Great Falls, MT

Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again

By: Reggie Watts

Narrated by: Reggie Watts

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Comedian and musician Reggie Watts shares his story of growing up in Montana as a biracial oddball struggling to navigate life, girls, drugs, and his own identity in America’s heartland—and having a blast doing it.

Reggie Watts is weird. But you knew that. Anyone who’s seen his multifaceted, entirely improvised comedy and music shows knows that. Reggie Watts is also from the town of Great Falls, MT.

These two facts are not unrelated.

Watts grew up in Montana in the ‘80s, half French, half American, half white, half Black, speaking a bunch of different languages and slipping between the orchestra geeks and the football jocks until he finally found a squad of fellow misfits with an affinity for trouble. It was a wide-open time and place that invited freedom and exploration—as well as car theft and the not infrequent use of recreational cough syrup. And it helped him become the uniquely strange creative voice he is today.

In Great Falls, MT, Watts takes us through his story, hitting on the culture shock he experienced after moving from Europe to the heart of America, where he was called racial slurs by neighbors but wasn’t Black enough for his father’s extended family. Where he fought with his authoritarian dad, built a new family of antiestablishment, post-punk oddballs—and ultimately knew he had to leave. But after Watts’s career exploded in Seattle and New York, ultimately scoring him a nightly place next to James Corden on The Late Late Show, he found himself drawn back to his hometown after the deaths of his parents. This is his love letter to the town that made him. But like love itself, it’s messy and complicated and dirty and beautiful—and as weird and wonderful as Watts himself.

©2023 Reggie Watts (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"*A Vulture Best Comedy Book of 2023*

"Reminiscent of experimental meta-memoirs like A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Great Falls, MT is earnest, optimistic, and future-forward but also nostalgic for (and critical of) times gone by, particularly the ’90s grunge boom and that greater Pacific Northwest–based cultural moment." –Vulture

“This gripping memoir is equal parts relatable small-town upbringing and unfathomable noise-wizard jazz-clown origin story. Eleventy stars!” –Nick Offerman

“Great Falls, MT deepens my understanding of Reggie Watts while keeping the mysteriousness around his incredible art intact. How did this brilliant, wonderful person get here? This book makes his path seem like something more logical than improbable. Of course he became this person! It’s the same way I feel about Liverpool and The Beatles, or Minneapolis and Prince." –Fred Armisen

Beyond Delicious

Excellent book read by the man himself. Sounds wonderful in your ear holes and will make you feel all of the feels.

From another Great Falls Transplant!

Wow! Great book! Touching stories, relatable, mentally visualizing! Thanks Reggie from another Great Falls Transplant! My dad retired from the navy and my mom is from Montana, they chose Great Falls to retire. I went to CMR but I know GFH and could see it in my mind. Listened to your book when driving back and fourth from Missoula to Great Falls for work. I work at the hospitals in both cities. You made me cry, yell in excitement, and relate to robotussin. Thanks man wish I had met missed you at the NewBerry. awsome book, Awesome stories, amazing time listening!!

Heartwarming and Inspiring

Much more heartwarming and touching than I expected. Reggie found a way to make me laugh and cry.

Reggie is just a good human.

Liked it all. Sounds like he had a great upbringing. Looking forward to the next one.

Ideal combo of heartfelt, adventurous and stupid

What a story. Reggie is probably the best narrator ever. Definitely listen rather than read as then you receive all the music, sounds, accents and voices.

Throved

Apparently you need a recommendation. Well. Good luck. Enjoy the rest. Prepare to thrive. Throve in a retro throwback sense.

Excellent

Great book about how Reggie became Reggie. Beautifully written and performed. The ending had me in sloppy tears.

The insightful and evocative story of Reggie Watts & Great Falls, MT.

I loved all the memories it brought back of my former home and of the strange and wonderful group of young people that I was so lucky to get to know.

Weird Master Triple black belt

I too adore a good shoe horn bla bla bla bla bla bla 15 words

Thank you!

I think you should continue writing books about great falls, but that’s just me. Thank you!