SXSW: A Conversation With Henry Rollins

Session description:

“Musician, author, actor, iconoclast, stand up/spoken word performer and host of IFC series “The Henry Rollins Show,” Henry Rollins will join us for a special, candid discussion. Rollins will sit down for a one-on-one chat with journalist Andy Langer (Esquire), to address his feelings on the current state of the media, pop culture, politics, education, and all the ties that bind them.”

Choice quotes:

“If any of you people are media people, I wish you’d get a backbone.”

“In my P-Funk/Ramones block party world that I live in, we don’t need a military. But then there’s reality.”

“[Traveling to entertain troops in Iraq, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Egypt with the USO] was completely eye-opening. I was not expecting the ultra-earnest 20-something, who hands me a picture of his kid, who he’s never met. They can’t wait to get through this to get to that. It’s very personal.”

“It’s that fog of war thing. It’s very confusing. Through the USO, it’s very personal.”

“Back in those days, with Black Flag, it was young rams butting heads. Now I’m old and grey…they’re like ‘give him prunes! give him fiber!'”

“Now my anger is civically rooted. It’s six months later, and there are still cars in trees [in New Orleans]. To be an American and not be angry, you’re kinda sleeping on the job.”

“I think education is the key. It eradicates racism, homophobia, and the things that hang us up.”

“People come up to me and say ‘It’d be an honor if you hit me!’ and I’m, like….huh?!”

“If you’re going to do what you truly want to do, don’t expect a placid lake to pedal across. You need to grow a thick skin, or a Mark Twainian sense of humor.”

“The music was done with me, before I was done with the music.”

“I have a three pythons, one of which is named Bunny. She eats rabbits.”

“If I shut up, I’m sleeping on the job.”

(more pics here)

(Of course, this post would be incomplete without a link to Leisure Time With Mr. Rollins, by Brandon Bird.)