(01-02-2003) Henry Rollins Questions Bono's Motives in Interview - Metroactive

[HelloAngel]

http://www.metroactive.com/

Recently, Black Flag singer and spoken word enthusiast Henry Rollins was interviewed by Metroactive Music, and asked about his frequent and favorite target, Bono. Below is an excerpt from the interview.


Pressed for Time
By Michael Alan Goldberg


Do you ever suspect the motives of people like Bono, who always seem to have a camera crew around when they're doing charity or benefit work?

I think if the guy is doing something, it's better than nothing, but I just wonder if he's following through. Like he's "Mr. Africa Third World Debt Guy," which is a huge issue. You're talking about the continent of Africa--a huge piece of real estate with imminent fucking danger to human life. Now, I hate this guy's music, but I like the idea of absolving Third World debt, because otherwise these people are gonna die. So if he's using all that rock-star power, well, fucking right on. But now he's "Mr. AIDS Guy"--well, wait a minute. How did you go from Third World debt to AIDS? It starts to sound like he leaves a lot undone. So when I see Bono doing this, I think, Gee, is this a crusade or really good promo for U2's new greatest-hits album? How can you go on tour and be "Cause Guy" to the level that he's purported to be? Seems to me you'd have to quit the band to do that. I dunno. I have to think his heart's in the right place. I think he's a boring singer, but I don't think he's a bad man.

 

[deep]

He is kind of talking out of both sides of his mouth.

Not everybody has to like U2 or Bono.

I think U2 has got a few more grammys than Rollins or Blackflag.

Sounds a little like sour grapes to me.


At least Rollins is more fair than Limbaugh.

 

[diamond]

True Story.
Some ppl know this already here, but when I was at a Rollins Show last year, I held a huge poster a few ft from the stage that Henry read.
It said- "Yo HENRY- FORGET ABOUT IT BONO STILL LOVES YOU!"-just to taunt him..

The Rollins fans loved it.
Henry read it and mouthed-"So what of it?"

I threw him a Peace Sign.

The rest of the fans pat me on the back
Mission completed.

DB9

 

[AdamsMango]

True Story.
Some ppl know this already here, but when I was at a Rollins Show last year, I held a huge poster a few ft from the stage that Henry read.
It said- "Yo HENRY- FORGET ABOUT IT BONO STILL LOVES YOU!"-just to taunt him..

The Rollins fans loved it.
Henry read it and mouthed-"So what of it?"

I threw him a Peace Sign.

The rest of the fans pat me on the back
Mission completed.

DB9

lol thats great. sounds like the people interviewing bono have something against him too. I dont think bono has to have a camera near him, i think people always have to have a camera on him. not really like he demands the cameras! he's a rock star, like they're not going to follow him? and like henry rollins opinions matters, no matter what you think of Bono you know he is doing something, and henry rollins hasn't done jack shit. so why do we listen to him?

 

[Sparkysgrrrl]

Ol Hank is on a TV show where ppl build cars from junk and then ram into each other, nuff said

and he was the worst of the Black Flag singers

 

[AdamsMango]

Ol Hank is on a TV show where ppl build cars from junk and then ram into each other, nuff said

!! true. He also gives his commentary on all those VH1 top 100 shows..lol Ol' Fat Neck hit the big time now

 

[daisybean]

Well at least he's acknowledging that it is an important issue. Sorta.

But now he's "Mr. AIDS Guy"--well, wait a minute. How did you go from Third World debt to AIDS? It starts to sound like he leaves a lot undone.

Last time I checked part of the reason to get rid of the debt was to help the 70% of the population infected with HIV/AIDS.

 

[*BOOMCHAA!*]

[confession]
I only know Henry Rollins because of his Bono bashing, I 've never heard his music or anything else about him.
[/confession]

It reminds me of the movie Dogma, like how Ben Whofleck is misbehaving to get God's attention because he just wants to be with her and in her love. Yeah, that's Rollins.

 

[verte76]

It's interesting that no one ever talks about this guy's music. Just his Bono-bashing. To be honest I don't give a about the guy. To me he's just a mouth.

 

[dsmith2904]

I will start this out with saying that I am a total fan of Henry Rollins, his music, his books and his spoken word performances. Somehow I manage to balance that with my love of U2 because I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I've never heard Rollins (and this is all firsthand, either in print, in person or on disc) say anything against U2 or Bono that was flat-out unfair.
I am sure that Rollins is not the first person to question Bono's motives with Africa. We live in a fairly cynical world and it is completely within Rollins' rights to ask questions. Although I don't agree with him on this topic, I understand where he's coming from.
Because Rollins has gotten this reputation, whether fully deserved or not, for "bashing" U2, he is often bashed by U2 fans in return. Please let's not go there here. Henry Rollins is an artist so unlike U2, he does make music or write books to win awards or sell out stadiums, that's not his style, it's not a consideration. Also, just because Rollins wasn't at Live Aid, didn't sing on any benefit single like "We Are the World" or "What's Going On?" that doesn't mean he doesn't have his own causes and isn't trying to improve the world in his own small way. For the past few years Rollins has been a very vocal supporter of the West Memphis Three, three teenage boys convicted, some say wrongly, of murder. He's held concerts, had auctions and recently released a Black Flag tribute CD to benefit the boys' cause. You can get more information about this at www.wm3.org.
I'd just like everyone to realize that Rollins isn't merely this guy who hates U2, although, sadly, his name gets spread pretty far on these rants of his. This infamous dislike of our boys is one miniscule facet of all he is, has done and is doing.

 

[diamond]

Henry is an interesting artist who goes outta his way to diss Bono.
I think the reason he disses Bono is for sound-bites..
Which is sad.

DB9

 

[verte76]

Henry is an interesting artist who goes outta his way to diss Bono.
I think the reason he disses Bono is for sound-bites..
Which is sad.

DB9

I agree. I mean, hell, you can't diss a person in Bono's position and expect the press not to "milk the cow", as they say. Bono is a media magnet. It rubs off on anyone who's associated with him. Hell, some people don't even know Rollins has a band in the first place.

 

[IrishThunder]

You know what I like to think I kinda know my stuff when it comes to showbiz but who the hell is Henry Rollins??????

Ok, you don;t have to like U2 but nobody can say Bono does what he does for Africa for promotion. If U2 cared that much about sales they would go on every tv show possible and all the magazines, they don;t need too.

If I was dying of aids in Africa, I'd rather have Bono trying to help me than some jerk who obviously can't see past his own nose.

 

[verte76]

You know what I like to think I kinda know my stuff when it comes to showbiz but who the hell is Henry Rollins??????

Ok, you don;t have to like U2 but nobody can say Bono does what he does for Africa for promotion. If U2 cared that much about sales they would go on every tv show possible and all the magazines, they don;t need too.

If I was dying of aids in Africa, I'd rather have Bono trying to help me than some jerk who obviously can't see past his own nose.

Oh, but some people do claim that Bono is doing this to increase U2's sales figures or some such stuff. I admit that this drives me nuts. Sorry, can't help it, the situation in Africa is way too tragic for cynicism. At least cynicism that I can stomach.

 

[mmmBono]

Actually....LOL...I think the that's the nicest and tamest things I've ever heard coming out of that blow hole.
Anyhooo...Mr. Blow Hole spends way too much energy on disliking Bono...or hold on....Bono's voice....
Who knows what Mr. Henry Blow Hole could have done with himself if he transferred all that negative energy into positive?.....just a thought...
And he is the last of all people who should be critiquing other's voices....really...in all honesty....when Mr. Blow Hole sings.....all the cats come out.
Much respect to any here who are Rollins fans....but you have to shudder every time an artist bashes another. You have to wonder if jealousy is involved.

 

[meegannie]

How did you go from Third World debt to AIDS?

I think it's being pretty tame for once, but I know varieties of lettuce that can make the connection between Third World debt and the AIDS epidemic.

 

[BostonAnne]

lol thats great. sounds like the people interviewing bono have something against him too. I dont think bono has to have a camera near him, i think people always have to have a camera on him. not really like he demands the cameras! he's a rock star, like they're not going to follow him? and like henry rollins opinions matters, no matter what you think of Bono you know he is doing something, and henry rollins hasn't done jack shit. so why do we listen to him?

