Henry Rollins Page 1

-Festival Focus-
Claremont COURIER/Friday, May 24, 2013
24
Photo courtesy of Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins furious schedule includes Claremont Folk Festival
he change of venue for the

Claremont Folk Festival,
which will be held for the first
time this year at the Rancho Santa
Ana Botanic Garden, is not the only
unusual aspect of this years music
extravaganza.
There is a surprisingly edgy name among the

eclectic lineup: Henry Rollins.
Mr. Rollins first rose to fame during his 19811986 stint as the furious front man for the hardcore
punk group Black Flag. He has gone on to become
an award-winning spoken word artist, notably winning a Grammy Award in 1995 for Get in the Van,
a 2-disc recording of his Black Flag memoirs. He
is also a busy actor, the host of his own radio program (KCRWs The Henry Rollins Show) and a
regular blogger for the LA Weekly.
The Claremont connection? Mr. Rollins is acquainted with the Harper brothers, whose grandparents founded Claremonts Folk Music Center.
Peter Harpera sculptor as well as a musician who
will make his festival debut this yearnotably cast
Mr. Rollins face in rubber a while back, in preparation to cast the mold in bronze as part of his
Faces of Life project.
Mr. Rollins cant recall ever being on a folk festival bill, but he didnt think too hard when he was
asked if he would perform at the 30th annual Claremont Folk Festival, set for Saturday, June 15 from
10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
I was offered and I said sure, he said. They
asked how much I charged and I said if this helps
you guys keep putting this out here every year, Im
happy to do it for free. I think its a good thing what

theyre doing. Done. No problem.
His schedule was as punishing as ever last week,
as he wrapped up the filming of a history-focused
documentary in Washington, DC; filed LA Weekly
columns at a time when most people are still in bed;
and promoted his 15th book, a compilation called
Before the Chop: La Weekly Articles 2011-2012.
Nonetheless, Mr. Rollins found time for a phone
interview with the COURIER, a free-range talk in
which he weighed in on everything from politics
to punk.
COURIER: With everything youre doing, you
come off as being a bit of a workaholic.
Henry Rollins: People have accused me of being
a workaholic. I admire workaholicsI think
theyre onto something. Im a mere work slut. I just
like to do stuff.
When I left Washington, DC in 1981 to come to
California, I left one of the many minimum-wage
jobs I had up to that point. At age 20, I thought
thats going to be my life, $3.75 an hour and a lot
of time on my feet. I had reconciled myself to that.
I didnt have a great deal of imagination.
When things changed, I still went at things with
the same kind of gusto and anger, saying yes and
eager to try different things out. The music thing
came up and I said, What do I have to lose? Then
there were movie offers and then voice-over work
and talk shows. At this point, its an 8-day week
keeping up with all of it.
COURIER: People often say that punk is dead. Do
you agree?
Henry Rollins: Youll find it in every generation.
Bebop, jazzit was this beautiful explosion of
ridiculously talented musicians going against
racism. The Velvet Underground, the Stooges and

Andy Warhol were punk rock, and so were the Sex
Pistols and The Clash.
People who break molds, who push back: that to
me is punk rock. Is there still punk rock? Certainly.
But you can make it with a violin or a paintbrush
or a dance expression.
Youll always have young people bumping into
stuff, correcting that which needs correcting. You
hear some youth band, plying 3-chord angry music
and it sounds like a lot of stuff youve heard before. There are only so many notes and so many
strings. You could ask whats original about sex,
but there are still a whole lot of people flocking to
it. Theres nothing original about pizza, but it still
works for me.
I appreciate it when a bunch of young people
want to get together with instruments and bash it
out for a couple of summers. I say, Rumble, young
man, rumble. Have those few summers in the sun.
Im also not one to say The Clash was great [and
theres nothing new worth listening to]. Find something that moves you. Go see the band. Sweat it
out. Sing with them. Have that moment. Because
at one point, rent turns into mortgage and you have
a family, and it all gets so damn serious.
So now, when youre not so jammed up with obligations, find bands playing this summer and go
see them and dig it.
COURIER: Youve said that you dont make
music any more, because you dont feel you can
bring anything new to the table.
Henry Rollins: Years ago, I stopped thinking lyrically.
HENRYROLLINS
continues on the next page

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-Festival Focus-

Claremont COURIER/Friday, May 24, 2013

Photo courtesy of Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins furious schedule includes Claremont Folk Festival

he change of venue for the

There is a surprisingly edgy name among the

happy to do it for free. I think its a good thing what

racism. The Velvet Underground, the Stooges and

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