I have one of Rollins early books, 'Hallucinations of Grandeur," which was this book before he released it. He did tweak it quite a bit and removed some of the sentiments he had about various artists like REM, etc. He toned it way down. I compared a few pages and wish he had kept it as the original. Love Henry, but guess he didn't want to hurt the REM types. I actually had him autograph the original and he was like, "Wow, this old thing!"
@@djthrift6244 that's because so-called "real punk" has nothing to do with MUSIC. Don't get me wrong, alot of the bands that carry the "punk" label are great, but people that refer to "real punk" are usually the spitting posers that Henry constantly referred to. They don't care about "music", they only care about a SCENE to be SEEN in!
Man, I don’t usually do audiobooks or anything but this one changed my life. If the story on how Henry joined Black Flag and the bands DIY ethics doesn't inspire you, nothing will. I've had a bad history of imaging things when reading stories, but the way that Henry describes things makes it easy and accessible. He makes you feel like you're in the drivers seat.
Check out the band NOFX’s audio book. it’s full of great stories of them just living like dogs trying to survive in the punk scene, much like this one. Idk if it’s still on youtube but it’s called hepatitis bathtub and other stories
Same with me, went to sleep to go to work at 5am in the morning next day, i don't sleep late at all, and it was like 11:30pm, but when i stumbled upon this, i couldn't stop listening to it until the end
@Jerry Cantrell personally speaking, both! My life definitely changed / was influenced from hearing about grassroots diy/ punk/ cottage industry indie, underground touring, house shows, got switched on to activism, animal rights, protest, co-operatives , community gardens, hand folded record sleeves and whatnot...
My brother rest in peace... Would have loved to have had this audiobook.... He had all of Henry Rollins spoken-word cassettes in his collection everything.
I feel embarrassed by the bad treatment that Henry and the rest of the band endured in my country, England. It's a shame that Henry's disdain seems to be aimed at all English people who saw them play. Some of us were genuine fans who were really excited to see Flag and greatly appreciated what they did.
In the early 80s when Black Flag visited the UK. Punk was way past it best years. Mostly a load of lame cartoon punk bands around at the time. The Pistols broke up in 78 and even The Clash were on the slide by 83. The English music scene at the time was tribal, insular and the music press up its own backside. I am not surprised Rollins found it sucked. Most of the 80s Indie music in the UK was lightweight. That is why I listened to the American stuff esp from SST records.
I heard somewhere in the 80s that The Exploited´s Wattie terrorized/ bullied Henry with a pellet gun . Does he talk about this incident in this ( just strated listening to it ) .
I first heard this in the mid-90s, when I was 15 or 16. I borrowed the audio cassette version from the library. My sophomore year of high school, I joined a band on bass. That following summer we borrowed Henry and Mugger's wheat-paste-flyering technique for a show in Seattle. We walked up and down the Ave putting those flyers up on metal light poles with that stuff. The promoter for the show called us later and asked us if we had done the flyering. We said indeed we had. He said the cops complained and made him personally take every one down. We felt terrible. I'll never forget his words: "they were well-adhesed; it sucked." Thankfully, we still got to play the show. For years following, there was a flyer up in downtown Bothell, WA (our hometown), thanks to Henry and Mugger's paste recipe.
I know the person that has to book his travel has a hard time! Always needing to schedule the next trip across the world. Also it's probably not a good idea to screw up producing his music or anything. He expects results!
And in turn, Henry's boss tried to make them think he was making a big mistake quitting to join Black Flag. I would say it worked out pretty well, and the boss that told him that is still overseeing the ice cream shop.
(1:50:48) June 19, 1985. Columbia, SC. This passage is based on the prior day's (6.18) happenings. The "new place" was Rockafella's. Probably meant new in that Flag never played there before. After the show, it was an anarchy 'A' that was spray-painted on the store window. I know because I watched the application as it occurred. We helped the band load up, dined with them at an all-night greasy spoon, after which, they, along with the entire crew and support bands, crashed at our house. It. Was. Glorious.
Thanks so much for posting. It's great hearing Henry read it, brought back incredible memories. I'm from Baltimore & was heavily into the scene in 82-85. I caught Black Flag 3 times, and all the other well known & lesser known bands. I remember Henry & Ian's bands in DC before BF & Minor Threat. We were lucky in Baltimore, as there really weren't major fights breaking out at shows or on the street. Like Hank said, the bouncers started a lot of the crap at shows. Some kid would bump into them while slam dancing and they'd start wailing on the kids. I never understood why Henry looked so angry on stage. The book explains why he was so aggressive, and we told them over and over, "We like you guys, you're safe here. No one is out to get you in Baltimore." But with Pettibon's artwork on the flyers, I can see why the cops had no love for BF. The music and scene were great, but I loved the fact that you could hang out with the bands before and after the shows. We'd describe the scene in Baltimore & the bands would tell us tour stories & what the scene was like in other cities. These days, people use the internet to live vicariously and it's accessibility is wonderful. But it doesn't have the same flavor. Thanks again for letting this old man relive his youth for a little while.
