PunkTV.ca exclusive interview by Dixon Christie with Henry Rollins in support of his IFC TV show.

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Dixon: Hey Henry, how are you?

Henry: I'm fine thank you.

I'm Dixon Christie from PunkTV.ca, it's an honor and a privilege to meet you sir.

Thank you man.

You're welcome. I've checked out the first 3 episodes of your shows as well, it's awesome.

I hope you like it.

It's really good. I've got some questions for you, do you wanna rock it?

Sure.

How did the concept for this TV show come about for you?

The producers came to my manager and said we got this idea and we think Henry's the guy for it, we want to do this show and so I took a meeting and said well here's what I'd like to do and they listened and said if I had a show it's be this, this and this, basically what you saw is what I described and they went well ya. Basically we made a very short version with no band; basically just a guest and me ranting and raving. We sent it around and went to some of those awful meetings where you have to pitch yourself which you'll never take enough showers to get that stink off of you. I just don't do stuff like that. I make a record, I go play and that's that or I make a book and I put it out. But I don't go to an office and go please dig me; it's different than an audition. An audition you're lined up, you go in, you say the words and they tell you to leave. This is like here's our concept, here's our thing and you kind of put on the whole show and they kind of go a huh, get out of here. So your stomach starts knotting up when you know you have another pitch to do. So we sent the 15 minute thing to the IFC people in New York and they said we know who Henry is, we like Henry and we love this, let's have a meeting. I was already in New York so the producers and management flew out there and we sat down. They said look, we like this, here's some money, how about you do a half hour version broadcast ready and we went well damn. And we did and they went ok we like that, now how about a season and we had a show. This whole thing took a bout 20 months of I wouldn't hear from these people for along time and I would forget and just go on tour and do my work. Then my manager goes you know those TV guys from last year? They just called today and I'm like oh god what are they thinking it's not going to work, no one care, well they're not saying die and so we got this show and here we are rolling into another season and it's pretty cool. That's where it all came about but as far as the guests and the content of the show, that's up to me. I pick the guests; I pick the bands or most of the bands. Some of the bands got by me, my manager know their manager and it kind of happened and I'm like they're on the show? Ya, ok. I got some letters about it but we move one.

We get the same kind of letters I'm sure from people that tell us that My Chemical Romance isn't punk enough or some of my choices (for bands to interview or feature) aren't punk enough.

I ran into a lot of that. I bet I'm older than you are in that I just seem to be older than everybody but I was hearing stuff like that in the early 80s. Like your bass player's hair is too long, it can't be and I'm like you know what I'm really sick of this shit. Like what you're going to like and call it what you want to call it and get on with it. So if you like My Chemical Romance, if you like the damn music and it's not something enough for somebody those people are all so limited by that kind of corny criteria and there's no lay you know what I mean. There's always that big debate what's punk, whose punk like I'm so tired of it. Life's too short for that kind of thing so tell those people just to tune into something else.

Ya I do and whenever I take the time to bother to respond I just say I think it's so un-punk of you to try to make these classifications because punk is about (many things) fashion and punk has been about anarchy, it has been about nihilism, there's a political motif, it's about literature, it's about art, there's so many different elements to punk. When I talk to Joey Shithead and when I talk to guys like you I think that we can understand the aesthetic of punk as being many many things and it's probably even gotten out of the realm of understanding to even attempt to define it.

Exactly. I came from a pretty interesting punk rock scene in DC where we had a lots of rastic guys, a lot of gay guys and weirdoes and we're all kind of freaks together and we have to stoner guys who like the music and no one ever said you can't hang. It's obvious that you're not trying out for the varsity football team, come on in. We just welcomed anyone that showed up if you were sussed enough to find the club you must be into this and so just walking in was you're in. Like the guitar player in the Rollins band, Chris Hasket, I never heard the Velvet Underground until I went to his house. He put on the white light night and I'm like what's this? The Velvet Underground, oh so that's what they sound like I never heard them before. You find out other stuff, you get all their information and he's also into weird avante classical music so all of a sudden you got a taste for Pendorechi or some kind of weird literature. To me that was the turn on of these people living in this alternate way to I'm going to get a job at the bank, I'm going to breed, I'm going to watch football, drink beer and die. These people were like well actually I'm going to dig Picasso and pierce my face. I'm like well I'm more just sitting here in that story and you can call it whatever you want. I always used to have this joke about anarchists; the anarchist whose late to the meeting. The non-conformity being started in you showed up late. It's just funny to me that there are rules and regulations to this thing that was like well screw the rules.

