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Henry Rollins: Spoken Word Performance

1.6.2007 Helsinki, Savoy-Theater

Friday evening in the Savoy theatre sounds like a classy evening, not so when Henry Rollins treats us with one of his spoken word performances. The theatre itself is not as posh as the name suggests, but the numbered seats still lead to some confusion with the otherwise rather concert/club atmosphere accustomed, and also outfit-wise you somehow get the impression that you´re rather at a Converse All Star Convention. Nevertheless, when Mr. Rollins enters the stage, everyone found their seat and greet the American loudly. He kicks the evening off immediately and switches to attack mode which can also be seen in his body posture – one leg forward he attacks everything as if he would still be the fronter of the legendary punk band Black Flag. His eyes are focused on some distant spot and so the direct contact to the crowd gets a bit lost. Astoundingly, Henry Rollins manages it to talk non-stop for 2,5 hours without taking a sip from his water bottle. Respect!!

Topic-wise he talks about a lot of stuff, also Finland is included, from sex education via the real “King of rock´n´roll” Iggy Pop to his experiences on his many travels that lead him to a lot of countries like Iran, Iraq and Israel. It´s really interesting to hear his point of view because you get a whole new picture of those countries which are portrayed in the daily news in a quite different way. Of course, how could it be any different, George W. Bush and his whole administration is the main focus of Mr. Rollins´ tirade. Sure, everyone knows what a joke this guy is, but it´s great to hear it once again with the words of Henry Rollins. Altogether an awesome, interesting, insightful, funny evening with a man who, thank God, doesn´t mince matters.

Kathleen Gransalke

Editor for Reviews - translations, reports, photos - - - Favorite genres? - Punk, Rock, Death Metal, Mathcore - - - Favorite bands? - Coheed & Cambria, Black Dahlia Murder, Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon