TV Review: The Henry Rollins Show - Page 2

Rollins, who comes across as a very genuine fan of music, actually engages Manson in conversation, and in turn gets his attention and gets him to actively participate in the process.

The same goes for the other two episodes on the sampler, which feature Rollins sitting and talking with Ben Stiller and John Waters. If the thought of Rollins in an intensely personal one-on-one with Marilyn Manson or Ben Stiller doesn’t immediately make you curious, allow me to promise you that the interview with John Waters certainly will. In each interview, Rollins seems comfortable and deeply interested in the person sitting right across from him, and in what they have to say.

That is so damned refreshing in a talk show.

Now, while getting to see Rollins sitting, talking, and generally picking the brains of his guests is worth the price of admission alone, there is a second part of his show. Much as a typical talk show, you see, The Rollins Show uses the bottom third of its time to feature musical artists, giving them the stage (literally) and allowing them to freely express themselves in ways that might not be so easily stomached on any of the major networks.

The musical guests on this sampler are Peaches, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, and The Mars Volta — and each one of them seem to really appreciate the openness of the situation and the ability to just play whatever the hell they feel like playing, for however long they feel like playing it.

The Mars Volta, especially, really seems to have appreciated that part of it.

Smart, funny, engaging, intelligent, and imminently entertaining, I cannot tell you the amount of phone calls that my local cable company will be getting from yours truly as I fight for IFC to become part of my available channels. The Henry Rollins Show is something that I think is worth at least that much effort on my part. Look for it on Fridays at 11:00 p.m. EST.

As a side note, the first season is currently available on Rollins’ own label, and will be mass released in June. Mine has already arrived, and has shown me that the three episodes of season two were no fluke. All three discs, comprising twenty episodes in total, are just as smart and funny.

Don’t just take my word for it, though. Head on over to IFC and check out the show for yourself; if you don’t have IFC, either pester your television provider enough to get it, or become fast friends with someone who does.

Article Author: Michael Jones

Visit Michael Jones's author page — Michael Jones's Blog