Before the Chop: LA Weekly Articles 2011-2012

by Henry Rollins

Before the Chop compiles the first one hundred pieces I wrote for the Weekly and also includes the feature interview I did with Nick Cave when Grinderman II came out.

For reasons of space, the Weekly must often slightly truncate the pieces and also sees fit to change the name of the piece. So, what you read there isn’t always what I sent them. This is one of the reasons I wanted to put this book out. Also, knowing there are a lot of people out there without the time to go to some website and read something every week, I thought it would be a good idea to have the articles all in one place.

I hope you enjoy the book and thank you. - Henry

Genres: Nonfiction

279 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

Henry Rollins (born Henry Lawrence Garfield; often referred to simply as Rollins) is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, author, actor and publisher.

After joining the short-lived Washington, D.C. band State of Alert in 1980, Rollins fronted the Californian hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1981 until 1986. Following the band's breakup, Rollins soon established the record label and publishing company 2.13.61 to release his spoken word albums, as well as forming the Rollins Band, which toured with a number of lineups until 2003 and during 2006.

Since Black Flag, Rollins has embarked on projects covering a variety of media. He has hosted numerous radio shows, such as The Henry Rollins Show and Harmony In My Head, and television shows, such as MTV's 120 Minutes and Jackass, along with roles in several films. Rollins has also campaigned for human rights in the United States, promoting gay rights in particular, and tours overseas with the United Service Organizations to entertain American troops.

Reviews

[Rebecca Dobrinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not remember how I stumbled upon this book. I was not particularly looking for it or anything by Henry Rollins at the time. For some reason, though, once I found Before the Chop something compelled me to buy it. I have been a fan of Rollins since his Black Flag days – I was incredibly disappointed when he came through Birmingham last year and I didn’t realize he’d been in town until after the show was over. There’s always next time, I hope!

I started reading Before the Chop the day it arrived in the mail. I may have heard of the LA Weekly at some point, but living in Birmingham, I certainly do not read it regularly (make that ever). However, having a collection of these columns, and reading them all together rather that once a week proved to be an interesting journey.

In the foreword, Rollins gives a brief explanation on how he became a contributor to the LA Weekly: approached by two staffers from the Weekly, they asked and he agreed, with the idea that he’d get his KCRW-FM radio show playlist out to more people. A year later, he became a regular columnist.

His writing orders? “Deliver some writing on music, something that captures your enthusiasm.”

And I believe he does.

If you have ever wondered what Henry Rollins thinks about music, and what music he thinks about, buy this book. Actually, if you are simply interested in music, you should buy this book. I found it fascinating to get a peek into what goes into regular rotation on the Rollins turntable (or his iPod depending on whether he is home or traveling).

Rollins’s musical interests run a wide-ranging gamut, from the first (and technically last) album mentioned, Nick Cave’s Grinderman II to Led Zeppelin’s Celebration Day in the final 2012 essay and everything imaginable in between. There will be a bunch of “oh yeah, I love that album” thoughts mixed in with a likely larger number of “who the hell is this and where can I find it” questions.

As I finished the book, I had to stop before reading the final reprint of his interview with Nick Cave so the word nerd in me could post the following as my Facebook status: “I have such an appreciation for those who use the word myriad correctly.”

Before the Chop will lead you on an interesting musical escapade if you let it (I wrote a Bright Life column for Zen Dixie based on this book), with a few side excursions allowing for Rollins’s opinionated stance on a variety of subjects. Rollins writes well and keeps his reader interested in what he is going to say next.

This review originally appeared at Zen Dixie, http://www.zendixie.com/read.html

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of music, in particular rock music of the punk, indie, electronic, jazz, or noise varieties, this book is a fun read. As the book is composed of 100 of Henry's LA Weekly articles,written over a couple of years, there is some repetition. Example: Henry's love of Iggy Pop. But it's all in good fun and fanatic fandom, and is quite infectious. Very different from a lot of Henry's heavier writing. Funny and well-done. You will want to listen to more music after this book.

[Marla]

I love Henry Rollins. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE Henry Rollins. This book, though, is basically Henry talking about how much he knows about music, and I find it to be really boring. I much prefer to read about his adventures in foreign lands than how much he loves the most obscure music in the entire world. I will probably try to read this again at another time, as I have read almost everything that he has written, but for now, I am good with putting this one to the side.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often a bit redundant in both the subject matter and the artists that he chooses to write about, this is not Rollin's best effort. But I'm still a superfan and will read anything he puts out. Before the Chop was still enjoyable for the most part.

[Angela Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before the Chop is a wonderfully informative collection of unedited LA Weekly articles written by Henry Rollins from February 4, 2011 to December 13, 2012. Readers will get a glimpse of the writer’s thoughts on everything from Rick Perry (governor of Texas) to Pussy Riot. Rollins writes from places all over the world. The beginning of each article immediately informs us of the date it was published and where it was written. It was almost like reading somebody's diary. Where most folks would expect to find an index, they will find an LA Weekly feature,an interview with Nick Cave dated November 25, 2010. What a bonus!

I first picked up this book in May of 2013 and had to put it down after getting to p. 37 because I knew that I was going to need to be in the right frame of mind and needed to take my sweet time with it. In lieu of an index, I definitely took notes as I went along. I read it in three days finally finishing it this weekend and ended up with notes that not only made me chuckle but read like a bucket list.

