DOB: February 13, 1961
Occupations: Singer-Songwriter, Musician, Actor, Motivational Speaker, Comedian, Publisher, Activist
Ladies and Gentlemen: The video below showcases Henry Rollins as the singer for notorious 80's punk band Black Flag. Watch and see who gets the last laugh when some guy in the audience thinks he can get away with slapping him in the face...
Yep...Rollins always tends to get the last laugh.
So, you may be wondering why I didn't write an introduction post to get this blog rollin' like Rollins. Well, an analysis of Henry Rollins is the best introduction possible for a blog centered around tight things...and maybe some funny life stories in the future. He is quite possibly the most reputable, notorious figure in underground music. Probably 90% of Americans have come across this man on some sort of television show or movie at some point. The sad thing is this: Half of the 90% that have seen him do not have any clue as to how BAD ASS this guy really is. Add the extra 10% that aren't in the know and you've got yourselves over half of the country's population completely oblivious to one of the most crucial dudes to ever enter the enter-tainment bizz.
Anyway, for all of those unfamiliar souls reading this, let me give you a quick run down of Rollins claim to fame and thereafter:
Rollins' first major exposure to the public began in the 80's New York punk rock scene. Long story short: Rollins was at a Black Flag show while they were on tour. Singer at the time wanted to switch to guitar. Rollins volunteered to go on stage and sing one of their songs and BAM! He goes from menial labor in D.C. to the west coast's first popular hardcore punk band frontman. No hippie on the west coast was safe for the remainder of the decade. Shit. Even LAPD was probably scared after he went on that workout program in 84 and got ripped. Rollins was infamous for dragging any fan that harassed him from the audience on stage and beating the living crap out of them. Obviously, the band members didn't take to this all too well...They later broke up in 1986 as a result of conflicting ideas for the direction of their music and Rollins attitude towards some of his fans.
Shortly before, Black Flag broke up Henry Rollins began pursuing solo musical endeavors with a backing band. And they were affectionately called the Henry Rollins Band. This garnered the mainstream media's attention quite a bit in the early 90's as he guest hosted on various MTV programs. Obviously, he had a knack for interviews and speaking on the mic even when he was in Black Flag as the above video would suggest.
The Henry Rollins Band's music was a cross between spoken word and the notorious howling, chaotic sounds performed by Black Flag. A few more guest stints on television shows and films (including a voice over in the worst Batman film ever made: Batman Beyond) and several albums later he got his own show on the Independent Film Channel. You guessed it... The Henry Rollins Show. Henry Rollins was all over the place in film and music during the 90's. His solo band was successful but had an ever changing line up. His cameos were cute, in their own fucked up Rollins sort of way. His hair got peppery. And he maintained his tightness--once a witty asshole, always a witty asshole. Now Rollins spends most of his time ripping on ultra-conservatives like skeletor mandroid Ann Coulter on his television program.
Final Score: Rollins: 200,000. Coulter: 0
Overall tight points for that one video alone: 20,000,000
10,000,000 for Henry Rollins being Henry Rollins another 10,000,000 for his complete and utter destruction of Ann the Man C-Block. Yeah, it was a little harsh. But let's not shit ourselves; someone had to say what most of us have thought since she first became noticed.
Actually, so many people thought that this particular video was funny that he got to do his own stand-up...
So: What's changed about Henry Rollins since before I was a zygote and his graying stage?
1. He stopped beating up fans...I still wouldn't put it past him.
2. He's more entertaining to listen to than watch perform.
3. He does humanitarian work.
4. He's friends with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (seriously, look up the movie Feast. The terrible two produced it and Henry Rollins starred in it. If you like B-Type horror films with huge budgets, this is the movie for you. Moreover, he plays a motivational speaker in the film).
5. He hasn't been involved with anything musically since 2006. (He probably realized during his interview with Ozzy that he'd better quit while he's ahead or MTV will make a reality TV show poking fun at him).
6. He actually collaborated with the Flaming Lips on their latest album that came out this year. But can we really count anything that Henry Rollins does with the Flaming Lips as one of his musical endeavors?
7. His career in fiction as an early teen, dealing with matters not to be mentioned, has made a swift turn as he has released a series of travel journals.
8. Like a fine wine, he's only gotten tighter. Whether you're a Black Flag fan or not, there's no denying the guy was born to be a public figure beyond anything else. And let's face it--even as a fan of his punk music, I'll acknowledge it--the guy is a much better speaker than a singer.
Overall tightness: 8/10
Overall badass: 10/10
Henry Rollins is Mother detested & Tom Tightmaster approved.
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