Joe Rogan Experience #906 — Henry Rollins Transcript

Transcript

0:00 Shit, I'm really looking forward to it. Keep your eye on the door. He is very funny. Yeah, that's it. part of Scotland is full of people for 30 days. I'm trying, yeah. You're really doing it. Ma'am, I'm going to ask you one more time. we go like an hour out of town to some like spy bar where there's like nobody and you walk in Where were the places where you were almost killed in America?

4:00 I went, no, I'm just a traveler. Mongolia Bhutan Tibet Vietnam back to LA I'll just go do that I want to get back to this but But that was a big turning point in my life. because it taps into everything you've ever done easily the hairiest place I've ever been day to day. Really? Baghdad was intense. I was in Iraq I'd spend the whole day at the Smithsonian.

7:15 England and different countries. And so I kind of wanted more of that. And when you grow up with I haven't been for a few years. of the Sphinx and people are trying to you know sell you stuff I would go without hesitation you Yeah, not good. That's interesting. that you have, this like crazy touring thing where you just pick out a spot and go, how long

10:41 They put so many vaccines into you. And so you go to the travel doctor and you show them what countries you're going to. They go, well, and they just Madagascar I did not know I better go and it was one of the better trips I ever did. I was at when to expect you. So I booked it i i booked it around my trip to africa learn about life and death and oh you can learn that anywhere but you see big stuff you see people

13:37 that? Or like life insurance, like what the hell are you talking about? And you start meeting people books and seeing some documentaries but there's nothing like getting out into what Mark Twain called the territory, a phrase I stole from David Lee Roth when he said it to me. I know. He called me one Sunday a while ago. Rockstar just gets this normal apartment with his dog and just starts taking kendo lessons. I think Dave has always had a greater appreciation of, you know, that kind of discipline.

16:34 It's almost like look not a lot of people get a chance to do this. Yep. I'm gonna do it like he's had a pretty good ride, I reckon. And so in my own way, you know, I come from minimum be putting out anything new. And for me, the day I stopped doing music was I woke up one day I said, hey, I'm done with music. And he saw 15% of that go poof. so i'd much rather just try new things but thankfully by that time i was already doing

19:15 Aging rock stars that have that sort of existence where they have to go out and do the head He still, apparently, works out twice a day. Elton John. I don't. Were enjoying putting your creative energy and you just decided I just I know it was summer 1984 And between tours, the guys in that band, they're all waiters. I'm going to become much better.

21:50 Like he said, I think you might really like it and you could probably do it. And then ironically, music ended up being very, very good in all of that for me. while ago like less obligation just so you clear the deck so you can really do I don't ever sleep in. I just, you know, I get up, I'm like, ah, damn, man. But if you keep your diet really together and you keep your workouts up, I have found that you want to like not get tired during the day,

24:24 Yeah. been caned by a pro in singapore i was so tired man so i slept dreamlessly last night that's like People put that in gyms all over the world. just finished a bunch of shows I did 27 on one day off 27 on two and a half And so for me, the workouts, since I was about 15, When Beavis and Butthead made fun of one of your songs, do you remember that?

27:04 are those like the sterno mastoid muscle whatever that big one is on the top of your head. Their muscle groups just blow up. And those, what are those? And that's when the Beavis and Butters were like, When did you stop doing the powerlifting? And so at one point my back and shoulders started hurting and like a different kind of pain, like, you know, that you shouldn't be doing this anymore.

28:52 I don't know. I don't need to lift everything in the gym. I'm 56 they're grueling classes, like an hour and a half in a hot yoga room. It also does something to your You'll crawl. If you lift weights too hard, you know that feeling where you're like, oh, you can't move your body. Yeah, I've never been in any class like that. But I'm a big fan of it man

31:39 I've been really into it. go kickbox. I want to go to jujitsu. I want to lift weights. I want to go to yoga. That's cool. And it's all in your head and the choices you make. And I've seen both ends of that spectrum The most gratifying thing in my life Like, I was in Thailand making a documentary years ago. the way to where i was standing in front of it with the tag on the thing says mic methyl isocyanate

35:01 It's a place I've always wanted to go to. I do like two years of journal at a time and the middle sections photographs About a week. of me so they put two tour spies on me the nice one who talked to me and the mean one who just I said, well, you know, often they're not that good. The Brits recognize me and they all want photos. But then there's this one British guy who just kept getting in my face with the camera because you're all getting taken to the same places.

