Editing Henry Rollins (section)

==Music career==
===State of Alert===
{{Main|State of Alert}}
Initially into [[hard rock]] acts like [[Van Halen]]<ref name="a28">Azerrad, 2001. p. 28</ref> and [[Ted Nugent]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Kearney|first=Ryan|title=An incomplete oral history of Henry Rollins' D.C. years|url=https://wjla.com/news/entertainment/a-brief-oral-history-of-henry-rollins-s-brief-career-in-d-c--8387|publisher=[[WJLA-TV]]|date=February 10, 2011|access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref> Rollins soon developed an interest in [[punk rock|punk]] with his friend [[Ian MacKaye]].

{{Blockquote|"We wanted something that just ''kicked ass''," he says. "Then one of us, probably Ian, got the [[Sex Pistols]] record. I remember hearing that and thinking 'Well, that's something. This guy is pissed ''off'', those guitars are ''rude''.' What a revelation!"<ref name="a28"/>}}

From 1979 to 1980, Rollins was working as a roadie for D.C. bands, including [[Teen Idles]]. When the band's singer, Nathan Strejcek, failed to appear for practice sessions, Rollins convinced the Teen Idles to let him sing. Word of Rollins's ability spread around the punk rock scene in Washington D.C.; [[Bad Brains]] singer [[H.R. (musician)|H.R.]] would sometimes have Rollins on stage to sing with him.<ref name="a26">Azerrad, 2001. p. 26</ref> In 1980, the Washington punk band the Extorts lost their frontman [[Lyle Preslar]] to [[Minor Threat]]. Rollins joined the other members of the band and formed [[State of Alert]] (S.O.A.) and became its frontman and vocalist. He put words to the band's five songs and wrote several more. S.O.A. recorded their sole EP, ''No Policy'', and released it in 1981 on MacKaye's [[Dischord Records]].<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p442659|pure_url=yes}} |title=State of Alert Overview |access-date=2007-08-16 |author=DePasquale, Ron |website=Allmusic}}</ref>

Around April 1981, drummer Simon Jacobsen was replaced by Ivor Hanson. At the time, Hanson's father was a top admiral in the [[U.S. Navy]] and his family shared living quarters with the [[U.S. vice president]] at the [[Naval Observatory]]. The band held their practices there and would have to be let in by [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] agents.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wjla.com/news/entertainment/a-brief-oral-history-of-henry-rollins-s-brief-career-in-d-c--8387 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119194742/https://wjla.com/news/entertainment/a-brief-oral-history-of-henry-rollins-s-brief-career-in-d-c--8387 |archive-date=November 19, 2018 |title=An incomplete oral history of Henry Rollins' D.C. years | first=Ryan | last=Kearney | date=February 9, 2012 | work= wjla.com | access-date=November 19, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

S.O.A. disbanded after a total of a dozen concerts and one EP. Rollins had enjoyed being the band's frontman, and had earned a reputation for fighting in shows. He later said, "I was like nineteen and a young man all full of steam and ''loved'' to get in the dust-ups." By this time, Rollins had become the assistant manager of the Georgetown [[Häagen-Dazs]] ice cream store; his steady employment had helped to finance the S.O.A. EP.<ref name="a27">Azerrad, 2001. p. 27</ref>

===Black Flag===
{{Main|Black Flag (band)}}
[[File:Henry rollins (45143022).jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Rollins in 1981]]
In 1980, a friend gave Rollins and MacKaye a copy of Black Flag's ''[[Nervous Breakdown (EP)|Nervous Breakdown]]'' EP. Rollins soon became a fan of the band, exchanging letters with bassist [[Chuck Dukowski]] and later inviting the band to stay in his parents' home when Black Flag toured the East Coast in December 1980.<ref>Azzerad, 2001. p. 27–28</ref> When Black Flag returned to the East Coast in 1981, Rollins attended as many of their concerts as he could. At an impromptu show in a New York bar, Black Flag's vocalist [[Dez Cadena]] allowed Rollins to sing "Clocked In", a song Rollins had asked the band to play in light of the fact that he had to drive back to Washington, D.C., to begin work.<ref name="a28"/>

