Dutch songwriter/guitarist Ad van Meurs started out playing keyboards in a folk-rock band called Deirdre in the mid-'70s. After the punk revolution, he switched to guitar and formed the punk band Bleistift. By the early '80s, the group had become an experimental noise band, including van Meurs's girlfriend, Ankie Keulthes. In 1983, the duo formed World According To, a less abstract band, featuring Keulthes on lead vocals. When Keulthes took time off to have a child, Ad van Meurs began his solo career under the name of
the Watchman. The group supported
Alex Chilton,
Michelle Shocked and
Jonathan Richman, and released a self-titled album for Rykodisc in 1991. ~ John Bush