Henry Rollins Marches Into Old Town School Of Folk For Three-Night Stand Of Spoken Word
By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 12, 2012 8:20PM
Even old punk rockers go gray and, in the case of the Sex Pistols, chase after the filthy lucre. A handful have managed to take the rage of their youth and cultivate it into something constructive and continuing evolving.
Take, for example, Henry Rollins. The legendary Black Flag frontman has been a whirling dervish since the group’s 1986 breakup, working with his own band, as an actor, and as a spoken word artist. It’s the latter where Rollins truly shines. His spoken word concerts are two hours of Rollins riffing on a variety of topics: music; culture; politics; his travels around the world; work; and the 1991 murder of his friend and former Black Flag roadie, Joe Cole, an event which still affects Rollins today.
Rollins' spoken word concerts have evolved over the years from imitations of Lenny Bruce and George Carlin monologues into lean affairs befitting his well-publicized travels. He still takes the stage dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, wraps the microphone cord around his wrist, and speaks. But age and experience have given Rollins’ words the depth that was missing from his early forays into monologue. And he’s surprisingly funny, capable of cutting wit and much-needed self deprecation.
Rollins is currently on a spoken word tour called “The Long March” that stops in Chicago for a three-night stand at the Old Town School of Folk Music, Nov 15-17. Tickets to the Nov. 15 and 16 show are still available as of post time, but they won’t last long. Buy them online here.