It is always strange the way these things pan out: you listen to Henry Rollins's new spoken-word album, Think Tank and you get an impression of a mildly amusing, happy-go-lucky guy. Someone who's got the banter down pat and has been pretty well socialised. Interview him and it's a different story. Massively muscular, impeccably tattooed and very clipped of speech, he's the master of the monosyllable and as earnest as they come. This ain't no party, this ain't no disco.
An example, if you will: in response to an innocuous question about grunge era alienation (or some such rubbish) the response from Planet Rollins is: "I never went for that disillusionment thing. I went for the pain and the glory and the adventure. I think one of the things that keeps me going, if that's what you're asking, is all the stuff I don't do. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I don't have a lot of friends. I don't get into meaningless conversation. I don't watch TV. I'm not putting these things down, I'm saying that I have priorities. I make sacrifices and make commitments."
The major one being his straight-edge lifestyle, with copious amounts of body building layered on top. A lot of this goes back to what he calls a "violent" background: "I wasn't mean violent, just hyperactive. Remember the one kid who nobody would mess with because he was so unpredictable, even the scary guys would leave him alone? That was me," he says. As a child he was put on the drug Ritalin, which made so dangerously hyperactive that people worried about him. In the end, a teacher introduced him to weightlifting, and he's been OK since.
Rollins's first musical adventure was with the semi-legendary US hardcore band, Black Flag who, apart from some thunderous albums (the best of which is probably 1981's Damaged) also brought us the highly influential SST label which released pre-major label material from Husker Du, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr.
When Black Flag split in 1986, Rollins formed his own band who are still doing the hardcore/alterno circuit, but a book he wrote about his experiences with Black Flag, Get In The Van, was (in its CD spoken-word format) a Grammy award winner. Now the spoken word and the hardcore rock sit side by side with Rollins, with the words probably taking up more time than the rock. He also does quite a bit of acting - and his main claim to fame here is that he was thrown out of a window by Al Pacino in Heat. The new spoken-word affair, Think Tank, is a double CD. The first is a quick-paced look at life on the road in a rock band, while the second consists more of extended stories. All in all, it's pretty good and funny in parts, even if he sometimes comes across as a Bill Hicks tribute act.
Think Tank by Henry Rollins is on the Universal label.
With two Mercury music prize nominations between them, the Carthy/Waterson family bring their old folk/new folk music over for a short tour next week (see record reviews). Norma Waterson is simply one of the best folk singers in the business, and her eponymous solo album of two years back on which she covers songs by Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello and Richard Thompson is a revelation. Martin Carthy is from the skiffle era but is best known for his work with Dave Swarbrick and Steeleye Span, while Eliza Carthy released the very good Red Rice album last year. All three play at Roisin Dubh, Galway next Tuesday and Whelans, Dublin on Wednesday.
Look out for a "Domino" night out at The Mean Fiddler on the December 9th when the indier-than-thou label showcases three of its roster - The Pastels, Quickspace and Third Eye Foundation (DJ set). The first, name-checked by everybody from Nirvana to Primal Scream to Teenage Fanclub, are the band to look out for. This most under-rated of indie pop bands have had their last album, Illumination re-mixed by a bevy of acts, including My Bloody Valentine, and the resultant Illuminati is now in the shops.
