Editing Henry Rollins

{{Short description|American musician (born 1961)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name               = Henry Rollins
| image              = Henry Rollins - Wacken Open Air 2016 02.jpg
| alt                = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption            = Rollins at [[Wacken Open Air]] 2016
| birth_name         = Henry Lawrence Garfield
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1961|2|13}}
| birth_place        = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| occupation         = {{hlist|Singer|writer|actor|speaker|presenter|author|comedian|activist}}
| years_active       = 1980–present
| genre              = {{hlist|[[Hardcore punk]]|[[alternative metal]]|[[spoken word]]}}
|discography=[[List of works by Henry Rollins|Full list of works]]
| label              = [[2.13.61]]
| current_member_of  = 
| past_member_of     = {{hlist|[[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]]|[[Rollins Band]]|[[State of Alert]]}}
| website            = {{URL|henryrollins.com}}
}}
'''Henry Lawrence Garfield''' (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as '''Henry Rollins''', is an American singer, writer, [[spoken word]] artist, actor, comedian, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived [[hardcore punk]] band [[State of Alert]] in 1980, Rollins fronted the California hardcore band [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]] from 1981 to 1986. Following the band's breakup, he established the record label and publishing company [[2.13.61]] to release his spoken word albums, and formed the [[Rollins Band]], which toured with a number of lineups from 1987 to 2003 and in 2006.

Rollins has hosted numerous radio shows, such as ''Harmony in My Head'' on [[Indie 103]], and television shows such as ''[[The Henry Rollins Show]]'' and ''[[120 Minutes]]''. He had recurring dramatic roles in the second season of ''[[Sons of Anarchy]]'' as [[A.J. Weston]], in the final 2 seasons of the animated series ''[[The Legend of Korra]]'' as [[Zaheer]], and has also had roles in several films. He has campaigned for various political causes in the United States, including the promotion of [[Gay rights in the United States|gay rights]], [[World Hunger Relief]], the [[West Memphis Three]], and an [[Peace movement|end to all war]].  He currently hosts a weekly radio show on [[KCRW]], is a regular columnist for ''[[Rolling Stone Australia]]'', and was a regular columnist for ''[[LA Weekly]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kcrw.com/people/henry-rollins |title=Henry Rollins — KCRW |publisher=Kcrw.com |access-date=2014-04-19 |archive-date=December 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215062314/https://www.kcrw.com/people/henry-rollins |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early life==
Rollins was born Henry Lawrence Garfield in [[Washington, D.C.]], on February 13, 1961, the only child of Iris and Paul Garfield.<ref name="Biography"/><ref name="latimes">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-06-14-tm-7341-story.html|title=The Angriest Man in Los Angeles : Rock Poet Henry Rollins Doesn't Drink, Smoke or Do Drugs—He Just Burns|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 14, 1987|access-date=January 18, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Life-on-road-suits-Rollins-fine-263878.php |title=Life on road suits Rollins fine |newspaper=Newstimes |date=January 30, 2004 |publisher= The News Times (Danbury, Conn.) }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comeinandburn.com/archive/hqmay97.htm |title=An Unofficial Henry Rollins & Rollins Band Website |publisher=Come In and Burn |access-date=2014-04-19}}</ref> His mother is of Irish descent,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.laweekly.com/henry-rollins-my-parents-gave-me-existence-but-punk-rock-gave-me-life/|title=Henry Rollins: My Parents Gave Me Existence, but Punk Rock Gave Me Life|date=May 25, 2017|website=LA Weekly}}</ref> and his father was from a [[Jewish]] family.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rhodes |first=Aaron |date=2022-02-17 |title=Henry Rollins on new music, pandemic fallout, and his upcoming spoken word tour |url=https://www.thepitchkc.com/henry-rollins-on-new-music-pandemic-fallout-and-his-upcoming-spoken-word-tour/ |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=[[The Pitch (newspaper)|The Pitch]] |language=en-US}}</ref> Rollins's paternal great-grandfather, Henach Luban, fled to the U.S. from [[Rēzekne]], Latvia, (then part of the [[Russian Empire]]) and changed his first name to Henry.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2017-07-14|first=David|last=Michaelson|title=Saving My Family History and Remembering the Holocaust: The Tale of a Synagogue|url=https://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/7/176811/-|website=[[Daily Kos]]|publication-date=2006-01-07|quote=Henach became Henry Luban in America and many of his children, grandchildren and further descendents are still alive. One such descendent of Henry Luban's is his great-grandson Henry Garfield, better known to many of us as the punk rocker Henry Rollins.|url-status=live|archive-date=July 14, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170714144129/https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2006/1/7/176811/-|df=mdy-all}}</ref> When Rollins was three years old, his parents divorced and he was raised by his mother in the Washington neighborhood of [[Glover Park]].<ref name="Biography ">J. Parker, Turned On: A Biography of Henry Rollins, 2000</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Rolling Stone Interview: Henry Rollins |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-rolling-stone-interview-henry-rollins-19931223 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=August 29, 2017 |archive-date=October 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012201643/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-rolling-stone-interview-henry-rollins-19931223 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://alextimes.com/2007/09/alexandria-sightings-nature-or-nurture-henry-rolli/ |title=Alexandria Sightings – Nature or nurture? Henry Rollins provokes &#124; Alexandria Times |publisher=Alextimes.com |date=2007-09-27 |access-date=2012-10-31}}</ref><ref name="ayad">{{cite web |url=http://www.themodernword.com/interviews/interview_rollins.html |title=You can't dance to a book: Neddal Ayad interviews Henry Rollins |author=Ayad, Neddal |publisher=TheModernWord.com |date=2007-02-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502161205/http://www.themodernword.com/interviews/interview_rollins.html |archive-date=May 2, 2015 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> As a child and teenager, Rollins was sexually assaulted,<ref>{{cite news|last=Colon |first=Suzan |url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/music/whos-afraid-of-henry-rollins-6364789 |title=Who's Afraid of Henry Rollins? |newspaper=[[Miami New Times]] |date=1992-07-22 |access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref> and he suffered from depression and low self-esteem.<ref name="a25">Azerrad, Michael. ''[[Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991]]''. Little Brown and Company, 2001. {{ISBN|0-316-78753-1}}. p. 25</ref> In fourth grade, he was diagnosed with [[hyperactivity]] and was prescribed with [[Ritalin]] for several years to focus during school.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOqSQ4xuFdc|title=Henry Rollins Discusses Being Put On Ritalin As A Child (interview)|publisher=[[The Joe Rogan Experience]]|access-date=30 January 2017}}</ref>

Rollins attended [[The Bullis School]], then an all-male preparatory school in [[Potomac, Maryland]].<ref name="Biography"/> According to Rollins, the school helped him to develop a sense of discipline and a strong work ethic.<ref name="a25" /> It was at Bullis that he began writing.<ref name="ayad" /> After high school, he attended [[American University]] in Washington for one semester, but dropped out in December 1979.<ref name="latimes"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://dailyuw.com/news/1996/nov/27/an-interview-with-henry-rollins/ |title=An Interview With Henry Rollins &#124; The Daily |publisher=Dailyuw.com |date=1996-11-27 |access-date=2012-10-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120708041440/http://dailyuw.com/news/1996/nov/27/an-interview-with-henry-rollins/ |archive-date=July 8, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> He began working minimum-wage jobs, including a job as a courier for kidney samples at the [[National Institutes of Health]].<ref name="popenter">{{cite web |url=http://www.popentertainment.com/henryrollins.htm |title=Henry Rollins interview |access-date=2007-08-14 |author=Sklar, Ronald |publisher=PopEntertainment.com}}</ref> In 1987, he said that he had not seen his father since the age of 18,<ref name="latimes"/> and, in 2019, wrote, "What my father thinks of me, or if he is still alive, I have no idea."<ref name="latimes2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-review-jared-yates-sexton-man-they-wanted-20190620-story.html|title=Men are expected to be 'strong silent types' — and it's breaking them, says Henry Rollins|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 20, 2019|access-date=June 29, 2019}}</ref>

