Henry Rollins Talks BP, Immigration and Why He Finds Obama Aggravating
Hide your soft rock CDs and research all the news you can, Henry Rollins is in Seattle. The former Black Flag frontman, book publisher, incessant writer, and spoken word master, hits the Paramount Theater tonight as part of his Frequent Flyer tour, and he's bringing his latest observations with him. What can we expect from a man who spends most of his free time visiting the places most of us would ignore like the plague and pondering the pop/political world? He spoke with us about the freedom of speech, Everyone Draw Mohammed Day, BP’s oil disaster, immigration, and pissing in the Everglades. And that was just a short interview.
After all these years, the espresso powered adventurer is still angry, and we couldn’t be happier to hear it.
First of all, is there anything about Seattle that you appreciate or care to partake in while you’re here?
I started coming here in 1982. That’s when I was in Black Flag, and they had a really great audience here that they had earned way before I was in the band. We came here often. I always liked the record stores and the food. There’s something about Seattle people. It’s a very switched on city. It’s a very forward thinking, environmentally aware group of people. As far as an audience and me being simpatico with each other, it’s Seattle. That’s where I really lock in, maybe more than any other place in America.
You started this tour in Europe?
Yeah, it started January 12th in Dublin Ireland.
Was there anything you came across in Europe this time around that caught your fancy?
Yeah. Ireland had a blasphemy law that they just put on the books. In 2009 to put one in the books was just really odd. Some would see it as infringement of freedom of speech. I paid attention to that and dragged off every article I could find on it. A lot of sharp-tongued Irish editorialist wrote some really funny and cutting things about it. I took it up within a few minutes of walking on stage in Dublin. I was in Denmark after that, and I cited that they had a blasphemy law in their criminal code and one about defamation. I talked about the 2005 depictions of the prophet Mohamed in Denmark newspapers. Somehow those fell through the criminal code, which says to some people in the world that you just want to get Islam to jump up on its hind legs and bark. I try to be aware of where I am but not disingenuous in that if something doesn’t interest me I’m not going to mention it just so people know that I know where I am.
We had Everybody Draw Mohamed Day, almost. That was scheduled to happen last week by a local cartoonist, but it was called it off. There was an overwhelming response to the idea, both positive and negative.
She probably got in the “positive” people that she didn’t expect, who were overwhelmingly hateful towards Islam. I read about that. I’m sure it was meant with no malice. But when you invite something like that in, you get those who don’t get it but want to be your pal anyway. I wonder if maybe she got people that were flat out racist. And a lot of smart people who just said, “this is below your intellectual pay grade. You really don’t want to go there with this.”
Speaking of violation of rights. What are your thoughts on the Arizona immigration law?
Immediately I thought it a violation of the 1st, 4th, and 14th amendments. Pundits talked about 1st and 4th but not 14th, which has to do with citizens’ rights. It might not pertain to an “illegal alien,” but it pertains to people you ask to pull their card just because they look brown to you. The issue that never gets addressed is busting the employers. These immigrants come from a great distant at great risk not to bleed out in your emergency room but to clip your hedges for a fraction of what they should be getting. I live in Los Angeles. You drive through a neighborhood and there’s a bunch of hard working men who are beating it out in the sun and you have to think at least some of them are not in America legally. I get angry letters saying, “these people are denying people jobs.” I say, “No one in your blood line is going to sell oranges underneath the 101 freeway.” Don’t demonize them. We’re going after the wrong people. Would you leave your country and risk peril for unemployment? That’s why they’re in America. I’m tired of employers never getting blamed. It’s never in the conversation. Its just people parading like they’re patriots; they’re racist. I think we’re shooting at the wrong target.
When Obama was elected, Bush was out, did you feel like you were going to have a little less to talk about?
No. Bush was a sideshow oddity. And quickly the Republican party went from bad to worse. People like Sarah Palin started being taken seriously. And that gave me far more to talk about. All the sudden Glenn Beck turns into a guy that Americans listen to. In the last 16 moths, there’s been more to comment upon as the right wing dissembles and lights on fire. We can still talk about the Iraq war because Obama is withdrawing, but we’re now spending more money in Afghanistan. I got a lot of letters about that [regarding Obama's election] saying, “I bet you got nothing to talk about now.” Obama aggravates me almost as much because I expect so much more from him. I want to be out of Guantanamo. I want to be out of Iraq. I want to be out of Afghanistan. I want him to kick BP’s ass. I can’t believe we’re on day 37 of this thing and BP gets to tell America what they do with dispersants or what access we have to this site. Even Piyush Jindal - some people call him Bobby - is going into this as a Republican dealing with environmental destruction. Who would have thought? It’s obvious that all waterways are connected, and eventually this will be a global problem. This thing is still booting out oil. All that dwells on the bottom are going to get it. You see all these birds; that’s just the tip. Think about how fragile even coral reefs are. You piss in the water in the Everglades and you kill something. Everything is basically built for you to leave it alone. The dispersants are as toxic [as crude]. We now have screwed up the world with this thing. It is a catastrophe. The world is watching what Obama is going to do. So there’s plenty to talk about with Obama. I’m a fan of the guy, but he disappoints me. I expected more backbone. But I never get what I want when I vote. I’m used to losing really, so it feels weird to win.
Are you ever inspired to write a song about any of these things?
I don’t think in lyric much anymore. Essay, op-ed, yeah, but not lyrics. I don’t feel the song thing come out of me much.
What are you doing after the tour? Movies, books?
I’m working on two books. Hopefully some travel and work and catching my breath a little bit. I’ve been traveling since last October.
Where do you get so much motivation? You have this sort of extreme protestant work ethic, but you aren’t protestant. Where does it comes from?
It’s how both parents were, so I got inculcated into the idea. Also, my anger compels my curiosity. I utilize my means. I’m not collecting Ferraris. I do miles. I do time in the world. Anger is a great energy for me. I’m not angry at you or the wall, but I’m angry at this BP thing and that makes me want to get in a boat and go see it.
8:00 p.m. // Moore Theater // $23
