard clothing

[@patrickmantonio]

A shape-shifter.

[@inspectorjavert5563]

don't dehumanize him, you racist

[@RustyGraffitiReviews]

He’s actually an alien 👽 he talked about how it was an accident that brought him here but is grateful that we (humans) made him feel comfortable here on earth, so perhaps it was Not an accident.

[@brianclendinen5123]

His vocal range is absolutely incredible.

[@poeperdjelieven]

he made an r&b album in 2003. The man has a voice! But his nonsense gibberish is the best

[@fsxaviator]

Who else watching in 2021 for their yearly dose of this magic?

[@jaydock1]

It feels as fresh as it did then

[@cerumen]

Reggie Watts is the sexiest woman alive.

[@pacolazo123]

DOMINIQUE BIRD EVER

[@jakofozz]

***** I don't get it...

[@CT2507]

+DOMINIQUE BIRD wow... realy?.. haha... must suck to be a teenager then.

[@CT2507]

+stagfromTOS i also dont get it...

[@freedomfighters1236]

Stupid

[@TommyLikeTom]

NPR coffee sips is one of his best tracks

[@strongstrummin4078]

TommyTom hey ethan...

[@cosmicgirl7288]

I feel like I was transported to a higher plane of consciousness brothers & sisters. My love for your groove and energy Reggie is eternal.

[@josef.david.mushpile]

Such a good artist he doesn’t even give a crap, he just improvised something people would slave days in a studio but he just slings it out effortlessly

[@xavierrandall]

It just comes naturally.

[@zhibyful]

Can not believe his gift for melody. . .That last song is just perfection. Addicted.

[@ligialewis2182]

Met Reggie at a party earlier this year , and he was sweet , warm and very friendly . I had no idea that he was a very unique, amazingly talented music ( and other things ) genius ; I didn't know that until I found him on KZbin , this video first . Unbelievable mental range , spontaneity , musical talent , delicious humor all on top of an indescribable humility . I could listen to and watch him for hours on end and would likely feel that I had grown millions of additional brain cells by just trying to absorb all he does during his performances . A national treasure . Blessings to to you, Reg . Keep rockin' . George Lewis, Sr

[@hookbeak3516]

Lucky you to meet him, his energy in real life must really knock his audience bandy.

[@ryanlans]

Tell me.. what is his actual accent

[@BrendanWalshMusic]

Reggie speaks in stream of consciousness....I want to live in his brain.

[@suppenkaschper4686]

BrendanWalshMusic You already do! =)

[@smooooth_]

Probably warm in there from all the hair.

[@RileyGoss]

+ignis fatiuus whoa.

[@BrendanWalshMusic]

+Astronautical Moist like a jungle.

[@BrendanWalshMusic]

+ignis fatiuus Mind=melted.

[@SlickD217]

no doubt. He's strange but so relaxed and genuine. Very talented and intelligent guy. love this dude

[@aaronwendel9625]

he isn't ever genuine.

[@ketaminetiger]

But then again he is. So there's a paradox. And that's pretty much what he is, or aims to be.

[@ukefan9]

Because you're Mr. Normal. Nothing strange about that at all.

[@melomane]

An absolute indisputable genius.

[@therealniggabruh]

God level

[@YtCsBt]

He made a song on the fly about npr hosts sipping coffee lmaooooooooo I literally cannot

[@BNL07604]

Give this man 17 minutes and 50 seconds and he'll give you a mind blow.

[@GrizzzlyPanda]

Hell of a lot better than craigslist

[@gururulez2009]

A mind job!

[@DannySullivanMusic]

@@GrizzzlyPanda LOL!

[@jman090]

How have I never seen this?!??! He's legit a genius

[@nineeast8730]

This man is a legend. I started producing music in part due to his presentations.

[@jmille711]

This man. Is my HERO! Loved him since he was on the show show

[@Bulletstop75]

Reggie Watts. Ninth wonder of the world

[@JoeyWillenbucher]

What's the eighth?

[@Spiraculumvitae]

Bulletstop75 youporn

[@MusicFromTheOm]

Aaahahahaha! M. euwww, you are a fucking legend!!!

[@StealthHooligan]

Reggie is 8th wonder, 9th Wonder is 9th wonder :)

[@josefwhite4035]

His fro is the eighth

[@sethmckinley13]

I've been coming back to this for years and still gain new information every time.

[@JN-rf2tg]

He makes something difficult looks so easy and he puts a smile on all of our faces while doing it

[@Sedonafilmer]

He sounds like some sort of funky angel

[@smooooth_]

That's because he is one

[@xavierrandall]

A great great great descendant of the MotherShip in the P-Funk tribe.