One of the most memorable punchlines in this book:

“The sausage tastes good, but you might not want to know how it got made.” p. 41

Other memorable stuff:

“But to see and hear Rick Perry on a regular basis, why, it’s a delight! He’s like George W. Bush, but hit in the side of the head with a frying pan.” p.118

“If I were a doctor, I would prescribe that you addict yourself deeply and irrevocably to music and never, ever, seek cure outside of more music. It really is the best way to go.” p. 67

Besides music, this book also mentions several books to it's readers including A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya written by a Russian journalist named Anna Politkovskaya who's been thought to have been murdered because of her writings. After reading Before the Chop, I felt more excited to live life than I did before. That being said, I think this book is a must read for fanatics of survival, music and Henry Rollins. If you don’t fall into any of those categories, you may still want to check out this book and learn something you didn’t know before.


NOTE: this book can be purchased directly from the author's website Henry Rollins/2.13.61

[Eduardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite Rollins book of his more recent offerings. The focus of his LA Weekly columns is music, so the writing takes on a different character as compared to his typical journal entry-style books of late.

What made this book so enjoyable was the introduction of many new bands and genres to my lexicon. In one column, he lets us know that there is no shame in liking what you like and that you don't have to explain yourself. If you like Madonna, then listen to it (he does) and if you like Birthday Party, then listen to that too (he does). He lists off name after name and lets you chase them down if you want but he never makes you feel bad if you don't/can't keep up with it all. As he writes late in the book, perhaps those are the only record reviews that should be written, those from the enthusiasts rather than the critics. What makes me run down some of the bands he lists? An enthusiasm in him that I can see mirrored in myself. No critic would make me feel that way.

He gives us great suggestions of how music can function in our lives. He writes of what he listens to as he travels to far-flung places. He writes of what he listens to at the change of the seasons. He writes of his favorite music for times of day. He makes the case that music is deeply ingrained in us all and that appreciation of the music is gained through allowing it to move us in whatever ways it might.

Thanks to Henry for inspiring me to expand my music collection but, more importantly, for inspiring me to let music inspire me more.

[Rita]

A great book and a quick read of all his articles in the L.A. Weekly before they were chopped for the actual production version. I love how Henry writes. How he can take daily activities, apply them to life and a thought process and musical influences among many other subjects. This covered some of his touring, his life history, the United States history and of course, music.

Reading his works always motivates me and inspires me to think more, do more. Be more than I already am. And throws me back into my love of music which at times, I get so busy that..even though it's playing in the background in my life almost constantly, it's just that. Background. This reminds me to focus on it, to appreciate it and to always expand on it. Thank you Henry

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a new Rollins book to make me pick up a book in some kind of consistent way for the first time since TJK was born. This is a lot of Rollins being Rollins and I am a fan so it worked for me. The best part of the reading was the laundry list of music he often causally ticks off each week in his articles. I have downloaded or ordered something new almost every day since I picked up this book and a lot of it is amazing. Rollins above everything else is a music lover and a believer in the transcendant power and importance of music. Reading this book and then subsequently starting to pour through old records and start picking up new ones has done some really good things for my soul.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sure I enjoy reading about music here and there, but as the main focus of a Rollins book, it became a slog. This collection of essays for the LA Weekly have little in the way of the examinations of life, travel stories, and political opinion that make up most of the Rollins journals, which I find interesting and enjoy. Also, we don't have that much musical taste in common, so there was even less for me to find engaging.

[Steve Isaak · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collected articles in Chop read like tightly edited versions of Rollins' spoken word shows: blunt, provocative, smart, self-effacing, humorous and enthusiastic about stuff he likes (music, especially listening to vinyl; touring as often as possible; etc.). Mixed in with Rollins' recollections - musical, personal and sometimes political - is a sense of upbeat wisdom regarding and stemming from restraint and knowing one's place in the world, which we share with others who disagree with us (as individuals).

Excellent read, worth owning.

(This review originally appeared on the Reading & Writing By Pub Light site.)

[Kevin Krein · Rating 3 out of 5]

i've read like 75% of henry rollins' catalog thus far, and it's been a minute since he's done anything that hasn't been releasing a collection of his journals. and don't get me wrong, i mos def fucks with his journal collections. since i don't live in LA and don't read LA Weekly online, i had no idea what is column was like for the magazine. some of these are great short pieces. some of them are glorified journal entries that he dresses up as columns. that was the part that had me a little disappointed.

oh well.

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book - I like Henry Rollins. He's an intelligent and intense guy. I wish he'd written more about his beliefs - later in the book he talks some about politics, but seems shy and reserved about how he really feels. He does suggest some good Shure earbuds that he likes - I may need to check them out. And of course he prattles on about how many "awesome" LPs and groups he's heard, seen. I did get tired of him yammering on about Dinosaur Jr. Enough!

[Matt Lonsdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of articles Rollins wrote for a weekly magazine in LA (conveniently called "The Weekly"). The articles were not really intended to be read back-to-back, so this is not a book you should attempt to tackle in one sitting. You have to stretch it out.

All the articles are about music and the book as a whole could be summed up as: Man, Henry Rollins really really really likes music.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a collection of weekly newspaper articles it's quite repetitive (e.g. his love of The Stooges & Dinosaur Jr, his music listening habits) but it's still a good read, & interesting to see how broad his musical taste is (I would never have picked Rollins as a fan of Wolf Eyes). I got on to some good music through this book, too.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is dangerous for me because Henry's reviews, anecdotes, and commentary on artists and albums can sometimes lead me to purchasing stuff I'd not heard of before. Oh wait....that's a good thing!

[Joe Natoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book nails every nuance and detail of my own love affair with music. Henry gets it, explaining perfectly the mad passion and intense need to constantly have more, more, MORE aural stimulation and the true, unadulterated joy it provides.

[Ianissimo Madonaldissimo · Rating 4 out of 5]

much like an ongoing conversation with Henry. similar to his other works in that parts read like a tour journal. for someone looking to discover new music, this is a wonderful read.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rollins likes touring, music. I just saved you $15.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're an audiophile, this is for you. His best collection in a while.