==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>

==Media work==
===Television===
As Rollins rose to prominence with the Rollins Band, he began to present and appear on television. These included ''Alternative Nation'' and ''MTV Sports'' in 1993 and 1994 respectively. Rollins also co-starred in ''The Chase'' with Charlie Sheen. In 1995 Rollins co-starred in [[Johnny Mnemonic]] and also appeared on an episode of ''[[Unsolved Mysteries]]'' that explored the murder of his best friend [[Murder of Joe Cole|Joe Cole]]<ref>{{cite episode |title=Joe Cole |series=Unsolved Mysteries |network=''[[NBC]]'' |air-date=1996-05-17 |season=8 |number=376}}</ref> and presented ''State of the Union Undressed'' on [[Comedy Central]]. Rollins began to present and narrate ''VH1 Legends'' in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/40/Henry-Rollins.html |title=Henry Rollins Biography (1961–) |access-date=2007-09-22 |website=FilmReference.com}}</ref> Rollins, busy with the Rollins Band, did not present more programs until 2001, but made appearances on a number of other television shows, including ''[[Welcome to Paradox]]'' in 1998 in the episode "All Our Sins Forgotten", as a therapist who develops a device that can erase the bad memories of his patients. Rollins also voiced [[Mad Stan]] in ''[[Batman Beyond]]'' in 1999 and 2000.<ref>{{cite episode |title=Rats! |series=Batman Beyond |series-link=Batman Beyond |network=[[The WB]] |air-date=1999-11-20 |season=2 |number=22}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode |title=Eyewitness |series=Batman Beyond |series-link=Batman Beyond |network=[[The WB]] |air-date=2000-01-22 |season=2 |number=27}}</ref>

Rollins was a host of film review programme ''Henry's Film Corner'' on the [[Independent Film Channel]]<!-- year -->, before presenting the weekly ''[[The Henry Rollins Show]]'' on the channel. ''The Henry Rollins Show'' is now{{when|date=January 2016}} being shown weekly on [[Film24]] along with ''Henry Rollins Uncut''. The show also lead to a promotional tour in Europe that led to Rollins being dubbed a "bad boy goodwill ambassador" by a NY reviewer.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Winston |first=Rory |title=Our Man Rollins |publisher=NY Resident Magazine |date=April 2009 |url=http://74.54.115.114/node/736 |access-date=Jan 8, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He also hosted [[Fox broadcasting company|Fox]]'s short-lived 2001 horror anthology series ''[[Night Visions (TV series)|Night Visions]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1433785/rollins-band-video-wins-award/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301074552/http://www.mtv.com/news/1433785/rollins-band-video-wins-award/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 1, 2016 |title=Rollins Band Video Wins Award |publisher=MTV |date=2000-10-13 |access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref> The show's creators wanted [[Gary Oldman]] to host this show, but Fox insisted on having Rollins instead.<ref name="nv">{{cite book|last1=Garcia|first1=Frank|last2=Phillips|first2=Mark|title=Science Fiction Television Series, 1990-2004: Histories, Casts and Credits for 58 Shows}}</ref>

In 2002, Rollins guest-starred on an episode of the sitcom ''[[The Drew Carey Show]]'' as a man Oswald found on [[eBay]] and paid to come to his house and "kick his ass". He co-hosted the British television show ''[[Full Metal Challenge]]'', in which teams built vehicles to compete in various driving and racing contests, from 2002 to 2003 on [[Channel 4]] and [[TLC (TV channel)|TLC]]. He has made a number of cameo appearances in television series such as MTV{{'}}s ''[[Jackass (franchise)|Jackass]]'' and an episode of ''[[Californication (TV series)|Californication]]'', where he played himself hosting a radio show.<ref>{{cite episode |title=LOL |episode-link=LOL (Californication) |series=Californication |series-link=Californication (TV series) |network=''[[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]]'' |air-date=2007-09-10 |season=1 |number=5 |minutes=<!-- add --> }}</ref> In 2006, Rollins appeared in a documentary series by [[VH1]] and [[Sundance Channel (United States)|The Sundance Channel]] called ''[[The Drug Years]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_drug_years/series_artists.jhtml |title=Shows : Rock Docs : The Drug Years : Featured Artists |website=Vh1.com |date=2009-03-16 |access-date=2011-05-31 |archive-date=June 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626064803/http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_drug_years/series_artists.jhtml |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Rollins appears in FX's ''[[Sons of Anarchy]]''{{'}}s second season, which premiered in the fall of 2009 in the United States. Rollins plays [[A.J. Weston]], a [[white supremacist]] gang leader and new antagonist in the show's fictional town of Charming, California, who poses a deadly threat to the [[Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://soa.blogs.fxnetworks.com/ |title=SOA Season 2 |publisher=Soa.blogs.fxnetworks.com |access-date=2011-05-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711061924/http://soa.blogs.fxnetworks.com/ |archive-date=July 11, 2011 }}</ref> In 2009, Rollins voiced "Trucker" in ''[[American Dad!]]''{{'}}s fourth season (episode eight).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/american-dad-2009/episode-8-season-4/chimdale/191371 |title=American Dad! Episode Guide 2009 Season 4 – Chimdale, Episode 8 |publisher=tvguide.com |access-date=2013-02-14}}</ref> Rollins voiced Benjamin Knox/Bonk in the 2000 animated film ''[[Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker]]''.<ref>{{cite news|author=Deathfrogurt |url=http://www.comicsalliance.com/2009/09/17/henry-rollins-to-join-the-doom-patrol-in-batman-the-brave-and/ |title=Henry Rollins To Join The Doom Patrol In 'Batman: The Brave And The Bold' – ComicsAlliance &#124; Comics culture, news, humor, commentary, and reviews |work=ComicsAlliance |date=2009-09-18 |access-date=2011-05-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726120553/http://www.comicsalliance.com/2009/09/17/henry-rollins-to-join-the-doom-patrol-in-batman-the-brave-and/ |archive-date=July 26, 2011 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In 2010, Rollins appeared in an episode of the German documentary television series ''[[Durch die Nacht mit ...]]'' with Iranian artist [[Shirin Neshat]].<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Stereogum]]|url=https://www.stereogum.com/566652/henry-rollins-scolds-young-elitist-hipters-at-the-cake-shop/news/|title=Henry Rollins Scolds “Young Elitist Hipters” At The Cake Shop|date=November 3, 2010|author=Stosuy, Brandon}}</ref>

Also in 2010, Rollins appeared as a guest judge on season 2 episode 6 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.logotv.com/video/episode-6-season-2-rocker-chicks/1630292/playlist.jhtml#vid=492047 |title=Episode 6, Season 2: Rocker Chicks &#124; Video Clips, Watch Full Episodes Online |publisher=Logotv.com |access-date=2014-04-19 |archive-date=October 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004231316/http://www.logotv.com/video/episode-6-season-2-rocker-chicks/1630292/playlist.jhtml#vid=492047 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://jezebel.com/5494629/henry-rollins-turned-on-by-rupauls-drag-race/ |title=Henry Rollins Turned On By RuPaul's Drag Race |date=March 16, 2010 |publisher=Jezebel.com |access-date=2014-04-19 |archive-date=October 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005015931/http://jezebel.com/5494629/henry-rollins-turned-on-by-rupauls-drag-race/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2011, he was interviewed in the ''[[National Geographic Explorer]]'' episode "Born to Rage", regarding his possible link to the MAOA gene ([[warrior gene]]) and violent behavior.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2010-12-14-ragetv14_ST_N.htm | work=USA Today | title=Henry Rollins, 'Born to Rage' hunt anger's genetic roots | date=2010-12-13}}</ref> In 2012, he hosted the ''[[National Geographic Wild]]'' series "Animal Underworld", investigating where the real boundaries lie in [[human-animal relationships]].<ref>{{cite web|author=National Geographic Wild|url=http://natgeotv.com.au/tv/animal-underworld/|title=Animal Underworld|publisher=Natgeotv.com.au|access-date=18 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515032048/http://natgeotv.com.au/tv/animal-underworld/|archive-date=May 15, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rollins also appeared in the ''[[Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series)|Hawaii Five-0]]'' episode "Hoʻopio" that aired on May 6, 2013.

