Henry Rollins

Born Henry Garfield in Washington D.C., he was enrolled in a prep school[?], where he gained the nickname "Rollins" from a shirt he wore. He became involved in the punk scene through his close friend Ian MacKaye (who would later head Minor Threat and Fugazi). He formed his own band, State of Alert[?], which would release one EP before disbanding. In 1981, his friend Mitch Parker gave him a copy of Black Flag's Nervous Breakdown EP; Garfield soon became a huge fan of them and went to see them in New York City. At an impromptu show in a bar, he jumped up on stage to sing the song "Clocked In." As vocalist Dez Cadena was going to switch to guitar, the band invited Garfield to practice with the band. They invited him to become their permanent vocalist, and despite some doubts, he accepted. He adopted his nickname, Rollins, as his last name. His large, muscular figure and intense personality made him a perfect fit as their frontman.

Rollins toured and recorded with Black Flag from 1981 until their breakup in 1986. He released two solo albums with friend Chris Haskett[?]. Soon, he added former Gone[?] members Andrew Weiss[?] and Sim Cain[?], calling the new group the Rollins Band. They gained popularity through the strength of albums like The End of Silence[?] (1992) and Weight[?] (1994). He also gained roles in movies and television shows (particularly as a VJ on MTV) and released several books.

Throughout the 1990s, he toured as a spoken-word artist, focusing mostly on social topics, as well as recounting his life experiences. His blend of self-conscious humor and serious discussion of important social issues has gained him great popularity. He has released nine spoken word albums through his 2.13.61 publishing company, which has also released books by Rollins, Joe Cole, Nick Cave, and Michael Gira, as well as albums by Rollins Band, Exene Cervenka[?], The Birthday Party, and Gun Club[?].

Rollins is also a co-host of the television program Full Metal Challenge[?] on The Learning Channel.

Discography

• 1987 Big Ugly Mouth[?]
• 1987 Drive By Shooting[?]
• 1987 Hot Animal Machine[?]
• 1989 Sweatbox[?]
• 1990 Live at McCabe's[?]
• 1992 Human Butt[?]
• 1992 Deep Throat (album)[?]
• 1993 Rollins: The Boxed Life[?]
• 1994 Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag[?]
• 1996 Everything[?]
• 1997 Black Coffee Blues[?]
• 1998 Think Tank[?]
• 1999 Henry Rollins In Eric The Pilot[?]
• 2001 A Rollins in the Wry[?]
• 2003 Talk Is Cheap[?]

External Links