@@duckbrew Yes, I did. In both D.C, & NYC. I liked the lyrics and enjoyed singing or screaming along with the vocalist. It was very hard to make out the Bad Brains' lyrics or the speed/thrash/skate bands like JFA or DIY. There was a hardcore show every month in Baltimore for about 2-3 years, and we'd road trip to DC or NYC to see additional shows. Bands from out of state usually played DC, Balt, Phlly, then NYC as they toured. But the bands from those 3 cities rarely came to Baltimore, as it was a small scene and at most a 3 hour drive from their hometown. Baltimore had 1 punk band, Reptile House, who put put a 7" single. I went to grade school (St. Pius X) with the drummer, London May. Reptile House set up the Baltimore gig for punk bands on tour and would open for them. I was very lucky to be a part of a very tight knit, small, underground punk/skate scene in Baltimore at that time. Those really were the days. Are you from DC ? Or where did you see Bad Brains ?
@@johnspence9718 Nah I've never seen them. I grew up around Milwaukee. Punk rock didn't really come around till '83 or so.I missed that whole scene. I wad too heavily into Bowie and Talking Heads at that time. It sucks cause I'm positive I could have at least caught Husker Du ,Di Kreusen or the Replacements if I knew about them. I was into those bands a little later. B.B were great. There's a vid of them from '82 at CBGB's on Y.T that's phenomenal
@@duckbrew I listened to Bowie & the Talking Heads also. When the punk scene died out, most of us listened to what is now called post punk, goth, college radio, or alternative. We called all of that "new wave" back then. The Punk Rock scene didn't last for very long. A lot of shows were cancelled due to addiction, a broken down tour bus, &/or venues being shut down. Bands suffered from lack of exposure/advertising/radio play, so the tours were the only way we heard of some bands or could buy their albums. Word of mouth was all we had. I know some bands only made enough $ to buy food and gas to get to the next city and show. Those guys & girls really deserve the title of "hardcore" for the effort they put into getting their music out there. I love watching old shows on YT & reliving my youth. I feel bad that kids today will never get to experience the things we did to enjoy ourselves. It's great that some bands got back together & are still performing, but the energy of the crowd is more sedate. I caught a recent Flipper show & the kids seemed ready to slam dance, stage dive, & skank around but no one wanted to start it. I did try & get em going, but it's hard to slam dance with a walker & oxygen tank. Rock on brother !! Punks Not Dead !!
When he talks smack about people it's really funny. His criticism is really spot on and it's often peppered with little anecdotes like "fat f**ked up hippies and their butt faced women" I love you Henry
I got "the first four years" on cassette tape for Christmas when I was 14 and it changed my life! Six pack went hard!! Henry Rollins band and black flag tees shirts was my uniform for years.wore them everyday to school.
I'm not a hardcore fan but after watching 'American Hardcore' I was somewhat intrigued being a musician myself. While I still don't listen to the music, I recognized the importance of the scene. 'Hank' did a great job here! He has a great point of view!!
Same here. I was just getting into Rollins' stuff when I found the book in an alternative record store in the late 90's. Absolutely incredible. Such a fortunate find.
He was grousing about the misery of it and then concludes with “they’re missing out on the fun 😁.” Ironic. I had a similar experience though. I remember being a broke dirty punk rock traveler in my youth and even though I can remember being full of rage and often miserably lonesome, I also remember having a TON of fun feeling so alive and couldn’t imagine doing anything else! Funny. Treasure your youth and use it well!!! That way when your youth is passing you’ll feel good about it and have cool stories and a bit of wisdom to show for it.
Thanks so much for uploading this. I love this book. My copy is signed by Henry. Coolest guy to meet. Every band that is touring the clubs these days needs to read this and shut up. Black flag busted themselves on the road.
