Punk icon turned actor, author and spoken word rabble-rouser, Henry Rollins is so devoted to his craft, he will be spending his birthday speaking his mind Friday at the Newport. Rollins, however, is not in the habit of preaching.
“When anyone tells me how it should be, my basic instinct is to run the other way, and I think that’s probably the same for a lot of people, especially in America,” Rollins said.
Although he has spent his long career on the road, whether by himself or with Black Flag or the Rollins Band, Rollins never succumbed to alcohol or drugs. And occasionally that fact makes its way into his performances, but carefully.
“You can risk coming off very preachy, which is a drag – nothing I want to do. The last thing you want to do is come off like you’re lecturing someone on how they should live their life. I wouldn’t seek to lead, but you can illustrate just by example,” Rollins said.
Rollins is more in the business of spreading information.
“I’ll definitely be talking about what’s going on with it being an election year. In this administration there’s a lot to talk about,” Rollins said. “I often suggest a number of Web sites that one can go to to find some alternate information besides what you’re seeing on the news every day, so you can get perhaps a more objective take on what’s going on.”
Of course his personal take will be a recurring theme.
“I have an opinion or two and so this is just my opportunity to kind of flex them, and I do,” Rollins said.
Not all of his stories are of a current events nature. Many are anecdotes of his travels.
“There’s always a story to be had and this time around, I’ve got ’em, some of the best travel stories I’ve ever had actually,” Rollins said.
It keeps things fresh for him and there does not seem to be any nights where he does not connect with the audience. The degree of connection may fluctuate however, so to manage his energy, Rollins has mastered staying focused.
“It is not the easiest thing night-to-night, getting up there, and that’s why I try, through many years of experience, to take out anything that could divert me from a good show,” Rollins said.”It’s like being a pilot, you can’t crash the plane because that’s not the job, so you have to do everything you can to minimize the chances of that happening.”
Aside from getting plenty of sleep and eating well, one of the main things he does not do is run around a lot on tour.
“I’m sure your town is a lovely town but the only real reason I’m there is to do that show and do it really well, and arguably, that’s the only reason you’re in that building at 8:00 on that night when I’m there is to see me do a good show, not to see me drop a bomb,” Rollins said.
That night for Columbus is the day before Valentine’s Day, and thinking back on Rollins’ career, a song comes to mind that he wrote with the Rollins Band just for jilted couples to relate to. The song, “Liar,” brought the Rollins Band screaming into the mainstream with a tale of male debauchery.
“I just sought to write a really kind of harsh love song with an element of humor to it, yet that would be very truthful,” Rollins said.
Although he states he never participated in purposely hurtful behavior, the social warning to women that men can be cruel is not lost on the listener and today it translates to this advice from Rollins.
“I think the healthy thing, at least consider the idea that not all things are as they seem – that’s just common sense.”
For more words of spoken wisdom, the Henry Rollins’ “Shock and Awe, My Ass” tour will be here at 7 p.m. Friday at the Newport. Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 at the door.
