Henry Rollins, former singer of seminal punk band Black Flag and one of entertainment’s most enduring icons, will make a stop at The Varsity Theatre on Feb. 18 in support of his spoken-word tour.
The speaking engagement is part of a 42-date tour covering North America, Britain and Australia that is growing every year, according to Rollins.
“What’s surprising is that it gets bigger every year, and that every time we go out, the tickets sell faster,” Rollins told Billboard magazine. “What is intense for some guy with no real HBO exposure, no MTV exposure, no FM radio exposure, is that it seems to work.”
Since Black Flag’s breakup in 1986, Rollins has been persistently busy, recording albums with the Henry Rollins Band, writing books and poetry, performing spoken-word tours, writing magazine columns, acting in movies, appearing on radio programs and, less frequently, working as an MTV VJ, according to a press release.
His band’s records are uncompromising and intense hard rock, with Rollins shouting angry, introspective observations over the bombastic rhythms, his Web site said.
But, the site said in his spoken-word appearances, he is surprisingly more at ease, showcasing a hysterically self-deprecating sense of humor that often is absent in his music. In his spoken-word engagements he gets on stage and rants about everything from politics and gay culture to Marilyn Manson.
On his site, Rollins said he is a capitalist of the media and if it means he will be heard, then he will give anything a try.
“I’m open to whatever offer comes in,” Rollins told Billboard. “Some acting? Yes, I’ll try that. Voiceovers? Sure. Talking tour? Great. Band stuff? Great. Talk show, TV? Can do, am interested. It’s not really like an investment thing as much as I think it is the job of an artist, especially these days with all of the media that are in existence. I think there is really something to be said about keeping yourself artistically a little off balance.”
In October, Rollins released “Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three,” a compilation album of various artists covering Black Flag songs to raise money and awareness for the men.
Rollins said he found out about the case by watching the “Paradise Lost” documentaries on HBO and was shocked at the gross irregularities that were apparent in the trial.
In 1994 Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin were found guilty of the murder of three eight-year-old boys without any physical evidence. The evidence presented was that the attackers liked Metallica, wore dark clothes and wrote gothic poetry.
“What could I do to help? I could send a check to aid in the boy’s defense,” Rollins said on his Web site. “That’s nice, but it’s pretty quiet and I thought what this situation needed was volume and motion. I tried to think of things to do, and it always came back to a benefit record.”
Rollins plans to tour up till summer, and then he will take the Henry Rollins Band on the road for a few weeks before resuming his spoken-word tour of ranting and ramblings in the fall, according to a Rollins publicist.
The summer trek will coincide with the release of the anticipated blockbuster movie “Bad Boys 2,” in which he has a supporting role.
There are still tickets available for the reduced capacity sit-down show according to Varsity Theatre talent buyer Chris Lundgren.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at www.varsitytheatre.com or at the venue’s ticket office.
Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8:30 p.m.