A Short Chat With Henry Rollins

Recently, I sent an email to the official website of Henry Rollins (21361.com/) to inquire about the validity of a twitter account that I came across with his name on it. A few days later, I received a short response from Hank himself letting me know that the account in question was in fact not him, nor was it directly affiliated with his work in any way. Receiving such a response might seem highly unlikely to most. However, this was not the first time that I have received correspondence from Henry Rollins. About five years ago, after a particularly difficult time in my life, I sent a short email to Henry to let him know how his music had affected my outlook on things and helped me to carry on through the bullshit. Much to my suprise at the time, I received a short but very insightful response from Henry thanking me for my email and my interest in his work. I have that email to this day. If at all possible, that short response made me respect this man even more, knowing that he took a few moments out of his ridiculously busy schedule to respond to one of what was most likely very many emails that he received.

You see, I have followed the works of Henry Rollins since his days as the lead singer of the seminal punk band Black Flag. I have read pretty much every book that he has written, seen he front his solo project, the Rollins Band on numerous occasions and attended a half a dozen or so of his spoken word shows as well. His brutal honesty and seemingly endless energy have always served as inspiration to me to keep pushing on when shit gets tough and life kicks me in the groin. In short, I admire the man and his work above most in the limelight these days. There is a honesty to his work that one seldom encounters anywhere. You may not like what Henry Rollins has to say, but at least you know that he is being straight with his words.

Back to my recent correspondence with Henry, given that he took the time to respond to my inquiry I took the opportunity to request an interview with him. His response read succintly "Dane, hi. I can answer a few questions via e-mail, past that, I am jammed. Thanks for the interest. Henry" Not wanting to pass up such an opportunity, I compiled a list of eight questions and forwarded them to Henry for reply. Below are my questions followed by his responses. True to form, his answers are short and to the point, but insightful as well. I would like to thank Henry Rollins once again for taking a few moments to respond to my emails. I look forward to seeing your performance, in whatever form it may take, the next time you are in Boston.

WB: You have a self-proclaimed reputation for working non-stop and being in perpetual motion. You travel, produce music and spoken word tours, write books and blog posts, do radio and TV and continue to produce an incredible amount of content. Do you have any ultimate goals for your life's work and what, if anything, might get you to slow down eventually?

HR: I have no goals besides getting one thing done and doing something else. Life is only what you make it so I am trying to make it interesting. I am sure that increasing age will slow me down somewhat. I don’t have the energy I did when I was twenty but I am hanging in there. It won’t be a lack of curiosity, that’s for sure.

WB: In the book Solipsist, you focused on the concept that a person can only truly know one's self and that to attempt to fully understand another person is not possible. Do you still believe this? If so, how well have you come to know yourself? Do you still discover new traits in you that you did not know where there? If so, can you explain a few?

HR: I think this is true. What you know of others is what they may tell you, could be true but is in fact hearsay, the rest of what you know of someone else is to me, a mixture of projection, assumption and judgement. I don’t think you can know anyone but yourself. I think as the years go on, you start to find more and more things out about yourself. What you like and don’t like, etc. It could also be that all the friends you lost tells you something as well, failed relationships are as instructive as the ones that remain intact. As I have grown older, I have become more patient, who would have seen that coming?

WB: I have had the pleasure of seeing several of your spoken word performances. During these shows you seem to approach the content much as you do your music, with an intensity and near-aggression that comes out not only in the content, but also your body language, in the way you stand and grip the microphone. How do you identify content that so motivates you and yet is suitable to be presented in this format? How do you approach a spoken word show differently than you would a musical performance?

HR: The material that comes up onstage has to be something I am committed to and very much behind, either with or without the band. If it moves me, I take it to the stage, that way, it’s always real and something I can throw myself into.

WB: Though you have always been outspoken politically, you have taken up specific causes only on rare occasions. Specifically, in 2003 you released a CD and toured with original members of Black Flag to raise money for the West Memphis Three, who were tried and convicted of murdering three children in 1993. (It should be noted that all three defendants' cases are still undergoing the appeals process) What drew you to the story of Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin and why do you believe so strongly in their innocence?

HR: The lack of evidence against them is the strongest indication of their innocence. That the state wouldn’t finance the DNA testing of crime scene articles says a lot about the state of the case. So, we decided to help out and raise the money for the testing. The testing lead to two interesting discoveries. One was no physical evidence that the three were there and also, the hair of one of the dead boy’s father was twisted in the bindings of one of the boys. Good thing that testing was done, I think.


WB: In the new season of the television series The Sons of Anarchy you play AJ Weston, a white supremacist. Given your experiences with the Skinhead punk culture of the early 80's and your outspoken distaste for bigotry in general, why play such a character? What are the pros and cons of giving a voice to a philosophy of hate like that embraced by this character?

HR: The pros are it is great work on a great show that has a great cast. The cons are insane letters I get asking how I could do such a thing. It’s a television show, hello!

WB: I have heard you state on several occasions that you do not see yourself as a role model. Yet you must admit that your work has a certain influence on those who follow it. It certainly has had an effect on my life. How do you reconcile these apparently contradictory perspectives? What goals do your have for your work and how do you view it in regard to it's potential to shape the views of others?

HR: Perhaps someone has gotten something from what I do. I don’t think it’s for me to think about it or abuse. If anything, it’s to be treated very carefully and kept at a safe distance. I try to be very responsible for what I say and do. I answer the mail and try to be clear as possible at all times. I know people listen to me so I am careful to be, like I said, clear. Not self-censoring, but attempting to say what I mean and mean what I say.

WB: In the course of your career, you have worked with and interviewed many famous people, including Greg Ginn (founder of Black Flag), Ian MacKaye (Fugazzi), Iggy Pop (Punk Rock Legend) Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Verner Herzog (Academy Award Winning Actor) and many others. Who is the one person who is not on that list that you would most like to work with and why? Who, if anyone, do you truly admire in this world?

HR: I can’t think of anyone I would like to work with, I take the work as I can get it. I admire Ian MacKaye the most of anyone I have ever met.

WB: As a long-time fan (I hate that word, given its roots in the word "fanatic"), I have followed your career since your days with Black Flag. One thing I have noticed is a shift in the focus of your work from outright rage and aggression to a more thoughtful perspective. How do you perceive these changes and what influences do you see in your work now that may not have been there 20 years ago?

HR: More laps around the track, that’s what it’s all about. The more you see, the more it shapes your world view. All of that finds its way into everything I do.