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diversions
Straight talk,
Rollins style
By Stephine Michrina
On-line Forty-Niner
A crowd of more
than 900 punk rockers and computer geeks cheered as Henry
Rollins took center stage Thursday at the Galaxy Theater in
Santa Ana promoting his newly released spoken word album,
A Rollins in the Wry.
"Henry Rollins
for president!" shouted one woman from the back of the
blackened theater as Rollins bagged on President Bush and
former President Bill Clinton.
"If I were
president, I'd tax the shit out of you. Why? So we can pay
our teachers what they're worth," Rollins said.
Rollins, the former
punk rocker who once sang in Black Flag, a jazz, blues, rock
and punk band, started his spoken word career in 1983 when
he began reading at local clubs around Los Angeles. The term
spoken word however is misleading, as Rollins is more comedian
than poet.
Rollins' hour-and-a-half
show left the audience laughing and listening intently as
he talked about sexuality, the presidency and traveling. The
Los Angeles resident spent a good portion of the show talking
about denial, something Rollins admitted to having after turning
40 this year. While the majority of the crowd was far younger
than 40, enthusiasm for Rollins' topics continued as he joked
about getting older and getting organized.
Rollins' spoken
word was candid and refreshing. Fans of all ages and backgrounds
can relate on some level to Rollins' experiences. However,
the easily offended should purchase the album with caution,
as Rollins doesn't hold back on his observations and opinions.
Most refreshing
was the Rollins message, "Life is never anything less
than intense. Life is for the living. I think we should be
cool to one another."
A Rollins in the
Wry was released in February. The disc, recorded in spring
1999 at Café Luna in Los Angeles, is worth checking
out.
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