Thursday, November 5, 1998
Rollins rocks crowd with humor, politics
MUSIC: Performer treats audience to thoughtful anecdotes, spoken
word
By Brent Hopkins
Daily Bruin Contributor
As Henry Rollins took the stage at the House of Blues on
Election Day, one had to wonder what the country would be like if
he were president. After all, he exemplifies everything one could
want in a chief executive: intelligence, charisma, wit and above
all, a "take no prisoners" mentality. Heads of state would cower
and meekly submit to his whims, Congress would be putty in his
hands and terrorists would never think of attacking a country under
his command.
With a fiery, intense look in his eyes and swathes of menacing
tattoos scrawled across his skin, Rollins is not a man to be fooled
with. On Tuesday, he held the crowd riveted with a spoken word
performance that was a far cry from his ranting music.
"I had an interesting exchange I wanted to tell you about. I
thought you might get a kick out of it," Rollins began, launching
into a story about his experiences on the road.
Part stand-up comedy, part narration, part moral sermon, the
performance seemed like it lasted only fifteen minutes instead of
nearly three hours. Rollins’ rambling recital covered a range of
topics as broad as a football field.
His comedic approach combines compelling story-telling with an
intelligent sense of humor. At times, he played strictly for
laughs, detailing his youthful exploits as a pet shop employee and
ice cream clerk. His skewering of rock and roll cliches was
hilarious, complete with a dead-on imitation of KISS guitarist Paul
Stanley’s raspy whine and wild stage gyrations.
For these, the crowd was warm and receptive, laughing loudly.
Even the soundboard technicians broke out into laughter as he
worked the crowd.
"It was so great, being that full of shit," Rollins said,
describing himself, and every other male at the age of 25.
One of Rollins’ greatest strengths lies in his self-mockery.
Although he turns his acid tongue toward many different targets,
one of his favorites is himself. Never taking himself overly
seriously, he dismantled the gruff, physically imposing persona he
constructs on stage and presented himself as a normal human being,
with the exact same flaws and self doubts that plague everyone.
In a piece on dating told from a woman’s perspective, he cut the
male ego to shreds and deflated the arrogance with which so many
people, himself included, can surround themselves. Rollins doesn’t
pretend to have all the answers; he’s a regular guy capable of
objectively assessing the ridiculousness of life at times.
Rather than playing for the quick, meaningless laughs, the
"aging alternative icon" also recounted his experiences while
traveling the world. Whether it came in the form of tales about
shopping for suits in Bangkok or going on safari in Kenya, his
accounts of life abroad were fascinating.
While these bits continued to strike the funnybone, they were
less calculatedly amusing; the crowd laughed, but not in the same
explosive fashion that they had with the stand-up pieces. The
stories were more interesting than they were humorous, showcasing
life in places most people only dream of visiting.
"I can tell the truth," Rollins said. "I can speak with candor,"
referring to an embarrassing anecdote about his self-described
slovenly apartment. His words rang true in a different context,
however. Several times in the show, he departed from comedy to
lecture on more serious topics.
In the middle of a mildly amusing bit on President Clinton’s
legal woes, he suddenly jumped off topic and began to address the
saturation of coverage regarding political sexual improprieties
rather than more serious topics, such as racial violence and
homophobia.
It was here that Rollins elevated himself from foul-mouthed
comic to genuine social critic. His scathing attack on racism and
support of diversity was well received by the crowd, who applauded
loudly at the end of his protest.
This is not just some average guy on the street with a few funny
stories; the man is an informed, insightful thinker, one whose
ideas warrant listening to. When the evening drew to a close,
Rollins was characteristically humble.
"I had a wonderful time hanging out with you," he said.
"I admire your endurance sitting there and listening to me for
nearly three hours."
With his charismatic performance, it was no trouble at
all.Dreamworks Records
Henry Rollins performed a spoken word review at the House of
Blues.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]