The Portable Henry Rollins by Henry Rollins

A selection from the works of America's favorite aging alternative icon. Some are journal entries, taken while on the road with Black Flag or the Rollins Band, others are stream-of-conscious fiction writing, rants, and poetry.

Rollins is intense. Brooding. Angry. Focused. For me, Rollins shines when talking about life on the road. If you ever needed literary evidence that "fame" is a bitch, check out what the road is like for Rollins. Whether it's his fledgling days in Black Flag or his "Buzzworthy" years as an MTV alt icon, Rollins remains unchanged. He wants to live life and he doesn't want people getting in the way of that. Some of the more intense entries deal with the night his roommate was murdered in front of him, or his years as an ice cream store manager/pet store clerk. Poor Bunny.

Be sure to check out the essays "The Iron" and "The Shit is on Fire Show". Rollins isn't for everyone, but I think it's a perspective that everyone should see; a man who refuses to accept anything at face value, who desperately wants honesty and truth in life, who's thrashing back at those who build the facades.