Henry Rollins

During two and a half hours, while speaking two and a half times faster than most, Henry Rollins only told three stories (with a bit of politics at the start and motivation at end.) But my god, what stories. If comprised into a written short-story collection, I suppose the table of contents would be:

• Introduction: America’s Problems
• Chapter 1: Is My Wife In Your Van?
• Chapter 2: Ducks Ate My Mother
• Chapter 3: The Stalker’s Finnish
• Afterward: How We Fix It

The three stories wind themselves through Rollins entire childhood, the minutia of his touring configuration, and hidden corners of Los Angeles, his narrative making sharp turns as though driving through the Hollywood Hills. They are modern classical epics that only this tightly wound, first generation ritalin survivor would be able to recount with nary a breath taken.

Rollins peppers his tales with self-deprecating jokes about his age, campy re-enactments of mundanities such as 911 calls and PO Box collections, and hyperbolic portraits of the 80s punk scene that had me hyperventilating with laughter. It’s not so much a one man show but a one man carnival where dark truths about childhood molestation and eBay addictions are revealed as afterthoughts. At first, it’s hard to keep up. As a fast talking American myself, I settled into his rhythm quickly, but this isn’t a show to consume after three pints. The straight-edge icon has never proselytized his alcohol- and drug-free lifestyle, but being able to understand him requires a certain level of sobriety. The euphoric comedy he generates is enough of a drug for one evening anyhow. I left the venue with sore cheeks from smiling so hard.

His UK tour comes to a close in three nights, but the Black Flag frontman will be playing what appears to be every corner of Australia and New Zealand in June and July. The “Good To See You” tour should hopefully end with a recorded special, like his last show “Keep Talking Pal.” Watch him perform any way you can. He is truly a delight.