In this interview I talk with all round artistic individual Henry Rollins. Henry was frontman for Black Flag and then his group Rollins Band. He is a writer, he has acted, he is many things. Above all else Henry uses his voice to speak truth to Power.
A somewhat solitary and mysterious individual he has never shied away from human expression and a deep sensitivity in his service to others.
Above image by photographer
Ross Halfin
rosshalfin.com
website for Henry Rollins
henryrollins.com
publishing company
twothirteensixtyone
YouTube
Official Henry Rollins
Rollins Band :: Live @ Auditorium Flog, Florence, Italy, 6/11/92
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Rollins Band (BBC 1993) [05]. Live Footage in Birmingham,UK
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Henry Rollins on Alcohol, Drugs and His Reagan Era Tattoos | Ep. 5 3/3 ARTST TLK | Reserve Channel
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Spotify
Henry Rollins
KCRW
kcrw.com/music/shows/henry-rollins
Instagram
henryandheidi
Twitter
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Britannica
britannica.com/biography/Henry-Rollins
Henry Rollins
Good To See You Tour (2023)
ticketmaster.henry-rollins
Thoughts on buildings and uses of spaces?
It is the story of the city dweller. How does one live a comfortable/functional life with limited space? Space equals freedom equals income. For years, I lived in very small places. Now I live in a place with a fair amount of space, nothing grand, but I still live in a small space mind-set. I have always appreciated smart use of space. When I started touring Europe a lot, I was taken with the high ceilings in some of the rooms I saw on the continent, how rooms catch natural light, how they light via artificial light. Almost all rooms I see I try to figure out how to arrange a workspace.
Are you interested in engineering?
If so what types?
Not really. Not that it’s not an interesting field. A lot of things go over my head, aspects of build and structure falls in that category.
Is Art powerful?
I think it can be quite powerful. It’s great to see kids at galleries stare at paintings or sculpture and you see all the wheels turning as they think new thoughts and interpret the work as they see it, they realize they have an opinion, an imagination. That’s the kind of power I’m talking about. A young person feels like he or she doesn’t fit in with their family, or schoolmates, then they see the work of an artist, and suddenly, they have somewhere to go, a world opens up. Art considered this way, it is very powerful. I wish more priority was put on connecting young people with art. It could be part of national defence spending.
How does music impact culture?
In America, Jazz music is part and parcel of the Civil Rights Movement. Punk Rock kept Rock and Roll from dying and launched some of the best music ever made in the Western World. I think music impacts culture by opening up young people’s minds and makes them better adults. It can be a tool to promote integration. I don’t think music can stop a war but it informs and is the stuff of culture.
Give your definition of the word Thespian?
Someone who acts.
Are you interested in nutrition and diet?
Yes. I have found that the better I eat, the better results I get. More energy, less stress, less depression. In my line of work, there’s a lot of expectation and obligation. I’m always looking for anything that will help me do my work better and good ingredients going in has been helpful. The older I get, the more it matters.
What books do you read?
History. Books by journalists like Robert Fisk, books about bands and musicians. Pretty much anything but fiction and literature. I gave that up many years ago. I miss it but I think all that’s behind me. I have a different consideration of time now that I’m older. For me, literature, which I love, from a time when I knew less, seen less. In a way, my curiosity and experiences have kind of ruined me for fiction.
What subjects interest you?
American politics and the history of political corruption in America, music, records, record collecting, travel, climate change, world history, presidential and writer’s biographies.
Describe yourself?
Nobody from nowhere. Opportunist. Dead for many years.
Joshua Phillip
Rorschach Art Publication
rorschacharchives.blogspot.com