Unbeknownst to Rollins, Cadena wanted to switch to guitar, and the band was looking for a new vocalist.<ref name="a28" /> The band was impressed with Rollins's singing and stage demeanor, and the next day, after a semi-formal audition at Tu Casa Studio in New York City, they asked him to become their permanent vocalist. Despite some doubts, he accepted, in part because of MacKaye's encouragement. His high level of energy and intense personality suited the band's style, but Rollins's diverse tastes in music were a key factor in his being selected as singer; Black Flag's founder [[Greg Ginn]] was growing restless creatively and wanted a singer who was willing to move beyond simple, three-chord punk.<ref name="a29">Azerrad, 2001. p. 29</ref>

After joining Black Flag in 1981, Rollins quit his job at Häagen-Dazs, sold his car, and moved to Los Angeles. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Rollins got the Black Flag logo [[tattoo]]ed on his left biceps<ref name="popenter" /> and on the back of his neck, and chose the stage name of Rollins, a surname he and MacKaye had used as teenagers.<ref name="a29" /> Rollins played his first show with Black Flag on July 25, 1981, at [[Cuckoo's Nest (nightclub)|Cuckoo's Nest]] in Costa Mesa, California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mdc-punk.com/M.D.C._1979-2002.html|title=M.D.C. 1979–2002|website=www.mdc-punk.com|access-date=August 21, 2020|archive-date=February 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223044438/http://www.mdc-punk.com/M.D.C._1979-2002.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rollins was in a different environment in Los Angeles; the police soon realized he was a member of Black Flag, and he was hassled as a result. Rollins later said: "That really scared me. It freaked me out that an adult would do that. ... My little eyes were opened big time."<ref>Azerrad, 2001. p. 31</ref>

Before concerts, as the others of the band tuned up, Rollins would stride about the stage dressed only in a pair of black shorts, grinding his teeth; to focus before the show, he would squeeze a pool ball.<ref>Azerrad, 2001. p. 34</ref> His stage persona impressed several critics; after a 1982 show in [[Anacortes, Washington]], ''Sub Pop'' critic [[Calvin Johnson (musician)|Calvin Johnson]] wrote: "Henry was incredible. Pacing back and forth, lunging, lurching, growling; it was all real, the most intense emotional experiences I have ever seen."<ref>Azerrad, 2001. p. 38</ref>

By 1983, Rollins's stage persona was increasingly alienating him from the rest of Black Flag. During a show in England, Rollins assaulted a member of the audience who attacked Ginn; Ginn later scolded Rollins, calling him a "macho asshole".<ref>Azerrad, 2001. p. 39</ref> A legal dispute with [[Unicorn Records]] held up further Black Flag releases until 1984, and Ginn was slowing the band's tempo down so that they would remain innovative. In August 1983, guitarist [[Dez Cadena]] had left the band; a stalemate lingered between Dukowski and Ginn, who wanted Dukowski to leave, before Ginn fired Dukowski outright.<ref>Azerrad, 2001. p. 41</ref> 1984's [[heavy metal music]]-influenced ''[[My War]]'' featured Rollins screaming and wailing throughout many of the songs; the band's members also grew their hair to confuse the band's hardcore punk audience.<ref name="a47">Azerrad, 2001. p. 47</ref>

