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"I remember 100 years ago me and Iggy Pop were doing the Big Day Out Festival in Australia, and he was doing a Stooges set and I was on my own, and he says ‘what are you doing on stage talking?’," laughs Henry Rollins, remembering his friend and hero's reaction when he found out about his spoken word work. "He gave me this huge grin and said ‘what, are you going to go up there and crack jokes?’ Then I realised he had really no idea of what I do up there."
Indeed, unless you're familiar with Rollins' work as a radio DJ, writer, actor and general fountain of world-wise wisdom, then his spoken word work may be a million miles from what you'd expect from one of punk and hardcore's most fearsome and fearless frontmen. But's working - he's gained a life and reputation away from the music, but carries the same relentless spirit and ethos, as he puts the world through his own unique prism.
Hell, even Iggy Pop has become pretty good at it now - as anyone who caught his amazing John Peel Lecture for BBC 6 Music will attest.
"Yes, he's very brilliant – and he said that it was very difficult for him to do," remembers Rollins. "He’d never worked in that format or written anything that took more than three and a half minutes to say, through his lyrics. He’s just a brilliant man, he’s my single hero in rock n’ roll. I’ve spoken to him quite a few times in my life and he’s fascinating. A real hero."
So, to get under the skin of what really drives Mr Rollins, we caught up with the Black Flag icon to talk about inspiration, misconceptions and his fans...
Gigwise: So, like Iggy, do a lot of people just get the totally wrong idea about what it actually is that you do?
Rollins: "I don’t know if I’m the one to ask. I have heard ‘oh, I thought you might be really stupid on stage’. You know, they’d go to a talking show, dragged by a friend, and thought I’d be some moron talking about women I’d had sex with on tour and they found that I am not that at all then saying ‘by golly, I quite liked what you did and I’ll be back again’. I’ve been told by punters so many times before ‘I thought you were dumb’. I don’t know exactly where that’s come from, I don’t spend any real time trying to figure it out, but I’ve heard that a few times. I’m no rocket scientist, but I’m not picking my brain up off the floor either."
Gigwise: What kind of impact does a subject have to have to make it into your spoken word work?
Rollins: "It has to happen to me in a legitimate way. I’m not just going to repeat what I saw on the news, otherwise I’m truly ripping you off. I need to bring a topic of substance. Believe me, I’m not enamoured with myself. If I’m going to bring something as big as a terrorist attack, then I’m going to choose my words very carefully, and try to do something that’s really beneficial, that’s insightful, and in some ways positive.
"I hope you can come away with something that you can use potentially from what I said. I want to try and do something good, rather than run my mouth and go into disrespect mode – I wouldn’t dare. I was on tour during 9/11 and I was on tour after that and through all the years leading to now, you have to explain this stuff with a perspective of terror, rather than some complaining asshole who has no clue whatsoever. You can be wholly offensive in a way that you don’t want to be, or you can be hurtful, and that’s just not where I want to be. Any time that I’ve done that has been inadvertent and I apologise."
- MORE: Henry Rollins on the Paris terror attacks and fighting back
Gigwise: So what’s been inspiring you recently to feed into your current shows?
Rollins: "What inspires me usually is kind of the same old thing – it’s trouble. When I get out of my element and get into a different part of the world and turned around, where everything’s new. It’s people, but in a totally different circumstance or environment. Just living in Los Angeles every day is not all that exciting or worthwhile to talk about. I can be funny about things that happen around Hollywood and there might be some of that, but I need to bring a good meal to the stage – I can’t just feed you soup."
Gigwise: Do you find that you attract people to your shows who come purely just to hear what you say, that may not necessarily be fans or even familiar with your music?
Rollins: "I get a lot of audience feedback, they talk to me and I listen after the show. They tell me all manner of things, and what I hear a lot is ‘I’ve been to like eight of your talking shows, a friend of mine loves your music, I’ve heard one of your records, it’s cool, not really my thing, but I love it when you talk on stage’. I hear that all the time."
Gigwise: Having always been so involved, up close and personal, what do you think your fans expect of you?
Rollins: "To bring it. To treat them like every show is the biggest show. Like it’s New York City, Saturday night and sold out. Even though Preston on a Tuesday to eight sailors and goat may not be that – and that happened once, not necessarily in Preston. I treat every gig like it’s showtime. A small show is not treated like that – they’re still my audience. I give them everything I’ve got. That’s what I expect of me, and I think they do too. I hope that’s my reputation because that’s what I’m going for."
The remaining dates of Henry Rollins Charmingly Obstinate tour are below. For tickets and information, visit here.
Henry Rollins will appear at:
JANUARY
16 London, Barbican
17 Dublin, Vicar Street
18 Glasgow, Academy
