Henry Rollins @ The Murray Theater
by Ricky Vigil [ricky@slugmag.com]
Online Exclusive / Posted November 18, 2008 More Exclusives
Henry Rollins
11.10.08
Murray Theater
Henry Rollins
When I was fifteen, Henry Rollins was my god. Not only was Rollins in one of the angriest punk rock bands of all time (Black Flag, of course), but he was also one of the angriest writers I'd ever read. Plus, he provided the voice for a character in one of the Batman animated movies, which was a plus in my fifteen year old mind. Rollins appealed to me not only because he was angry, but because he was angry and smart. He didn't self-destruct on booze and drugs and he didn't throw his own shit at the crowd. Instead, Rollins channeled his anger into a positive force, whether it be campaigning for gay rights, releasing a benefit album to free the West Memphis Three, or simply publishing his writing so that the angry, confused fifteen year olds of the world had something to connect to. Rollins' unadulterated anger towards the world in general coupled with his desire to see it changed will appeal to disgruntled teenagers for years to come, though this night at The Murray Theater, the crowd was treated to something of a kinder, gentler Rollins.
Rollins started his spoken word performance with an obligatory Bush-bashing. However, I found it interesting that Rollins painted Bush not as a the bad guy, but as an inconsequential guy surrounded by bad people. So many are quick to blame a single person for the problems faced by our nation today, yet no one thinks about why we really are where we are and where the blame really lies. Of course, Rollins spiced up his delivery of the obligatory Bush-bashing with lots of humor, comparing George Bush's forehead to a fearsome pair of clenching jaws, and comparing Bush's delivery of the English language to the experimental poetry of e.e. cummings. Rollins then told of his experience of the previous Tuesday, watching election coverage in Washington, DC with Ian MacKaye's family and crying along with MacKaye's wife when they learned Barack Obama had won. Surprisingly, this opening bit was about as deep as Rollins would delve into politics, focusing the majority of his two-and-a-half hour performance on humorous anecdotes.
One of the more ridiculous moments of the night was Rollins' explanation of his unlikely friendship with William Shatner. Shatner recruited Rollins to record a song on one of his albums, and the unlikely pair hit it off. Rollins' impression of Shatner was incredibly over the top, and apart from the sheer absurdity of Rollins and Shatner being friends, the impression really mad the bit work. Rollins even spent last Thanksgiving with Shatner's family, where he was a big hit with the kids because of his willingness to eat any and all gross things they handed to him. Rollins also relayed tales of working on a new movie with Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Rollins will be playing a priest), his unusual propensity for being hit with things while on stage (including a quarter in the teeth in SLC circa 1986), and being "randomly" given an enhanced body search at the Los Angeles International airport. This last bit was particularly entertaining, as Rollins was given a full-body, intense frisk as he struggled not to giggle like a little girl because he is so ticklish. Also humorous was Rollins' description of the LAX security officers reading his journal aloud, and how truly ridiculous Rollins' world-hating diatribes sound when being read in the company of others.
11.10.08
Murray Theater
Henry Rollins
When I was fifteen, Henry Rollins was my god. Not only was Rollins in one of the angriest punk rock bands of all time (Black Flag, of course), but he was also one of the angriest writers I'd ever read. Plus, he provided the voice for a character in one of the Batman animated movies, which was a plus in my fifteen year old mind. Rollins appealed to me not only because he was angry, but because he was angry and smart. He didn't self-destruct on booze and drugs and he didn't throw his own shit at the crowd. Instead, Rollins channeled his anger into a positive force, whether it be campaigning for gay rights, releasing a benefit album to free the West Memphis Three, or simply publishing his writing so that the angry, confused fifteen year olds of the world had something to connect to. Rollins' unadulterated anger towards the world in general coupled with his desire to see it changed will appeal to disgruntled teenagers for years to come, though this night at The Murray Theater, the crowd was treated to something of a kinder, gentler Rollins.
Rollins started his spoken word performance with an obligatory Bush-bashing. However, I found it interesting that Rollins painted Bush not as a the bad guy, but as an inconsequential guy surrounded by bad people. So many are quick to blame a single person for the problems faced by our nation today, yet no one thinks about why we really are where we are and where the blame really lies. Of course, Rollins spiced up his delivery of the obligatory Bush-bashing with lots of humor, comparing George Bush's forehead to a fearsome pair of clenching jaws, and comparing Bush's delivery of the English language to the experimental poetry of e.e. cummings. Rollins then told of his experience of the previous Tuesday, watching election coverage in Washington, DC with Ian MacKaye's family and crying along with MacKaye's wife when they learned Barack Obama had won. Surprisingly, this opening bit was about as deep as Rollins would delve into politics, focusing the majority of his two-and-a-half hour performance on humorous anecdotes.
One of the more ridiculous moments of the night was Rollins' explanation of his unlikely friendship with William Shatner. Shatner recruited Rollins to record a song on one of his albums, and the unlikely pair hit it off. Rollins' impression of Shatner was incredibly over the top, and apart from the sheer absurdity of Rollins and Shatner being friends, the impression really mad the bit work. Rollins even spent last Thanksgiving with Shatner's family, where he was a big hit with the kids because of his willingness to eat any and all gross things they handed to him. Rollins also relayed tales of working on a new movie with Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Rollins will be playing a priest), his unusual propensity for being hit with things while on stage (including a quarter in the teeth in SLC circa 1986), and being "randomly" given an enhanced body search at the Los Angeles International airport. This last bit was particularly entertaining, as Rollins was given a full-body, intense frisk as he struggled not to giggle like a little girl because he is so ticklish. Also humorous was Rollins' description of the LAX security officers reading his journal aloud, and how truly ridiculous Rollins' world-hating diatribes sound when being read in the company of others.
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