Black Flag's change in musical style and appearance alienated many of their original fans, who focused their displeasure on Rollins by punching him in the mouth, stabbing him with pens, or scratching him with their nails, among other things. He often fought back, frequently dragging audience members on stage and assaulting them. During a Black Flag concert, Rollins repeatedly punched a fan in the face who had continuously reached for his microphone.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Reilly|first1=Dan|title=10 Concert Fights Caught on Tape|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/10-concert-fights-caught-on-tape-20130625|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=June 25, 2013|access-date=23 January 2015|archive-date=August 31, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831185511/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/10-concert-fights-caught-on-tape-20130625|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rollins became increasingly alienated from the audience; in his tour diary, Rollins wrote "When they spit at me, when they grab at me, they aren't hurting me. When I push out and mangle the flesh of another, it's falling so short of what I really want to do to them."<ref>Azerrad, 2001. p. 46</ref> During the Unicorn legal dispute, Rollins had started a weight-lifting program, and by their 1984 tours, he had become visibly well-built; journalist [[Michael Azerrad]] later commented that "his powerful physique was a metaphor for the impregnable emotional shield he was developing around himself."<ref name="a47" /> <!-- Get in the Van book release? --> Rollins has since replied that "no, the training was just basically a way to push myself."<ref name="smhinterview">{{cite news |url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/gig-reviews/henry-rollins/2008/04/03/1206851089537.html |title=Henry Rollins interview |access-date=2008-04-04 |author=Jensen, Erik|work=Sydney Morning Herald | date=2008-04-03}}</ref>

===Rollins Band, solo releases, and spoken word===
{{Main|Rollins Band}}
[[File:HenryRollins Performing 1993.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|Rollins performing with the [[Rollins Band]] in 1993]]
Before Black Flag disbanded in August 1986, Rollins had already toured as a solo spoken-word artist.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/2003-01-08/music/lip-service.php |title=Lip Service – Henry Rollins |access-date=2007-09-14 |author=Waggoner, Eric |newspaper=[[Seattle Weekly]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071014220714/http://seattleweekly.com/2003-01-08/music/lip-service.php |archive-date = October 14, 2007}}</ref> He released two solo records in 1987, ''[[Hot Animal Machine]]'', a collaboration with guitarist [[Chris Haskett]], and ''[[Drive by Shooting]]'', recorded as "Henrietta Collins and the Wifebeating Childhaters";<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shsu.edu/~lis_fwh/book/punk_newwave_postpunk/support/Rollins.htm |title=Henry Rollins/Black Flag |access-date=2007-09-09 |author=Hoffmann, Frank |publisher=Survey of American Popular Music}}</ref> Rollins also released his second spoken word album, ''[[Big Ugly Mouth]]'', in the same year. Along with Haskett, Rollins soon added [[Andrew Weiss (musician)|Andrew Weiss]] and [[Sim Cain]], both former members of Ginn's side-project [[Gone (band)|Gone]], and called the new group Rollins Band. The band toured relentlessly,<ref name="amgrollins">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p191773|pure_url=yes}} |title=Rollins Band Biography |access-date=2007-08-22 |author=Prato, Greg |website=Allmusic}}</ref> and their 1987 debut album, ''[[Life Time (Rollins Band album)|Life Time]]'', was quickly followed by the outtakes and live collection ''Do It''. The band continued to tour throughout 1988; in 1989 another Rollins Band album, ''[[Hard Volume]]'', was released.<ref name="amghenry">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5299|pure_url=yes}} |title=Henry Rollins Biography |access-date=2007-08-22 |author=Huey, Steve |website=Allmusic}}</ref> Another live album, ''Turned On'', and another spoken word release, ''Live at McCabe's'', followed in 1990.

In 1991, the Rollins Band signed a distribution deal with Imago Records and appeared at the [[Lollapalooza]] festival; both improved the band's presence. However, in December 1991, Rollins and his best friend [[Murder of Joe Cole|Joe Cole]] were accosted by two armed robbers outside Rollins's home. Cole was murdered by a gunshot to the head; Rollins escaped without injury but police suspected him in the murder and detained him for ten hours.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edwebproject.org/rollins.html |title=Primal Scream: Henry Rollins speaks |access-date=2007-09-08 |author1=Carvin, Andy |author2=Crone, Chris |publisher=EdWebProject.org}}</ref> Although traumatized by Cole's death, as chronicled in his book ''Now Watch Him Die'', Rollins continued to release new material; the spoken-word album ''[[Human Butt]]'' appeared in 1992 on his own record label, [[2.13.61]]. The Rollins Band released ''[[The End of Silence]]'', Rollins's first charting album.<ref name="amghenry" />

