Henry Rollins

DISCOGRAPHY

See Black Flag

Hot Animal Machine (1986) 7/10

Henrietta Collins: Drive-by Shooting (EP, 1986) 6/10

Life Time (1987) 7/10

Hard Volume (1988) 7.5/10

The End of Silence (1991) 8/10

Weight (1994) 7/10

Come In and Burn (1997)

Get Some Go Again (1999) 4.5/10

Nice (2001) 5/10

   Rollins was born as Henry Lawrence Garfield on February 13th, 1961 in Washington DC. His parents divorced when he was three, and from thereon his mother had raised him. Henry would never see or hear from his father again after the age of 18. 

   In fourth grade he was diagnosed with hyperactive ADHD, for which he began taking medication. When he was ten years old, he had been molested by a stranger who'd pulled him into his truck. This resulted in emotional turmoil, which was helped when he began attending a prep school in Maryland, where he had developed a work ethic and self-discipline that had improved his self-esteem. This was also when/where he began writing. 

   In 1999, Henry reformed the Rollins Band with LA's hard-rock trio Mother Superior, a line-up of Marcus Blake (bass), Jim Wilson (guitar), and Jason Mackenroth (drums). 

   Get Some Go Again sounds impressively similar to the previous alt-metal releases despite being a completely different line-up of musicians, but the compositions are forgettable regardless. The last two songs also include MC5's Wayne Kramer, which Henry not-so-subtly announces at the beginning of LA Money Train. 

   But as much as I appreciate the lively musicianship, the only things I can remark about the songs are my complaints. Nothing is problematic as much as it's just painful to see a band experiment and fail, when the experiments distract instead of invigorate, like with the funky rap-rock in Love's So Heavy, the spoken word interlude of Thinking Cap, the sludge-psychedelia for Brother Interior, the cheesy trip-hop beat for Illuminator, and especially the saxophone in LA Money Train. 

   In fact, what deserves the most discussion is the fourteen-minute LA Money Train, a prime example of the dangers in self-indulgence. The music is part-funk, part-spoken word, part-rap/rock, part-blues, and even part-jazz, that all meanders through a groove that never climaxes. Rollins really isn't all that exciting as the "cool spokesperson" compared to the primal-scream animal like from Hard Volume, and the forced "maniacal" laughter near the 12 and a half minute mark (and we hear a similarly forced laugh in Thinking Cap) proves either that Henry doesn't know how to channel that raw power anymore, or he just doesn't want to.

   For two seasons, Rollins hosted a surprisingly original talk-show (Henry Rollins Show) that showcased his talents in public speaking as well as his interests in contemporary culture (music, film, and social politics). Each episode would feature monologues from Rollins, staged skits, soapbox sessions (in which a variety of average people give their opinion on a particular thing), a guest to interview, and a musical guest to perform at the episode's credits. 

   From hereon, Rollins' musical contributions are scarce. 

   In 2016, Rollins himself stated, "For me, music was a time and a place. I never really enjoyed being in a band. It was in me and it needed to come out, like a 25-year exorcism. One day, I woke up, and I didn't have any more lyrics. I just had nothing to contribute to the form, and I was done with band practice and traveling in groups."

ROCKUMENTARIES

The Henry Rollins Show (2006-2007) 6/10