Henry Rollins Popular Books

Henry Rollins Biography & Facts

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 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, World Hunger Relief, the West Memphis Three, and an 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. Early life Rollins was born Henry Lawrence Garfield in Washington, D.C., on February 13, 1961, the only child of Iris and Paul Garfield. His mother is of Irish descent, and his father was from a Jewish family. Rollins' 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. When Rollins was three years old, his parents divorced and he was raised by his mother in the Washington neighborhood of Glover Park. As a child and teenager, Rollins was sexually assaulted, and he suffered from depression and low self-esteem. In fourth grade, he was diagnosed with hyperactivity and took Ritalin for several years to focus during school.Rollins attended The Bullis School, then an all-male preparatory school in Potomac, Maryland. According to Rollins, the school helped him to develop a sense of discipline and a strong work ethic. It was at Bullis that he began writing. After high school, he attended American University in Washington for one semester, but dropped out in December 1979. He began working minimum-wage jobs, including a job as a courier for kidney samples at the National Institutes of Health. In 1987, he said that he had not seen his father since the age of 18, and, in 2019, wrote, "What my father thinks of me, or if he is still alive, I have no idea." Music career State of Alert Initially into hard rock acts like Van Halen and Ted Nugent, Rollins soon developed an interest in punk with his friend Ian MacKaye. "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! 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' ability spread around the punk rock scene in Washington D.C.; Bad Brains singer H.R. would sometimes have Rollins on stage to sing with him. 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.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 Secret Service agents.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. Black Flag In 1980, a friend gave Rollins and MacKaye a copy of Black Flag's 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. 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.Unbeknownst to Rollins, Cadena wanted to switch to guitar, and the band was looking for a new vocalist. The band was impressed with Rollins' 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' 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.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 tattooed on his left bicep and also on the back of his neck, chose the stage name of Rollins, a surname he and MacKaye had used as teenagers. Rollins played his first show with Black Flag on July 25, 1981, at Cuckoo's Nest in Costa Mesa, California. 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."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. His stage persona impressed several critics; after a 1982 show in Anacortes, Washington, Sub Pop critic 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."By.... Discover the Henry Rollins popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Henry Rollins books.

Best Seller Henry Rollins Books of 2024

  • Pimp synopsis, comments

    Pimp

    Iceberg Slim

    “[In Pimp], Iceberg Slim breaks down some of the coldest, capitalist concepts I’ve ever heard in my life.” Dave Chappelle, from his Nextflix special The Bird RevelationPimp sent sh...

  • Long White Con synopsis, comments

    Long White Con

    Iceberg Slim

    Iceberg Slim, bestselling author of Pimp and Trick Baby, brings us yet another riveting classic about the most incredible con man ever to have risen.Picking up where Trick Baby lef...

  • Death Wish synopsis, comments

    Death Wish

    Iceberg Slim

    This is the original mafia story that spawned all the restthe story of Chicago’s ruthless and tireless mafia.Power hungry Don, Jimmy Collucci, is out to become the kingpin of Chica...

  • The Naked Soul of Iceberg Slim synopsis, comments

    The Naked Soul of Iceberg Slim

    Iceberg Slim

    Iceberg Slim described himself as “ill…from America’s fake façade of justice and democracy,” an illness that may have been a detriment, but evolved into the tales that serve as a c...

  • The Portable Henry Rollins synopsis, comments

    The Portable Henry Rollins

    Henry Rollins

    Henry Rollins is an artist whose legendary, noholdsbarred performances encompasses music, acting, and written and spoken word.  As Details magazine said when it named Rol...

  • State Missouri v. James Henry Rollins synopsis, comments

    State Missouri v. James Henry Rollins

    Supreme Court of Missouri Division 2

    Appellant, James Henry Rollins, was convicted of dispensing marijuana under § 195.020, RSMo 1959, V.A.M.S., by the Circuit Court of Boone County, Missouri, and his punis...

  • Mama Black Widow synopsis, comments

    Mama Black Widow

    Iceberg Slim

    “Iceberg Slim breaks down some of the coldest, capitalist concepts I’ve ever heard in my life.” Dave Chappelle, from his Netflix special The Bird RevelationThe most gritty and real...

  • Mike Henry Rollins v. Winn Dixie and John synopsis, comments

    Mike Henry Rollins v. Winn Dixie and John

    Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas

    This dram shop case stems from a fatal automobile accident in Clarksville. A surviving passenger and a deceased passengers estate filed separate suits in the Circuit Court for Mont...

  • Trick Baby synopsis, comments

    Trick Baby

    Iceberg Slim

    The author that brought black literature to the streets is back. Weaving stories of deceit, sex, humor, and race, bestselling author Iceberg Slim brings us the story of a hustler w...

  • The Hard Times synopsis, comments

    The Hard Times

    Matt Saincome, Bill Conway & Krissy Howard

    ONE OF PITCHFORK'S BEST MUSIC BOOKS OF 2019. From the comedic minds behind TheHardTimes.net comes the most accurate reporting on punk and hardcore culture in music history. Since 2...