Henry Rollins - The Everyman

"I am not really a people person," states Henry Rollins flatly. Fancying himself as something of an agitator, the label of 'Everyman' might cause him to shirk. Yet, the passion with which he speaks about the people he encounters on his travels suggests he's as eager to listen and open-minded an individual as they come. Just don't expect any pleasant chit-chat about the weather.

Rollins' natural progression from music to broadcasting in recent times has highlighted his general willingness to step up to any platform that has arrived in his path. But his TV and radio shows have also afforded him the opportunity to spotlight the copious causes he champions. Case and point: he recently interviewed two US Marines who had toured in Iraq and were against the occupation, and this ability to view a situation in greyscale makes him a powerful commentator. "I've never met a soldier that says 'I like killing people'" he says. "Their job is to not get blown up, and in this situation you find people become very apolitical." This is true of the man himself, as while he is politically aware, he has little truck with political culture. In fact, when asked whether he feels any sense of hope in the coming election year, Rollins elicits a swift "No."

"If there's another Republican president, I'll not be surprised. The US isn't ready for Hilary Clinton or Barack Obama," he forecasts, before he summarily dismisses the tactics of the former first lady. "[Clinton] answers questions like a Republican. The truth is really quick; the truth is like getting a broken nose. Lying takes a lot of words."

Put this disdain for potential future leaders of the free world aside, however, and Rollins reveals himself to be a patriot in the sense that he truly believes in the idea and ideal of what America should be but is keenly aware of its shortcomings and how the Republicans continue to use fear as their primary to keep a stranglehold on the population. "I love that 'We the people' stuff. 'Me, me, me' is going to kill us all, but America's complicit in its own problems and it's only when the toilets stop working that something will be done." Short of taking a plunger to the situation himself, Rollins' animated and motivational spoken word tours allow him to maintain a loud and voice without any higher political aspirations and the power of non-alignment affords him the freedom to be outspoken without using doublespeak. "Sometimes when Clinton spoke I'd have to shower to wash the oil off me," he frowns. Enough said.

So how does this political climate influence the cultural landscape he's so involved in? When it's suggested that X-Factor/Pop Idol blandness has perhaps fuelled a Newtonian pushing of the boundaries in music, TV and film, he doesn't sound entirely convinced. Regardless of genre or scale of production, Rollins suggests there's always going to be someone around to ask: "what happens if we put two times the amount of gunpowder in the canon?" Moreover, at the turn of the millennium Rollins himself predicted the boom of nostalgia presently manifesting itself in film remakes and band reformations: "All the zeroes are going to seem very lonely," he quipped. Though now he admits to enjoying the familiarity of 70s radio shows. In relation to bands reforming however, he reckons the authenticity factor is dependant on how it's done. "Seeing a band in their 50s playing music they wrote in their 20s may be not such a thrill." But, quoting Dinosaur Jr as an example and proclaiming 2007's Beyond as one of his favourite albums of the year, Rollins suggests that if they're making new music that is valid and exciting then it's fair game in some instances. Rollins has been approached to reform Black Flag, and he'd probably make a fortune even if it was just him playing the spoons, but don't hold your breath.

Coming from a tumultuous place both geographically and artistically, Rollins hardly struggles for spoken word material. To keep shows fresh he mixes centrepiece stories with 'topic of the day' improv. His forthcoming tour's 'scripted' material is based upon his travels to Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan and Pakistan in 2007. Besides earning himself some solid loyalty points with Emirates Airlines, he found this pilgrimage as an anonymous traveller with the sole aim of meeting local people from each area to be a complete success. "Hi, I'm Henry" was his no frills opening gambit and he insists he received nothing but goodwill from everyone he met, even after they discovered he was an American. Although it seems that Rollins reciprocated this goodwill with warmth during his travels, do not expect it to be extended if you heckle during his performance. "I don't like to interact during the show," he warns. "Afterwards, I answer every question; I do every photo and sign everything. But when someone talks during the show it's like they open a wound and fuck it." Call that a light-hearted warning.

By now you may have a certain slow sinking feeling when Henry Rollins says "In America we are watching the slow death, or not so slow death, of critical thinking", but after just five minutes of bearing audience to one of this man's many monologues, be rest assured that all hope and willingness to rock the applecart will be rightfully restored.