[@Schnubbi711]

he IS the funkangel 😍

[@tomwall2361]

How is every performance of his I watch completely different? This must be the most creative and prolific man of our time.

[@RichardSmithrsmithing]

NPR coffee sips makes you feel so good. La La La La La. Nipper.

[@Squirrelconga]

His consciousness must just be wide open, to take in, digest, perform, like this!

[@yahheypodcastic]

Reggie Watts is simultaneously my favorite comedian and musician. Saw him live in DC & will never forget it

[@coreo881]

Reggie Watts and Gorrilaz. MAKE IT HAPPEN

[@matmatician7]

Oh my God YESSSS

[@nathanyates4944]

woooow

[@bobdavidson7402]

Corey Holmes you are so right!!

[@delasessi]

Corey Holmes Regie And Bobby Mc Ferrin would be the shit

[@reficul1984]

Corey Holmes or Reggie and kmfdm

[@cloit503]

He is probably the most talented, entertaining, and hilarious person on this planet... Or any other planet.

[@SmittysPlace]

I found this guy a few days ago. I was trying to get tips on looping my guitars. Reggie was demoing a looper of some kind and I thought wow, this dude is good! So here I am. very talented guy.

[@Nekr0n35]

Reggie Watts is my spirit animal

[@hakumoru]

Nekr0n35 Beast comment evah

[@salmffron2003]

Reggie Watts is my patronous

[@mariavirginiaokovic9064]

🤣🙌

[@Nekr0n35]

@@mariavirginiaokovic9064 oh wow, thanks for replying me after 4 years, now I forced to rewatch the video again!

[@aadoggo]

We are so crazy lucky to have this human on the planet. 😻😻😻😻 Magnificent.

[@MrBfg586]

I could listen to him all day coming up with different styles of Impro music. Hes so talented.

[@mistersparrow]

"If you gotta read directions baby let me tell you its bad engineering cause the user interface should explain what it does and if you have experience with other devices you should be able to figure it out."

[@joforgefe12]

Last improv was mindblowing!

[@HenryWadeKendrick-oc8iz]

2024, still jamming to this.

[@renadoesart]

Definitely listen to this with headphones

[@KaiserSlowzie]

I could watch Reggie do this shit all day.

[@hrivefiryasessrumnir8451]

Exactly what I'm doing now, during confinement

[@shumeister1059]

I'd love it, if Reggie Watts could have a weekly 1.5 hour long improve radio show, where he does whatever he wants. IMO, he understand broad range of music so well. And the way he can combine them is just brilliant. Imagine being able to tap into he's stream of creative consciousness.... Brains will explode

[@jackman00110101]

One of the OG tiny desk concerts

[@adamfitz22]

I can't even believe most of this is improv. This guy might be the smartest dude alive

[@ibebrodey]

dude, ~*you're*~ a fucking moron.

[@YoYes17]

gabelogan56 So, just so we all understand a little better, you are saying that because he does things that other people, that we will never meet and could possibly be as annoying or obnoxious as anyone else as well, don't like his questions and find him annoying and obnoxious he can't be intelligent or smart? Am I gathering the information correctly? And let's be fair here, you are saying that he isn't intelligent because of people in showbiz and the entertainment world find him "annoying" and to you that somehow translates into "not smart" when really he could just be a normal chill dude who isn't in "the biz"? Also if you think that someone can't be smart because they don't have skills that attribute to typical understanding of "smarts" (maths and literature for example) and if you can't find value in another human's intelligence based on other skills such as... umm... musical ability for example then I think you live a "black and white" understanding of life and perhaps it is you who is afraid to be seen as "fucking moron" because I think seeing potential in a human is the best quality of anyone and I think your future boss will agree.

[@MichaelJordan-wn4fz]

I completely agree.

[@cryptekwizard8336]

I only came in to fart and leave it in Gabe’s face. I’m out!

[@gedster72]

Seen him on Rogan earlier this month? Intelligence confirmed

[@acidfilth2007]

in the 3rd song i noticed when he was dubbing the bass line his hand cocked into a playing position as if he had a bass lol true musicians

[@teek1916]

and the ability to include, arrange, and compose the sound of your own breath as a musical note is beyond genius! I 'am in awe.

