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

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

Punk rock legend turned spoken word artist Henry Rollins may have been forced to downsize to the O2 Academy due to the closure of the Regal (the original venue for this gig) but in the confines of the packed downstairs at the O2 he gave a flawless performance in his increasingly primary role as a public speaker. Arriving on stage at 8pm on the dot, Rollins wrapped the mic lead round his hand and launched straight into his almost-two-and-a-half hour spiel, not once pausing or stopping for a sip of water.

Whereas his previous 'routines' (a loose term considering the man's ability to riff on a subject with clarity and intelligence) had been vitriolic, particularly of the Bush administration and the War on Terror, peppering his sets with 'ain't Bush a jackass'-style jibes for laughs, this time Rollins' performance was more humanitarian, more sedate but no less on-the-ball or funny.

Of course, he couldn't help himself but dedicate a small section of his time to George W's recent autobiography, Decision Points, and the current US Presidential elections (noting that ultra conservative Republican candidate Rick Perry is so homophobic that he has to be gay). Indeed his anecdotes about American life and the national proclivity to consume were delivered with an equal combination of frustration and love, a conflict that in many ways mirrored the late Bill Hicks and his juxtaposed tirades about the American South.

To use a tired phrase, the first hour of his performance was a veritable tour de force, full of charming recollections of his early days as a poor touring musician in Black Flag, having to check the weight of chocolate bars to ensure that he was getting the most value for his fifty-five cents. Other memorable passages involved some deceptively tough 'working boys' on the Santa Monica Boulevard, the pitfalls of stage-diving, Black Flag's total lack of groupies, meeting a young, enthusiastic Metallica (“I've not followed their career since but I heard they've done pretty well for themselves”), and reciting lines from Blue Velvet to an unwitting and, naturally, terrified Dennis Hopper.

But it was his life-changing experiences in India, Korea, Vietnam and Tibet that informed the majority of his set, blending social and cultural commentary with a great deal of warmth and humour. His ruminations on the brainwashing of North Koreans and China's military presence in Tibet were particularly poignant, especially the latter which was told through the eyes of a young Buddhist woman, sobbing about the absence of the exiled Dalai Llama. But the tone of the show was balanced beautifully – the next moment Henry recalled being given a tour of Vietnam by a hilarious gloating Vietnamese historian, pointing to where John McCain’s plane crash-landed with pride.

Self-proclaimed stand-up comedians rarely deliver shows as full of intelligence, genuine belly laughs, humanity, warmth, self-depreciation and sincerity as Rollins did tonight, let alone with such professionalism and for more than two hours straight. Not even the twats in front of me who were talking loudly, farting and getting up every two minutes to go for a fag could ruin the evening for me. Absolutely superb.

[Originally published on Musicinoxford.co.uk, 20/01/2012]

http://www.musicinoxford.co.uk/2012/01/20/henry-rollins-o2-academy-oxford-18012012/