In November 2013, Rollins started hosting the show ''[[10 Things You Don't Know About]]'' on the History Channel's [[H2 (TV network)|H2]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.com/shows/10-things-you-dont-know-about/cast/henry-rollins |title=Henry Rollins – 10 Things You Don't Know About Cast |publisher=HISTORY.com |access-date=2014-04-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820110654/http://www.history.com/shows/10-things-you-dont-know-about/cast/henry-rollins |archive-date=August 20, 2014 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> In 2014, he voiced the antagonist [[Zaheer]] in the [[The Legend of Korra (Book 3)|third season]] of the animated series ''[[The Legend of Korra]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kuang|first1=Robert|title=The Legend Of Korra Book 3 Compared To Game Of Thrones As Bryan Konietzko Introduces New Voice Actors For Kai And Zaheer|url=http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/97959/20140703/legend-of-korra-book-3.htm|access-date=12 July 2014|work=Kpopstarz|archive-date=July 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714171355/http://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/97959/20140703/legend-of-korra-book-3.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Rollins played the part of Lt. Mueller in episodes 1–3 of the fourth season of the TV series ''[[Z Nation]]'', which originally aired on [[Syfy]] in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0738433/|title=Henry Rollins|website=IMDb}}</ref>

In 2019, Rollins began appearing as a disillusioned poisons instructor in the TV series [[Deadly Class (TV series)|''Deadly Class'']].

He was on episode 1 of season 8 of Portlandia. He played a member of the band Riot Spray, also featuring Krist Novoselic.

===Radio and podcast===
====Weekly radio show (2004&ndash;2009)====
On May 19, 2004, Rollins began hosting a weekly radio show, ''Harmony in My Head'', on [[Indie 103.1]] radio in Los Angeles. The show aired every Monday evening, with Rollins playing music ranging from early rock and [[jump blues]] to [[hard rock]], [[blues rock]], [[folk rock]], [[punk rock]], [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] and [[rockabilly]], and touching on [[hip hop]], [[jazz]], [[world music]], [[reggae]], classical music and more. ''Harmony in my Head'' often emphasizes B-sides, live [[bootleg recording|bootlegs]] and other rarities, and nearly every episode has featured a song either by the [[Beastie Boys]] or British group [[The Fall (band)|The Fall]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}

Rollins put the show on a short hiatus from early to late 2005, to undertake a spoken-word tour.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} Upon resuming the show, Rollins kicked off his return by playing the show's namesake [[Buzzcocks]] song. In 2008, the show was continuing each week, despite Rollins's constant touring, with new pre-recorded shows between live broadcasts. The show ended when the station went off the air in 2009.<ref name="fanatic">{{cite web | url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stay-fanatic-vol-1-henry-rollins/1138786003 | title=Stay Fanatic!!! Vol. 1: Hectic Expectorations for the Music Obsessive | publisher=Barnes & Noble | work=Overview | date=27 April 2018 | accessdate=7 August 2023 | author=Rollins, Henry | quote=You might remember Fanatic! volumes 1-3, which were published between 2004 and 2007. I had a radio show at a station called Indie 103.1. I was there from 2004 to early 2009 when they signed off.  I made extensive notes for each show and annotated each song. I thought that they might be useful for people who were curious about music and they were really fun to write. The Fanatic! books were {{sic|comprised |hide=y|of}} these notes.  When Indie closed its doors in 2009, I felt bad for the station and that all the people who had put so much into making it great were suddenly out of a job. Selfishly, I felt bad for myself as I really dug having a radio show. Playing music for people is something I've always liked. Having this as an actual job was incredible. ~. I found that I really liked writing about music, so I kept on typing up brief show notes, which I still do every week. However, I wanted to write about music beyond what I was doing for the radio show. I wanted to take advantage of the fact that I've been collecting records, flyers, set lists, clip- pings and other music related materials since the late 1970s. I wanted to be able to scan these pieces as images, imbed them on pages and write about them. I wanted to take the reader into a world of obsessive gathering and organizing. Otherwise, this stuff just sits in acid-free environments, for the most part, unseen. I also wanted to detail the record stores I go to all over the world, the epic searches I've embarked on to locate records and music related items, the shows I've been to, and so on. Basically a life of being a total music Fanatic. So, how to do it? I tried to come up with ideas as to how to put all the enthusiasm I had for music and records into a format that would be fun for me to write and enjoyable for someone to read.}}</ref>

====Weekly radio show (2009&ndash;present)====
On February 18, 2009, [[KCRW]] announced that Rollins would be hosting a live show on Saturday nights starting March 7, 2009,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/02/henry-rollins-r.html | title=Pop & Hiss | date=2009-02-18 | work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> which has since been moved to Sunday nights at 8:00{{spaces}}p.m.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://blogs.kcrw.com/pressroom/2013/04/kcrw-announces-changes-to-weekend-programming-schedule/ | title=KRCW Programming Changes|website=Blogs.kcrw.com | date=2013-04-15}}</ref> As of Aug 2023, Rollins has hosted 748 episodes.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kcrw.com/music/shows/henry-rollins/kcrw-broadcast-748 | title=KCRW Broadcast 748 | publisher=[[KCRW]] | date=5 August 2023 | accessdate=7 August 2023 | author=Rollins, Henry | quote=A good show lined up for you. We hope you dig it. As I'm writing this, I'm listening to the Art Of Self Defense remix. Of course my audio source is not all that great but even through the small speakers, it sounds really good.   Thanks for reading these notes and for tuning into the show. Have a great week and STAY FANATIC!!!    –– Henry}}</ref>

====Podcasts====
In 2011, Rollins was interviewed on Episode 121 of American Public Media's podcast, ''The Dinner Party Download'', posted on November 3, 2011.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.dinnerpartydownload.org/episodes/121/ | title=Dinner Party Download|website=Dinnerpartydownload.org | date=2011-11-03}}</ref>

In February 2015, Rollins began recording a semi-regular [[podcast]] with his longtime manager Heidi May, titled ''Henry & Heidi''.<ref name="podcast">Henry Rollins's Official Website: "[https://www.henryrollins.com/podcast Henry & Heidi Podcast]."</ref> In describing the show, Rollins stated, "One day Heidi mentioned that I've told her a lot of stories that never made it to the stage and we should do a podcast so I could tell them&nbsp;... I thought it was a good idea and people seem to like how the two of us get along. We've been working together for over 20 years and are very good friends."<ref name="rs">{{Cite magazine|last=Grow|first=Kory|date=2018-05-01|title=7 Musicians' Podcasts You Need to Hear|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/7-musicians-podcasts-you-need-to-hear-628428/|access-date=2023-02-08|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> The podcast has received positive reviews from ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' and ''[[The A.V. Club]]''.<ref name="rs" /><ref name="podmass">{{Cite web|date=2015-03-02|title=Henry Rollins has more to say, creates podcast to do so|url=https://www.avclub.com/henry-rollins-has-more-to-say-creates-podcast-to-do-so-1798287814|access-date=2023-02-08|website=The A.V. Club|language=en}}</ref>

===Filmography===
Rollins began his film career appearing in several independent films featuring the band Black Flag. His film debut was in 1982's ''The Slog Movie'', about the West Coast punk scene.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405326/ |title=The Slog Movie (1982) |access-date=2007-09-20 |publisher=Imdb.com}}</ref> An appearance in 1985's ''Black Flag Live'' followed. Rollins's first film appearance without Black Flag was the short film ''The Right Side of My Brain'' with [[Lydia Lunch]] in 1985.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089919/ |title=The Right Side of My Brain (1985) |access-date=2007-06-20 |publisher=Imdb.com}}</ref> Following the band's breakup, Rollins did not appear in any films until 1994's ''[[The Chase (1994 film)|The Chase]]''. Rollins appeared in the 2007 direct-to-DVD sequel to ''[[Wrong Turn (2003 film)|Wrong Turn]]'' (2003), ''[[Wrong Turn 2: Dead End]]'' as a retired Marine Corps officer who hosts his own show which tests the contestants' will to survive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-Pu-Z/Rollins-Henry.html |title=Henry Rollins works |website=Notablebiographies.com |access-date=August 23, 2016}}</ref> Rollins has also appeared in ''Punk: Attitude'', a documentary on the punk scene, and in ''[[American Hardcore (film)|American Hardcore]]'' (2006). In 2012, Rollins appeared in a short documentary entitled "Who Shot Rock and Roll" discussing the early punk scene in Los Angeles as well as photographs of himself in Black Flag taken by photographer Edward Colver.<ref>{{cite web|title=Who Shot Rock and Roll Official Trailer|url=http://www.arclightprods.com/wsrr-trailer/|work=Who Shot Rock and Roll|access-date=July 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016011331/http://www.arclightprods.com/wsrr-trailer/|archive-date=October 16, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rollins also inspired the characterization of [[Negan]] in ''[[The Walking Dead (comic book)|The Walking Dead]]'' comic and auditioned to play the character in the [[The Walking Dead (TV series)|television series]], but eventually lost the role to [[Jeffrey Dean Morgan]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thewrap.com/walking-dead-how-close-was-henry-rollins-to-landing-negan-role/ |title='Walking Dead': How Close Was Henry Rollins to Landing Negan Role? |last= Otterson|first= Joe|website=[[TheWrap]] |date=June 16, 2016}}</ref>

