Kelly Clarkson Goes Punk?

Minutemen/Stooges bassist Mike Watt will play on Clarkson's new album.

Move over, Chris Daughtry -- you may be American Idol's top rocker for now, but season one winner Kelly Clarkson is hot on your heels. Continuing her evolution from pop princess to bonafide rock chick, Clarkson is beefing up the sound on her forthcoming third album by recruiting a real ringer -- legendary punk bassist Mike Watt, who started his career with the influential Minutemen and more recently has taken up bass duties with reformed punk pioneers The Stooges.

Talking with Billboard magazine, Watt confessed that he showed up at the studio knowing little about Clarkson and her accomplishments. "I heard that Kelly won some game show, but I was really impressed how she sang her ass off," Watt said. "I ended up playing on six of the songs.... [The producer] let me try all kinds of stuff like fuzz bass, fills and solos.... It was intense."

Watt's focus is now back on the Iggy Pop-fronted Stooges, who release their first new album in more than 30 years, The Weirdness, on March 30th. But, he says, "I'm really glad I had the experience [with Kelly] -- it was trippy and everyone gave me much respect."