I think when Bono is working on the DATA issue, he wants the camera near him to generate publicity and hopefully get more people to understand the emergency of the situation, help make phone calls to the government and have things change through our voices. It's not like he's demanding the cameras for credit, but so he can end his "part time" job quicker and have stick to his "day" job.

 

[verte76]

I don't like the way the interviewer claims that Bono wants cameras on him when he's doing his political stuff. He or she sounds pretty damn cynical. I think he wants to use his celebrity, it gives him a certain kind of advantage in promoting an unglamorous but desperate situation.

 

[BostonAnne]

I will start this out with saying that I am a total fan of Henry Rollins, his music, his books and his spoken word performances. Somehow I manage to balance that with my love of U2 because I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I've never heard Rollins (and this is all firsthand, either in print, in person or on disc) say anything against U2 or Bono that was flat-out unfair.
I am sure that Rollins is not the first person to question Bono's motives with Africa. We live in a fairly cynical world and it is completely within Rollins' rights to ask questions. Although I don't agree with him on this topic, I understand where he's coming from.
Because Rollins has gotten this reputation, whether fully deserved or not, for "bashing" U2, he is often bashed by U2 fans in return. Please let's not go there here. Henry Rollins is an artist so unlike U2, he does make music or write books to win awards or sell out stadiums, that's not his style, it's not a consideration. Also, just because Rollins wasn't at Live Aid, didn't sing on any benefit single like "We Are the World" or "What's Going On?" that doesn't mean he doesn't have his own causes and isn't trying to improve the world in his own small way. For the past few years Rollins has been a very vocal supporter of the West Memphis Three, three teenage boys convicted, some say wrongly, of murder. He's held concerts, had auctions and recently released a Black Flag tribute CD to benefit the boys' cause. You can get more information about this at www.wm3.org.
I'd just like everyone to realize that Rollins isn't merely this guy who hates U2, although, sadly, his name gets spread pretty far on these rants of his. This infamous dislike of our boys is one miniscule facet of all he is, has done and is doing.

I am not familiar with Henry Rollins work, but it is obvious that the interviewer was leading him to bash Bono by his question. It seemed that Henry has a hard time not bashing Bono, as he really has a dislike for U2's music. It also seemed that he was trying to acknowledge his personal dislike and to point out that it doesn't mean that Bono isn't doing a good thing.

I do think he was off base with his remark "But now he's "Mr. AIDS Guy"--well, wait a minute. How did you go from Third World debt to AIDS? It starts to sound like he leaves a lot undone." Someone should send him a link tohttp://www.datadata.org/
and educate him that the "D" in DATA is for Debt.

 

[mmmBono]

I am not familiar with Henry Rollins work, but it is obvious that the interviewer was leading him to bash Bono by his question. It seemed that Henry has a hard time not bashing Bono, as he really has a dislike for U2's music. It also seemed that he was trying to acknowledge his personal dislike and to point out that it doesn't mean that Bono isn't doing a good thing.

I do think he was off base with his remark "But now he's "Mr. AIDS Guy"--well, wait a minute. How did you go from Third World debt to AIDS? It starts to sound like he leaves a lot undone." Someone should send him a link tohttp://www.datadata.org/
and educate him that the "D" in DATA is for Debt.