Punks aren’t tough guys they’re pissed and they’re honest and they’re full of energy The resistance they meet makes them tough. The ability to stick together and form strong bonds with others who are mad about the same stuff is what will keep it alive. People turn sour sometimes, and consumerism and marketers took the look and sold it to people who wanted something to give them a purpose. But over time that loses its spirit, like any tradition. Punk has different battles to fight in 2022 but the spirit won’t die, it might just have to regroup.
there's this dojo in S. California called punk rock fight club. my friend and I travelled many miles and fought each other to impress these guys. the leader said you have to be all about this shit to join. fighting has always been part of my life and punk was my coming of age. I respect their courage to stand out amongst other punks, but something didn't sit right with me and it felt like a biker herd gang. nevertheless I respect the leader's creativity and his business to make it work for him and his family but it straight up felt like a formed gang quoting the warriors so they won't be fcked with at shows. I wanna join and feel like I could be part of something I admire. but I guess my ego is too big to be part of something where I feel like I'm with a herd. they never caused any trouble around and so far I can say I respect these guys but I find it kinda cringey with the colors and the uniform reminding me of what rollins say about the skinheads and leather jacket kids running around in the uk.
@@Citykid1982 A public concert fuck-up will get you tossed out and sent straight to county jail for a week with real gangs. That's why nobody does this anymore and they have generally good conduct. This era will never be replicated
This is the 30th time listing to this. The 80s had balls. I was always a flag fan but this makes me a bigger fan. It's not like today when all you have to do is make a tictoc video and get swarms of swollers for doing the dumbest shit. I miss the 80s
Well, the classic bluesman were unpretentious working-class people, often on the edge of poverty,, marginalized or even ostracized by black society as well as white society (the black church considered blues to be the devil's music), and who mostly made a living working with their hands and not from playing music. They knew and experienced more pain and suffering than most other people could imagine. As human beings, they're about as real as you can get. (I can remember watching a UA-cam video of music from Luther Allison and somebody commented "I normally listen exclusively to heavy metal, but this here is the real shit").
"I felt lonely, like a friend was going away and never coming back." - Rollins, '85. Prophetically, his friend Joe Cole would be murdered, in 1991, his presence.😳
holy shit you're a saint for uploading this, I had a playlist a couple years ago of some parts of this book, but they all got taken down and the whole book was never on here so thanks
This is really well done. I had always wanted to get this book, but never came across it. I will say this does make you muster up some inner strength when you are feeling like what the fuck , life seems like an impossible bitch.
Borrowed it from a guy I knew in high school, Rollins is Rollins, but it's still an amazing documentation of a scene and a way of touring & living with its pros and cons. You gotta be young to do this!
00:20 - IMO, SOA is the one band in which Henry really shined!! I was never into ROLLINS BAND and my fav vocalists from BLACK FLAG were Keith Morris and Ron Reyes aka Chavo.
Henry is a fascinating guy. He overemphasizes the transformational aspects of travel and can't relate at all to someone who has family and obligations, but hey, he's still fascinating.
The general impression I gets from Henry, and I was a big fan of his in the 80's, is that he is a rather unpleasant person to be around, but he gets credit for being able to direct his resentment and anger towards musical expression, which most can't do.
I remember... Thanks Hank for documenting it, cuz I too can't forget!!...and in a time now where people are even afraid of words: its good to be reminded of the times when people had passion and yet were still rough and tough!
Few years ago, i read Croatian translation of this book, this one is a bit better, because of Henrys voice. But i must admit, the Croatian translation was pretty decent. In many cases it isn't, seems like Google translate
I'm waiting for lunch at awestcoasthomeless shelter and stoked that after watching Decline of Western civilization ,this came onmyfeed ,and even more stoked that Henry narrates this instead of a robot voice I'm gonna enjoy this Thank you for uploading
@@fuxkronhedlund7286 pretty strange….the venue was basically a beach bar, not that big a venue, I went alone because no one I knew was that hardcore..I actually grabbed a beer and sat in a booth …… yes booth right in front of the stage .. there was a 10 man mosh pit that disintegrated quickly..this was 82 Florida where Van Halen and REO Speedwagon ruled I was transfixed the rawness and sheer energy was exhilarating and unnerving. Rollins was a ball of energy and fierceness …..I talked to him briefly after the show and he was very mellow and took the time to interact with anyone
So I just listened to this for the first time recently. Amazing book by the way. But I do have a question and I'm wondering if anybody can shed some light on this. During one of Henry and Heidi's podcasts, they talked about this book and Henry had mentioned how he had to apologize to kira and how she wasn't too thrilled with him at all after reading the book. After listening to it, I'm wondering why that is? He doesn't talk down upon her or anything so I assumed maybe it's because he didn't really talk about her at all? I think she was only mentioned once or twice briefly. Not sure if that little feud, if you want to call it that, is common knowledge or not. I figured I would ask 🙂
@@DaleHumphries no shit? That's crazy. I had a feeling something like that was going on because in the podcast he expressed that it was a pretty heavy time between the two of them and he now feels awful about putting it on the book but apparently in the actual book he didn't want to pull any punches. Thanks for the insight on that
The experiences he is describing are so harrowing you actually wish that you could live them too. Listening to this is better than a documentary that just skims over the top of the band's experience.
anybody else out there seen the movie "HE NEVER DIED"?? if ya haven't and ya like this man talking YOU REALLY NEED TO SEE THAT MOVIE... it's one of the BEST EVER MADE if ya ask me, YOU TOTALLY ROCK BIG H
@Jil8840 Early 2000s when he pivoted towards a more traditional Hollywood celebrity entertainment career. He also took on an unhealthy obsession with George Bush and his spoken words became heavily political and unlistenable.