It's conforming within a non-conformist society.

That was Black Flag's big argument with punk rock. Like how could you consider yourself punk rock? Well we don't, we're just making this music, that's not our prison. You've painted yourself into that corner and you have fun with that.

I have a copy of your original (book) Get on the Bus and I'd have to say it's quite a path you've taken for yourself, punk rock or not.

I do what I want; I'm trying to have an interesting life. I come from the minimum wage working work and that reality's never too far from me. So I just do what I think is interesting and what is challenging and it's been an interesting ride. So that's how it is, that's my take on it.

Being in front of the television and being across from the couches from Oliver Stone, did it seem like a natural progression for Henry Rollins to find himself in a TV show realm?

No and yes. No because nothing really feels natural for me except for being alone in my room. Yes because ever since 1981 it's all been this pretty crazy ride. So when someone says hey you want to be in this band? Well ok. Then 20 years later it's like you want a TV show? Sure cause it's as insane as any other offer that's come down the pipe. It's all oh no this just happened. So it's kind of cool but none of it's been normal and it's all been fairly difficult. But I reckon I could be mediocre and just go home, just go I'm tired of trying stuff I've never done before, I'm tired of daring, I think I'll just go get comfy. I don't want to do that and there are a lot of cool opportunities but none of it makes me comfortable. I make some money which means that I could pay for the roof over my head, I think I've got enough money to buy some food for a wile. But I don't think of money in those terms I just think of the whole thing as I got to keep jamming. I've got to keep trying new stuff and pushing myself and stuff like the TV show is a great challenge. How do I take this medium that can be really lame and really boring and kind of dead and give it an edge and make it conform to my thing, that's the challenge. So I want to be judged pass or fail on how I do that, not hat I did it.

So your first interview was Oliver Stone. How did you get him as an interview and of all the great filmmakers to get to talk to him especially when this movie of his World Trade Center, I'm sure you and I could discuss the propaganda.

Well there's a lot to talk about with 911 but thankfully people are starting to talk about it. Everything from building 7 falling down with no planes crashing into it to no footage of whatever it is that hit the pentagon hitting the pentagon to no plane parts being found in Pennsylvania. There's a whole lot of questions, really good ones and now that you see how the Bush administration is just clamming up you know they know something, that's just as obvious as the nose on your face. So there's a conversation to be had there but you asked about Oliver Stone specifically. I've known Oliver Stone for about ten years or more. He's brought me in for a few casting calls and we hung out and ate dinner and talked about stuff. So we reached out to him, I put him on my want list and the producers didn't know that I kind of knew him. I said call Oliver and tell him it's me and tell him what we're doing and see if he cares. They called him and he said I don't like doing interviews but I'll talk to Henry. And he came over and did his interview and afterwards he hugged me and said I hope I did ok for you, it it's not good enough call em and I'll come out and do it again. I went no man you're fine, you're fine, you did great. He was a great guest, he's a very intense guy and I think he and I get off on each other on that level. He was one of the easier guests to get to come in because I actually had a small past with him.

To say he's a bit media weary is putting it lightly.

Oh man I had no Idea, see I did not know that. He wanted to look at every camera angle and went who you are and what do you do. I was like wow, he's like Nixon. I kind of said Oliver look this is artist driven, it's IFC. The first question he answered and went cut, like you're a director here? And he said he wanted to do that answer again. We've never had anyone who wanted to do an answer again and we went cool man if that's not the answer you wanted to give. And his answer was cool and so was the next one. He just kind of shaped the response a little differently, it's not like he was lying and then he changed the reality of it; he kind of just changed the direction of the answer. But it was interesting to see how obviously media weary, as you say, he is. I had no idea he's that way.

I'm just wondering if I see a different personality of Henry Rollins on television obviously when you're sitting across from Chuck D or Peaches or especially Oliver Stone, do you find yourself having to self censor. At some point you could say to him listen why are you making all these movies that are basically these big pop culture references? He's a great film maker, he could make any kind of movie but they all have to be JFK's and World Trade Center's.

