By Lisa Burke
December 11th 2016, The Largo, Los Angeles CA: If at first you don’t succeed, by all means quit right away because everyone else gets it right their first time and you are just that one exception to every rule that happens to end in failure. This kind of mindset and lack of confidence can either break you down into becoming a follower, or it can break you in to the pitfalls of life that we all face, so that in turn you challenge yourself to fight the good fight for the rest of eternity, making it your life’s work all the while carrying the torch that others may get the privilege to light their own fire from. Who could possibly fit this stigmata better than the wizard of spoken word himself Henry Rollins? On Sunday December 11th, I attended night #7 of an eight-show run that brought Henry Rollins’ newest artfully crafted spoken word act to Largo At The Coronet in West Hollywood.
The most common misconception of his spoken word versus his earlier career as lead singer of Black Flag and Rollins Band, among others, is that it does not fall in the music or more specifically hardcore punk genre anymore. Every time this man opens his mouth, an ocean of intellect soars out in the most beautiful rhythm of waves one could imagine, and the flow of words off his tongue never even come up for air until the conclusion has been drawn and quartered. That is definitely pure metal if ever there was such a form. If you can’t imagine the brilliance of the eloquence of this man, then imagine someone discussing politics with you for at least thirty minutes where you could only listen, absorb, question, and grit your teeth wondering what would transpire next, possibly disagreeing completely or at least partly, yet it didn’t matter because when all was said and done you became the change you wished to see in the world. In today’s world, most of us are so set on what we already agree and don’t agree on that anyone who tries to present a different package to us, or at least wrap the shit in heavy duty plastic wrap for us before they launch it in our eye, is bound to get shot down before they ever get a chance to stand up. In the seventies you could have an opinion and more often than not convince others and gain followers, but today you have to be Henry Rollins to get a word in edgewise. He tells the truth and is the first one to admit his own sores for example, that he is lonely yet he owns every minute of it, and feels bad for the people who can’t be alone because all of that nonsense which is driven by fear. Fear is not on the outside of us which is why it becomes so powerful at moments in our lives and drives us to commit crimes we may regret once the blindfold that is fear is finally lifted. Fear is within, but that means we have complete control over it. If that isn’t the best news ever, I don’t know what is.
Now that I’ve gone off into a tangent of deep thoughts let me explain what it is about Henry Rollins that casts this spell on my brain to reach above and beyond any previously binding thoughts and lets me soar to the land of everlasting freedom. He started out the show full of energy as always, with that hyper urgency to spread his knowledge on the world. He explained that he gets excited before a show and arrives early to count down the minutes, often pacing back and forth because this is what he lives for and this is as good as it gets. That is pure heartfelt passion for his craft mixed with a dose of comedy, and what is also exciting is that he is always traveling or taking on new projects that become his latest material, as all comedians, musicians, and artists should do, yet he pushes the boundaries even further and rarely delves too far back into his past unless it has some relevance to today. He talked about politics first and then went into RuPaul stories as he was a judge on his drag racing show a few years back, then he discussed gay rights and environmental issues without boring the audience or swaying them to take any one stance. As the cerebral adventures continued, we were submerged underwater, hung out with penguins, exposed a death metal head kid in Sri Lanka to The Stooges, watched impersonations of Iggy Pop, laughed loudly at a joke about Lars Ulrich and Napster, learned Henry’s typical routine at the local Trader Joe’s, and finally he told us why he never drinks water in his two hour to three hour spoken word sessions. How he can go two or three hours constantly speaking without water is unknown, but it is the same reason he hates the distraction of cell phones, which is that it disrupts concentration and brainwave flow. He does it to keep our undivided attention. With the flow of the pace he throws out and the eloquence of his speech, it becomes extremely difficult to miss any of the background info, punch lines, follow through, or to get lost in another train of thought completely.
Personally I have listened to every Henry Rollins spoken word I could get my hands on since it began as if it was a new hit song each time, because that is the resonance that it has. His openness to the turmoil he faces in daily life since he was just a youngster and the grasp he has over it that he lets out through expression and laughter are a sincere inspiration to us all. I laughed out loud, held back tears, and as I walked out the door after just over two hours of musical story time, all I wanted to do was be alone with my thoughts in a self healing process that took comfort in the knowledge that real vulnerable human beings exist and when faced against only themselves, how could they possibly lose. If you seek the answer to the question of life, start by attending a Henry Rollins show, and while I know Black Flag and Rollins Band are past expeditions, it could be a good time for a new hardcore punk inspired band led by Henry using the mindset that it resonates with the upcoming forecast predicted for 2017, and only time will tell.
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Henry Rollins Spoken Word remaining North American tour dates:
12/27/2016 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory
12/28/2016 – Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
12/29/2016 – San Francisco, CA @ Herbst Theatre
12/30/2016 – Sacramento, CA @ Crest Theatre
01/01/2017 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
01/02/2017 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
01/03/2017 – Kelowna, BC @ Mary Irwin Theatre
01/04/2017 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
01/05/2017 – Victoria, BC @ Alix Goolden PAC
01/06/2017 – Edmonton, AB @ Myer Horowitz Theatre
01/07/2017 – Calgary, AB @ Jack Singer Concert Hall
01/08/2017 – Saskatoon, SK @ Broadway Theatre
01/11/2017 – Clearwater, FL @ Capitol Theater
01/13/2017 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Broward Center for Performing Arts
01/14/2017 – Ponte Vedra , FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
01/15/2017 – Orlando, FL @ The Plaza Live