====Film====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Title !! Role 
!Notes
|-
|1990||''Kiss Napoleon Goodbye''||Jackson
|
|-
|1994
|''Jugular Wine: A Vampire Odyssey''
|Self
|
|-
|1994
|''[[The Chase (1994 film)|The Chase]]''
|Officer Dobbs
|
|-
|1995
|''[[Johnny Mnemonic (film)|Johnny Mnemonic]]''
|Spider
|
|-
|1995
|''[[Heat (1995 film)|Heat]]''
|Hugh Benny
|
|-
|1997
|''[[Lost Highway (film)|Lost Highway]]''
|Guard Henry
|
|-
|1998
|''[[Jack Frost (1998 film)|Jack Frost]]''
|Sid Gronic
|
|-
|2000
|''[[Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker]]''
|Bonk
|Voice
|-
|2001
|''[[Morgan's Ferry]]''
|Monroe
|
|-
|2001
|''[[Dogtown and Z-Boys]]''
|Self
|Documentary
|-
|2001
|''[[Scenes of the Crime]]''
|Greg
|
|-
|2002
|''[[The New Guy]]''
|Warden
|
|-
|2002
|''[[Jackass: The Movie]]''
|Self
|
|-
|2003
|''[[Bad Boys II]]''
|TNT Leader
|
|-
|2003
|''[[A House on a Hill]]''
|Arthur
|
|-
|2004
|''Deathdealer: A Documentary''
|Vincent
|
|-
|2005
|''[[Feast (2005 film)|Feast]]''
|Coach
|
|-
|2006
|''[[The Alibi]]''
|Putty
|
|-
|2006
|''[[American Hardcore (film)|American Hardcore]]''
|Self
|Documentary
|-
|2007
|''[[Wrong Turn 2: Dead End]]''
|Dale
|
|-
|2009
|''[[The Devil's Tomb]]''
|Father Fulton
|Direct-to-Video
|-
|2009
|''H for Hunger''
|Self
|Documentary
|-
|2009
|''[[William Shatner's Gonzo Ballet]]''
|Self
|Documentary
|-
|2009
|''[[Suck (film)|Suck]]''
|Rockin' Roger
|
|-
|2011
|''[[Green Lantern: Emerald Knights]]''
|[[Kilowog]]
|Voice
|-
|2012
|''[[West of Memphis]]''
|Self
|Documentary
|-
|2013
|''[[Downloaded (film)|Downloaded]]''
|Self
|Documentary
|-
|2014
|''[[Salad Days (2014 film)|Salad Days]]''
|Self
|Documentary
|-
|2015
|''[[He Never Died]]''
|Jack
|<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Henry Rollins Wraps First Lead Film Role |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/henry-rollins-wraps-first-lead-film-role-20131212 |url-status=dead |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015152923/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/henry-rollins-wraps-first-lead-film-role-20131212 |archive-date=October 15, 2017 |access-date=August 29, 2017}}</ref>
|-
|2015
|''[[Gutterdämmerung]]''
|Priest Svengali
|<ref>{{cite web |date=July 15, 2015 |title=Iggy Pop, Grace Jones, Henry Rollins to Star in Silent Movie Gutterdämmerung |url=http://pitchfork.com/news/60406-iggy-pop-grace-jones-henry-rollins-to-star-in-silent-movie-gutterdammerung |website=Pitchfork}}</ref>
|-
|2016
|''[[The Last Heist]]''
|Bernard
|<ref>{{cite web |title=The Last Heist |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4743562/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 |access-date=1 June 2016 |website=IMDb}}</ref>
|-
|2019
|''[[Dreamland (2019 Canadian film)|Dreamland]]''
|Hercules
|
|-
|2021
|''[[Music (2021 film)|Music]]''
|Ebo's Neighbor
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 12, 2021 |title=Music review: Sia's messy debut is a neurodiversity movie to forget |url=https://www.timeout.com/movies/music |access-date=2021-02-05 |website=Time Out Worldwide |language=en}}</ref>
|}

====Television====
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ List of performances on television
! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1997||''[[Saturday Night Live]]''||Musical Guest (Rollins Band)||1 episode
|-
|1999–2001||''[[Batman Beyond]]''||Stanley Labowski / Mad Stan||Voice, 3 episodes
|-
|2004||''[[Teen Titans (TV series)|Teen Titans]]''||Johnny Rancid||Voice, 2 episodes
|-
|2006||''[[Shorty McShorts' Shorts]]''||Skylar||Voice, 3 episodes
|-
|2007||''[[Odd Job Jack]]''||Larry||Voice, episode: "Insecticidal Tendencies"
|-
|2009||''[[American Dad!]]''||Trucker||Voice, episode: "Chimdale"
|-
|2009
|''[[Sons of Anarchy]]''
|A.J. Weston
|10 Episodes
|-
| 2010–2016 ||''[[Adventure Time]]''||Bob Rainicorn, Cookie Man||Voice, 3 episodes
|-
|2010||''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]''||[[Robotman (Cliff Steele)|Cliff Steele / Robotman]] ||Voice, episode: "The Last Patrol!"
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series)|Hawaii Five-0]]'' ||  Ray Beckett || episode: "Ho'opio!"
|-
|2013
|''[[The Eric Andre Show]]''
|Himself
|Episode: Chance the Rapper/Mel B
|-
|rowspan=2|2014||''[[The Legend of Korra]]''||[[Zaheer (The Legend of Korra)|Zaheer]]||Voice, 13 episodes
|-
| ''[[Uncle Grandpa]]'' || Skeletony || Voice, episode: "Hide and Seek"
|-
|2014
|''[[You're the Worst]]''
|Cameo appearance
|Episode: Other Things You Could Be Doing
|-
| 2015 || ''[[Stitchers]]'' || Robert Barbiero || Episode: "[[List of Stitchers episodes|Full Stop]]"
|-
| 2016 || ''[[Sheriff Callie's Wild West]]'' || Speedy Silverado || Voice, episode: "Blazing Skaters"
|-
| 2017 || ''[[Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters]]'' || Mickey Simmons, Prison Guard||Voice, episode: "The Gangs of Old Town"
|-
| 2017 || ''[[Z Nation]]'' || [[Lieutenant|Lt]]. Mueller || 3 episodes
|-
| 2018 || ''[[Mr. Pickles]]'' || Govt. Agent Commander || Voice, episode: "S.H.O.E.S."
|-
| 2021 || ''[[Masters of the Universe: Revelation]]'' || Tri-Klops || Voice
|-
| 2023
| ''[[The Patrick Star Show]]''
| FitzPatrick
| Voice, episode: "FitzPatrick"
|}

===Books and audiobooks===
[[File:Henry Rollins - Occupants (with Thurston Moore).webm|thumb|Rollins discussing his 2014 book ''Occupants'' with [[Thurston Moore]]]]
Rollins has written a variety of books, including ''[[Black Coffee Blues]]'', ''Do I Come Here Often?'', ''The First Five'' (a compilation of ''High Adventure in the Great Outdoors'', ''Pissing in the Gene Pool'', ''Bang!'', ''Art to Choke Hearts'', and ''One From None''), ''See a Grown Man Cry'', ''Now Watch Him Die'', ''[[Smile, You're Traveling]]'', ''[[Get in the Van]]'', ''[[Eye Scream]]'', ''Broken Summers'', ''Roomanitarian'', and ''Solipsist''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Books |url=https://www.twothirteensixtyone.com/collections/books |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=2.13.61 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=ThriftBooks |title=Henry Rollins Books {{!}} List of books by author Henry Rollins |url=https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/henry-rollins/219404/ |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=ThriftBooks |language=en}}</ref>