Bam!
Bang on! Boston Anne!!! You rock girl! Did you know that?
The condescending part of the "Mr. Aids Guy" really rubs me in the most of wrong ways possible.
I'm sorry....but Mr. henry blow hole really has to button that freakin lip every once in a while.
He always, above everything else....sets out to bash Bono. That is his mission in life. Sadly....this only proves (atleast to me) that he harbours a deep seeded jealousy and hate for our B man.
And it's unrelenting. I did earlier make a point of noting that this latest critique of Mr. Henry Blow Hole was prolly the tamest I've ever seen. But it's brash nonetheless.
You see....I think what has rattled Mr. Blow Hole's nuts from the very beginning(and rattled them WELL I might add!!) is that Mr. Bono and Mr. Blow Hole come from that very same place. The place of true punk ethic. Only that Mr. Bono headed in a certain way and Mr. Blow Hole headed in another. Obla Di Obla FOOKIN Da. But at the root of it all.....they are still coming from the same place. And I think that this is what bugs Mr. Blow Hole....it's exactly Mr.Bono's voice(the one he claims to be bad) that has ultimately helped U2 sell in excess of 100 million. Yes....maybe on the surface that is SO far away from PUNK that you might as well be Tittney Spears or something...LOL....but Mr. Bono has never waivered from what is true to the human spirit. And what is ultimately the spirit of punk.
So to call someone Mr. Aids...etc...bad voice...etc etc....is just plain ignorance....shielding an underlying jealousy that would make even Salieri roll in his freakin grave. Let's get Mr. Blow Hole over to Africa and see how he feels about 3 or 4 sick and dying children to a bed! Maybe then....just THEN he will change his sick and twisted tune about calling someone Mr. Africa and Mr. Aids.....atleast SOMEONE is doing SOMETHING about it!!!
Dude....Mr. Blow Hole.....I appreciate your support and voice in the case of the West Memphis 3....fookin kudos to you......but you're not alone....Eddie Vedder has been fighting this case along with you. You are not grabbing the bull by the solitary balls in this situation. Sorry...you may think you are....but you're not.
Mr. Bono is doing something so much more punk by tackling this 3rd world debt and this AIDS pandemic by himself....
And it's this punk"ness" that bugs the royal blarney outta you, Mr. Blow Hole.....LOL!
Rant over.

 

[*BOOMCHAA!*]

BWAHAHAHAHHAHAH!!!

 

[BostonAnne]

Bam!
Bang on! Boston Anne!!! You rock girl! Did you know that?
The condescending part of the "Mr. Aids Guy" really rubs me in the most of wrong ways possible.
I'm sorry....but Mr. henry blow hole really has to button that freakin lip every once in a while.
He always, above everything else....sets out to bash Bono. That is his mission in life. Sadly....this only proves (atleast to me) that he harbours a deep seeded jealousy and hate for our B man.
And it's unrelenting. I did earlier make a point of noting that this latest critique of Mr. Henry Blow Hole was prolly the tamest I've ever seen. But it's brash nonetheless.

Thanks mmmBono! I agree that his "Mr. Aids Guy" comment was lame, but the whole point of my response was to point out that the INTERVIEWER was the one that set Henry Rollins up to bash Bono, not that it was Henry Rollins's personal mission. The other thing I was trying to point out is that although Henry dislikes Bono's music, it also seemed that he was also sort of trying not to dis him for helping Africa - even though he also did dis him at the same time !

To summarize, even though he appears to not get it as far as Bono's work, his comment "I think he's a boring singer, but I don't think he's a bad man." was sort of summing up that he isn't the one to judge because he simply doesn't like U2's music. I think the press enjoys getting Henry going and appears to be successful when they do!

 

[bonoeire]

The only time Henry Rollins makes the news is when he's trying to knock down Bono.

Bono does not need to advance his celebrity. Everywhere he goes, whether he wants them or not, he is followed by reporters, photographers and fans. They camp out waiting for him. He is using this situation to ihopefully ncrease awareness of the emergency that Rollins would like to call Bono's latest cause.

Bono has a full-time job. Bono has 4 kids and a wife. Bono likes to have fun, party, spend time with his family. Bono has not knocked on Washington's doors and dragged himself across Africa and America for his own good. He is doing what he promised God and himself what he would do. He is trying to help people. He is trying to make the world a better place. He is trying to prepare the path.

Earlier in December, Bono could have been home taking it easy, playing with the kids, maybe even shopping for Christmas presents. But no, he was in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois - speaking to the "heart" of America about the thousands of people who are dying in Africa everyday.

Bono makes me feel guilty. He makes me want to do more. I see a man who doesn't need to ever work again, and yet he doesn't seem to ever stop working. We all should make time to be more aware, more helpful to others. We should all at least make the time to educate ourselves, and then do whatever we can. I don't know why he makes Henry feel threatened. I think instead of bashing Bono, Henry should just say thank you.