I have one of Rollins early books, 'Hallucinations of Grandeur," which was this book before he released it. He did tweak it quite a bit and removed some of the sentiments he had about various artists like REM, etc. He toned it way down. I compared a few pages and wish he had kept it as the original. Love Henry, but guess he didn't want to hurt the REM types. I actually had him autograph the original and he was like, "Wow, this old thing!"
That’s awesome.
Henry's storytelling and delivery puts you there.
pppp
0p00pppp0ppppppppp
Every aspiring musician needs to hear this.
most "musicians" are clueless to real punk anyway.
@@djthrift6244 As a Prog-Rock-snob Rush worshipper, the Ramones are genius.
@@doodlebob3758 LoL agreed
Followed by a 38' to the roof of their mouth. 😆
@@djthrift6244 that's because so-called "real punk" has nothing to do with MUSIC. Don't get me wrong, alot of the bands that carry the "punk" label are great, but people that refer to "real punk" are usually the spitting posers that Henry constantly referred to. They don't care about "music", they only care about a SCENE to be SEEN in!
Keep your body lean
Your blood clean
And your mind sharp
KUNG FU!
Man, I don’t usually do audiobooks or anything but this one changed my life. If the story on how Henry joined Black Flag and the bands DIY ethics doesn't inspire you, nothing will.
I've had a bad history of imaging things when reading stories, but the way that Henry describes things makes it easy and accessible. He makes you feel like you're in the drivers seat.
Check out the band NOFX’s audio book. it’s full of great stories of them just living like dogs trying to survive in the punk scene, much like this one. Idk if it’s still on youtube but it’s called hepatitis bathtub and other stories
Check out Mark Lanegan’s audiobook - that’s incredible .
Seconded re: Mark Lanegan's seld read audio book, sing backwards & weep. It's amazing!
Same with me, went to sleep to go to work at 5am in the morning next day, i don't sleep late at all, and it was like 11:30pm, but when i stumbled upon this, i couldn't stop listening to it until the end
@Jerry Cantrell personally speaking, both! My life definitely changed / was influenced from hearing about grassroots diy/ punk/ cottage industry indie, underground touring, house shows, got switched on to activism, animal rights, protest, co-operatives , community gardens, hand folded record sleeves and whatnot...
My brother rest in peace... Would have loved to have had this audiobook.... He had all of Henry Rollins spoken-word cassettes in his collection everything.
Henry is not only an interesting person with an interesting life but he's also an awesome story-teller. Thanks Henry.
He's got an excellent sense of humor too😂😂😂😂
I feel embarrassed by the bad treatment that Henry and the rest of the band endured in my country, England. It's a shame that Henry's disdain seems to be aimed at all English people who saw them play. Some of us were genuine fans who were really excited to see Flag and greatly appreciated what they did.
In the early 80s when Black Flag visited the UK. Punk was way past it best years. Mostly a load of lame cartoon punk bands around at the time. The Pistols broke up in 78 and even The Clash were on the slide by 83. The English music scene at the time was tribal, insular and the music press up its own backside. I am not surprised Rollins found it sucked. Most of the 80s Indie music in the UK was lightweight. That is why I listened to the American stuff esp from SST records.
Seem to be pretty proud of their history I noticed😆
I heard somewhere in the 80s that The Exploited´s Wattie terrorized/ bullied Henry with a pellet gun . Does he talk about this incident in this ( just strated listening to it ) .
@Tanner Edge leftists ruined the punk scene
@@teamenemy. agreed
I just saw Henry last week in Cleveland. He spoke for over 2 hours. He was great. I love his stories. He's so cool and interesting.
I was there! Incredible show.
he's here in milwaukee wisconsin on april 15th
How old is he?
@@camilomartinezgrez1263 i think 62-63
What cleveland venue was it??
I can walk in the streets listening to this and feel invincible. Very empowering I love this. I have heard this many many times
I first heard this in the mid-90s, when I was 15 or 16. I borrowed the audio cassette version from the library. My sophomore year of high school, I joined a band on bass. That following summer we borrowed Henry and Mugger's wheat-paste-flyering technique for a show in Seattle. We walked up and down the Ave putting those flyers up on metal light poles with that stuff. The promoter for the show called us later and asked us if we had done the flyering. We said indeed we had. He said the cops complained and made him personally take every one down. We felt terrible. I'll never forget his words: "they were well-adhesed; it sucked." Thankfully, we still got to play the show. For years following, there was a flyer up in downtown Bothell, WA (our hometown), thanks to Henry and Mugger's paste recipe.