For the [[audiobook]] version of the 2006 novel ''[[World War Z]]'', Rollins voiced the character of T. Sean Collins, a mercenary hired to protect celebrities during a mass panic caused by an onslaught of the undead. Rollins' other audiobook recordings include ''3:10 to Yuma'' and his own autobiographical book, ''Get in the Van'', for which he won a [[Grammy Award]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Henry Rollins {{!}} Biography, Music, Movies, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Rollins |access-date=2023-11-09 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-09 |title=Audiobooks narrated by Henry Rollins {{!}} Audible.com |url=https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Henry+Rollins |access-date=2023-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231109235105/https://www.audible.com/search?searchNarrator=Henry+Rollins |archive-date=November 9, 2023 }}</ref>

In early 2005, with his weekly show on hiatus, Rollins posted playlists and commentary on-line;{{where|date=August 2023}} these lists were expanded with more information and published in book form as ''Fanatic!'' in November 2005. In 2007 and 2008, Rollins published ''Fanatic! Vol. 2'' and ''Fanatic! Vol. 3'', respectively.<ref name="fanatic" />

Rollins continued to take notes of the music featured on his show, and wanted to preserve them in book form along with scans of set lists, flyers and other music-related materials he had been collecting since the 70s. These volumes ''Stay Fanatic!!! Vol. 1'', ''Stay Fanatic!!! Vol. 2'' and ''Stay Fanatic!!! Vol. 3'' were published in 2018, 2021 and 2022, respectively.<ref name="fanatic" />

===Online journalism===
In September 2008, Rollins began contributing to the "Politics & Power" [[blog]] at the online version of ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web |author=Rollins, Henry |title=Are We Really Going to Elect Sleepy John? |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/09/are-we-really-going-to-elect-sleepy-john.html |date=September 9, 2008 |work=VF Daily's Politics & Power Blog |publisher=Condé Nast Digital |access-date=September 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830133848/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2008/09/are-we-really-going-to-elect-sleepy-john.html |archive-date=August 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> Since March 2009, his posts have appeared under their own sub-title, ''Straight Talk Espresso''.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Nancy Reagan Stem Cell Research Good Time Hour Presents ... |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2009/03/the-nancy-reagan-stem-cell-research-good-time-hour-presents.html |date=March 10, 2009 |work=VF Daily's Politics & Power Blog |publisher=Condé Nast Digital |access-date=September 26, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830075055/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2009/03/the-nancy-reagan-stem-cell-research-good-time-hour-presents.html |archive-date=August 30, 2009 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref> His posts consistently criticize [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] politicians and pundits, although he does occasionally target those on the left.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}} In August 2010, he began writing a music column for ''[[LA Weekly]]'' in Los Angeles.<ref name="laweekly">{{cite news | first = Henry | last = Rollins | title = Fanatics! Meet LA Weekly's New Columnist: Henry Rollins | date = August 20, 2010 | url = http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/henry-rollins/henry-rollins-column-introduct/index.php?page=1 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120707164758/http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/henry-rollins/henry-rollins-column-introduct/index.php?page=1 | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 7, 2012 | work = [[LA Weekly]] | access-date = 2010-08-26 }}</ref> In 2012, Rollins began publishing articles with ''[[HuffPost]]'' and alternative news website ''WordswithMeaning!'' In the months leading up to the [[2012 United States Presidential election]], Rollins broadcast a YouTube series called "Capitalism 2012", in which he toured the capital cities of the US states, interviewing people about current issues.{{citation needed|date=October 2013}}

===Spoken word===
Since the 1980s, Rollins has toured around the world doing spoken word performances and his shows frequently last for over three hours.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Quamme |first1=Margaret |title='It's going to be a very intense tour': "Henry Rollins on his spoken-word show in Columbus |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/entertainment/music/2022/03/11/what-know-henry-rollins-spoken-word-tour-coming-columbus/9375177002/ |website=The Columbus Dispatch |access-date=24 March 2023 |date=11 March 2022}}</ref> His spoken word style encompasses stand-up comedy, accounts of experiences he has had in the world of music and during his extensive travels around the globe, self-deprecating stories about his own shortcomings, introspective recollections from his own life (such as the death of his friend, Joe Cole), commentaries on society and playful anecdotes.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}} "The talking shows are more demanding, because it's only me on stage", Rollins explained in regards to his spoken word shows. "It's like comparing surgery with construction – one requires super concentration and the other is just physical."<ref name="spokenword">{{cite web |last1=Simpson |first1=Dave |title=Henry Rollins: 'I wouldn't go back on stage with a band for anything' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/mar/23/henry-rollins-i-wouldnt-go-back-on-stage-with-a-band-for-anything |website=The Guardian |access-date=23 March 2023 |date=23 March 2023}}</ref>

===Video games===
Rollins was a playable character in both ''[[Def Jam: Fight for NY]]'' and ''[[Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson Jr. |first=Xalavier |date=9 January 2020 |title=Def Jam: Fight for NY was an ode to hip-hop as violent soap opera |url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/9/21055257/def-jam-fight-for-ny-snoop-dogg-henry-rollins-hip-hop-brawling-wrestling |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208094712/https://www.polygon.com/2020/1/9/21055257/def-jam-fight-for-ny-snoop-dogg-henry-rollins-hip-hop-brawling-wrestling |archive-date=8 February 2023 |access-date=11 November 2023 |website=Polygon}}</ref> Rollins is also the voice of Mace Griffin in ''[[Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rybicki |first=Joe |date=1 August 2003 |title=Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter (PS2) |url=http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0%2C2053%2C1494386%2C00.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040619075826/http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0%2C2053%2C1494386%2C00.asp |archive-date=19 June 2004 |access-date=11 November 2023 |website=Playstation Magazine |publisher=Ziff Davis}}</ref>

==Campaigning and activism==
Rollins has become an outspoken human rights activist, most vocally for [[gay rights]]. In high school, a gay classmate of Rollins' was bullied by classmates to the point of attempting suicide. Rollins has cited this as the main catalyst of his "[[Straight ally|anti-homophobia]]".<ref>{{Citation|last=Big Think|title=Henry Rollins on Gay Marriage|date=2012-07-01|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF7vNVmb2fo&t=5m11s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/kF7vNVmb2fo| archive-date=2021-10-30|access-date=2017-05-31}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Rollins frequently speaks out on justice on his spoken word tours and promotes equality, regardless of sexuality.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://instinctmagazine.com/celebrity-interviews/henry-rollins.html |title=Henry Rollins |access-date=2007-08-14 |author=Rollins, Henry |publisher=InstinctMagazine.com |date=2007-06-01 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070610202932/http://instinctmagazine.com/celebrity-interviews/henry-rollins.html |archive-date=June 10, 2007}}</ref> He was the host of the WedRock [[benefit concert]], which raised money for a pro-gay-marriage organization.