38:30 And I was getting, I was really nervous. and they're not going to let you in. But how the fuck did they let the basketball player? I know who you are. I'm not your tour guide he's a government guy don't tell him what you do for a living we'll never get you out of here so the last day is airport like four hours early because he said you just you got to go whoa and so i just sat there in

40:47 Yeah. so i i i try and i tried to go to all of those places and and i i'm fine i came back in one piece And they're losing their forest because of timber and oil, the big money. there's like a transmission in the sand from some vehicle and you see what unregulated slaughter and the Adelie penguins. I went, oh, I'm there. Yeah, well, you go down. Wow. Yeah. And then days look off and like, well, those are penguins. And there you are. But it takes days to get there. Wow.

45:05 it i you know knowing i was going to be meeting you and i must say uh you know this you have a And I used to, about sports, And, And then, some guy who just got finished knocking the crap out of some other guy. Yeah, me too. You know, you know, you don't have it. It's kind of scary like oh, no I'm not gonna have a straight life. Oh, no. What am I gonna?

47:59 of went into the working world going, this is, this is going to be rough. I mean, this is going in martial arts tournaments. And I think that from that, I realized that like these unconventional paths, they brought me And it never seems to be what I want to do. And then you look at them in that job and you're like you're the crazy one amongst us because I couldn't handle

50:19 When you travel and they say occupation, what do you write? Right, right. You know, and also I think there's a bravery that one takes when one embraces the straight world that I simply don't have. mom and my dad i don't know them that well but they were very hard-working people and i'm not He's the real thing. dance that when you discuss these things like you don't want to disparage anybody that it genuinely

53:13 don't shy away from it I go into situations that are hyper real but that But if you were like, if you had a friend that was doing that, but you know that friend Should I quit college and take my band on the road? I just ran but surely you must have had heroes that did it also before you. So you felt like there was a path. No, not definitely not like you did it, but a lot of rock stars,

55:29 classes you're like man if you're all you're gonna do is ever take classes you're never gonna It is what it is. It's independent music and you just crawl through these tours I never thought there was any wiggle room or any cushion or much alternative. I'll stay in this band because I got nowhere else to go but be in this incredibly hard-to-be-in band.

57:30 worldwide traveler slash performance artist where you're doing these spoken word things that are Yeah, more anecdotal. him. And one night the promoter said, you got a big mouth. Let's get you up there next week. Big applause. You're a natural. read things and anecdote between pages and then one day i just started stopped bringing the things nights of comedy and i'm like doing an hour on one of those nights i did a comedy club on this last

1:01:01 the time is funny and i comedy i don't try and I don't write material we're all, Like he's serving You know it's it's this but it's also in this country where you can go to the park. And while we're here, let's cut the crap and be really cool to each other we're all somewhat responsible for. And to take that away when everything becomes me, mine, I drew the line, you step over it, I kill you, all that stuff.

1:04:51 Anyone can go and camp. Donald Trump wakes up every day going, how can I screw a bunch of people? I really don't think And to start privatizing America, chopping up the parks and all that. And I'd read the book and take it back, all those Alfred Hitch you know stories for kids or whatever I read all that stuff and the library was a big deal for me because I felt like an adult I have my card I can walk into this massive

1:07:08 And there's an inherent decency amongst New Yorkers because you are so smashed together. Out of us all the time. Yeah, well, I mean Trump is just such a polarizing figure I think a lot of that is gonna unite folks and it's gonna make people understand what is important like that gigantic markets yeah i mean uh and i think other presidents have rocked that responsibility

1:09:30 That job is the greatest aging job. You've ever seen it destroys people And what why are we so angry again? and I went that's wow, and why does he the rock star is just my experience the bigger the rock star the more humble and cool they are He's like, did people understand you when you were on stage? He might have a stinking night while the cameras are on.

1:12:24 and I'm going to get on Twitter and answer, no, yeah, and I'm the president. Yeah, nothing the point I'm making is until five in the morning now I got to go to all those meetings. Oh, damn, this is a He just got skinnier somehow. They just get so tired. It's a good it should have zacked. They get bad news and they make gut wrenching decisions where they go like, yep, go.

1:14:36 And I just don't ever think I got it. he's paid for it now yeah but um the last few presidents it's damn stressful You went on vacation. I'm not that guy who wants— going to play out. But I guess everybody does. Yeah. But, you know, to me, when someone says, And you got free labor. things were great until 1865 You get an expansion of the Klan. I think he was talking about 1861 and the years before when I paid you what I wanted to.

