Henry Rollins @ O2 Academy, Oxford [18/01/2012] OMS Version

Henry Rollins brought his latest spoken-word tour to the O2 Academy for a brilliant, funny and surprisingly heart-warming two and a half hour performance that would put many touring stand-up comedians to shame. Arriving on stage at eight sharp he emphasised the appreciation he felt for the audience and the amount of pressure he felt to perform up to their standards; he did not disappoint.

Starting with a collection of anecdotes from his DIY Punk Bible Get in the Van, Rollins charmed the fans with tales of being a broke Punk musician, touring the United States with Black Flag, freaking out Dennis Hopper with Blue Velvet recitals, and upsetting a young Matt Groening among many other stories. Along the way there were a few obligatory digs at good ol' George W. Bush and his memoir Decision Points and American Capitalism but the inspiration for the majority of his set came from his travels in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Rollins spoke about his time in India, Tibet, Iran and the “axis of evil” with affection, respect and cultural awareness. Many of his experiences were related to his work with the Discovery Channel and his love of photography which recently manifested itself in his photography collection Occupants. Some may have come out to see the “angry” Henry Rollins that many of us have come to expect but his warm, relaxed set was a real revelation, delivered like a true master. Throughout he was genuine, self-depreciating and humble, not once stopping for a breather or a refreshment.

Afterwards I asked Henry if the tone of his show meant that he had mellowed with age. This was his reply:

“I don’t know if mellowed is the right word. I think I am a very angry person. I don’t know if that will ever change. It seems to get worse as I get older. The more I see, the more angers me. That being said, a lot also inspires me. I meet a lot of amazing people in the world and that makes me see that all is not lost. It also makes me angry that many of them face such constant hardship when I don’t by a mile. I think to some degree, being stuck on yourself is part of being young, when you get older, you perhaps see more and are aware of other things than yourself. That has been my experience.” A class act from start to finish, truly unmissable.

[Originally published in Oxford Music Scene magazine, issue 17]

http://www.oxfordmusicscene.co.uk/images/oms_issue17.pdf