Henry Rollins on the “one ray of light” that came out of the darkness of the 1980s
Ex-Black Flag frontman and punk icon Henry Rollins has spent decades immersed in the world of DIY and independent music. As such, the singer has developed some pretty eclectic and obscure listening habits. So much so that, now he has retired from music, Rollins can still be found on stages espousing the joys of groups like The Cramps, The Clash, and even jazz stars like John Coltrane. Rollins has always been keen to disparage the mindless mainstream and champion the underground, going all the way back to his heyday.
In 1981, Rollins joined the ranks of the legendary punk outfit Black Flag after years spent as a cornerstone of Washington D.C.’s incredible hardcore punk scene. The punk revolution was in full swing at the start of the 1980s, but by the time the decade came to a close, the music scene of America was plagued by soulless pop and profit-driven bubblegum rock. All of it was totally at odds with the manifesto of Black Flag and, by extension, Henry Rollins.
Appearing on stage during this time, Rollins was keen to denounce the apparent complacency of the music scene at the time. “You go home, and you put on your Edie Brickell record, and you go home, and you put on Rattle and Hum [by U2],” he once said, “Say you’re a guy, you’re there with your dick in your hand, and you’re trying to get off, and you realise that these bands just don’t get you off.”
Continuing in his – ahem – colourful description of the period’s music scene, he argued, “It’s like their whole life these bands were encased in condoms, they were born in condoms – safe songs about safe sexism,” adding, “They can ride their motorcycles better than they can play their guitars.” For Rollins, there was only one band at the time, which properly combatted these growing trends within the industry. “Out of nowhere, out of a total musical vacuum, out of total darkness comes one ray of light, and it’s fucking Ween.”
Hailing from Pennsylvania, Ween were something of an anomaly within American music during the 1980s and beyond. Characterised by their eclectic mix of funk, punk, R&B and soul, among many other genres, Ween were a ruthlessly original outfit. However, the band were repeatedly ignored by the musical mainstream, failing to achieve any real commercial success. Nevertheless, the band grew an incredibly dedicated cult following, of which Henry Rollins was firmly a part of.
“Now I know there are probably a few of you who don’t like Ween,” the singer sneered at the audience, “There will always be detractors. There will always be somebody to deny true genius.” While the punk might be at risk of exaggerating a bit there, the sentiment is hard to deny. Continuing in his loving endorsement of Ween, Rollins took the opportunity to take aim at British alt-rocker The Wonder Stuff, saying, “When that shit becomes your only musical alternative, you will get down on your filthy knees and crawl to the altar that is Ween.”
Rollins made these comments fairly early on into the career of Ween, when the band were largely concerned with self-released cassettes and DIY music making methods. In the years that followed, however, the band would go on to perfect their uniquely eccentric sound, growing quite an audience in the process. Since reforming in 2015, the Pennsylvania band have now brought the sound that Rollins holds so dear to an entirely new audience.
