So strange to read just one side of what must be an actual interview. It reads like some guy talking about himself constantly, at length.
EDIT: guys, it says "From a conversation with Brandon Stosuy" at the top. There was clearly an interviewer whose words were omitted, this isn't an excerpt from his spoken word or an essay he wrote himself. (it'd be funnier if it was)
Sounds about right. I'm an old Rollins fan from his punk hardcore days in D.C. Some context would be helpful to this article I think. Talking of Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) and such, it's important to note that the scene was very much about positive influence alongside self-empowerment and promotion. Bands in the scene were entrepreneurial both in their songs and their existence.
Henry Rollins has a spoken word presence that is not to be missed, in my opinion. He gets up on stage with a microphone, takes a fairly aggressive and active physical stance, and just goes... for hours. When I saw him for his first stop on one of his tours, there was a bottle of water near the base of the mic stand that remained untouched for the entirety of the show.
While it may seem a bit jarring to read him going on, at length, it's sort of what he does these days.
"Knowledge without mileage equals bullshit."
The guy lives a very interesting lifestyle and a great deal of what he practices and preaches is highly applicable to the entrepreneurial spirit and existence. Pretty stoked to see him on Hacker News.
very much about positive influence alongside self-empowerment and promotion
But also about moral integrity and fostering a community. E.g. Fugazi would reject venues (and a headlining Lollapalooza slot) if ticket prices where higher than $10-$15 (IIRC $5 was the target) or when minors are not allowed. They refused interviews with Rolling Stone unless they agreed to printing an issue without alcohol/tobacco ads.
They took "don't be evil" to their hearts and stuck with it.
The DC scene can be a big inspiration for running your own business without betraying your ideals.
Fugazi is one of my favorites bands, and interviews with Ian are always very interesting. Not as well known as Rollins, but just as full of though-provoking ideas, IMO.
"it's important to note that the scene was very much about positive influence alongside self-empowerment and promotion. Bands in the scene were entrepreneurial both in their songs and their existence."
I grew up in the punk/hardcore scene in the D.C. area many years ago and this statement definitely held true. One thing I noticed was that most of the kids I used to hang out with ended up being fairly high-achieving adults. Most everyone has their undergrad degree and many of them actually work in software engineering. Now when we talk, we talk about Linux, Python and C++ in addition to recalling old shows at 9:30 Club, Wust, and the Safari Club.
Ugh I HATED Straight Edge! Henry Rollins also doesn't like the term Straight Edge. While I don't drink (Never had the desire and have a disdain of all drugs (Except non-pain prescriptions and caffeine. I know hypocrite) I am not straight edge.
Straight Edge really have a ton of different groups but the Militant Straight Edge ruined the word for me. I would see people light up a cigarette and then people would beat them up. They would smash cans of beers out of people's hands etc. Personally I loved eating a Big Mac and drinking a caffeine soda to see them think about what to do with me, which was nothing. (I was a pretty "Big Dude" physically and number of friends in the local Punk Scene and didn't let people get carried away)
Also NYHC was always violent and stupid. I was a CT Punk kid and we hated the NYHC crap that they would bring. Usually once people started throwing punches we would all walk off the floor and wait till they were done. If they tried to hurt anyone by running into them they usually got thrown to the ground, but not hurt them. They usually got the idea.
Rollins was always about enjoying life and working hard to make a difference.
He was on JRE a couple weeks ago, and had a very interesting interview I thought. He talked at length about being put on Ritalin most of his childhood, which is pretty sad. But it explains a lot of how his personality developed, his anger and energy.
It's had me thinking because I've already had people bring up medicating my 4 year old son, and he's not even difficult, just an active boy.
I had a buddy go see one of his shows a month or two ago, same review you gave. Man stood up there and spoke intelligently for hours without pausing, saying um, and made sense while doing it. Never took a pause, never touched his water. Said it was thrilling. Sad I missed it.
Also pleased to see Henry Rollins on HN. I've seen his Spoken Word on stage approximately 7 times - once in Norway, the rest in Australia. The intensity of his performances is always up there. Love that water bottle, it rarely gets touched!
I remember him talking about what he thinks about Hollywood in his spoken word tour. He never thought of himself as an actor, and never took his auditions very seriously. I still think he's a pretty decent actor.
EDIT: guys, it says "From a conversation with Brandon Stosuy" at the top. There was clearly an interviewer whose words were omitted, this isn't an excerpt from his spoken word or an essay he wrote himself. (it'd be funnier if it was)