Read this in high school. Still one of my favorite books ever
2:01:28 damn bro
Henry won a Grammy for best spoken word regarding this in '96
1995 to be precise
Having Henry Rollins as your boss is either the worst or best thing that could ever happen to you.
BEST....maybe not back in the day but yeah lolol
the best!!!
I know the person that has to book his travel has a hard time! Always needing to schedule the next trip across the world. Also it's probably not a good idea to screw up producing his music or anything. He expects results!
Seems like the kind of boss where if you can hack it, you're good, but if you can't....
And in turn, Henry's boss tried to make them think he was making a big mistake quitting to join Black Flag. I would say it worked out pretty well, and the boss that told him that is still overseeing the ice cream shop.
(1:50:48) June 19, 1985. Columbia, SC. This passage is based on the prior day's (6.18) happenings. The "new place" was Rockafella's. Probably meant new in that Flag never played there before. After the show, it was an anarchy 'A' that was spray-painted on the store window. I know because I watched the application as it occurred. We helped the band load up, dined with them at an all-night greasy spoon, after which, they, along with the entire crew and support bands, crashed at our house. It. Was. Glorious.
Thanks so much for posting. It's great hearing Henry read it, brought back incredible memories. I'm from Baltimore & was heavily into the scene in 82-85. I caught Black Flag 3 times, and all the other well known & lesser known bands. I remember Henry & Ian's bands in DC before BF & Minor Threat.
We were lucky in Baltimore, as there really weren't major fights breaking out at shows or on the street. Like Hank said, the bouncers started a lot of the crap at shows. Some kid would bump into them while slam dancing and they'd start wailing on the kids. I never understood why Henry looked so angry on stage. The book explains why he was so aggressive, and we told them over and over, "We like you guys, you're safe here. No one is out to get you in Baltimore." But with Pettibon's artwork on the flyers, I can see why the cops had no love for BF.
The music and scene were great, but I loved the fact that you could hang out with the bands before and after the shows. We'd describe the scene in Baltimore & the bands would tell us tour stories & what the scene was like in other cities. These days, people use the internet to live vicariously and it's accessibility is wonderful. But it doesn't have the same flavor. Thanks again for letting this old man relive his youth for a little while.
My favorite part of touring was having out with other bands and partying with the kids that came to the show after we played
I take it you've seen the Bad Brains too?
@@duckbrew Yes, I did. In both D.C, & NYC. I liked the lyrics and enjoyed singing or screaming along with the vocalist. It was very hard to make out the Bad Brains' lyrics or the speed/thrash/skate bands like JFA or DIY.
There was a hardcore show every month in Baltimore for about 2-3 years, and we'd road trip to DC or NYC to see additional shows.
Bands from out of state usually played DC, Balt, Phlly, then NYC as they toured. But the bands from those 3 cities rarely came to Baltimore, as it was a small scene and at most a 3 hour drive from their hometown.
Baltimore had 1 punk band, Reptile House, who put put a 7" single. I went to grade school (St. Pius X) with the drummer, London May. Reptile House set up the Baltimore gig for punk bands on tour and would open for them. I was very lucky to be a part of a very tight knit, small, underground punk/skate scene in Baltimore at that time. Those really were the days.
Are you from DC ? Or where did you see Bad Brains ?
@@johnspence9718 Nah I've never seen them. I grew up around Milwaukee. Punk rock didn't really come around till '83 or so.I missed that whole scene. I wad too heavily into Bowie and Talking Heads at that time. It sucks cause I'm positive I could have at least caught Husker Du ,Di Kreusen or the Replacements if I knew about them. I was into those bands a little later. B.B were great. There's a vid of them from '82 at CBGB's on Y.T that's phenomenal
@@duckbrew I listened to Bowie & the Talking Heads also. When the punk scene died out, most of us listened to what is now called post punk, goth, college radio, or alternative. We called all of that "new wave" back then.
The Punk Rock scene didn't last for very long. A lot of shows were cancelled due to addiction, a broken down tour bus, &/or venues being shut down. Bands suffered from lack of exposure/advertising/radio play, so the tours were the only way we heard of some bands or could buy their albums. Word of mouth was all we had. I know some bands only made enough $ to buy food and gas to get to the next city and show. Those guys & girls really deserve the title of "hardcore" for the effort they put into getting their music out there.
