"Rock n' roll always wins," boldly states Henry Rollins. Just a few weeks ago, we saw the former Black Flag rock icon at a special screening and performance of Gutterdamerung in London - an invigorating multimedia rush of film noir and live music starring Jesse Hughes, Slash, Lemmy, Josh Homme and more - celebrating how rock n' roll at its greatest height prevails over all evil. It became spookily prevalent, as the next day, ISIS/Daesh terrorists struck an Eagles Of Death Metal gig at The Bataclan in Paris, killing 89 innocent music fans.
"I found out, and I was in the air when that happened - flying out of Heathrow to Los Angeles," Rollins tells Gigwise. "I turned my phone on when I landed and my friend who handles all my stuff texted me and then I found out what had happened. For Eagles Of Death Metal and everyone, nothing in life prepares you for what happened to all of those people. It's just surreal."
Known as one of the most fearless and principled men in rock, nothing can stop Rollins. His spoken word tour continues in earnest - reaching the UK in January. In light of recent events and his stance on security and any kind of conspiracy against rock n' roll, we caught up with Rollins to talk about Paris, freedom, Syria, greedy gun nuts, and what the future looks like for live music.
Gigwise: It seems purely a freak coincidence too that Eagles Of Death Metal's show was the target.
Rollins: "It's a good target if you're a bad guy. Don't be surprised if security at venues leaps up to where it really becomes very intense, and why shouldn't it? Nothing like this happened before. If you're a terrorist, this is what you do. There's no way that other terrorists wouldn't have seen what's happened in Paris and gone 'OK - rock n' roll venues, absolutely'. They're all over the world and that's where young people go. If you do this, you kill young people. If you kill a bunch of 70-year-old pensioners that's still pretty scary, but if you can walk into a 15,000 people and kill young people then that hits their parents, their relatives, their friends - there are so many more people who'll mourn. If you do today in a violent, awful way you will have to sit down for a few minutes and think about how many people's lives that will monumentally impact upon. They live the rest of their lives in misery in you're gone because you left in a really horrific way.
"My answer to this is not necessarily military - it's that rock n' roll always wins. It's time for bands to take their 75-date tour schedule and make it 150. It's time for bands to play gigs every day, it's time for more conversations, more rock n' roll. Free shows? Why not - make a living for free next to bring everyone together and say 'let's become friends'. We need to get more young people into the mix through music. This is young people doing it to young people - let's pull this away from all the Prime Ministers and Presidents and everybody's military, they're going to do their own thing anyway. Let's put this on our terms. The less that young people think about blowing up other young people, then that's a good idea."
Gigwise: Even when you remove all of the politics, this was an attack on our freedom of culture, and our public spaces, right?
Rollins: "Exactly - politics will do it's thing anways because it's too well financed. The machine works because it makes money. When terrorism blows up in my country, security goes off the wall because we're afraid of everything and security companies just get new contracts. There's going to be more bullets, weapons being sold in our country and to England, France, Belgium and beyond. The Paris thing couldn't have been better for Boeing, Smith & Wesson, Glock - whatever. They need Paris every week for their shareholders. They're going to do their own thing, we need to do ours ourselves. Mine is that I don't stop talking. If the going gets rough, I get out and start shooting my mouth off."
Gigwise: Indeed, and Eagles Of Death Metal are band that represent the true freedom of rock n' roll - they exist for no other reason that to have a good time and to share that.
Rollins: "All of the guys in that band and road crew are a true source of hope. There won't be one of them who hasn't been profoundly effected. Hopefully the answer is defiance. I hope they get back and play in Paris in 2016, hopefully twice. Do it, knuckle down."
The full dates of Henry Rollins Charmingly Obstinate tour are below. For tickets and information, visit here.
Henry Rollins will appear at:
JANUARY
10 Bristol, St George’s Hall
11 Newcastle, Tyne Theatre
12 Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
14 London, Barbican
15 Birmingham, Town Hall
16 London, Barbican
17 Dublin, Vicar Street
18 Glasgow, Academy
