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Henry Rollins

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Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins (born February 13, 1961 as Henry Lawrence Garfield) is an American Grammy Award-winning hardcore/punk singer/songwriter; spoken word artist, book author (prose and poetry), radio and TV personality; occasional movie actor, comedian, and voice-over artist. He is most famous for his work with the hardcore punk band Black Flag.

Biography

Rollins was born in Washington, D.C. His parents divorced when he was young, and Rollins was raised primarily by his mother, Iris. He was prescribed Ritalin as a child and was sent to the The Bullis School, a Washington, D.C. military school. He disliked the authoritarian atmosphere and the then-boys-only campus, which impeded his early attempts at dating and made him uncomfortable around women for several years. More positively, he said Bullis helped instill in him a sense of discipline and a strong work ethic. It was at military school that he began to develop his muscular build, which later led to what is known as the "most hardcore neck in music."

Rollins became involved in the punk scene through his close friend Ian MacKaye (who would later head Minor Threat and Fugazi). Bad Brains was one of Rollins's favorite groups; singer H.R. would sometimes coax Rollins onstage to sing with them. Rollins then joined S.O.A. (State of Alert), which released one EP before disbanding. Rollins worked at a number of jobs (including at the National Institutes of Health), before becoming the manager of a Häagen-Dazs ice cream store; his steady employment and work ethic enabled him to finance the recording and pressing of the S.O.A. EP.

In 1981, his friend Mitch Parker gave him a copy of Black Flag's Nervous Breakdown EP. Rollins soon became a huge fan and began exchanging letters with the group. When Black Flag toured the East coast, playing Washington D.C. and New York City, Rollins attended as many performances as he could. At an impromptu show in a bar, he asked to sing "Clocked In." As vocalist Dez Cadena was switching to guitar, the band invited Rollins to a rehearsal. Impressed by his stage demeanor, they asked him to become their permanent vocalist. Despite some doubts, he accepted, due in part to MacKaye's encouragement. His high level of energy and intense personality made him a perfect fit as their frontman.

As Rollins become more heavily tattooed he wore less clothing on stage. Often as lead singer of Black Flag and the Rollins Band he would hit the stage barechested and barefoot wearing only a pair of black shorts.

Rollins toured and recorded with Black Flag from 1981 until their breakup in 1986. During Rollins' tenure, Black Flag's music underwent dramatic changes. Though guitarist Greg Ginn was the primary songwriter, Rollins wrote a number of songs with Black Flag.

Throughout most of his time with Black Flag, Rollins kept a diary of his thoughts and experiences. In 1994 he published these diaries as Get In The Van; the book also featured many photographs, as well as Rollins' reminiscences of his time with the group before he kept a diary. Rollins read portions of Get In The Van for an audio book; this recording won a Grammy. Rollins later characterized the entire affair as "corny" and gave his Grammy statuette to an acquaintance.[citation needed]

Rollins began publishing his own books during his time with Black Flag. His early efforts were self-made volumes (photocopied and stapled), though he quickly began printing chapbooks before moving on to establish 2.13.61, an independent publisher named after his birthday.

After Black Flag broke up in early 1986, Rollins quickly formed a new group and released a solo album and an EP with guitarist Chris Haskett. Soon, he added former Gone members Andrew Weiss and Sim Cain, calling the new group the Rollins Band. They gained popularity through the strength of albums like The End of Silence (1992) and Weight (1994). He also gained roles in movies and television shows (particularly as a VJ on MTV) and recorded a cover of AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock" in 1991 with the Hard-Ons.

Beginning in his later years in Black Flag, he has toured as a spoken-word artist, focusing mostly on social topics, as well as recounting his life experiences. His blend of self-deprecating humor and serious discussion of important social issues has gained him great popularity. He has released nine spoken-word albums through his 2.13.61 publishing company (and several through other record companies); 2.13.61 has also released books by Rollins, Joe Cole, Nick Zedd, Nick Cave and Michael Gira, as well as albums by Rollins Band, Exene Cervenka, Hubert Selby Jr., The Birthday Party, and Gun Club.

Also while in Black Flag, Rollins met Joe Cole, an acquaintance of Ginn. In December 1991, Rollins and Cole were robbed at the home they shared. Cole was murdered by a shot to the head, and while Rollins escaped without injury, the crime remains unsolved. Most of Rollins' subsequent efforts have been dedicated to his late friend's memory.

Rollins is an avowed free jazz fan, having released albums by Matthew Shipp and Roscoe Mitchell on his 2.13.61 label. In 1990, Rollins guest-hosted a Los Angeles, California college radio program and devoted much of this appearance to saxophone player Albert Ayler's music. [1]


Radio and television work

On May 17, 2004, Rollins began hosting a weekly radio show, Harmony In My Head (named after a favorite Buzzcocks song) on Los Angeles' Indie 103.1 radio. The show aired every Monday evening, with Rollins playing a variety of rock, punk, rap and jazz music. He put the show on what would be an indefinite hiatus, with the last show airing on December 27, 2004, in order to undergo a spoken-word tour in early 2005. An expanded edition of Rollins' song lists and show notes of the first run of the show were published by 2.13.61 in November 2005 by fan demand as the book Fanatic. In late 2005, Rollins announced the return to the airwaves of Harmony in My Head; Internet users can listen online every Tuesday evening from 8 to 10 p.m., PST, at http://www.indie1031.fm, as of December 27, 2005.

