Biography
Author/Illustrator, Tony 'Tex' Watt ('What's Inside Your Gut, Shmut?: The Tragic First Tale of The World's Last Dumbosaurus!'), is also a veteran in the 21st Century cinematic exploitation field (& in 2005 one of the creators of the word 'web-isode', when he previewed chapters his early B-movie features , on Youtube ...as well as co-trademarking the word 'Fassage' [Facial & Massage], for his popular Toronto-based holistic Spa/ Fassage & Apothecary] businesses). ) and the last great apostle of self-idealized (& romanticized) rugged North American Individualism... Watt is a Canadian multimedia artist (filmmaker, t.v. horror-host [as: Kount Kracula], actor, singer/ songwriter, Alt recording artist, musician, former radio host and live stage performer) & member of Vom, a Canadian recording Act (as well as a solo performer and freaky kooky, crack-vampire Horror Host: Kount Kracula). Of Irish & Jewish descent (but, raised Baptist) , Watt was born in Kingston Jamaica, in the west indies. Watt generally likes to work within the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror ( mostly with his artistic partner/muse :( Filmmaker/Actress) 'Vivita' . Tony ("Tex" to his friends), grew up mostly in Brampton, Ontario: & works as an underground/alt 'outsider' indie film-maker, T.V. producer, actor, cartoonist, musician, singer and songwriter and recording artist/former club artist. Feeling that a group is only as strong as it's weakest link; Watt's preference is to self-produce his various projects.
He started out making cheesy late-night infomercials - and soon, like many movie directors , Watt saw the horror movie genre as a launching pad to go on to bigger and better things. Watt grew up in the West Indies, the States (Florida, New York and Texas, where he got his nickname "Tex"); but, mostly in Brampton, Ontario, Canada and Toronto (Ontario: Canada).
As an independent Canadian t.v. producer ,Watt in 2002 founded the short-lived international ''Twisted Sinema'' Underground Movie Festival, after making his student film "Kracula"_(2001) qv (after taking Brampton, Ontario's Blue Sea Filmmaking course); in which he shamelessly promoted. Through said fest, he met the filmmakers from ''Primal Films'', who gave Watt acting roles in the horror b-movies: ''Awakening"_(2006) qv [aka Zombie Night 2]'' and ''Reel Zombies"_(2008) qv [aka Zombie Night 3 ]'. Through the "Twisted Sinema" show, Tony also met the Montreal based ''Robomonkey Productions'' filmmakers, who cast him in the cult-horror classic: ''Sinners & Saints''_(2004) qv , as the evil demonic ''Brimstone Milkman''.
In 2004, Watt won his first film-making award ( The New Jersey USA Film Project International's Greasefire Indiefest's award for excellence for "King Kaufman: The Passion of Lloyd"_(2008) qv , a documentary about ''Lloyd Kaufman'', the infamous b-movie" filmmaker" and founder of New York's ''Troma'' Studios) & "Dobby Dobson: An Interview with Jamaica's Music Ambassador"_(2009) . In 2009 ,Watt completed his first sci-fi/horror/fantasy film feature ''Frankenpimp''_(2009) qv, ( followed by ''Vixen Highway 2006: It Came from Uranus!''_(2010) qv & "Acid Head: The Buzzard Nuts County Slaughter"_(2011) qv & "Nosferatu vs. Father Pipecock & Sister Funk"_(2015) qv [winner of the festival 2016 Night of the Living Film Festival ] ..and others..) ; which was shaped by the culture vulture's love for the various cheesy, vintage grind-house/drive in & VHS video ''genres'' of many '50s, '60's, '70's, 80's 90's ''exploitation'' type movies. Tony once said an interview 'Life is Cheesy!' ; and he used that philosophy as a basis for the many styles he incorporates into his own self produced b-movies he produces.
Watt also commented to an interviewer during a press screening of "Frankenpimp": 'My personal filmmaking is like a documentary-type film; like they made in the '60s & '70s, like "The Chelsea Girls, 'Mean Streets", ''Taxi Driver'', ''Serpico'', ''The Chinese Connection''." ..This scene was inspired by ''Hitchcock''. He did a lot of stuff like this.. This shot, here, I got from old Bettie Page movies'.
His cinematic influences, also range from mainstream, underground, exploitation & exploitation horror, as in Hammer movies, Russ Meyer & Jean Rollins.
These themes also show up in his action movie influenced comic-book creation: "Code Name: King" ; as well as his self-produced film work.
In 2008, after creating a rowdy circus-like early afternoon ''rock'n'roll'' jam at Brampton, Ontario's Bramalea Rd. "All Star Bar and Grill" (complete with a ''bikini'' car wash); Watt soon released his debut rock& roll and Celtic influenced 10-song album: ''TonyWatt.com Plugged' (since discontinued, as he was disappointed with the weakly produced sound)', which includes an eclectic cover of the Irish Standard: ''Danny Boy'' and an original whimsical mariner's song ( he had co-written with film-making pals Lewis Mercer and Mike Burry, both from Newfoundland ) about the fictitious ship, the "King Henry III"; in which Tony & Lewis Mercer mused,'All of the (traditional) songs about seafaring are so depressing... with scurvy and rats. We figured(they must've had a song that was positive.'
A dedicated rocker, he turned on to the charms of Celtic music from his visits to Brampton's "Lar Na nGael" Irish Center:'I started digging into the Celtic stuff,, because if you like ''Led Zeppelin'', they've always done that stuff like ''Battle of Evermore'' or ''Goin' to California'', which is kind of Celtic.' Watt also uses his recorded music to soundtracks of his movies.
In 2013 Tex Watt produced: Kount Kracula's Review Showcase, a campy, gothic, Toronto, Canada-based (comic-book/graphic novel/movie /pop-culture ephemera) review showcase series; featuring:horror-host Kount Kracula, with a cast of groovy ghoulies!.
In 2018, Watt (as Kount Kracula,) added Kid-Lit Author/Illustrator to his resume, with 'What's Inside Your Gut, Shmut?: The Tragic First Tale of The World's Last Dumbosaurus!', with another upcoming picture-book (based on his cats & wife & advert flyer) 'Vivita: the Spa Therapist, Saves The Universe!', as well as a novel adaptation of his upcoming film: 'Bird Of Steel'!
