Henry Rollins

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Henry Rollins (born February 13, 1961) is an American rock music singer and songwriter; he's also been active as a storyteller, author, actor, poet, comedian, and radio and tv personality. He lives in Los Angeles, California, but recently stated that he was moving back to his hometown of Washington, DC.

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Biography

Born Henry Lawrence Garfield 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 due to what he characterises as bad behavior and poor choices, he was sent to the Bullis Academy, a Washington D.C. military school. He has expressed mixed feelings for his years at Bullis Academy: 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 says Bullis helped instill a sense of discipline and a strong work ethic. It was also at military school that he began to develop his muscular build, which would later lead 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 were one of Rollins' favorite groups; singer H.R. would sometimes coax Rollins onstage to sing a song with them. Rollins then joined S.O.A. (State of Alert), which would release one EP before disbanding. Rollins worked at a number of jobs (including at the National Institutes of Health), before becoming the manager of a Haagen 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 going to switch to guitar, the band invited Rollins to a rehearsal. Impressed by his stage demeanor, they asked him to become their permanent vocalist, and 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. Image:Henry Rollins of Black Flag.jpg

Rollins toured and recorded with Black Flag from 1981 until their breakup in 1986. During Rollins' tenure, Black Flag's music underwent some 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 regular 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.

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 for his birthday.

Also while in Black Flag, Rollins met Joe Cole, an acquaintance of Ginn's. Cole and Rollins quickly became close friends and roommates. Rollins and Cole were both robbed in 1991. During the incident Cole was murdered by a shot to the head (the crime remains unsolved), while Rollins narrowly escaped without injury. Most of Rollins' efforts since have been dedicated to his late friend's memory.

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 until present, 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.

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]

Rollins has the distinction of having duetted with Star Trek's William Shatner on the 2004 album, Has Been.

He has been romantically linked to actress Kari Wührer, web personality Dr.Venus, and singer Lydia Lunch.

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Radio and television work

In June of 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 of 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 - 10 PM, PST, at http://www.indie1031.fm, as of December 27, 2005.

Rollins is also a co-host of the television program Full Metal Challenge on The Learning Channel as well as the host of a monthly series called Henry's Film Corner on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). 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.

Following the success of Henry's Film Corner, IFC have commissioned a new Rollins talkshow entitled The Henry Rollins Show. It debuted on April 1, 2006.

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Discography

Image:Henry Rollins.jpg

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Musical releases

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Spoken word releases

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Spoken word DVDs

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Black Flag releases

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Rollins Band releases

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Miscellaneous

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Books

partial list

  • 1000 Ways to Die 2.13.61 Publications
  • Knife Street 2.13.61 Publications
  • Pissing in the Gene Pool 2.13.61 Publications
  • End to End
  • One from None - Collected work 1987 Publishers 2.13.61 Publications 1991 ISBN 1880985047
  • Broken Summers Publishers Group West, (November 2003) ISBN 1880985756
  • Unwelcomed Songs Two Thirteen Sixty-One Pubns, (September 2002) ISBN 1880985713
  • See a Grown Man Cry, Now Watch Him Die Two Thirteen Sixty-One Pubns, (August 1997) ISBN 1880985373
  • Solipsist Publishers' Group West, (August 1998) ISBN 1880985594
  • The Portable Henry Rollins Villard, (February 10, 1998) ISBN 0375750002
  • Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag Two Thirteen Sixty-One Pubns, 2nd edition (January 1996) ISBN 1880985241
  • Henry Rollins: The First Five Two Thirteen Sixty-One Pubns, (October 1997) ISBN 1880985519
  • Black Coffee Blues
  • Do I Come Here Often? (Black Coffee Blues, Pt. 2), Shannon Wheeler (Illustrator) Two Thirteen Sixty-One Pubns, (December 1998) ISBN 1880985616
  • Smile, You're Traveling (Black Coffee Blues Part 3) Two Thirteen Sixty-One Pubns, (October 1, 2000) ISBN 1880985691
  • Eye Scream Two Thirteen Sixty-One Pubns, (October 1996) ISBN 1880985322
  • Turned On Flag Henry Rollins by James Parker, Orion Books,
  • 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
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Film and video

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Sources

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External links

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