Friday, April 2, 2010

Rollins - spokeN worD

april 1, 2010

Memories of good days and killer music came around me like a blanket last night. I sat inside the Kent Stage Theater listening to Henry Rollins rampage through the years at his Spoken Word venue. The evening started with a nice sit down meal at Ray’s Place with sweet and dear friends. Taking a walk from the bar to the theater in 74 degree weather during the first week of April in Northeast Ohio sits pretty well with me.

A sea of tattooed freaks of every age flowed intently into the theater and we all found our places and evidently the place found us. Henry came out pronto at 8pm in fifth gear. Impressive for a punk rock icon and 49 year old man who kept confessing his need for his audience to need him.

It was wild for me thinking that I saw this guy at the first Lollapalooza ever and had seen the Henry Rollins Band twice outside of that 20 some years ago. I’ll tell you that his shows as a front man were incredibly intense. You didn’t just hear Mr. Rollins, you felt him. Those were some good days and obviously great experiences.

Back to the Spoken Word venue. He touched on areas that I pretty much expected him too. But something in particular stuck out to me when he talked. He spent a lot of time dispelling things that create hate. He tackled issues that cause division. But he spoke of teenagers and how important it is for us that go before them to believe in them. To give them hope. To give them opportunity.

Henry had brought up stories of high school kids taking their lives(suicide) simply because they did not fit in. We’ve all heard the stories or perhaps have found ourselves in those stories. I know for myself that high school was the worst 4 years of my life. That’s another story filled with subtle non-violent forms of revenge that has much to do with Rock and Roll.

I was impressed to hear Henry talk about the importance of looking out for teen agers. I’d like to be able to take that seriously myself. I’d like to be able to be an inspiration to young folks in whatever ways become the tools to do just that.

It’s true that these kids are our future and I certainly am not going to sit by and tell them they’re screwed because after high school they are heading into a world full of economic hardships and evil people and give them no sense of hope. They and we are the agents of change. Hardships will always exist for they are mere elements in the mortar that builds walls of serenity and confidence.

I’m a dreamer. I’m a visionary and hands on kind of guy which is where my connect happens with that Rollins guy. Henry’s words and demeanor were prophetic to me last evening in a way that encouraged me and made me reconsider how I handle certain aspects of my life. You can’t go wrong with stopping and questioning yourself and why you do what you do every once in a while.

Good things.