Henry Rollins provokes Indy

Henry Rollins
Murat
March 6

Like a modern day Confucius, Henry Rollins graced the Murat last Thursday with his own unique brand of wit and wisdom. Throughout his three-hour one-man show, Rollins, part comedian, part sage, suggested that, while your mind may be trapped by fear and ignorance, a little provocation may set you free.

In his opening rant, Rollins took potshots at conservative pundits, and slammed John McCain’s criticism of Michelle Obama, questioning what it means to be “proud to be an American.” “When you’re going to say something like that, I hope you bring something that is not xenophobic and dragging its knuckles, having gills flapping out of the side and a primordial tail twitching against its overalls to that intellectual table,” Rollins said.

He sarcastically littered his speech and attacks on Conservatives with Bush-isms, like “internets” and “my Googles.”

Rollins joked about his responsibility as “Uncle Henry” to teach kids to “stick it to the man,” being a workaholic who prefers living in his “Bon Jovi-mobile” tour bus and his habit of blindly signing on for movie roles (“What if I sign on for goat porn?”).

Rollins went on to ask Americans to imagine what they would do were Belgium to invade the United States.

“With such violence would America resist any invasion and occupation by any fucking country from anywhere in the world. Americans would mobilize,” Rollins said. “We would reject the Belgians with bazookas, bullets, guns and Ted Nugent whack-master arrows. Why would it be any different in Iraq?”

Rollins also touched on subjects like poverty, and AIDS in Africa, meeting Iggy Pop and fronting his favorite group The Ruts to benefit the late Paul Fox. He closed by urging people to go out and vote in the upcoming presidential election.

“Democracy is not this thing made in stone,” Rollins said. “It’s not this immovable object. It’s a fragile flame in a high wind, and what keeps it going? Americans who protect it vigilantly. If you are truly proud to be an American, no doubt you’ll be there voting in November along with me.”