The performer also opened up about his childhood and the process of writing his memoir
Off-the-cuff performances are what beatboxers do best. On the latest episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, special guest Reggie Watts shifted into musician mode with ease when the host asked for a quick crash course in the quirky musical style.
Hudson was meant to be picking up some beatboxing herself but was so enthralled by Watts’ performance that she ended up just watching in awe — until she got the idea to lay down a vocal over his percussive beat. Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” was their choice of song for the segment.
During the episode, Watts also opened up about his close relationship with his late mother, shifting the tone from playful to quite emotional. “I thought it would be good to get her story, but not from me asking about it,” the musician and actor explained about having his mother interviewed for his memoir. “My friend’s dad spoke French, and he called in on Skype. He and my mom had an interview, and I was there listening to it. But it was just really cool to hear her [tell] all the details of stories I hadn’t heard before.”
The conversation was recorded to include, in parts, in his memoir Great Falls, MT: Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again, released in October. “It’s been out for a little bit, but people have read it, and they said, ‘Thanks for writing this book because I felt like an outsider growing up, I felt like I had to figure out who I was,’” Watts shared. “That was kind of the main reason I wanted to get it out there.”