The views and opinions on Henry Rollins are as varied as his life and travels are. I like the guy, yeah he has his flaws and yes he can be a douchebag at times but I still find him interesting and worth listening to. His solo musical career isn't really something that's very relevant to me nor do I pay much attention to it. Black Flag during his time sounded great (but Nervous Breakdown is still my favorite release by them) no matter the hate they got but I find his spoken word stuff to be the best of his work yet.
During his travels with the band he kept a journal or notes which he probably wrote during long hours of driving to wherever the band was playing next. What makes this an interesting "listen" is the stories and the bleak reality of being in a (work-serious) band. Not being American and not really knowing how it was in the US during the 80s to me this was quite revealing stuff and it helped me put a lot of things that I already (kinda-sorta) knew into a much more clearer perspective among all the new things that I've learned. Rollins details really well the atmosphere of concerts, after-parties and weird adventures the band had during the off hours. Probably the most nihilist and also the best part of the whole book are their tour(s) in Europe and how much punk there was in a sharp contrast with the punk in US. I would recommend this to anyone who ever toured or plans on touring or being in a band but also to anyone else who is interested in knowing the inner-workings and thinking of a band. A lot of the problems and situations in this book/audio book still hold to this day. Great stuff all in all.
Part 1 and 2.
The book is read by Henry Rollins.
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