What has Henry Rollins ever done to help anyone? If he's done anything, that's great. But what I've heard/seen from him is nothing but negative.

Henry - you are oh so wrong.

 

[dsmith2904]

The only time Henry Rollins makes the news is when he's trying to knock down Bono.

Bono does not need to advance his celebrity. Everywhere he goes, whether he wants them or not, he is followed by reporters, photographers and fans. They camp out waiting for him. He is using this situation to ihopefully ncrease awareness of the emergency that Rollins would like to call Bono's latest cause.

I really don't want to get into like a thousand rants about this but I must, must, must address this one point. Henry Rollins only gets scads of attention for "bashing" Bono because U2 fans give it to him! If you honestly believe Rollins is just doing this to get attention and it bothers you, then don't give it to him! Don't seek out these articles, don't send them to your friends, don't post them on message boards! It's really easy to ignore something that you don't like and it will save you so much frustration in the end.

And ugliness does little to combat ugliness.

 

[bonoeire]

I really don't want to get into like a thousand rants about this but I must, must, must address this one point. Henry Rollins only gets scads of attention for "bashing" Bono because U2 fans give it to him! If you honestly believe Rollins is just doing this to get attention and it bothers you, then don't give it to him! Don't seek out these articles, don't send them to your friends, don't post them on message boards! It's really easy to ignore something that you don't like and it will save you so much frustration in the end.

And ugliness does little to combat ugliness.

Dear dsmith2904,
This is a FORUM, not a newpaper or magazine. Henry Rollins does not get any media attention here, our feelings are expressed and viewpoints shared - that's all. There is nothing ugly or negative about my post.
And if the Henry is tired of the media "feeding" him baited questions just to stir things up then he can simply say "next question please".

 

[verte76]

The only time Henry Rollins makes the news is when he's trying to knock down Bono.

Bono does not need to advance his celebrity. Everywhere he goes, whether he wants them or not, he is followed by reporters, photographers and fans. They camp out waiting for him. He is using this situation to ihopefully ncrease awareness of the emergency that Rollins would like to call Bono's latest cause.

Bono has a full-time job. Bono has 4 kids and a wife. Bono likes to have fun, party, spend time with his family. Bono has not knocked on Washington's doors and dragged himself across Africa and America for his own good. He is doing what he promised God and himself what he would do. He is trying to help people. He is trying to make the world a better place. He is trying to prepare the path.

Earlier in December, Bono could have been home taking it easy, playing with the kids, maybe even shopping for Christmas presents. But no, he was in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois - speaking to the "heart" of America about the thousands of people who are dying in Africa everyday.

Bono makes me feel guilty. He makes me want to do more. I see a man who doesn't need to ever work again, and yet he doesn't seem to ever stop working. We all should make time to be more aware, more helpful to others. We should all at least make the time to educate ourselves, and then do whatever we can. I don't know why he makes Henry feel threatened. I think instead of bashing Bono, Henry should just say thank you.

What has Henry Rollins ever done to help anyone? If he's done anything, that's great. But what I've heard/seen from him is nothing but negative.

Henry - you are oh so wrong.

You are not kidding! If it weren't for this guy's Bono-bashing I never would have heard of him in my life. If he's ever done anything worthwhile, great, but it definitely takes a back seat to this

 

[Michael Griffiths]

Henry Rollins: But now he's "Mr. AIDS Guy"--well, wait a minute. How did you go from Third World debt to AIDS?

Yes, I must agree with the person who said that Henry isn't too bright. Okay, listen up Henry: you wipe the debt clean so the poor nations involved can devote energies to erradicating (or at least decreasing) AIDS instead. How do they go about doing this? They need to be educated, and given the framework to implement that knowledge. How are people going to support this cause without knowing about it? Someone (such as Bono) has to lead the initiative and bring forth awareness. And guess what? Awareness of the AIDS epidemic in Africa translates to incentive to help Africa through debt relief (for example). And vice versa, international awareness of the need for debt relief translates to international awareness of the AIDS epidemic.

How can he not see the connection? Less thoughful than a head of lettuce, indeed.

