Henry Rollins is just flat out one of my favorite artists. This dude is one of the hardest working people on the planet. He spent some formative years with Black Flag (if you are into that sort of thing, Get In The Van is an excellent look into the life of a touring band), then founded and fronted The Rollins Band, founded his own publishing company and record label 2/13/61 and put out works by Bill Shields, Nick Cave, Iggy Pop and Exene Cervenka (to name a few) as well as his own deeply personal work. He has done film and documentary work and spoken word tours. For a few years now, he has been doing a column for the LA Weekly.
Befo
re the Chop is so titled because these are the unedited versions of his articles and he focuses on the music.You may know he does a weekly internet radio show on KRCW and many of these collected articles concern what he’s going to play that week. He also riffs on being on tour, dives into some of his early work with Black Flag or just expounds on his favorite music. His taste is wide and varied, just as likely to wax rhapsodic about Al Green or Thin Lizzy or some obscure Japanese band.
If I were a doctor, I would prescribe that you addict yourself deeply and irrevocably to music and never, ever, seek cure outside of more music. It really is the best way to go.
I’m cool with that.
Ive loved Henry since Black Flag and used to read a ton of his poetry and short pieces. I think it’s time to go back and read what I’ve missed.
This sounds like something I need.
I thought about picking up The Portable Henry Rollins as an introduction to his work, but would you recommend that I start with another title?