» Henry Rollins interview
Hardcore punk icon and former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins spoke to Nick Aldwinckle about his upcoming spoken word tour
It’s hard to believe Henry Garfield, better known as Henry Rollins, has been putting the world to rights for nearly three decades now. Since fronting influential Californian hardcore band Black Flag from 1981 until 1986, Rollins’ impact on alternative music has been huge, with hundreds of bands citing that band and his other, the Rollins Band, as a key inspiration. A true rock Renaissance man, the now nearly 50-year-old divides his time between spoken word gigs, writing, hosting US radio and TV shows and acting. Latest 7 spoke to Rollins about his upcoming spoken word tour.
How’s the radio and TV work been going?
I’ve been doing Harmony in My Head, the radio show, for about five years now and it’s fun! It’s the lowest impact; the easiest, lowest pressure gig I’ve got. The TV show’s a lot more difficult as it’s visual. This year, I’ve done three documentaries, too, for the Independent Film Channel and narrated for a documentary about world famine.
Are you looking forward to the European tour?
I always have a good time there. Last year I did five Edinburgh shows and I asked if I could come back. I’m used to not being asked back, so was excited and I’m doing eight shows!
The UK audience is quick and you can be hard on them. You can hit them hard with jokes and messages and they don’t go ‘oh, you’re hurting my feelings’!
You seem influenced by Bill Hicks. Are you a fan?
Yeah, but you can’t compare yourself to Bill Hicks. That’s like saying ‘yeah, me and Bruce Lee’! Bill Hicks was one of those rare guys who inspired a lot of people. Imagine if he’d been around for the last eight years? I’d give a year of my life if we could have seen him ride roughshod over the current US Government.
Can Barack Obama change anything?
I don’t think he’ll be president. We’re getting McCain. I can’t tell you how much I want to be wrong about that. If Obama gets in, he’ll have four years before a government bullet takes him out. He’ll have to undo eight years of wacky CIA hijinks in every Middle East country and comedians will have a boring four years.
Are you going to release any more music?
I don’t know what I can do at 47 without reiterating what I’ve done before and it becomes ritual. I’ve done it so much I’m in no rush to do it again. The Rollins Band reunion in 2006 felt like senior year again and made me think differently about the old songs. I love those songs, but going out and doing them at my age makes me feel like I’ve got nothing else to do.
People like Mick Jagger underachieve when they play the same old songs all the time. I don’t want to rest on my laurels. I like the idea of writing with new people I don’t know, but I don’t know what I can offer really.
The talking shows, I can change from night to night, so it’s more interesting to me than singing ‘Louie Louie’ again.
Do you think your personality obscures your work?
The two go hand in hand, and I don’t think my work should be taken with any great degree of seriousness.
Is the public Rollins different to the real Henry?
Sir, that’s a very good question, because I honestly don’t know. People send me my interviews and I just don’t read them. The last thing I want to read about is me, and the last thing you want to see when you’re nearly 50 is a photo of yourself starting to look like your dad.
I’ve got a handful of laps left around the track before I need my John McCain adult diaper, so I’ve got to make the most of my time.
Henry Rollins, Komedia, Wednesday 13 August
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