Now Watch Him Die

by Henry Rollins

Book by Henry Rollins

Genres: Poetry, Music, Collections, Fiction, Literature, Punk

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

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

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Normally I would say that I enjoyed Henry Rollins more when I was younger and most agnst ridden than I am now. I'd also say that even when I was younger and more agnst ridden I enjoyed Henry Rollins as a concept more than as a real person, or for anything he was really producing, be it music in the Rollins Band, or with his writing. I don't know if alot of his books I could still read and enjoy them for all their content. I have a feeling the 'historical' writing that he does in some of his books about touring with Black Flag I would still enjoy though. This book though, while I haven't read it in probably more than ten years, I would still imagine I would find quite interesting. The premise of this book is his journals for 1992, a year which starts off just a week and a half after his best friend was shot to death in front of him. The anger and dealing with his friends death, along with a look at the punk world he was a part of blowing up into the mainstream is quite interesting for me. I don't know if anyone who didn't live through the early 90's complete change in popular music will find this very interesting, or people who don't find dwelling on death and revenge fantasies as a worthwhile way of speding their free time, but for those who do enjoy a little bit of anger thrown into their lives this book will be at least a little rewarding.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not as much of a fan of Henry Rollins the musician as Henry Rollins the entertainer. I love him on his Fuse show, as well as other spoken word I've seen throughout the years. This was my first foray into reading anything of his in print.
It wasn't written WELL per se. There was definitely a lot of seething emotion to it. But it did read like my teenage journal entries. I will note that this writing was done in the early 90's, so perhaps he was still rusty/hadn't developed his writing style yet. Regardless, it was an interesting glimpse into the life of an artist with a bit of notoriety. It's all based around a breakdown after being held up and having his best friend die as a result.

[Skyelis Tyler]

i don't know yet - just started this, but i like it. they were giving away two free books with every checked-out item @ my local brooklyn public library. this was one of them! how cool is that? (the others i took were persepolis, indian killer by sherman alexie, and life is elsewhere by milan kundera - thanks, washington irving branch!)

[Bill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is his best work, in my opinion. I've read all of his books over the years and this one packs the most punch, emotionally speaking.

[.]

There's no proper way to give this a rating in terms of star-count. It's as he says repeatedly throughout, after Joe Cole's death, Henry Rollins was an animal in pain, having nearly drowned in a flood of visceral agony and rage. Given the narrow proximity from the occurrence of the murder, you could see an element of micro-growth but the tragic beauty here emerges retroactively, from knowing who Rollins was yet to become.

[Osaka Tides · Rating 5 out of 5]

Needed my Rollins kick. This did more than just the trick. I think this book may even be better than "Black Coffee Blues." It's brutal, harrowing, gut-wrenching, painful, and beautiful all at once. I've never been so inspired.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written after Henry Rollins watched his friend die in a failed robbery attempt in which, he, inexplicably survived physically unscathed. If you want to know more about PTSD, this is the book for you. If you want to sleep well, not so much. The first section is very powerful. The other two sections seem more like muted loops around the same, awful, topic. Then again, I suppose that's what depression is. I imagine that kind of horror must be like an undertow that allows one to surface for greater lengths of time but never lets go. It must be hell.

[Bear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a painful journey, and one that I think many people should take, even if just from the vantage point of a reader. It will change how you look at the world and how you look at yourself.
Henry Rollins is a master of pain and conveying that pain.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

sad moving stuff

[brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

many an angry young man had a Rollins phase. i am one of those once young men.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an emotionally powerful book. not for the faint of heart.