Henry Rollins explains why he’ll never make music again
On the occasion of the release of his latest book, the fourth volume of his “Stay Fanatic!!!” series titled “Lessons In Possession and Confessions of Obsession,” Henry Rollins gave an interview for “Loudwire Nights.” During the chat, the artist explained why he will never make music again and discussed why writing has become the area he is willing to strive for, calling it “a thankless activity.”
“You play chess with your mind and, you know, I lose. It’s a very lonely task and no one can help you, right? Or maybe they could, but I don’t really collaborate, so I sit alone and work, take a break from writing, go to the gym and then go back to writing until it’s time to read – and then I go to sleep.”
Rollins, who during his career was the frontman of historic hardcore bands such as State of Alert and the most famous Black Flag, as well as founder of his own label and of the Rollins Band group, has also made it known that he is working on two other books and he pointed out that his hard-working attitude and work ethic are influenced by his time in the formation of “Rise above”.
“I’m always working on something,” said the musician, also known as an actor and radio host: “And that’s exactly what I chose to do, it’s what I’m willing to fight for.”
Thinking about his time in Black Flag, which he described as a “very busy band,” Rollins recalled: “It was Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski, they were kind of like the big boys of the pack and I learned my work ethic from them , as far as the music and everything, because they were indestructible.”
And again: “It was intense and I had to work hard quickly to recover. I don’t know if I ever succeeded, but I tried.” Staying on the subject of music, when asked in reference to a 2023 interview in which he stated that “he wouldn’t go back on stage with a band for anything in the world”, Henry Rollins confirmed that’s still the case: “I haven’t thought about song lyrics since 2000 or 2001. I’m smart enough not to come back for an encore. ‘Hey, did you miss me?’ I’ve never asked myself that question.