The following year, Rollins released a spoken-word double album, ''The Boxed Life''.<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r77934|pure_url=yes}} |title='The Boxed Life' Overview |access-date=2007-08-23 |author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas |website=Allmusic}}</ref> The Rollins Band embarked upon the ''End of Silence'' tour; bassist Weiss was fired toward its end, and replaced by funk and jazz bassist [[Melvin Gibbs]]. According to critic Steve Huey, 1994 was Rollins's "breakout year".<ref name="amghenry" /> The Rollins Band appeared at [[Woodstock 94]] and released ''[[Weight (album)|Weight]]'', which ranked on the Billboard Top 40. Rollins released ''[[Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag]]'', a double-disc set of him reading from his Black Flag tour diary of the same name; he won the Grammy for [[Best Spoken Word Recording]] as a result. Rollins was named 1994's "Man of the Year" by the American men's magazine ''[[Details (magazine)|Details]]'' and became a contributing columnist to the magazine. With the increased exposure, Rollins made several appearances on American music channels MTV and [[VH1]] around this time, and made his Hollywood film debut in 1994 in ''[[The Chase (1994 film)|The Chase]]'' playing a police officer.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800022646/bio |title=Henry Rollins Biography |access-date=2007-09-14 |publisher=Yahoo! Movies}}</ref>

In 1995, the Rollins Band's record label, Imago Records, declared itself bankrupt. Rollins began focusing on his spoken word career. He released ''Everything'', a recording of a chapter of his book ''[[Eye Scream]]'' with free jazz backing, in 1996. He continued to appear in various films, including ''[[Heat (1995 film)|Heat]]'', ''[[Johnny Mnemonic (film)|Johnny Mnemonic]]'' and ''[[Lost Highway (film)|Lost Highway]]''. The Rollins Band signed to [[Dreamworks Records]] in 1997 and soon released ''[[Come In and Burn]]'', but it did not receive as much critical acclaim as their previous material. Rollins continued to release spoken-word book readings, releasing ''[[Black Coffee Blues]]'' in the same year. In 1998, Rollins released ''[[Think Tank (Rollins)|Think Tank]]'', his first set of non-book-related spoken material in five years.<ref name="amghenry" />

By 1998, Rollins felt that the relationship with his backing band had run its course, and the line-up disbanded. He had produced a Los Angeles [[hard rock]] band called [[Mother Superior (band)|Mother Superior]], and invited them to form a new incarnation of the Rollins Band. Their first album, ''[[Get Some Go Again]]'', was released two years later. The Rollins Band released several more albums, including 2001's ''[[Nice (Rollins Band album)|Nice]]'' and 2003's ''[[Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three]]''. After 2003, the band became inactive as Rollins focused on radio and television work. During a 2006 appearance on ''[[Tom Green Live!]]'', Rollins stated that he "may never do music again",<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=61600 |title=Henry Rollins on 'Tom Green Live' |date=November 5, 2006 |work=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=2010-01-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606064937/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=61600 |archive-date=June 6, 2011 }}</ref> a feeling which he reiterated in 2011 when talking to ''Trebuchet'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trebuchet-magazine.com/index.php/site/article/henry_rollins_Student_protests_are_great/|title=Henry Rollins:Student Protests are Great|date=January 11, 2011|publisher=Trebuchet Magazine|access-date=2011-01-05}}</ref> In an interview with ''Culture Brats'', Rollins admitted he had sworn off music for good – "... and I must say that I miss it every day. I just don't know honestly what I could do with it that's different."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.culturebrats.com/2011/03/tramp-last-mile-our-interview-with.html |title=Tramp The Last Mile: Our Interview With Henry Rollins |publisher=Culture Brats |date=2011-03-08 |access-date=2012-10-31}}</ref>
[[File:Henry Rollins at Roskilde Festival 2013.jpg|alt=Rollins holding a microphone|thumb|Rollins in 2013, performing spoken word]]
On the same topic, Rollins more recently said in 2016 "For me, music was a time and a place. I never really enjoyed being in a band. It was in me and it needed to come out, like a 25-year exorcism. One day, I woke up, and I didn't have any more lyrics. I just had nothing to contribute to the form, and I was done with band practice and traveling in groups."<ref>{{cite web|author=Joe Goggins |url=http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/interviews/the-last-word-henry-rollins |title=Henry Rollins on touring, spoken word & nostalgia |publisher=The Skinny |date=2016-01-08 |access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref>