1:18:51 Not in a mean way, Well, you know, of the population of America. you see very bizarre cultures where people are rigid in their ability to move around It's here. is what humans can still survive when someone go like there's poverty in america sure there is hooked back up with this this uh guy mahmoud and we took the the niger river on a boat the guy

1:22:39 But we shouldn't ever have to go near that because we're smarter than that. And I think to forget that aspect of us since at least the Bush administration with the polarization in this country has been so extreme, I think we have started to forget that we can be there for each other. Why are you people doing here? This part of Africa wants you dead. Why are you here?

1:24:08 sort of bizarre communication that we experience today. Yeah. Do you remember It's very strange. you can read. It kind of, you know, Where's depressing? The scrutiny of like, you know thousands if not millions of people come down those folks and how they And so I come, and I'm sure you can identify with this. I would have loved to have debated the 14th Amendment with Antonin Scalia, who said it didn't have any of the traction that I think it does.

1:26:59 and of the state wherein they reside etc etc and it et cetera. And it's a beautiful thing. because I take responsibility for what i say I'd love to meet Ann Coulter and just, you know, spend an evening with her and just figure out, you know, how- And I said, what's she like? She said the self-loathing is like just off the charts. stays up at night with all of that.

1:29:04 I think she's a little bit of this act i think she's a little That's why you can buy them for $5. She wrote a Bush autobiography? No, I read George W. Bush's autobiography. I got that at Costco. She wrote a Bush autobiography? But I read Sarah Palin's last book, America by Heart. Like there's that fellow, that internet terrorist guy, the guy with the long polysyllabic Greek last name.

1:31:06 She's fat. I enjoy talking to him. But I was just interested to see I mean I I read a big part of Dick Cheney's autobiography but as far as like seeing, you know, And when I see these Trump rallies, these people really do hate Hillary Clinton. Designate some bit of the day to try and figure this out. Otherwise, how do you get up the road if you don't know?

1:34:12 doing for 36 years i i meet more americans than any president i hear the stories like you hear And no one likes me. Yeah. what caused them to reach this conclusion. Who says solar panels are gay? Whenever you tweet something about global climate change, There never has been one. towards the end. headline uh and he'll green light that pipeline i think obama um had some fun on the way out

1:37:53 I'd like to meet Jimmy Carter. How do you fix that? This is punk rock time. Like you don't even hear it fall. world. What a daunting task, but it happens when enough people change their street. And so I, now means more it's a it it's a more um uh fruitful currency it just means more. It's a more fruitful currency. I never thought about that. Let's go. and all of a sudden your life has some definition like i like adversarial

1:41:35 Don't eat the pizza, eat that, because you've got a show tonight. long form? No, but you know, I've already written, you know i've already written yes i've already written So if I'm going to quote the Constitution or quote a president or years that the Supreme Court did whatever, I just have to put it. so it's like all i have in my life is a show i don't care about anything else my whole life is

1:43:50 my love of the audience, and I walk out there and And so when I go on stage, one thing tends to go into the next. I'm really sorry. Well, it's one to leave them wanting more. 25 show tour if you go out for 25 i can connect it to something else like almost any country that falls down i've probably been i was just on his show rupaul drives where he puts a microphone on you and a gopro camera and he drives you around la doing errands and he interviews you and he chops

1:47:56 Henry's finally found someone. laugh hysterically because they think we're an item and we eventually had lunch in west la and as a new couple we don't want external factors to determine what this thing is going to be so for months at a time like it does fiscal quarters go by and you don't have an opening act you just He's so hilarious. was there last year in 2016 like for a month of shows no opener i thought it was going to be my

1:50:52 Do you get lonely on the road like that? i i'm henry rollins and i still keep eating bugs i know i don't get lonely at all wow i just don't I miss dead people because you can't talk to them anymore. feel like i i would like to leave i don't want to run out of this building now but if someone said Some dude from the Czech Republic right now is banging on his keyboard.

1:53:03 Well, everyone's different. I like going away and coming back. Huh. Wow. instead of deflecting it or catching it And so this year, I don't have any, I got like a few talking shows. my bags and find some jungle and some desert and go dig it. Now, when you're writing something about cannabis and you don't use it, I mean, you obviously had a long history with drugs before you got clean.

1:55:20 It was after band practice. I tried LSD a handful of times interesting Interesting, but easy to lose your mind. acid and like that's probably where i got it from then oh yeah other stories well there's just like It just made me stupid the time I smoked marijuana. I just sat there waiting for it to be over I said, okay. But I just didn't see anything to pursue.