He and I actually, we talked a lot about the Nixon movie when we hung out. We talked a lot about Nixon and JFK as the movie and as people. It's his era of history where he was young and really in it. It's what's he want to do with movies and the only thing I'd ever say to him kind of as a dig is why did you make U Turn? I just never liked that film.

With Sean Penn? I liked that movie.

And with Jennifer Lopez.

She sucks but Sean Penn got right to the heart of that gritty, geeky personality that he's capable of playing so well I think.

I don't think that Sean Penn shows up to a movie that he can't kick ass in. I've seen most of what he's and I always think he knocks it out of the park. I just didn't understand why Stone made such a film that I think Tarentino could have made that film and been really good. I liked Billy Bob Thornton in it.

Or Eli Roth.

I didn't hate the movie; I just didn't understand why he did it where I could understand JFK and World Trade Center and all the other ones. U Turn, I'm like what were you bored or did you just want to make a movie where all the kids are at or something? I don't know, that's the question I didn't ask because he kind of wanted to keep it on the World Trade Center stuff and indie rock and Bush. I was happy to have him come and done all that stuff. I'm sure if I would have thrown in the U Turn thing he would have given me a full explanation but it just didn't happen, maybe next time. But that's my one hitch with him, why that one? I just don't get it. I liked Any Given Sunday; good movie but not a great movie but I watched it twice.

Obviously you had spoken to him about this at some great length but lets talk about how you both have admitted the similarities between the Nixon administration and the Bush administration and the way of them both starting wars, the profiteering, the propaganda machine.

The secrecy and the non-transparency are the biggest things I reckon. Just like we know stuff, wee don't have to tell you, we don't woe you an explanation and just shut up and don't wonder out loud. That's to me Nixon and Bush, especially Bush. Bush is better at it or Carl Rove and his people are better at it.

Let's talk about the responsibility of freedom and the onus being on Americans to fight for their right for their freedoms, how can our American kids reading this fight for their rights?

They should really understand that if they don't fight for them then they lose them and if they lose them their whole world gets turned upside down. One must use a lot of personal responsibility and understand that a lot of this stuff just isn't a given, it really isn't. And as soon as you really get it makes you get it and you go, you do stuff, you think differently, you read differently, you see yourself in a different role in society and a lot of people don't like to think like that cause it makes them feel like a part of a bigger thing or whatever. In America I think it's essential that young people read, vote, be aware, have a political opinion and realize that if they don't stop stuff capitalism on its face is not good or bad, it's just there it is but it's what people do with it. What the Bush administration did with capitalism, the outsourcing of employment, the hemorrhaging of the middle class, all that kind of stuff its something that you should be very concerned with because good people are being screwed on your watch. You have to consider it to a certain degree your watch which kind of goes against the tune in and drop out kind of thing which I have to fight my own tendencies towards just well screw em, let em go do that. But I realize that if I take my hands off the wheel I'll go down with them so I have to do what I can to push against that and I think that young people should really dig that. I think that young people are figuring that our cause we had a lot more people vote in the last presidential election than voted in the one before it and I think there's a lot of young people going I got to register to vote, I got to get an opinion, I got to get in here and kind of throw an elbow into this, then don't. You can be out of it but I think that's kind of apathetic and when you do do that the people that you say you hate so mush are overjoyed because they count on your apathy, they use your apathy as a tool. It's written into the budget that there's so many people but 30 percent of them won't vote, the people in that part of Florida never vote and good thing cause when they do they usually vote against our party so its a good thing they don't vote so let the apathy go, let it build. And so by being apathetic you aide these people, I really believe that. They kind of count on your apathy, your timidness, your lack of desire to front so I think you kind of have to turn that around on them and go charging into the game and show them a thing or two.

Well if you're a Central American country you would pick it on the streets. It's just America and Canada are both notoriously apathetic when it comes to doing anything. We had an opportunity to fight off this goods and services tax ten years ago and nobody did and now we've got another 7 percent tax to administrate and pay on everything we pay for.

Well I think North America, we Canadians and Americans, we have it fairly good up here. We have a relatively clean and safe piece of real estate, relatively earthquake and lava free, not many predatory animals except for the Republicans and we enjoy a lot of safety and comfort and no need to get involved. We're not being blown up, no suicide bombers coming into Starbucks I don't think and so with a few generations of that I think can lead to some people taking things for granted, it doesn't make them bad people, but they might not always realize that all of this comes with a price. I was just in Israel the day before yesterday. Nothing in Israel, everyone knows that everything comes with a price there. In Telaviv now that everybody's been blown up or shot at no one takes anything for granted anymore. Its interesting being around a bunch of people who don't think a dam thing for granted, it's very interesting because it's so different than how we're kicking it here.

