Interview About Success With Alternative Icon And Writer Henry Rollins
Henry Rollins has been tearing up stages across the world since the early 80’s. He has also written countless pages and used countless gigs of computer memory to scrawl down his experiences, his views and feelings on the places, people and things he has seen. Although in the middle of a worldwide spoken word tour currently travelling through the United States and Canada that stretches all the way to Africa he took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions about his success.
RR: What is your definition of punk?
HR: Doing your own thing no matter what.
RR: What is your definition of success?
HR: Having your life be something you enjoy rather than something you endure. Some measure it by money or promotion but at the end of the day, I reckon it’s where you’re at when you’re on your own. The rest is vanity
RR: Who is someone you admired when you where younger that totally encouraged you to follow your dreams?
HR: Ian MaKaye. He was a good example of thinking for yourself.
RR: How are some ways you developed your superior mental conditioning. As an example, in an interview on the Canadian television show The Hour, you spoke about how at one point you become the “boss” and people were dependent on you for their livelihood which often left you with little money. Around that same time in Rolling Stone Magazine a picture of you was published where you were literally an iron god, obviously adhering to a rigorous training and eating program. How did you continue to progress with limited funds and great demands?
HR: A lack of funds and youth sometimes makes for a great combination. It can make you very intense and fearless. I reckoned either we either go for it with fanatic zeal or disappear. That was the choice and it was very clear which way to go.
RR: How old where you when you finally had a wage you could live off from your artistic endeavors?
HR: I was about thirty when I was sure I could pay the rent while on tour.
RR: What came first writing songs or keeping a journal?
HR: I wrote lyrics before I started keeping a journal.
RR: What role do you believe journaling has played in your success?
HR: Some of them in book form have sold a lot of copies, one won a Grammy. I guess these things would be considered successful. I think more than anything, it’s my persistence that has kept me in the mix. I keep touring and showing up. I think that may be a factor.
RR: Who are some of your current influences in writing?
HR: I don’t know if I have an influence at this point, I just write. Mostly what I am doing now is journalism or journalistic in nature. I try to be vivid and clear as possible. I admire Matt Taibbi, he has the long distance smarts that makes his writing very singular.
RR: Do you schedule your writing time? If so would you then sub schedule that time, as in I will do some creative writing from 9-11 then move on to writing an article?
HR: Certain writing has obligation, a deadline for liner notes or something, you have to get on it. I try to get that kind of thing done as soon as I can and then onto journal stuff and note taking for other projects, etc. On tour, I try to get the journal writing started post gym and after soundcheck up until pre-show prep.
RR: Do you still keep a private journal?
HR: Sometimes I make notes on things that are probably too boring for other use but at this point, I am working on a journal/travel story for publication most of the time.
RR: How do you take yourself out of creative ruts or periods where you are being unproductive?
HR: I put myself in creative situations as often as possible. When you put yourself in interesting places, quite often you get interesting source material for observation. If I am not getting any writing done, I don’t worry about it. I have found that it’s more defeating to worry about it than to know that it’s close by and will be back. I don’t believe in the idea of writer’s block. I think that when you get into that frame of mind, you create the block and that becomes the object of your energies.
RR: Did you achieve your artistic goals?
HR: I don’t have any really. I have goals but they are not artistic. I am not an artistic or creative person.
RR: How many books did you read last year?
HR: I don’t know. Not nearly as many as usual, I edited and released two of my own, that took a great deal of time. Some history books, a book about Bhopal, one on China, a couple of music biographies. Like I said, the two I was working on took a lot of time, also there was the television show I worked on and other stuff that required many 16 hour days and ate up a lot of reading time.
RR: What are possible qualities do you hold that you attribute to your world wide recognition?
HR: People’s tolerance for good intention, no matter how mediocre the delivery is. Persistence is helpful. Don’t tell them I don’t have anywhere else to go.
RR: How does that current recognition allow you to contribute to society positively that otherwise might not be possible?
HR: I get access to things that I might not without some celebrity status or whatever you want to call it. Stuff like USO tours, etc. I get to see a lot of things.
RR: What is one of the most distributing effects you have seen from North American culture on less affluent nations?
HR: Fast food, bad music, consumerist based values in struggling countries, unsustainable lifestyles in places that have very little.
RR: Other than the IFC logo for your documentary series, I have never seen a photo of you in shirt with an image on it, not even a Sabbath shirt, why is that?
HR: I would rather go blank. I have a Sabbath shirt, a PETAshirt, I think that’s it. Otherwise it’s just shirts bought many at a time that hopefully hide the salsa stains.
RR: What charities do you support and why?
HR: Here are some.
http://www.dropinthebucket.org/
http://www.splcenter.org/http://www.ssccsd.org/
I think they do good work and that it’s important to help out if you can, that’s about it really.
RR: What are some of your current goals or projects?
HR: I am working on two books and have a lot of shows booked so all that and what it takes to get it all happening will take up a lot of my time for at least a year.
RR: I am 19 years old I have just finished school and am deciding between taking a chance and following my dream or taking a career, what words of advice do you have?
HR: I think you should take advantage of your youth to check things out before you go into the career world.
Here is my My Imaginary Art Collection featuring Henry Rollins
Here is a work of art inspired by his life’s work