I love watching old shows on YT & reliving my youth. I feel bad that kids today will never get to experience the things we did to enjoy ourselves. It's great that some bands got back together & are still performing, but the energy of the crowd is more sedate. I caught a recent Flipper show & the kids seemed ready to slam dance, stage dive, & skank around but no one wanted to start it. I did try & get em going, but it's hard to slam dance with a walker & oxygen tank. Rock on brother !! Punks Not Dead !!
Hearing his descent into resentment with each year reminds me how i feel working retail, you slowly start to hate people for every reason
Camus said "Hell is other people." Yep...
I got this back in the 90s off Napster while looking for Hank spoken word shows not knowing what this book was. Life changing.
Every guy in their early 20’s with half a brain, but no direction in life should listen to this.
I remember buying this when it first came out. Inspirational is an understatement. I love Black Flag.
Venom and Black Flag is a show I would've KILLED to see!
MY TWO FAVOURITE BANDS FOR $6.66, THAT WOULD BE THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER!!!!
You can pretty much get away with anything as long as you look like that's all you know how to do
Lol
When he talks smack about people it's really funny. His criticism is really spot on and it's often peppered with little anecdotes like "fat f**ked up hippies and their butt faced women"
I love you Henry
I am seeing HR in May for his “Good to See You” tour. Can’t friggin wait!
same! oregon?
caught the show last night, you’ll not be disappointed
Portland for me
@@yroach i'll be over in eugene
@@gurlcock He seems a bit selfish, the more I tried to find out about em over the last 25 years.
Thank you Henry😎 This audiobook is such a great meditation for me🕊️
Happy birthday and shout-out to Henry Rollins for 40 years of inspiration
I got "the first four years" on cassette tape for Christmas when I was 14 and it changed my life! Six pack went hard!! Henry Rollins band and black flag tees shirts was my uniform for years.wore them everyday to school.
I wish I knew what happened to my classic Black Flag logo t-shirt. I wore that all the time in high school. Ordered from SST!
Even if you're not into black flag, punk rock, or music in general. This is a fascinating listen.
Ive NEVER met anyone who diddnt like music
I'm not a hardcore fan but after watching 'American Hardcore' I was somewhat intrigued being a musician myself. While I still don't listen to the music, I recognized the importance of the scene. 'Hank' did a great job here! He has a great point of view!!
I bought this cd in the 90’s to accompany the book.
I also did the same!!!
Same here. I was just getting into Rollins' stuff when I found the book in an alternative record store in the late 90's. Absolutely incredible. Such a fortunate find.
He was grousing about the misery of it and then concludes with “they’re missing out on the fun 😁.” Ironic. I had a similar experience though. I remember being a broke dirty punk rock traveler in my youth and even though I can remember being full of rage and often miserably lonesome, I also remember having a TON of fun feeling so alive and couldn’t imagine doing anything else! Funny. Treasure your youth and use it well!!! That way when your youth is passing you’ll feel good about it and have cool stories and a bit of wisdom to show for it.
Sometimes this is funny and sometimes he sounds like Rorshack.
🤣
He's not in here with you, you're all in here with HIM!!!
You do
I think he sounds more like Mr Kotter than Rorschach
T
Thanks so much for uploading this. I love this book. My copy is signed by Henry. Coolest guy to meet. Every band that is touring the clubs these days needs to read this and shut up. Black flag busted themselves on the road.
January 7 : Punched in face
January 9: Hit with a bottle
January 10: Van destroyed
January 13: Beaten with a baseball bat
January 15: Punched in face
That was a busy week
War veterans got nothin' on Hank Rollins
Punks aren’t tough guys they’re pissed and they’re honest and they’re full of energy
The resistance they meet makes them tough.
The ability to stick together and form strong bonds with others who are mad about the same stuff is what will keep it alive.
People turn sour sometimes, and consumerism and marketers took the look and sold it to people who wanted something to give them a purpose. But over time that loses its spirit, like any tradition.
Punk has different battles to fight in 2022 but the spirit won’t die, it might just have to regroup.
there's this dojo in S. California called punk rock fight club. my friend and I travelled many miles and fought each other to impress these guys. the leader said you have to be all about this shit to join. fighting has always been part of my life and punk was my coming of age. I respect their courage to stand out amongst other punks, but something didn't sit right with me and it felt like a biker herd gang. nevertheless I respect the leader's creativity and his business to make it work for him and his family but it straight up felt like a formed gang quoting the warriors so they won't be fcked with at shows. I wanna join and feel like I could be part of something I admire. but I guess my ego is too big to be part of something where I feel like I'm with a herd. they never caused any trouble around and so far I can say I respect these guys but I find it kinda cringey with the colors and the uniform reminding me of what rollins say about the skinheads and leather jacket kids running around in the uk.