Rollins is a co-host of the television program Full Metal Challenge on TLC, as well as the host of a weekly series called The Henry Rollins Show on the Independent Film Channel (IFC) airing every Saturday night at 10 p.m. The show is described this way on its official Web site http://henryrollins.ifc.com/:

"Henry Rollins unveils the independent alternative to late night programming with his unique take on music, film, politics and pop culture with the help from intelligent celebrity guests and the most eclectic musical performances on television."

Prior to his weekly series on IFC, Rollins was a host of Henry's Film Corner, a monthly look at movies and cinema.

In 2004, he became an outspoken human rights activist, most vocally a crusader for gay rights. He has pinpointed the rights for gays to marry as a "vital issue impeding on the rights of Americans today." He was the host of a benefit concert called "WedRock" to raise money for a pro-gay-marriage organization. During the 2003 Iraq War, he started touring with the United Service Organizations (USO) to entertain troops overseas, despite his personal opposition to the war and the Bush administration[2]. Rollins has also been very active in the campaign to free the "West Memphis Three" - three young men who many believe are wrongly accused of murder. Rollins appears with Public Enemy frontman Chuck D on Black Flag song "Rise Above" on "Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three," a benefit album to help pay for the West Memphis Three defense fund. He also appears on a number of other songs.

Trivia

  • Rollins appeared as himself in the video game Def Jam: Fight for NY as the main character's trainer. His Blazing Move in the game is called 2.13.61, which is also the name of his publishing company and his birthday.
  • Rollins makes a cameo appearance in the music video for 3rd Bass "Pop Goes the Weasel" as a "Vanilla Ice" parody character.
  • In an interview with Howard Stern, Rollins answered the query regarding rumours he keeps the remains of his former roommate Joe Cole's "brains in a jar." Reliving the chilling encounter and subsequent investigation leading to Cole's murder, Rollins explains that he could not bring himself to dispose of the bloodied-earth that was left behind by crime scene investigators. He stated he retained the materials in a container rather than cruelly dispose of them.
  • Rollins is mentioned in the song "You Need A Hug," which appears on the album End is Forever by The Ataris.
  • Rollins is mentioned in the song, "Feeling Bad" from the album, "How To Meet Girls" by Nerf Herder- "...Thought I'd look like Henry Rollins, But I still look like Phil Collins..." (in reference to working out at a gym)
  • Rollins is the main topic in the song, "Henry Rollins Is No Fun" from the self-titled album by Chixdiggit, a Canadian punk band, that focuses on his latter years of political views. He is also the main topic in the song, "Hardcore Man" from the album "Wally World" by Wally Pleasant, a humorous folk singer, that is a sort of tribute to Rollins' physicality and political views. The intro of the song parodies "Family Man" by Black Flag ("Do you want the hardcore man or the swingin' man?")
  • Rollins is mentioned in the song I'm A Swing It by House of Pain.
  • Rollins contributed a spoken-word piece to the song "Bottom", which appears on the album "Undertow" by Tool.

Discography

File:Henry Rollins of Black Flag.jpg
Rollins in 1983

Musical releases

Spoken word releases

Spoken word DVDs

State of Alert releases

Misfits Releases

Black Flag releases

Rollins Band releases

Wartime releases

Minor Threat releases

Miscellaneous

Books

  • 20
  • 1000 Ways to Die 2.13.61 Publications
  • Knife Street 2.13.61 Publications
  • High Adventure in the Great Outdoors 2.13.61 Publications
  • Pissing in the Gene Pool 2.13.61 Publications
  • Bang! 2.13.61 Publications
  • Art To Choke Hearts 2.13.61 Publications
  • One from None - 1987 Publishers 2.13.61 Publications 1991 ISBN 1-880985-04-7
  • End to End 2.13.61 Publications
  • Body Bag - Compilation of Two Thirteen Sixy One, End To End and Polio Flesh. Creation Press.
  • See A Grown Man Cry 2.13.61 Publications
  • Black Coffee Blues 2.13.61 Pubns.
  • Now Watch Him Die 2.13.61 Publications, 1993
  • Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag 2.13.61 Publications (1994) ISBN 1-880985-24-1
  • Eye Scream 2.13.61 Pubns, (October 1996) ISBN 1-880985-32-2
  • See a Grown Man Cry, Now Watch Him Die 2.13.61 Pubns, (August 1997) ISBN 1-880985-37-3
  • Henry Rollins: The First Five 2.13.61 Pubns, (October 1997) ISBN 1-880985-51-9
  • Solipsist 2.13.61 Publications, (August 1998) ISBN 1-880985-59-4
  • The Portable Henry Rollins Villard, (February 10, 1998) ISBN 0-375-75000-2
  • Do I Come Here Often? (Black Coffee Blues, Pt. 2), Shannon Wheeler (Illustrator) 2.13.61 Pubns, (December 1998) ISBN 1-880985-61-6
  • Smile, You're Traveling (Black Coffee Blues Part 3) 2.13.61 Pubns, (October 1, 2000) ISBN 1-880985-69-1
  • Broken Summers 2.13.61 Publications, (November 2003) ISBN 1-880985-75-6
  • Unwelcomed Songs Two Thirteen Sixty-One Pubns, (September 2002) ISBN 1-880985-71-3
  • Fanatic! Song lists and notes from the Harmony In My Head Radio Show 2.13.61 publications, 2005
  • Roomanitarian 2.13.61 publications, Nov. 2005
  • A Dull Roar 2.13.61 publications, Nov. 2006

Film and video

Sources

Wikiquote has quotations related to Henry Rollins.

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