During the [[Iraq War]], he started touring with the [[United Service Organizations]] to entertain troops overseas while remaining against the war, leading him to once cause a stir at a base in [[Kyrgyzstan]] when he told the crowd: "Your commander would never lie to you. That's the vice president's job."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-12-22-uso-cover_x.htm |title=USO cheers troops, but Iraq gigs tough to book |access-date=2007-08-14 |author1=Kasindorf, Martin |author2=Komarow, Steven |date=2005-12-22 |quote=Rollins, 44, has made six USO tours. The former lead singer for the punk-rock group Black Flag said that he generally keeps his anti-war views to himself at USO shows. |work=USA Today}}</ref> Rollins believes it is important that he performs for the troops so that they have multiple points of contact with other parts of the world, stating that "they can get really cut loose from planet earth."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://crasierfrane.com/interviews/henry-rollins |title=Henry Rollins Interview |publisher=Crasier Frane |date=2010-06-20 |access-date=2011-05-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523045944/http://crasierfrane.com/interviews/henry-rollins |archive-date=May 23, 2011 |url-status=usurped |df=mdy-all }}</ref> He has made eight tours, including visits to bases in Djibouti, Kuwait, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan (twice), Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Honduras, Japan, Korea and the United Arab Emirates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rollinscauses.wordpress.com/2007/11/28/the-uso-united-services-organizations/ |title=The USO (United Services Organizations) – Henry Rollins' Causes |publisher=Rollinscauses.wordpress.com |date=2007-11-28 |access-date=2012-10-31}}</ref>

He has also been active in the campaign to free the "[[West Memphis Three]]", three young men who are believed by their supporters to have been wrongfully convicted of murder, and who have since been released from prison, but not exonerated. Rollins appears with [[Public Enemy]] frontman [[Chuck D]] on the [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]] song "Rise Above" on the 2002 benefit album ''[[Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three]]'', the first time Rollins had performed Black Flag's material since 1986.<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r608078|pure_url=yes}} |title=Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three |access-date=2007-08-15 |author=Prato, Greg |website=Allmusic}}</ref>

Continuing his activism on behalf of US troops and veterans, Rollins joined [[Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America]] (IAVA) in 2008 to launch a public service advertisement campaign, CommunityofVeterans.org, which helps veterans coming home from war reintegrate into their communities. In April 2009, Rollins helped IAVA launch the second phase of the campaign which engages the friends and family of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans at SupportYourVet.org.{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}}
[[File:Henry Rollins in Iraq with USO tour.jpg|thumb|Rollins signing a guitar while on a [[United Service Organizations]] (USO) tour in Iraq in 2003]]
On December 3, 2009, Rollins wrote of his support for the victims of the [[Bhopal disaster]] in India, in an article for ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]''<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/12/twenty-five-years-after-the-disaster-bhopal-is-still-ill.html |title=Twenty-five Years After the Disaster, Bhopal Is Still Ill |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=2009-12-03 |access-date=July 3, 2010 |archive-date=May 28, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528052005/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/12/twenty-five-years-after-the-disaster-bhopal-is-still-ill.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> 25 years–to the day–after the [[methyl isocyanate]] gas leak from the [[Union Carbide Corporation]]'s pesticide factory exposed more than half a million local people to poisonous gas and resulted in the deaths of 17,000 people. He spent time in Bhopal with the people, to listen to their stories. In a later radio interview in February 2010<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jennifer-davies.com/index/home/Entries/2010/2/5_Henry_Rollins.html |title=Henry Rollins on positive anger – audio interview with Jennifer Davies (2 mins) |publisher=Jennifer-davies.com |date=2010-02-05 |access-date=2011-05-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713102036/http://www.jennifer-davies.com/index/home/Entries/2010/2/5_Henry_Rollins.html |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Rollins summed up his approach to activism, "This is where my anger takes me, to places like this, not into abuse but into proactive, clean movement."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/switzerland/rollins-still-wakes-up-angry-every-day.shtml |title=Henry Rollins radio interview with World Radio Switzerland (10 mins) |publisher=Worldradio.ch |access-date=2011-05-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414135449/http://worldradio.ch/wrs/news/switzerland/rollins-still-wakes-up-angry-every-day.shtml |archive-date=April 14, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Rollins is an advocate for the [[Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States|legalization of cannabis]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Courtenay |first1=Piper |title=Henry Rollins makes case for decriminalization of cannabis through prism of civil rights |url=https://www.straight.com/cannabis/1085966/rollins-decriminalization |access-date=June 18, 2018 |work=The Georgia Straight |date=June 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627015043/https://www.straight.com/cannabis/1085966/rollins-decriminalization |archive-date=June 27, 2018}}</ref> Rollins has stated he does not personally consume cannabis<ref>{{cite news|last1=Rollins|first1=Henry|title=Henry Rollins Doesn't Smoke Marijuana. But He Has No Problem With It|url=http://www.laweekly.com/music/henry-rollins-doesnt-smoke-marijuana-but-he-has-no-problem-with-it-4167221|access-date=June 18, 2018|work=LA Weekly|date=January 3, 2013}}</ref> but views the issue as an important matter of [[civil rights]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nagasaki |first1=Haley |title=Henry Rollins Talks Cannabis Culture: A Sneak Peak[sic] at Vancouver's ICBC Keynote Speaker |url=https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2018/06/13/henry-rollins-talks-cannabis-culture-a-sneak-peak-at-vancouvers-icbc-keynote-speaker |access-date=June 18, 2018 |work=Cannabis Culture |date=June 13, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618130015/https://www.cannabisculture.com/content/2018/06/13/henry-rollins-talks-cannabis-culture-a-sneak-peak-at-vancouvers-icbc-keynote-speaker |archive-date=June 18, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> arguing that its illegality is based in "bigotry and racism and financing the [[prison–industrial complex]]".<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Nugent|first1=Serena Markstrom|title=How Henry Rollins Became a Drug-Free Pot Advocate|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/how-henry-rollins-became-a-drug-free-pot-advocate-w481602|access-date=June 18, 2018|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=May 11, 2017|archive-date=May 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512015017/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/how-henry-rollins-became-a-drug-free-pot-advocate-w481602|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rollins has shared his views on the subject as [[keynote speaker]] at the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference and the International Cannabis Business Conference.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Anthony|title=Henry Rollins to Keynote International Cannabis Business Conference|url=https://www.weednews.co/henry-rollins-to-keynote-international-cannabis-business-conference/|access-date=June 18, 2018|work=Weed News|date=January 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618152225/https://www.weednews.co/henry-rollins-to-keynote-international-cannabis-business-conference/|archive-date=June 18, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Johnson|first1=Anthony|title=Henry Rollins to Keynote the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference|url=https://www.weednews.co/henry-rollins-to-keynote-the-oregon-marijuana-business-conference/|access-date=June 18, 2018|work=Weed News|date=March 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618125639/https://www.weednews.co/henry-rollins-to-keynote-the-oregon-marijuana-business-conference/|archive-date=June 18, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Mansur|first1=Keith|title=Henry Rollins Keynotes the OMBC in Ashland, Oregon|url=https://www.occnewspaper.com/henry-rollins-keynotes-the-ombc-in-ashland-oregon/|access-date=June 18, 2018|work=OCCNewspaper.com|date=October 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828085517/https://www.occnewspaper.com/henry-rollins-keynotes-the-ombc-in-ashland-oregon/ |archive-date=August 28, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kelley |first1=Ken |title=Henry Rollins On Marijuana Legalization: 'To Me, It's A Political Thing, It's A Civil Rights Thing, It's A Bigotry And Racism Thing' |url=https://www.civilized.life/articles/henry-rollins-on-marijuana-legalization-to-me-its-a-political-thing-its-a-civil-rights-thing-its-a-bigotry-and-racism-thing/ |access-date=June 18, 2018 |work=Civilized |date=June 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618060448/https://www.civilized.life/articles/henry-rollins-on-marijuana-legalization-to-me-its-a-political-thing-its-a-civil-rights-thing-its-a-bigotry-and-racism-thing/ |archive-date=June 18, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In August 2015, Rollins discussed his support for [[Bernie Sanders]] as a candidate in the [[2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ora.tv/offthegrid/2015/8/10/jesse-ventura-and-henry-rollins-talk-the-2016-elections-why-bernie-sanders-has-their-vote-0_5lg244bfmdsd |title=Jesse Ventura and Henry Rollins Talk the 2016 Elections & Why Bernie Sanders Has Their Vote |publisher=Ora TV |date=2015-08-10 |access-date=November 13, 2015 |archive-date=November 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115092650/http://www.ora.tv/offthegrid/2015/8/10/jesse-ventura-and-henry-rollins-talk-the-2016-elections-why-bernie-sanders-has-their-vote-0_5lg244bfmdsd |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Personal life==
===Views and relationships===
Rollins has said that he does not have religious or spiritual beliefs, though he also does not consider himself an [[atheist]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2017-05-28|title=Henry Rollins: Why I'm Not an Atheist|first=Henry|last=Rollins|publication-date=2015-02-26|date=2015-02-17|url=http://www.laweekly.com/music/henry-rollins-why-im-not-an-atheist-5403137|website=LA Weekly|location=Los Angeles, California|url-status=live|archive-date=2015-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227194455/http://www.laweekly.com/music/henry-rollins-why-im-not-an-atheist-5403137}}</ref> He has mostly avoided recreational drugs throughout his life, but experimented a few times with alcohol, [[cannabis]], and [[LSD]] during his teens and early 20s.<ref>{{Citation|last=Comedy Central|title=Henry Rollins – Punk Rock Hyenas – This Is Not Happening – Uncensored|date=2016-02-16|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vhaQIp5PBs| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/5vhaQIp5PBs| archive-date=2021-10-30|access-date=2018-11-22}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|access-date=2017-05-28|publication-date=2017-05-11|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/how-henry-rollins-became-a-drug-free-pot-advocate-w481602|title=How Henry Rollins Became a Drug-Free Pot Advocate|first=Serena|last=Markstrom Nugent|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=May 11, 2017|location=Eugene, Oregon|archive-date=2017-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512015017/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/how-henry-rollins-became-a-drug-free-pot-advocate-w481602|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=2017-05-28|url=http://www.comeinandburn.com/archive/fhm697.htm|archive-date=2005-02-20|title= Quote, Unquote: Henry Rollins|publication-date=June 1997|first=Ivor|last=Baddiel|magazine=[[FHM]]|quote=''Q'': You're well-known for imploring audiences not to destroy themselves with alcohol and tobacco, but have you ever had a pint and a Castella?<br/>''Henry Rollins'': Never had a cigar. When I was 17, I got drunk a few times. I didn't like it, never have. Don't like the taste, don't like the feeling, don't like throwing up on my sneakers.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050220092530/http://www.comeinandburn.com/archive/fhm697.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Rollins is [[childless by choice]],<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2017-05-28|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/thefeed/article/2016/09/06/im-more-hollow-and-disconnected-person-henry-rollins-talks-about-his-father-and|format=video|title="I'm a more hollow and disconnected person": Henry Rollins talks about his father and dealing with death|publication-date=2016-09-06|first=Marc|last=Fennell|author-link=Marc Fennell|website=www.sbs.com.au|publisher=[[Special Broadcasting Service]]|time=2:22|url-status=live|archive-date=2016-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907235353/http://www.sbs.com.au/news/thefeed/article/2016/09/06/im-more-hollow-and-disconnected-person-henry-rollins-talks-about-his-father-and}}</ref> and says that he has not been in a romantic relationship since his 20s.<ref name=JRE>{{cite episode | title = Henry Rollins | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpaX2j75UKk | series = Joe Rogan Experience | series-link = Joe Rogan Experience | number = 906}}</ref> Rollins said, "I am not that interested in having someone to account to and be romantic with on a regular basis. Every once in a while I think I want it, but it's like holding on to sand. It always slips away. Falling in love does not interest me."<ref name="bachelorrollins">{{cite web |last1=Rocca |first1=Jane |title=Henry Rollins talks about the significant women in his life |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/henry-rollins-talks-about-the-significant-women-in-his-life-20160901-gr6770.html |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=30 March 2023 |date=1 September 2016}}</ref>  A lifelong bachelor, Rollins considers himself a solitary person, and maintains few deep relationships outside of his professional ones.<ref name=HARDTalk>{{cite episode | title = Henry Rollins | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnTBk1710d4&t=1183s | series = HARDtalk | series-link = HARDtalk | network = BBC | air-date = 18 January 2016}}</ref> One of his closest personal friends is [[Minor Threat]] lead singer [[Ian MacKaye]], with whom he has been close with since they met as children.<ref name = JRE/> He also enjoys a friendship with actor [[William Shatner]], which developed after he performed on Shatner's album ''[[Has Been]]''.