@@Citykid1982 A public concert fuck-up will get you tossed out and sent straight to county jail for a week with real gangs. That's why nobody does this anymore and they have generally good conduct. This era will never be replicated
Read this a few years back but to hear it straight from Hank is great 👍
Where did he take his BM's in the shed ?
Amazing recollection…Thanks Henry.
This is the 30th time listing to this. The 80s had balls. I was always a flag fan but this makes me a bigger fan. It's not like today when all you have to do is make a tictoc video and get swarms of swollers for doing the dumbest shit. I miss the 80s
Remember to slip it in.
The shit is hysterical! The guy thought ZZ Top eliminator was the new Exploted album!
Thank you.
Love live the Flag.
I I I I
There is no band that deserves its legendary status then black flag I'm glad Henry eventually made real money good for you
I love that you listen to John lee Hooker and Mississippi Fred McDowell on tour
Well, the classic bluesman were unpretentious working-class people, often on the edge of poverty,, marginalized or even ostracized by black society as well as white society (the black church considered blues to be the devil's music), and who mostly made a living working with their hands and not from playing music. They knew and experienced more pain and suffering than most other people could imagine. As human beings, they're about as real as you can get. (I can remember watching a UA-cam video of music from Luther Allison and somebody commented "I normally listen exclusively to heavy metal, but this here is the real shit").
"I felt lonely, like a friend was going away and never coming back." - Rollins, '85.
Prophetically, his friend Joe Cole would be murdered, in 1991, his presence.😳
Life is harsh as fuck
@Jerry Cantrell yeah i agree... thanks man
sure by Henry
@@sloburnjolol sure buddy
Thank you so much! I searched for this book when it first came out and either couldn't find it or afford it so thank you
Not sure why he doesn't release a new edition of the book. I'm sure it would sell
holy shit you're a saint for uploading this, I had a playlist a couple years ago of some parts of this book, but they all got taken down and the whole book was never on here so thanks
I have read this book many times, but I like this better, I feel like I with him on the ride. Great upload. Thanks.
This is really well done. I had always wanted to get this book, but never came across it. I will say this does make you muster up some inner strength when you are feeling like what the fuck , life seems like an impossible bitch.
It's so expensive
Borrowed it from a guy I knew in high school, Rollins is Rollins, but it's still an amazing documentation of a scene and a way of touring & living with its pros and cons. You gotta be young to do this!
Henry's english impression always gets me 😂
Muchas gracias. THANK YOU!!
Henry did the works at that ice cream shoppe
The Chicago venue that Henry mentions has got to be the Metro. As an 80's Punk and Thrash fan, I can attest: the Metro was hardcore at the time.
I love Metallica's 1983 Performance at the Metro. Electric to say the least!
I absolutely love this
Henry: A girl asked if she could kiss me. I said no. A guy gave me a tape. I threw it away. A guy gave me a book. I threw it away.
Me:💀
00:20 - IMO, SOA is the one band in which Henry really shined!! I was never into ROLLINS BAND and my fav vocalists from BLACK FLAG were Keith Morris and Ron Reyes aka Chavo.
I’m glad I didn’t read this but heard Henry do the audio.
"It was a gig, so we took it."-H.R.
That's basically the entire history of Black Flag in a nutshell
Thank you 🙏
Henry is a fascinating guy. He overemphasizes the transformational aspects of travel and can't relate at all to someone who has family and obligations, but hey, he's still fascinating.
The general impression I gets from Henry, and I was a big fan of his in the 80's, is that he is a rather unpleasant person to be around, but he gets credit for being able to direct his resentment and anger towards musical expression, which most can't do.
Next time I put on a Venom record, all I will be able to think of is "black funky metal".
Ha
Rollins sounds more like Henry Hill from Goodfellas
lmfaooo, i can't unhear it now ty
So, basically the Nazis had a monopoly on European punk rock😂
@@the2ndcoming135 what's up spade
@@Yourmothershouse34 usually a piece of treated wood.
I was thinking the same thing, but was wondering if it was just because of me listening to the Gangsters and Goodfellas audiobook recently
I have this book. First edition hardback. One of my favorite posetions.
I remember... Thanks Hank for documenting it, cuz I too can't forget!!...and in a time now where people are even afraid of words: its good to be reminded of the times when people had passion and yet were still rough and tough!
I been to mad gardens In Arizona. I missed you and there.
The thing I got from this, at least an hour in, is that the UK Subs were fucking great.
"today's bands would've been eaten alive back then" 💯!
Imagine if like michael Jackson played in front of skinheads and other violent punks lol
Few years ago, i read Croatian translation of this book, this one is a bit better, because of Henrys voice. But i must admit, the Croatian translation was pretty decent. In many cases it isn't, seems like Google translate
This is awesome. Thanks for uploading!