Would Al Gore have made a perfect president?

No, but he would have made a good one. I don't think that anyone would necessarily make a perfect president but I truly believe that he's a good man. I don't know if I would have voted for him in '04. Well if he was going up against Bush, I would have voted for a dog against George W. Bush. But I think now since '04, now he's potential presidential material. In that, I think he went out in the world a little and got a sense of humor and loosened up a little. I think he's a very smart man but at the end of the day I think he's a very strong and good guy. As a president, I don't know but don't think it's be the worse day in America if he became President.

If he decides to run it will be him or Obama, is that right?

Oh who knows? I can't know that. Hilary Clinton is certainly, I hope she doesn't run or if she runs I hope she doesn't win the primary cause I don't want to vote for her. She's definitely a possibility. John Edwards who I like very much, well he's already said he's going to run so he's very much in the game. Obama has not declared whether he's going to run or not I don't think so he remains to be seem if Obama goes for it, I have no idea whether he will or not. My prediction is, I could be very wrong, my prediction is the next President will be John McCain.

Chuck D is a very learned public speaker also and quite an advocate for human rights and also against the Bush regime. He called you “My Hero Rollins" and you returned the honor to him, tell us what you thought of that comment.

Oh it was huge for me. I mean I've like Chuck since 1986. Ian Macaye gave me a Public Enemy demo tape, summer of 86 that he got from someone else and this is months before the first album came out. So I heard like 3 or 4 songs from the first album in demo form. I said man who is this guy? It was just some music I had been waiting all my life to hear and then the first PE record came out, I went out, I got it and played it and played it and I've been a fan ever since. I met him in '94 I think it was and we did a show together, a big European festival. I went into their trailer and went 'hey I'm Henry' and Chuck goes 'hey man' and told me this great story and he says whenever I'm tired and onstage I'd say what would Rollins do and it makes me play harder. And I'm like damn, that's incredible and so we've been friends ever since and every once in a while we write each other and I was on his show on Air America. We wrote him and said hey you want to be on my show? And he went ya. So he was on the show and of course he was a great guest and I play his music on my show a lot. I'm kind of at his disposal, anything he needs from me he's got it and I don't call on him for much cause he's a busy guy but every once in a while like I had him contribute to this benefit record that we were doing, I said Chuck I really need you on this record and I layed it out for him and he said ya I'm on board. So he came on board for the album and also the video for the song and he's a real champ. I've learned a lot from Chuck over the years, I learned a lot that day during the interview and I listen to him on the radio. He's on Air America once a week on Sunday and he's really good. So I'm glad there's guys like him out there cause he's just this engine for change and he's always on the good side of the fight.

Let's talk about consumerism; the Hummers and Blackberrys. How can kids avoid the consumerism Aldous Huxley-esque Brave New World that seems to be filtering itself into out every day living.

Well I think with the Hum Vee or the otherwise gas guzzling vehicles, I think that everyone knows at this point that oil is a finite energy source and that the big trucks that you drive to the shopping mall, take up more gasoline and do more harm to the planet than the Subaru like the one I drive. So I think everyone knows that like everyone knows that smoking is bad for your health. What you're going to do about that is personal responsibility; how much you're going to succumb to these corny adds or if you're going to do the right thing. As far as Blackberrys and all that stuff that just kind of seems to hang on to young people or a lot of people, I think in the last few years there's this imagined liquid economy that these people have. With he credit cards in the hands of the young people it makes for 3 different iPod holders, more pairs of sunglasses than one needs, downloading too much music at a dollar a pop and money just has a different value. I think that's the problem, where money has taken on a different texture, it's like this thing you never see, its this bill that comes form this fake money that was given to you like this line of credit so I don't think people take it as seriously as they should, they'll take the debt seriously when the phone calls start coming. I think that with that idle mind with cash that's why you buy something like a Blackberry cause not a lot of people really need one. Do you really need a machine so you can text your friend in emoticon and say what r u doin? Or like sup?:) That's not conversation, that's not even using your mind but it did cost you 40 cents to do that.