[@MikeScic]

Absolutely whimsical. Thank you Reggie

[@jolidesir]

I remember seeing this when I was kid. Coffee Sips used to be my joint. So happy I found this😂

[@kelsey6692]

Reggie Watts = huge inspiration

[@murphy9924]

This guy has more talent then most artists. the last song he does is just so damn grooovy. Musically and lyrically 100 percent amazing. His comedy as well as his activism is great as well.

[@ShanonSinn]

The third song is amazing. Blew my mind. Reggie Watts is a man possessed by his own music, which is the way it should be

[@RedroomStudios]

agreed... I think my brain had an orgasm by about the 90 second mark of that tune!

[@colecarrell8948]

this guy from my home town and went to my high school great falls high school I'm Montana!!

[@TheSagemeister]

That has to be one the best things my ears have heard in a long time

[@intersweat]

Yup. That was indeed AWESOME!!

[@petabulmer7345]

This man blows my mind every time he does ...everything!

[@raypage9188]

A Reggie sighting on the the Superbowl commercials. Glad the Pixies brought me back to Tiny Desk. Thank you NPR. That was awesome!

[@MasteringSilence]

This is orignal, I dig it. I probably wouldn't listen to it every day, but this guy is really talented, and intelligent. I wish I was stoned right now....

[@VeronicasMidget]

+Dustin Jolley That's Reggie Watts that is

[@smooooth_]

Wow. Getting stoned while listening to this. That's actually a really good sounding idea

[@MasteringSilence]

+Astronautical Films Thank you for replying to my comment!!!! Ironically I'm listening to this for the first time stoned now. Lol.

[@johnhaase3000]

+Dustin Jolley - you need to team up with Reggie and just be stoned- in the background--for the "effect"!

[@GenderPranks]

+Smooooth ROFL. He didn't even see the satire in your comment.

[@rararaex6990]

This is the first I've heard of Reggie Watts! I'm in love 😂 he's brilliant. NPR are always bringing interesting artists I hadn't heard of before. 💗

[@DjangoClouds]

His Tiny Desk Concert is awesome! His TED performance was awesome! His hair looks like Sideshow Bob, which is awesome! This guy is just awesome period!

[@7575tavin]

My current favorite track is called "Another Untitled Improv"

[@BrendanVlogs4You]

Give his Simplified album from 2003 a bump.. mine is Part of the World.. 🤙

[@Bitteulze]

I'm starting to have cheek cramps. This guy's a genius ! The last time I felt like this was when I first heard "Thinkin' about your body" by Bobby McFerrin. Only this is even better.

[@robertkielty5094]

This has been a big help for me transitioning the particular part of the space time continuum where I found myself situationally indeed notionally attempting to formulate a cohesive and credible set of action ponts that would take me forward on to the next point in that continuum in a reliable and environmentally sensitive way.

[@iwannaseeit1979]

Sa Da Tay, my Damie✊🏾

[@michaeldubery3593]

That last one was literally incredible

[@collectingsoulz1435]

That last track was on fuckin' point!

[@soth1sol]

+Collecting Soulz one of my all time favorite songs.

[@aarond3532]

12:35 best Reggie watts song ever

[@pinkicingwitharsenic]

Yes! Would love to see that come out as a track on Spotify. I wouldn't even care if someone at NPR just ripped this file and turned it into the track.

[@glynnisjohns]

I quite enjoyed the hard work this man puts into his songs.

[@andreasjohnson9799]

Haven't even watched it yet. "Untitled Improv (Coffee Sips)" in the description already has me dying

[@mistersparrow]

You know its good when you clap at home.

[@JuliusFawcett]

My digital bromance with Reggie continues haha! What a splendid fellow, continually entertaining, jolly and fun. Quite possibly the most enjoyable way of spending many hours on KZbin lolling around, soaking up the courageous peaceful vibe, fascinating stream of consciousness music tripping easily through the sonic psycholdelisphere, how amusing for us all! can you dig it? Consider it dug, refilled and dug once more my friend, a treat! a treat indeed we lucky individuals to have found this here, as if it were missing all along, as if! as if? No, Yes, yeah Peace, love and harmony to all the sane and not so sane. I love you all.

[@JessJArt]

I don't mean to trivialize your view of Reggie in anyway, indeed he is exactly as you explain in your ever so eloquent and lyrical comment describes, that being said can I now day that

[@JessJArt]

***** eh hem....sorry bout that.

[@JessJArt]

***** I'll continue... that psychodelisphere is now my new favorite word.

[@lesionsofadifferentkind9158]

This is such an under rated comment. Good stuff man

[@GIitchclan12]

Got a really strong del the funky homosapien vibe off this at parts, first time hearing Reggie's music and it's awesome!