I'm waiting for lunch at awestcoasthomeless shelter and stoked that after watching Decline of Western civilization ,this came onmyfeed ,and even more stoked that Henry narrates this instead of a robot voice
I'm gonna enjoy this
Thank you for uploading
I came across a flyer from 1984, still up in 1990.
"....guns, knives, beer mugs and tobacco. That's all you need for the beginnings of a good party."
Met him in 1998. Very cool guy
Great memories in Milano you got there!
Saw Black Flag in 82….Daytona Beach
What was the crowd like at that show?
@@fuxkronhedlund7286 pretty strange….the venue was basically a beach bar, not that big a venue, I went alone because no one I knew was that hardcore..I actually grabbed a beer and sat in a booth …… yes booth right in front of the stage .. there was a 10 man mosh pit that disintegrated quickly..this was 82 Florida where Van Halen and REO Speedwagon ruled I was transfixed the rawness and sheer energy was exhilarating and unnerving. Rollins was a ball of energy and fierceness …..I talked to him briefly after the show and he was very mellow and took the time to interact with anyone
I love you Henry!
I was born in Arlington VA . Omg!!! I never knew !!! ❤
You, sir, are the fucking man. Thank you for posting. I'd been looking for this for a while.
So I just listened to this for the first time recently. Amazing book by the way. But I do have a question and I'm wondering if anybody can shed some light on this. During one of Henry and Heidi's podcasts, they talked about this book and Henry had mentioned how he had to apologize to kira and how she wasn't too thrilled with him at all after reading the book. After listening to it, I'm wondering why that is? He doesn't talk down upon her or anything so I assumed maybe it's because he didn't really talk about her at all? I think she was only mentioned once or twice briefly. Not sure if that little feud, if you want to call it that, is common knowledge or not. I figured I would ask 🙂
I believe the Audiobook is abridged so maybe those passages are to be found in the book itself only. I’ve not read it though. Anyone?
He trashes her in the book. There are a few passages where he says he hates her.
@@DaleHumphries no shit? That's crazy. I had a feeling something like that was going on because in the podcast he expressed that it was a pretty heavy time between the two of them and he now feels awful about putting it on the book but apparently in the actual book he didn't want to pull any punches. Thanks for the insight on that
@@DaleHumphries but does he explain why?
@@Drummer_Jeff83 What did he say about her?
The experiences he is describing are so harrowing you actually wish that you could live them too. Listening to this is better than a documentary that just skims over the top of the band's experience.
Quintessential reading/listening for any musician or artist.
Bro, saw your Television video... They are my top 3 favorite bands that only cool people know about!
Rolliins: "People that are nice to me are awesome! People that aren't nice to me suck!"
I have my copy that my girlfriend ordered for me when I was doing 90 days in the county jail in 2011. A great book but it's hard to find a copy now.
Henry sells them through his website
@@4ourty5ive The 2.13.61 site?
@@4ourty5ive Yep, he sure does!
He’s right about Painted Willie, that’s for sure.
Mad Gardens , phx AZ . I remember it , well , , 😎👍 ty Henry
1994! got the 1st edition woot..worth millz
that was amazing
Thanks Dukowski
Thank you for this upload!!! Now I get to listen to it for the 15th time, lol
anybody else out there seen the movie "HE NEVER DIED"?? if ya haven't and ya like this man talking YOU REALLY NEED TO SEE THAT MOVIE... it's one of the BEST EVER MADE if ya ask me, YOU TOTALLY ROCK BIG H
Man I love your channels and boy howdy do I have personal stories about many of them! I can't find your Sonic Youth channel at all though? Deleted?
Ordered this book a year ago it's a goodin for sure Rollins himself signed the first page.
The Anti Nowhere League's 'We Are The League' LP is punk masterclass.
I agree. I think Henry is way off there.
would have been a travesty if Henry didnt read this audiobook.
Been through some schitt. Got some miles on him. Rollins got skin in the game.
Thank you sooooo much for posting this. I am on a very minimal amount of money and cannot afford the book. I cannot ty enuf.
Rollins was great before he lost his mind. Now he is everything his younger self would have detested.
I mean, yea but he's so much older now, it happens.
When did he lost his mind??? Was that when Black Flag broke up?????
@Jil8840 Early 2000s when he pivoted towards a more traditional Hollywood celebrity entertainment career. He also took on an unhealthy obsession with George Bush and his spoken words became heavily political and unlistenable.
It's a diary from when he was stressed on a life/death scale
That was pretty intense man. I saw you speak, once, here, in OKC. You seemed much more at peace, and it was relieving to see.
Spanks in riverside was a great place to see shows.