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Posted by pamsterdam on 2005-05-13 21:30:42 +0000

I still like Rollins in the same way I still like Morrissey. And I'm not ashamed of liking either. When I was 18, with my first radio show, I decided to play a track from a CD on which a boy who I thought was super hot has scrawled a positive review. I had expected 4 minutes of hardcore punk, during which I could fantasize about the aforementioned super hot boy rubbing his stubbly face all over me. Instead, I got one terrifying second of dead air, followed by: [i]I know you You were too short You had bad skin You couldn’t talk to them very well Words didn’t seem to work They lied when they came out of your mouth You tried so hard to understand the others You wanted to be part of what was happening You saw them having fun Seemed like such a mystery Almost magic You thought that there was something wrong with you You would look in the mirror trying to find the flaw You thought that you were ugly And that everybody was looking at you So you learned to be invisible To look down To avoid conversation The hours, days, weekends The weekend nights Alone Where were you, The basement, the attic, your room? Working some job? Just to have something to do? Just to have a place to put yourself? Just to have a way to get away from them Staying away from the ones That made you feel so strange And ill at ease inside yourself Did you ever get invited to one of their parties You sat & wondered if you would go or not For hours you imagined what might transpire If they would laugh at you If you would know what to do If you would have the right things on If they would notice that you came from a different planet Did you get all brave in your thoughts Like you were going to be able to go in there Deal with it & have a great time? Did you think that you might be the “life of the party?” That all these people were going to talk to you And you would find out that you were wrong And that you had a lot of friends And you weren’t so strange after all? Did you end up going? Did they mess with you? Did they single you out? Did you find out that you got invited Because they thought you were so weird? I think I know you You spent a lot of time full of hate A hate that was as pure as sunshine A hate that saw for miles A hate that kept you up at night A hate the filled your every waking moment A hate that carried you for a long time Yes, I think I know you You couldn’t figure out what they saw in the way they lived Home was not home Your room was home A corner was home Anywhere they weren’t That was home I know you You’re sensitive You hide it You fear getting stepped on one more time It seems that when you show a part of yourself That is the least bit vulnerable Someone takes advantage of you One of them steps on you They mistake kindness for weakness But you know the difference You’ve been the brunt of their weakness for years Strength is something you know a bit about You had to be strong to keep yourself alive You know yourself very well now You don’t trust people You know them too well You try to find a special person Someone you can be with Someone you can touch Someone you can talk to Someone you won’t feel so strange around You found that they don’t really exist You feel closer to people on movie screens Yea, I think I know you You spend a lot of time daydreaming People have made comment to that effect Telling you that you’re self involved & self centered But they don’t know, do they About the long night shifts alone About the years of keeping yourself company All the nights you wrapped your arms around yourself So you could imagine someone holding you The hours of indecision Self doubt The intense depression The blinding hate The rage that made you stagger The devastation of rejection Well, maybe they do know But if they do They sure do a good job of hiding it It astounds you how they can be so smooth How they seem to pass thru life As if life itself was some divine gift It infuriates you to watch yourself With your apparent skill in finding every way possible To screw it up For you life is a long trip Terrifying & wonderful Birds sing to you at night The rain & the sun The changing seasons are true friends Solitude is a hard won ally Faithful & patient Yes I think I know you[/i] And that's why I still like him. If you want to know why I still like Morrissey, I'll post the lyrics to "Unloveable" by the Smiths. So. There. It's a bit like what Morrissey sang in "Rubber Ring": [i]But don't forget the songs That made you cry And the songs that saved your life Yes, you're older now And you're a clever swine But they were the only ones who ever stood by you[/i] x

Posted by frame609 on 2005-05-14 03:15:01 +0000

That was a nice response, Pammo. I heard 'I Know You' on WUNH as my folks drove me to my first day of college. I'm interested to know which recent Rollins stuff Glib is basing her argument on. What have you heard/read lately?

Posted by rladew on 2005-05-14 07:04:52 +0000

Im sure as a big fan, all the following is biased, but you asked, so here goes: Once you have read one rollins 'book', with the exception of 'Get on the Bus' which is pretty essential for the dirt from the Black Flag days (or collection of journals) you have the idea. Its the same as not needing to own more than one cd of the MAke Up or Man Or Astroman. However, I have always enjoyed Hank as a storyteller. He also contributes pretty cool liner notes to projects like the 20 year Dischord box set, Janes Addiction cds, and weighs in about punk rock in cool documentaries such as Dogtown and Z - Boys. I respect how he started a publishing company and how he revitalized many free jazz musicians careers through the 21361 label. (Matthew Shipp, Charles Gayle, although by now I think most of these releases are oop or in cut out bins in some dank mall - sam goody / fye/ recordtown come to mind) I Love how he does stupid commercials for the Gap and interviews with eMpTyV and VH1 and uses all that PR $$$ and funnels it back into recording / publishing projects that are important to him but not necessarily commercially viable (Nick Cave, Joe Cole etc....)Check out IMDB to look at the staggering resume of a lot of 'disposable' appearances I also like Hank's work to help the West Memphis 3, and I also respect Rollins's dedication , in the last 2 or three years, to visit troops (a kind of punk rock Bob Hope if you will) in war torn areas abroad including but not limited to Iraq. Is it possible for one to like literature and also have a 'book' of Rollins? I sure hope so... _______________________________

Posted by Rory_Stark on 2005-05-16 13:57:14 +0000

I love Black Flag. Rollins' stand up is pretty good to. Can't really listen to the Rollins band without some serious detachment though, but back in the day...yo that guy saved my life. Or someone's...probably my friend Pete's. Anyway Rollins seems to have a specific knowledge about touring, the early hardcore/punk scene, and Black Flag that I find pretty intresting. Like, ya know, he knows what he's talking about. It's obvious he isn't speaking in an ignorant fashion because that would make him full of shit. Know what I'm sayin' ....;; Winks like a nod to a blind bat.

Posted by lrf on 2005-05-16 23:55:46 +0000

rollins is awesome