How many emails do you get a day Henry?

It depends. Between 10 and 50 or more. I have a few different websites, one for the radio show and one at the company and my own and I get letters form all over the world and I try to answer them so I get quite a bit of mail.

Henry Rollins the activist touring colleges, are kids getting it? Do you think that there's growth?

Absolutely and case and point, what I said about all the voters. I think more young people are voting so ya I think things are changing for the better on that.

Did you like what Fat Mike (NOFX) did with Rock the Vote?

Ya, I don't really know the guy. I've seen him go out of his way to say bad things about me but I like the fact that he gave a damn and put his money where his mouth is.

He's loud and outspoken and I think we need more guys like that regardless of what he says, eh?

Well I don't care what he thinks about me but I like the fact that he did in fact inspire young people to get more politically aware.

Henry Rollins the actor, I IMDB-ed you: 32 films, 60 TV listings with your band, will there be a lead role for Henry Rollins eventually and if so what sorts of movies would you like most to do?

I don't know if there'd ever be a lead role unless it was a tiny film and I'd do any role that I could pull off in the audition. What role would I like? Any role that I could pull off and not be a detriment to the film cause in films I do it primarily for the paycheck.

Kids can YouTube your part on Drew Carey, do people continue to see you as the ass kicking guy and in real life are you that ass kicking guy?

I've been in a lot of fights, I'd prefer not to and I don't want people to run up and go hey you think you can kick my ass? That's the last conversation in the world that I want to get into with anybody. Drew Carey, they're very funny people and that was based on something that happened on eBay that really did happen on eBay and so they called me and I said ya I'll come down there and that's all it was. But no I don't want to get into fights with people.

The Henry Rollins band, I know that your band has appeared on the show so kids can look forward to that. Any other news for the kids or updates on the band?

Well no. We did a bunch of shows last year and it was fun, we played very well, people said yay but we made no plans after that and I haven't really seen any of those guys ever since.

You referred to the patriot act as being KAFKA-esque. I know you're well read, tell the kids why it's essential that kids read the works of great minds of Franz Kafka, Herman Hesse, Anne Rand, Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac, Bukouski and some of your favorites.

I think I would recommend some of those people. I've never been able to understand Carawack, I'm not putting him down but I got through half of like 4 books and never could complete them. But I like The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) very much and I've read a fairly huge chunk of the Miller catalogue or the Miller discography. I think you should read, end of statement. Read veraciously, everything from political stuff to literature and poetry to religious text. There's all kind of interesting stuff I just think one should always have a book in your backpack, you should always be in the middle of some book and getting on to the next one constantly. You can never know enough and reading is good. Most of those writers you mentioned are all great stuff and added to my life certainly.

Feed your mind cause television's not enough; video games are certainly not enough.

I've never done a video game, I've been on them, I've done the voices for them cause it's employment but I've never played them.

Ok two more questions, we ask everyone this question. Which of the following experiences have you had: have you seen the face of God, have you had an alien encounter or have you seen a ghost?

No on all counts.

What would surprise people most to learn about the mighty Henry Rollins?

That's a good question, I don't know if anything would surprise them. I don't have one of those weird closet tendencies, I'm not like the secret boot sniffer or something. You'd probably be surprised at how completely boring I am in my downtime.

You lived in a shed.

Ya it was a good gig when I had it. I live in a bigger shed now.

You ever hear that song by the White Stripes, "Little Room"?

Ya I've heard it.

It's about the vibe of the anti-consumerism philosophy of when you do something good you're going to need a bigger room kind of vibe. Same shit eh?

I don't buy much. I buy basically, books, records and food pretty much just cause I like music and I have a radio show which eats 23 songs a week and I like to read and I like to know so I buy a lot of reference books like historical books and art books. That's pretty much it so all my belongings sit on shelves. I have like 2 pairs of shoes and I don't spend much on clothes and I buy a cheap car. I've never been thrilled with people with lots of stuff, it looks more depression and problematic than anything.

Ok and the kids can learn about you at www.henryrollins.com and of course the TV show is on IFC, it started on January 6 and it's amazing. Henry Rollins, thank you so very much for your time.

Thanks for having me man.

Interview by: Dixon Christie, PunkTV.ca
Visit Dixon on Nexopia!