After nearly 40 years of living in [[Los Angeles]], Rollins mentioned during his "Good to see you" tour that he had relocated to [[Nashville]].

In an interview with Jason Tanamor of Zoiks! Online, when asked about a longtime rumor of Rollins being homosexual, the singer said, "Perhaps wishful thinking. If I were gay, believe me, you would know."<ref>{{cite web|title=Henry Rollins Has Staying Power – Interview|url=http://www.zoiksonline.com/2010/05/henry-rollins-has-staying-power.html|access-date=May 15, 2010|archive-date=May 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513014136/http://www.zoiksonline.com/2010/05/henry-rollins-has-staying-power.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Murder of Joe Cole===
In December 1991, Rollins and his best friend [[Murder of Joe Cole|Joe Cole]] were the victims of an armed robbery and shooting when they were assaulted by robbers outside their shared home in [[Venice Beach, California]]. Cole died after being shot in the face, but Rollins escaped.<ref name=LAT>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-04-02-ca-151-story.html |title=Singer-Poet Henry Rollins Fuels His Art With Rage – Los Angeles Times |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=1999-01-12 |access-date=2014-04-19}}</ref> The murder remains unsolved. In an April 1992 ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' interview, Rollins revealed he kept a plastic container full of soil soaked with Cole's blood: "I dug up all the earth where his head fell—he was shot in the face—and I've got all the dirt here, and so Cole's in the house. I say good morning to him every day. I got his phone, too, so I got a direct line to him. So that feels good."<ref name=LAT/>

In a 2001 interview with [[Howard Stern]], Rollins was asked about rumors that he kept Cole's brain in his house. He stated that he has only the soil from the spot where Cole was killed. During the interview, he also speculated that the reason they were targeted may have been because, days prior to the incident, record producer [[Rick Rubin]] had requested to hear the newly recorded album ''[[The End of Silence]]'' and parked his Rolls-Royce outside their house while carrying a cell phone. Because of the notoriety of the neighborhood, Rollins suspected that this would bring trouble because of the implication that there was money in the home. He even wrote in his journal the night of Rubin's visit that his home "is going to get popped".<ref>[https://youtube.com/nmceYEk7ou8?t=36m49s]{{dead link|date=March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Kr3JbpXXc | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160406133404/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Kr3JbpXXc| archive-date=2016-04-06|title=YouTube |publisher=[[YouTube]] |access-date=2017-03-04}}</ref>

Rollins has included Cole's story in his spoken word performances.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[DVD Verdict]] |title=Henry Rollins: Live At Luna Park |first=Patrick |last=Bromley |date=May 6, 2004 |url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/rollinslunapark.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304232037/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/rollinslunapark.php |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref>

==Works==
{{Main|List of works by Henry Rollins}}

===Musical releases===
====With State of Alert====
* ''[[No Policy]]'' (1981)
* ''[[Flex Your Head]]'' (1982)

====With Black Flag====
* ''[[Damaged (Black Flag album)|Damaged]]'' (1981)
* ''[[My War]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Family Man (Black Flag album)|Family Man]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Slip It In]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Live '84]]'' (1984)
* ''[[Loose Nut]]'' (1985)
* ''[[In My Head (album)|In My Head]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Who's Got the 10½?]]'' (1986)

====Solo====
*''[[Hot Animal Machine]]'' (1987)
*''[[Drive by Shooting]]'' (1987)
* ''Live'' (1987) – split album with [[Gore (band)|Gore]]

====With Rollins Band====
*''[[Life Time (Rollins Band album)|Life Time]]'' (1987, re-release 1999)
*''[[Hard Volume]]'' (1989, re-release 1999)
*''[[Turned On]]'' (1990)
*''[[The End of Silence]]'' (1992, double-CD re-release 2002) #160 US
*''[[Weight (album)|Weight]]'' (1994) #33 US, #22 UK
*''[[Come In and Burn]]'' (1997) #89 US
*''Insert Band Here'' (1999)
*''A Clockwork Orange Stage'' (2000)
*''[[Get Some Go Again]]'' (2000) #180 US
*''[[Nice (Rollins Band album)|Nice]]'' (2001) #178 US
*''[[A Nicer Shade of Red]]'' (2002)
*''End of Silence Demos'' (2002)
*''The Only Way to Know for Sure: Live in Chicago'' (2002)
*''[[Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three]]'' (2002)
*''Weighting'' (2004)

====With Wartime====
* ''Fast Food For Thought'' (1990)

