Henry Rollins might just be my hero: legendary front man for Black Flag and Rollins Band, author, actor, spoken word performer (amongst other things), the man lives to create.
But that’s really just the start of it.
I rolled through the California desert this very evening, sand blowing my car sideways with the bite and power of the wind. I was tired, over-caffeinated, peevish, cold and clammy and rattled. I had to make a round-trip of around 250 miles, and thankfully my iPod was souped up and powered up. Random shuffle popped on a spoken word performance by Rollins from the late 90s.
And the rest of the night was cake.
Rollins has the ability to take a fairly ordinary, somewhat interesting musician’s anecdote (in this case a series of incidents in which Rollins desperately wants to outperform fellow legend Iggy Pop on stage) and turn it into a self-effacing, laugh-out-loud tour de force. The story telling begins in a relatively even voice as Rollins doles out only as much information as his audience needs to know. During the first part of the tale, concerning an early 90s concert in which Rollins and Pop were on the same bill, Rollins explains that the far older Iggy “blew my ass off the stage.” By the time the climax of the story hits, during the third attempt of Rollins to upstage Iggy, Rollins is screaming, exhorting, working himself up into the same spirit that fueled his artist-commando siege upon the House of Pop.
A classic vengeance story is born. Rollins carefully, colorfully, and hilariously builds up the conflict in the story: the "aw shucks" one moment, raging rock demon another Iggy versus the single-minded musician-assassin set out upon a course of redemption.
The brilliance is in how far Rollins is willing to go in poking fun at himself. The audience is treated to a word portrait of Rollins in full military/Buddhist/samurai-style training to finally match Iggy's stagemanship at a Finland rock festival in 1998. The bill? The Cure ("Pretty good songwriter," Rollins says of front man Robert Smith, "but what's up with his whole pose, and that hair? How did he pick that?") backed by Iggy Pop and Rollins Band. Rollins lets us see and enjoy how much of a maniac he became in the pursuit of his goal, how others around him were amused or appalled (his own backing band, "real musicians," thought he was an "asshole," Rollins tells us).
Article comments
1 - gonzo marx
End of Silence is one of the finest "underground" albums i know of..and epitomizes what Rollins does best in his music..IMO..
i also feel that his ability in spoken word sometimes far outshines what he can do with a band..he seems to feel more comfortable..and has a depth in his Storytelling not available in the tracks of a CD...
just my one sixth billionths of the World's Opinion...
what's yours?
Excelsior!
2 - Mark Saleski
total agreement on End of Silence.
it almost sounds like a jazz band playing hardcore.
brutal.
3 - Chris Beaumont
I saw him relate that story at a January '04 show. It was absolutely amazing. I have a pair of his DVD's (Luna Park and Shock & Awe) and they are brilliant.
4 - Eric Berlin
Chris: I heard the Luna Park version, and you said it right. Absolutely amazing.
Gonzo: I largely agree with your assertion that spoken word is Rollins at his best. I'm not a huge fan of his music. I like some of it, love about five tracks, and can do without the rest.
I saw Rollins give a spoken word performance live in Binghamton, NY in early 1996 and it was influential to me on a number of levels. I recommend to anyone who has never seen/heard this unique blend of comedy, philosophy, and intense analysis of all things to go do so pronto.
5 - DJRadiohead
There was a time when I hated U2, so I loved the way Rollins would take the piss out of them. It still makes me laugh.
6 - Chris Beaumont
I actually prefer the Shock & Awe disk, that was the tour I saw him on and watching it is like being back in the audience. The theater even looks like the one I saw him in.
7 - gonzo marx
to Chris...
it sounds like you really enjoyed the Show..i am glad you got to see him perform..it is always good Stuff...
End of Silence holds special meaning for me beyond the excellence of the Work itself...my old drummer was in a band called Dirge that used to play with Black Flag whenever Henry was in the NYC area..
End of Silence was Rollins' first foray back into music after BF..and meant another Chapter in hardcore for a lot of us in that Scene at the time...
to Mark...
yep..very much jazz sensibilities with heavy voicings...it was more common than you might think amongst some in the genre..add thoughtful Poetry and i'm so there..
i tend to go with that type of "feel"...Rush, Tool and Motorhead being my Trinity of music...
good to read that others are into Henry...if anyone reads this and doesn't know what we are talking about...run..don't walk to your favorite sound supplier and buy some NOW!!
nuff said
Excelsior!
8 - alienboy
I actually worked with Henry Rollins for a few years. He's pretty much the same in real life as in persona. Gotta agree with Gonzo though, he's way better as a storyteller than as a rock singer.
And he can train all he wants, he could never out-Iggy Iggy!
9 - Eric Berlin
I think Rollins' appeal is in that he's brutally honest: therein lies the humor and stand-up philosophy.
I agree with you Alienboy: I think Rollins gets by on passion and intensity more than musicianship as a singer/frontman.
Spoken word is his calling though -- he's absolutely riveting.
10 - Temple Stark
Great barration of your experience Eric. I was going to Advance this, but I can't tag it to anything recent. Still .. thank you.
He's pretty good on the page as well. his Black Coffee Blues - excellent. Except for the poetry.
Twas the Night Before Christmas ....
11 - Temple Stark
sigh, nope not a cold - "great narration ...."
12 - Eric Berlin
Thanks Temple.
Drink lots of fluids!
13 - Lono
I am a huge fan of his spoken word work, it is brilliant. However, his music is about the most intolerable thing on earth to me. I appreciate hard, I appreciate punk and metal too. However, Hank's music is just him screaming.
His storytelling is better. Words carefully chosen for effect, always self effacing... and funny at any cost.