1:57:43 But this, I would drink like, that's a small cup of and I think it's like just a drip IV of caffeine and sit and write for hours What fuels you to be so prolific? You're I I do a series of music books called fanatic where I, you know, rare records and labels like music geek stuff. So I did those shows. outgross you and your whole damn family combined and i combined and i don't even care about i just like achieving

2:01:06 I was in bands with I have to crush them everyone I grew up with I have to powderize them that's Like if I, you know, I'm not an actor, but I go up for acting parts. I just need to it just needs to be trying to tell me I can't. lighter with an internal parasite. I want to come back with like a scar where the spear kind of And the intensity. Check it out, bitch.

2:03:38 I just want to explode as much as possible. Documentation on on Ritalin. This is not a joke. Oh, there's these big books. My mom had them there's photos of me And within a day of that stuff kicking itself out of your system, man, where like the line of milk on the outer edge of the tray, Just kind of wildly swinging away. you out. They kicked you out of school. Yeah. And, uh, I got kicked out of a few schools until

2:06:39 And so I didn't want to get a thrashing by a teacher, head but i'm always very confused at these medical distinctions whether it's adhd or hyperactive or for life. Well, you look back at your own life the fact that you were on that shit for I mean what how many a lot of years And all of a sudden you're like eating two meals. know i would have been put on something if i had the wrong parents yeah they they put me on my my

2:09:38 And I'll never forget one day I'm looking at that mirror and a door opened from the Yeah early to when you stopped taking the pills. I talked about Mr. Pepperman. By three months of that weight set, I'm fairly throwing it across the room because, you know, you're growing so fast. and I, it was self validating. Like, wow, I'm here. I did that. I'm looking at myself going,

2:12:16 to the girls. And then when I had the weights, Plus effort equals results. I just, you know, I was not good at sitting still. suburbs and repair skateboards and whatever on Sundays. So I always had pocket money because I man, that's me. I'm, I'm there. I memorized the whole damn script. I'm so happy to have a job. every movie I've been in every album I've ever made and when you look at it it's intense it's like you keep a list of every show you've

2:15:28 I just kind of go, I'm only interested in what I'm doing and what I'm doing next. Here. It's right there. See?. How do you know that? Here. Yeah. this feeling when i'm talking to you like i want to go do something for real i want to get out of It keeps me going. You're burning so hot. I mean your bad days are probably like an average ambitious person's, you know quality time

2:18:15 I say yes to every damn thing. So I wake up, I go right to the gym. And the phone is ringing because I work in different media all the time. So I, well, They just give you two of them, man, because they just like the fact that you came by. world says wow about but they also at the same time know that they're not going to take the same come back with photographs and a story, take it on stage,

2:21:26 I got 20 of these. You know, but by and large- Do you fly economy? Oh, no, no, no. But usually I fly economy, yeah. it came with a lot of sweat and a lot of pain, How many records do you think you have? Sophia threes yeah what is that they're like he's an audio engineer you just and I had to write that down. Oh, wow, those are badass. Oh, no, no, no, no a few a few models up my friend. I've got those two

2:24:27 Holy shit, dude. Yeah, mine are silver. Yeah, I guess. that music it took about four hours or so to get through all that music. And, Perrier water. a band called sleep is opening for the melvins and they're Like, oh, come on, man. that people lose somewhere along the line sometimes some of them do and it's really sad so on weekends do you have like an like a relaxed schedule on saturday and sunday do you allow

2:28:04 And then during the week it's sashimi and clap pushups. Weird is as weird does, I guess. You're an idiot. watching me write for four hours. And so that's not the way to be. You can't do that. And so I Well, it's every day here we are together and I'm just not wired that way. you know i'm just not i i'm just i'm sorry uh just you should stop right she's imagining holding

2:31:28 And we grew up together doing music and everything. I thought you liked me why are you calling and so um i i thought you liked me why are you calling yeah if you liked me you didn't call man what's going on I don't don't call but you do appreciate If I, if I could just say, thank you. Sure. that connection to someone that you meet in real life in america i meet them and i'm polite is this that some people want to like hang out and

2:34:39 Wow. And I go there every once in a while to visit. Okay. And I've been like that since I can remember. And, you know, it just never ends, like editing revisions. tour like that for years i just out every year and people are like henry we love you man but you got Uh-huh. That was four years. But you want to. I stand there like one one thousand two one thousand three one thousand. Okay. I'm out of here. Wow

2:38:36 I really really appreciate it thank you