===Spoken word===
* ''[[Short Walk on a Long Pier]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Big Ugly Mouth]]'' (1987)
* ''[[Sweatbox (album)|Sweatbox]]'' (1989)
* ''[[Live at McCabe's (Henry Rollins album)|Live at McCabe's]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Human Butt]]'' (1992)
* ''[[The Boxed Life]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Think Tank (Rollins)|Think Tank]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Eric the Pilot]]'' (1999)
* ''[[A Rollins in the Wry]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Live at the Westbeth Theater]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Talk Is Cheap Vol I|Talk Is Cheap: Volume 1]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Talk Is Cheap Vol II|Talk Is Cheap: Volume 2]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Talk Is Cheap Vol III|Talk Is Cheap: Volume 3]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Talk Is Cheap Vol IV|Talk Is Cheap: Volume 4]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Provoked (Henry Rollins album)|Provoked]]'' (2008)
* ''Spoken Word Guy'' (2010)
* ''Spoken Word Guy 2'' (2010)

;Spoken word videos
* ''Talking from the Box'' (1993)
* ''Henry Rollins Goes to London'' (1995)
* ''You Saw Me Up There'' (1998)
* ''Up for It'' (2001)
* ''Live at Luna Park'' (2004)
* ''Shock & Awe: The Tour'' (2005)
* ''Uncut from NYC'' (2006)
* ''Uncut from Israel'' (2006)
* ''San Francisco 1990'' (2007)
* ''Live in the Conversation Pit'' (2008)
* ''Provoked: Live From Melbourne'' (2008)
* ''50'' (2012)
* ''Keep Talking, Pal'' (2018)

===Audio books===
* ''[[Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag]]'' (1994)
* ''[[Everything (book)|Everything]]'' (1996)
* ''[[Black Coffee Blues]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Nights Behind the Tree Line]]'' (2004)
* ''[[World War Z]]'' (2007)

===Guest appearances and collaborations===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Henry Rollins discography
|-
! Song
! Artist
! Album
! Year
|-
| Minor Threat's First Demo – provided additional Vocals (credited as Henry Garfield)
| [[Minor Threat]]
| ''[[First Demo Tape|First Demo Tape EP]]''
| 1981
|-
| "We Are 138"
| [[Misfits (band)|Misfits]]
| ''[[Evilive]]''
| 1982
|-
|"[[Kick Out the Jams (song)|Kick Out the Jams]]"
|[[Bad Brains]]
|''[[Pump Up the Volume (film)#Soundtrack|Pump Up the Volume Soundtrack]]''
|1990
|-
|"[[Let There Be Rock (song)|Let There Be Rock]]"
|[[Hard-Ons]]
|Released as a single
|1991
|-
|"Bottom" (Spoken word monologue by Henry, 3:14 minutes into the song) 
|[[Tool (band)|Tool]]
|''[[Undertow (Tool album)|Undertow]]''
|1993
|-
|"Wild America"
|[[Iggy Pop]]
|''[[American Caesar (album)|American Caesar]]''
|1993
|-
|"Sexual Military Dynamics"
|[[Mike Watt]]
|''[[Ball-Hog or Tugboat?]]''
|1995
|-
|"Delicate Tendrils"
|[[Les Claypool and the Holy Mackerel]]
|''[[Highball with the Devil]]''
|1996
|-
|"T-4 Strain"
|[[Goldie]]
|''[[Spawn: The Album]]''
|1997
|-
|"[[War (Bone Thugs-n-Harmony song)|War]]"
|[[Bone Thugs-n-Harmony]], [[Tom Morello]] & [[Flea (musician)|Flea]]
| ''[[Small Soldiers (soundtrack)|Small Soldiers]]''
|1998
|-
| "Laughing Man (In the Devil Mask)"
| [[Tony Iommi]]
| ''[[Iommi (album)|Iommi]]''
| 2000
|-
| "I Can't Get Behind That"
| [[William Shatner]]
| ''[[Has Been]]''
| 2004
|-
| All tracks
| [[The Flaming Lips]]
| ''[[The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing The Dark Side of the Moon|The Flaming Lips and Stardeath and White Dwarfs with Henry Rollins and Peaches Doing the Dark Side of the Moon]]''
| 2009
|-
| "Grey 11"
| [[The Mark of Cain (band)|The Mark of Cain]]
| ''[[Songs of the Third and Fifth]]''
| 2012
|-
| "Come On Waleed"
| [[Damian Cowell|Damian Cowell's Disco Machine]]
| ''Get Yer Dag On''
| 2017
|-
| "Jingle Bells"
| [[William Shatner]]
| ''[[Shatner Claus]]''
| 2018
|-
| "Jingle Bells (Punk Rock Version)"
| [[William Shatner]]
| ''[[Shatner Claus]]''
| 2018
|-
|-
| "All tracks"
| [[Charles Manson]]
| ''Completion''
| Additional production- Henry Rollins
|-
|}

===Essays===
<!-- please add other articles published in "Spin", "Details", or his publishing company 2.13.61 -->
* ''I Am an Audiophile'', an editorial essay in ''[[Stereophile]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rollins |first1=Henry |year=2011 |title=As We See It: I Am an Audiophile |url=http://www.stereophile.com/content/i-am-audiophile |journal=Stereophile |volume=34 |issue=8 |page=1 |publisher=Source Interlink Media}}</ref>
* ''Iron and the Soul'', an editorial essay in ''[[Details magazine|Details]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Iron and The Soul|url=https://www.oldtimestrongman.com/articles/the-iron-by-henry-rollins/|website=Oldtimesstrongman.com|access-date=2018-10-26}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Azerrad, Michael. ''[[Our Band Could Be Your Life]]: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991''. Little Brown and Company, 2001. {{ISBN|0-316-78753-1}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|d=Q318509|c=Category:Henry_Rollins|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{discogs artist}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{ISFDB name}}
* [http://www.ifctv.com/henry/ IFC Site for ''The Henry Rollins Show'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120211204125/http://www.pmakid.com/2011/11/henry-rollins-interview.html Interview with Henry Rollins on PMAKid.com]
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.pointninenine.com/2011/11/henry-rollins-9-questions-with-the-legendary-frontman-about-the-mainstream-media-so-called-class-warfare-and-the-political-necessities-facing-the-99-movement/ |title=Henry Rollins: 9 Questions with the Legendary Frontman about the Mainstream Media, So-called Class Warfare and the Political Necessities facing the 99% Movement |access-date=January 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922022928/http://www.pointninenine.com/2011/11/henry-rollins-9-questions-with-the-legendary-frontman-about-the-mainstream-media-so-called-class-warfare-and-the-political-necessities-facing-the-99-movement/ |archive-date=September 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}, Dan O'Mahony, "Point Nine Nine", November 7, 2011
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140628223624/http://www.earwolf.com/episode/henry-rollins/ Henry Rollins, episode #14 of By The Way, In Conversation With Jeff Garlin] on [http://www.earwolf.com/ Earwolf], July 11, 2013
* [http://www.rockerzine.com/index.php/2013/09/watch-this-rupaul-drives-henry-rollins/ "RuPaul Drives Henry Rollins" review of web series Rocker Magazine 2013]

{{Henry Rollins|state=expanded}}
{{Black Flag}}
{{Rollins Band}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album 1990s}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rollins, Henry}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:21st-century American comedians]]
[[Category:21st-century American non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Alternative metal musicians]]
[[Category:American activist journalists]]
[[Category:American anti–Iraq War activists]]
[[Category:American anti-war activists]]
[[Category:American bloggers]]
[[Category:American book publishers (people)]]
[[Category:American cannabis activists]]
[[Category:American heavy metal singers]]
[[Category:American human rights activists]]
[[Category:American LGBTQ rights activists]]
[[Category:American male bloggers]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American male songwriters]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male video game actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Latvian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Latvian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American public radio personalities]]
[[Category:American punk rock singers]]
[[Category:American spoken word artists]]
[[Category:American stand-up comedians]]
[[Category:Anti-corporate activists]]
[[Category:Audiobook narrators]]
[[Category:Black Flag (band) members]]
[[Category:Bullis School alumni]]
[[Category:Comedians from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:American critics of creationism]]
[[Category:Jewish American male actors]]
[[Category:DreamWorks Records artists]]
[[Category:Grammy Award winners]]
[[Category:Hardcore punk musicians]]
[[Category:Jews in punk rock]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Musicians from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:People from the Washington metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Post-hardcore musicians]]
[[Category:Rolling Stone people]]
[[Category:Rollins Band members]]
[[Category:Singers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Songwriters from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:SST Records artists]]
[[Category:Thirsty Ear Recordings artists]]
[[Category:Jewish American comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish male comedians]]