Editing Henry Rollins (section)

===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>