Henry Rollins is truly a renaissance man of culture.  He has spread himself across the cultural stratosphere so widely that he encompasses music, television, movies, writing, producing, publishing, and has a passion for speaking his mind. Over the years I have observed various aspects of his career evolve, and one thing consistently remains the same; He is ardent in everything that he does. Self-realized and unafraid, he assaults the issues in our world that few pretend to think about.

Hardened Magazine:
That paragraph is basically a reiteration of everything everyone says about you every time you are interviewed. These things are true, but what do you see yourself as?

Henry: A workaholic who has little else to do but act on my curiosity and interests. This can sometimes border on obsession, which I think is one of the many ways one can achieve something of worth. It does however, take a toll.

Hardened Magazine:
From the very inception of punk music it has always had a “stand up”, and “make your own rules” message, which bands specifically do you think have this ideology today?

Henry: I don’t think that’s a small amount of bands. I think there’s too many to mention. There are plenty of small labels who do their own thing and the bands that are on them are only concerned with the music and little else like image or sales. I think that there’s a lot of people like Bob Dylan and Neil Young who do their own thing as well.

Hardened Magazine:
Aware of the days at The Outhouse in Kansas, I wonder if you miss the attitude and atmosphere of your youth and the music scene back then? What is your perspective of the change in the audience over the last few decades in regards to this change?

Henry: I sometimes miss the relative simplicity of my past as it compares to what I deal with now. I think youth is time of rapid development and discovery, things are often more poignant as they are unfamiliar and untried. Once those rituals are exhausted, many people don’t move onto other things, they think they have come to the end of something and allow that to define them. You can also do something else, like find new things to discover and by doing so, nostalgia becomes useless. The audiences, as I see them, have grown in size and diversity.

Hardened Magazine:
Punk music in general has a tremendously powerful message for people to not take what is being force-fed to them. Why do you think it incited so much violence with in the scene during its zenith, instead of us lashing back at society with the revelations that came with the music?

Henry: I think there were some poorly aimed missiles in punk music, in that people sometimes fought each other when the true enemy gathered its strength and watched. I don’t know what caused that really, perhaps petty power squabbles, growing pains, or something like that as a form seeks to define itself.

Hardened Magazine:
I know you are a very politically motivated person, and are opposed to the current administration. What given the seemingly preoccupation with tribal war, and the excuse ridden reasoning for destruction of our civil liberties, do you think the outcome has had on the face of art and music today?

Henry: If I understand your question, I think since at least the Reagan administration, there has been a war on art and freedoms that Americans should enjoy easily. Some people want others to just shut up and not make any noise or think differently, etc. I think this comes from administrations who basically hate and fear those who elected them.

Hardened Magazine:
You have been all over the world, and from most of what I have read about your travels, people have been very gracious hosts. I am sure you have discussed our country, and now the worlds current situation, what is their reaction to the mess our administration has gotten us all in?

Henry: It will take many years to get us out of it. I don’t know if all those bridges can be mended. Imagine forgiving a country that rocketed your home town and killed your friends. How cool would you be with that? The many people I have spoken to all over the world have expressed great interest and affection for America and Americans. By and large, they seem not to judge the many by the actions of the few. Let’s hope that’s the case.

Hardened Magazine:
Knowing that you are not a man who likes to speak about your body of work, but would much rather be working, what is one of your biggest motivations at the moment?

Henry: The bright future of America and the world.