Rollins is a guest star on [[Damian Cowell]]'s 2017 album ''Get Yer Dag On!''

===Musical style===
As a vocalist, Rollins has adopted a number of styles through the years. He was noted in the [[Washington, D.C. hardcore]] scene for what journalist [[Michael Azerrad]] described as a "compelling, raspy howl".<ref name="a26" /> With State of Alert, Rollins "spat out the lyrics like a bellicose auctioneer."<ref name="a27" /> He adopted a similar style after joining Black Flag in 1981. By their album ''[[Damaged (Black Flag album)|Damaged]]'', however, Black Flag began to incorporate a [[Swung note|swing beat]] into their style. Rollins then abandoned his [[State of Alert]] "bark" and adopted the band's swing.<ref name="a32">Azerrad, 2001. p. 32</ref> Rollins later explained: "What I was doing kind of matched the vibe of the music. The music was intense and, well, I was as intense as you needed."<ref>Azerrad, 2001. p. 33</ref>

In both incarnations of the Rollins Band, Rollins combined spoken word with his traditional vocal style in songs such as "[[Liar (Rollins Band song)|Liar]]" (the song begins with a one-minute spoken diatribe by Rollins), barked his way through songs (such as "Tearing" and "Starve"), and employed the loud-quiet dynamic. ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s Anthony DeCurtis names Rollins a "screeching hate machine" and his "hallmark" as "the sheets-of-sound assault".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rollinsband/albums/album/234867/review/5941451/get_some_go_again |title=Rollins Band: Get Some Go Again |access-date=2007-09-20 |author=DeCurtis, Anthony |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012173915/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rollinsband/albums/album/234867/review/5941451/get_some_go_again |archive-date=October 12, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>

With the Rollins Band, his lyrics focused "almost exclusively on issues relating to personal integrity", according to critic Geoffrey Welchman.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rollinsband/albums/album/118204/review/5943481/weight |title=Rollins Band: Weight |access-date=2007-09-20 |author=Welchman, Geoffrey |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012173910/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rollinsband/albums/album/118204/review/5943481/weight |archive-date=October 12, 2007 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref>
<!-- Lyrics etc. -->

===As producer===
In the 1980s, Rollins produced an album of acoustic songs for convict [[Charles Manson]] titled ''Completion''. The record was supposed to be released by [[SST Records]], but the project was canceled because the label received death threats for working with Manson. Only five test presses of ''Completion'' were pressed, two of which remain in Rollins's possession.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/dec/15/henry-rollins-charles-manson|title=Henry Rollins produced Charles Manson album|first=Sean|last=Michaels|date=December 15, 2010|website=Theguardian.com}}</ref>

In 1995, Rollins produced Australian hard rock band the [[The Mark of Cain (band)|Mark of Cain]]'s third full-length album ''[[Ill at Ease (The Mark of Cain album)|Ill at Ease]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ill at Ease |website=The Mark of Cain |url=http://www.tmoc.com.au/js_albums/ill-at-ease/ |access-date=12 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712141339/http://www.tmoc.com.au/js_albums/ill-at-ease/ |archive-date=July 12, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>