Tuesday, October 02, 2007

I wonder about Henry Rollins

People know Henry Rollins these days as the kind of blockheaded-looking, kind of belligerent-acting but strangely charming and intelligent host of his own talk show. Lots of people know him as the man who broadcast an open letter to Ann Coulter in which he invited her to be his domestic slave ("Come on Ann, you fucking psycho - let's do this"). But I remember Henry Rollins as the guy who spent the 1980s screaming at me from the safety of my stereo.

Remember Black Flag? That was some good old California shoutin' hardcore, the kind of music you could, you know, shred to if you had a mind. Here's a few clips of Henry Rollins from now and way back when.

Letter to Carrot Top


TV Party


Rise Above & American Waste


America Is Under Attack

10 comments:

Jamielynnlynn said...

De-lurking because your wife made me do it and realizing... I don't think I've ever commented on your blog even though I've read it for a year or so now. Well. Ahem. Hi! And, I enjoy the writing! And, that's all. Back to lurking!

Elan Morgan said...

I loves me some Rollins.

savia said...

Delurking, mo-fo!! I'm talking to you on the phone right now. And now I'm talking as I'm typing. And this makes no sense. So I'm stopping now.

palinode said...

Me too.

Memarie Lane said...

I love Henry, but I'm from California. Go figure.

Anonymous said...

De-lurking after reading lots. 'Cept I think I commented here once before, but anywho: My introduction to Henry Rollins was as a punk-wannabe 9th grader in Ottawa's suburbs, who'd been turned on by a friend to Furnaceface's then-only release, Let It Down. I had no idea who he was or why he was important to the history of the music I was listening to. All I knew was that the opening sample on the (now-classic) track "My Girlfriend Thinks She's Fat" of Henry yelling "Men! Are PIIIIIGS! YEEEEEEEAH!" rang true with some kind of indescribably primal depth that literally sent chills up my spine the first time I heard it. Good on ya for reminding me of that moment!

loren said...

"Deranged is the new 22."

I'll let my sister know - she's about halfway to the institution anyways.

Happy mofo delurk day!

palinode said...

It's good to have some mofos delurk and say hello. I'm glad that I entertained a bit and stirred up a few memories for y'all.

Deb Rox said...

Make a fist and punch it in the air...yeah!

Elsa said...

The younger students with whom I sometimes work raise no eyebrows when I ask them to speak up and point to my bad ear --- slight hearing loss fits in well with their perception of the respectable gray-haired late-30s figure I have somehow become.

They do gargle on their own tongues if I tell them how I damaged that ear. "Blew it out at a Black Flag show when I was fifteen. Rollins, man."

I like that moment.