 

[IWasBored]

ARG.

just had to say that. didn't LIKE black flag, didn't like rollins band stuff, and was really annoyed by most of the spoken word stuff BEFORE i was a u2 fan. so my dislike of the guy doesn't come from him bashing bono. right now it probably helps to fuel that dislike, but it doesn;t come soley from those comments. i was listening to one of those syndicate radio things where they've get bands to come in and take a few callers on some national phone line, and rollins just bugged me...

 

[MBH]

I will start this out with saying that I am a total fan of Henry Rollins, his music, his books and his spoken word performances. Somehow I manage to balance that with my love of U2 because I understand that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I've never heard Rollins (and this is all firsthand, either in print, in person or on disc) say anything against U2 or Bono that was flat-out unfair.
I am sure that Rollins is not the first person to question Bono's motives with Africa. We live in a fairly cynical world and it is completely within Rollins' rights to ask questions. Although I don't agree with him on this topic, I understand where he's coming from.
Because Rollins has gotten this reputation, whether fully deserved or not, for "bashing" U2, he is often bashed by U2 fans in return. Please let's not go there here. Henry Rollins is an artist so unlike U2, he does make music or write books to win awards or sell out stadiums, that's not his style, it's not a consideration. Also, just because Rollins wasn't at Live Aid, didn't sing on any benefit single like "We Are the World" or "What's Going On?" that doesn't mean he doesn't have his own causes and isn't trying to improve the world in his own small way. For the past few years Rollins has been a very vocal supporter of the West Memphis Three, three teenage boys convicted, some say wrongly, of murder. He's held concerts, had auctions and recently released a Black Flag tribute CD to benefit the boys' cause. You can get more information about this at www.wm3.org.
I'd just like everyone to realize that Rollins isn't merely this guy who hates U2, although, sadly, his name gets spread pretty far on these rants of his. This infamous dislike of our boys is one miniscule facet of all he is, has done and is doing.

YOU MAKE SOME INTERESTING AND PROVACATIVE POINTS. HOWEVER, I MUST POINT OUT THAT ROLLINS HAS INDEED RIDUCULED, LAMBASTED AND BERATED U2 AND BONO SEVERAL TIMES DURING INTERVIEWS, ON TV AND IN BOOKS (I.E. "UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD," BY BILL FLANAGAN).

THROUHOUT THE PAST 2 YEARS, I HAVE SEEN OR HEARD ROLLINS INTERVIEWED APPROXIMATELY 7-8 TIMES. HE HAS CRITICIZED AND/OR RIDICULED BONO & U2 ON NEARLY EVERY OCCASION. THAT IS OBSESSIVE.

ALSO, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE MEDIA MAY GOAD ROLLINS INTO DISCUSSING U2 B/C IT IS CONTROVERSIAL. ROLLINS CAN DISPLAY VOCAL DISCIPLINE BY SIMPLY REPLYING, "ENOUGH ABOUT U2 ALREADY. NEXT QUESTION." INSTEAD HE CONTINUOUSLY KNOCKS THEM. THAT IS PATHETIC.

HIS MOST VICIOUS ATTACKS ON BONO CAME DURING 2 INTERVIEWS WITH HOWARD STERN IN NY IN 2001. IN THE FIRST INTERVIEW IN MARCH, 2001 (REPLAYED ON 12/26/02, IMA) HE SAID, "I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIS LIFE SHORTENED." (REFERRING TO BONO)

DURING THE SECOND INTERVIEW IN AUGUST, 2001 HE MOCKED U2 AND BONO AGAIN. THIS ON THE DAY OF BONO'S FATHER'S DEATH.

BOTH INSTANCES DISPLAY A TOTAL LACK OF DISCIPLINE, CLASS AND ETHICS. I HAVE LOST RESPECT FOR ROLLINS FOREVER.

 

[Queen Betty]

BOTH INSTANCES DISPLAY A TOTAL LACK OF DISCIPLINE, CLASS AND ETHICS. I HAVE LOST RESPECT FOR ROLLINS FOREVER.

But at least he's toned it down. I'd rather never hear from him again, though.