Cochlear Implant

Here's the interview (e-mail) that I had with Mr. Henry Rollins, or as I like to call him, Henry 'To the Point' Rollins.

What inspires the strongest feelings for you now? Politics, Music, Art, Literature?
====== Politics. It is a life and death proposition at this point.

How do you look at the 25 yr. old version of yourself? What would you tell yourself?
====== I was very defensive and selfish. I was reactive to what was coming at me, a lot of hostility was aimed at me in that year, so I reacted. What would I tell myself? I should have hit the fuckers harder and faster.

All of your stories are so engaging, are your stories as amazing as they seem, or is the craft in the story telling? Follow up: Most people can (potentially) capture another mind for mere minutes with their stories - how do you do it for hours and keep it so engrossing? Do you see the art of spoken word, much like the art of literature? All good books have one thing in common - they are truer than if they had really happened. - Hemingway
========= You need good source material, and then you can do what Hem said. The most important thing is good material, then it's all fun.

Everyone seems to cycle through a variety of emotions/images during one of your live shows - I would certainly admit that I've felt the spectrum of feelings - but what makes the show great for you as an artist? How do you differentiate between audiences? Is there indications that you're in Australia vs. Canada, for instance? What makes Canada so appealing to you as an Artist?
======= I am not an artist. What makes a show great for me is if I hit all the marks, made sense, delivered with a minimum of error. Shows are different in different countries sometimes when there's something that truly interests me about something there. I would never throw something in to the show just so an audience knows I know where I am. That would be a lie and you can't fool an audience. I like Canada, I like Canadians, at least the ones at my shows. They are a very very cool and switched on bunch. I consider myself very lucky.

Do you find your performances as inspirational or motivating like so many would say?
======== I am not in the audience, I am not reacting to the show.

What would you likely be doing if you weren't doing the spoken word shows/writing/singing/producing/acting/etc-ing?
======== Probably working a regular job. That's what I come from.

Is there a bit of a feeling of speaking from a platform (call it soap box if you like) during the career of a spoken word artist/lecturer/professor/comedian, even?
====== I don't know. I get out on a stage and talk to people. If you are talking about preaching to the perverted, sure, there's always a degree of that. The only way to break that is to crash a tea party and speak there. No thank you.

What would change in your show if you didn't attract thousands of attendees, but only 10's?
===== Nothing. I am only speaking to you and you're only listening to me.