Henry Rollins is an underground music legend that, along the way, became a spoken word artist. In recent years, Rollins has focused mostly on speaking and he’s coming through town on his The Long March Tour. Those familiar with Rollins know that he never does anything half-assed; his speaking performances tackle hard subjects and often run more than two hours long. Nexus recently caught up with Rollins to talk about his everyman approach.
Has it been difficult for you switching careers over the years?
I come from nothing, really. I come from minimum wage work, so the past 30 years I’ve been kind of swinging from vine to vine. I’ve been in a lot of TV shows and films, but I’m not really an actor. I’ve done a lot of books, but I’m not really a writer. I think I’d be a bit pretentious calling myself any one of those things. So, basically I’m a bullshit artist. I’m someone who’s going at things as best they can and trying to learn a thing or two. In my line of work nothing is for sure but bills.
Was there a defining moment that you decided to become straight edge [drug-free]?
I would never consider myself straight edge. It’s like someone’s army, and it’s not mine. I came to the conclusion as a young teen that alcohol, weed, and tobacco were not interesting to me. The older I got, the more ambitious I became, and the more I watched people die off; literally die. I don’t know how it is in Canada, but in my country it is my opinion that alcohol, tobacco, and all of these toxins are given to people wholesale so they stay mediocre, arrestable, compliant, and non-threatening to the power structure. Same with racism and homophobia, the power structure gives that to suckers so they can feel superior to something. It keeps them distracted from those who are truly screwing them every single day. I would like to live without the distraction.
What is your favourite instrument, and which would you like to learn?
I can’t play any of ‘em so I’ve had to appreciate them as a listener. I love listening in that incomprehensible fine sense of wonderment. Only music and art do that to me. I’d rather not know how Jimi Hendrix did it, and just dig the fact that he did. It is mysterious to me and I really love that about music. The rest of my days are nowhere near as good as the times I’m sitting there listening to a record.
What is your favourite/least favourite thing about punk rock, and why?
My favourite thing about it is the way it spoke to me when I was young; how it gave me the courage and understanding that you could question authority. I had glimmers of that desire, but had never really understood it as an option for me. The bad part for me, which made me grow very un-fond of punk rock, was when it became this codified set of rules. That bummed me out about punk rock. I decided I’m on the outside of this, so I grew my hair out and never really looked back. I don’t want to be part of anybody’s anything. I’m fine on my own, thank you. I still listen to the music, but I’m not part of the team.
Henry Rollins: The Long March Tour
Friday, June 1, 7 pm
Alix Goolden Performance Hall, $32.50
unionevents.com