Henry Rollins - Broken Summers

Just got finished reading Rollins' book, "Broken Summers," that came out last year. Really fuggen intense and awesome.

It's one of his best works by far because after 20 years of poetry, journals and internal psychic warfare, Rollins lays down all pretenses and speaks in a natural and direct voice.

Now in his early 40s, Rollins seems to have found a comfortable place for himself as a writer. While he occasionally goes off on tirades, his arguments against Amerikan culture and excess and the idiocy of the state of the world are right on the money and well presented.

The book begins at the end of a spoken word tour in 2002 and segues into some downtime where Rollins recalls his days in DC, offers perspectives on the music industry and gives readers a rare glimpse into his personal life, or lack thereof.

From there we quickly follow Rollins as he brainstorms, then executes a tribute album to raise money for DNA testing for the West Memphis 3. Whether one is pro-, con- or ignorant of the WM3 and their case, is irrelevant. The story of the making of "Rise Above: 24 Black Flag songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three" is a compelling read no matter where you land on the spectrum of how innocent or guilty the people involved are.

It's Rollins raison d'etre and fierce D.I.Y. spirit that fuels the project which evolved into an album featuring the Rollins Bands with various singers performing the music of Black Flag.

The remainder of the book chronicles the subsequent tour behind the album and is a nostalgic look back on the impact of Black Flag's music interspersed with Rollins' encounters with friends and idiot drunken fans on the road.

It closes out with Rollins back at home, discussing the disastrous Black Flag reunions shows and pondering the future while waiting for his next tour to begin.

Free the West Memphis Three
Henry Rollins official site