Before the Chop III: LA Weekly Articles 2014-2016

by Henry Rollins

Another one of these? Really? Makes you wonder what ol’ Henry was like before hubris got to him. Well, it’s hardly surprising. A man gets to a certain point and he thinks that he is owed something. Enough years in the vanity press game and even you might start thinking that it’s real.



This collection of one hundred pieces of writing represents years five and six of Henry’s employment at the LA Weekly. The fact that he has not been canned perhaps causes mild astonishment. Why do they keep him on? Good question. It can’t be the quality of the writing, can it? Absolutely not. Here’s the answer: Henry came at a bargain. So happy to have a job that allowed him to write, he said yes to the salary, forgot the amount immediately and went to work. Yes, the pay is paltry but look at the writing. If it was a car, you’d never get off the lot.



Oh, the topics that whiz and bang around in Henry’s small and intellectually unchallenging universe! Why, he writes about all kinds of things, and here are one hundred of them, in their pre-LA Weekly edit form, with their original titles, all in chronological order. It’s all quite wonderful, don’t you think? No. You don’t, and that’s okay. As long as you can keep in mind that . . . you know what? I’m with you. It is hard, no, make that impossible, to write about a book that cannot defend itself in the world of things, without attacking it. All I want to do now is shred the manuscript I was forced to read and plant some trees to pay back the planet for what was lost to make Before the Chop III. Hold on, I have to walk around the room for a minute.



Okay. I’ve calmed down somewhat. Look for the positive, right? Henry’s never missed a deadline, no matter what continent or state of jet lag induced disorientation he’s in. He remains dedicated to the one thousand words he is obligated to hurl at his long suffering editor Andy Hermann every week. Also, people actually do read his work! Two or three angry letters come in every year. He’s not exactly “trending” (he has no idea what that means) but he’s hanging in there all the same. Faithful reader, nothing you have ever done in your life, no matter how regrettable, makes you deserve this but nonetheless, break out your best stash, you’ll need it, here it is, Before the Chop III!

This has to be enough words, right?

— You want my name? Get an attorney.

263 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2017

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

[Nick Milinazzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry Rollins is a contributor to LA Weekly. This book comprises 2 years worth of his articles.
Rollins' is a self-proclaimed workaholic. Between the music, films, radio show, podcast, and touring, he is constantly on the go - and in his free time, he travels for pleasure. He is an extremely well-learned/-traveled/-experienced individual. And while he has some strong views, he in no way pushes them upon others; in fact, he is the first to defend the opinions of those who would oppose him. In addition to countless stories about music/records, the book is an accounting of his ideology as it pertains to humans, civilization, and America. Which put simply would be: less arguing, more meaningful discussion; respecting others (including their differing opinions); buy music; and travel makes for a better existence. It's difficult to experience Rollins in any capacity and not be inspired. Read this book, go to see him live, travel travel travel.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Rollins' writing style a lot these days, and I was afraid the column format would constrain him a bit, but my fears were mostly groundless--this read a lot like his books of journal entries, which are my favorites of his. The whole "unedited versions" gimmick might be a little much since there are times when obvious grammatical errors and even outright typos make it into the finished text--I'd think someone should at least have given it a once-over to catch stuff like that. Still, a really great read on the whole. I'll have to go back and check out the first two volumes now.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me well over a month to get through because I went in with no prior knowledge. It can't have been hard to just copy and paste a year's worth of weekly editorial articles and publish them into a book. I was expecting much more.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Henry's journal-esque musings are intelligent, amusing, interesting and thought-provoking. His books are guaranteed enjoyable.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

These LA Weekly roundups are always top notch. Commercial Henry (if such a thing exists) and just fun to read.