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

All his own work :) No one else's music required. Can't stop smiling

[@longerino]

Reggie has a wonderful voice. He could lead any band.

[@TomahawkKevin]

You're a Legend Reggie!, Especially that last tune!

[@ElPumpies]

Love watts' style and creative mojo at work....if you want to call it work. Awesome session. Amazed that he's creating all that with just a few loop gizmos and mixers and imagination

[@shadelings]

Wow, I am blown away. Absolutely amazing!! A man with that kind of talent can probably lose himself in that little machine for hours on end and I am really envious of his neighbors and the amazing sounds they must hear.

[@pickartviolin]

Soooo original, brilliant, musical, and hilarious!! Reggie you are my hero!

[@yokyu2lea]

I wish Reggie would make a CD with many songs like these ones, so you can play all day long...without interrumption... his music AND his voices are so great!

[@fervolic]

This man is a national treasure!

[@DaRealFiberOptix]

i love the way he sings, i can project so many different things onto it. which in turn reveals certain aspects of my own nature that were previously hidden to me

[@justinhickok2586]

This man reminds me of that awkward stage in life called adolescence. Takes me back to high school being a freshman and having to make new friends and whatnot. Reggie Watts is a creative genius and a funny man. I really enjoy his vibe he's doing all he can do with what he has. God bless him and his craft.

[@scuffedandy5215]

Reggie never lets me down how did he disappear at the end that was nuts!

[@FloraSora]

I really love his statement about User Interface and not needing to use instructions if the UI is good. I know I'm not the only one who hates having to read extensive manuals for anything that isn't something dangerous or heavy machinery. I mean, at least keep it to a simple pamphlet or a sticker on the back of the device, or a quick tutorial which explains the most important aspects of it. Users and consumers matter most! Anyways, his first song is underrated really listen to it.

[@void-were-prohibitive]

i know i could search it out, but do you know where to read/hear his opinion on UI?

[@artellostyle]

This guy is walking record studio ... I love the song "Another Untitled Improv" and basically the most of the stuff Reggie makes ... This music is so good because it`s so natural and comes from heart ... rare thing in novadays ...

[@kcrowe29]

I know it's a typo or maybe not but for some reason I really love "novadays."

[@Dstutzbach1]

Kevin Crowe That is an awesome little happy accident!

[@artellostyle]

Kevin Crowe That`s some nasty typo :) ... hey but what about this "novadays" ?!

[@stefanmuehlenkamp]

i loved him since the first day he was born!

[@goblinkok]

This needs to be played world wide every day!!!

[@haveatomato]

Extremely talented and funny as hell. Always fun to watch.

[@user-bm4di5ns4g]

He shows us all just how glib/trite we are.

[@mikedripa1]

Way behind on the comments but I've had to have to listened to this tiny desk at least 10 times and each time is a great new experience. Thank you Reggie

[@LyndaGerry]

This is amazing. What a multi-talented man.

[@ASkippingRock]

Everyone should listen to reggie watts!

[@kcrowe29]

I love this guy.

[@madhattermd1]

I just saw him live. It was such a sick experience!

[@mongofan1]

Love Reggie Watts! What an incredible voice!

[@jackjchalmers]

f u c k ing amazing, the last song is simply amazing! Where did this guy come from!

[@ROJTHEGOAT]

he lost me when he started speaking french and german, lol he's a freaking legend

[@goldbluetears]

Dutch

[@johnjuiceshipper4963]

@@goldbluetearsbarely. He threw the word “Nederland” in there but it really was all gibberish. That’s the whole joke, it’s all *almost* a language.

[@Shakafist]

Never ever gets old. seriously people. unreal.

[@davidjarrett9604]

Talented talented man. Love this guy!

[@DirtyDjs1]

one of my favourite nu skool entertainers Mr Reggie Watts :-)

[@Kelleysmith402]

I love it! His rough image is only a build up to the climax "his musical weapons." He is an extremely talented talented individual.

[@Xplorer228]

"Rough image"??

[@bdikens]

He looks how my guardian angels better look

[@mano123456]

I had to watch the 3rd song multiple times, it's so good....... Damnnn Reggie!

[@gclark8228]

Just love Reggie's voice,it just has so much in it!

[@cia_98]

literally the first song has such an evil vibe... in love

[@BrandonDanz]

Reggie Watts is a pure genius. He improvs song #2 and even changes languages throughout the song and still manages to keep it rhyming -- UNREAL!!

[@PerMo387]

He is by far the best at what he does.

[@leweezey]

So mesmerising. In awe of his talent..