The First Five (Rollins, Henry) (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: Knife Street, Wisconsin Avenue, The Curse (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Rollins, a singer for the hardcore punk group Black Flag in the '80s, has emerged as a '90s post-punk renaissance man and a prolific writer. This voluminous collection of Rollins' first five books shows the evolution of a man grinding his way through the challenges of the independent music circuit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 536 pages
• Publisher: 2.13.61; 3rd Printing edition (September 4, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880985519
• ISBN-13: 978-1880985519
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #136,395 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn not to flinch, July 5, 1998

By A Customer

The First Five is undoubtably one of the densest volumes of pain ever published. Mean and to the point, Rollins puts down with fury prose poems jammed full of the loniliness of the road, the wounding and scarring of heartbreak, and the strength required to walk through it and walk away with a lesson learned. This book contains Pissing in the gene pool, Bang! High Adventure in the Great Outdoors, Art to choke hearts, and One from None, with the texts re-edited this His words take hold of you in the deep dark parts of your heart and mind that many find too painful to dwell in on the nights alone, and drags you through it all and out the other side. Leaving you changed and looking at everything and everyone slightly different from there on out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The making of a genius..., September 16, 2005

By	Michael J. Schaub - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While his later works, especially mid-late 90's, are much more mature, Henry did pretty good for his first several forays into the writing world. His poetry is mind-numbingly dense, and can only be taken in small doses. His short stories and rants are easier to absorb, and it's cool to hear a young man my age vent with such precision. Much of what he writes is to be taken as abstract; when speaking of murder and other dispicable acts, you know he is merely fantasizing. Get this book to read the more introspective and free-thinking passages Henry wrote while he was in Black Flag; it makes a nice compliment to his popular "Get In The Van" book (highly recommended).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So good, my grandma felt it!!, May 20, 1999

By A Customer

Originally, I thought that a book written by Henry Rollins would be nothing but an angry, cold-hearted jerk-fest. As I read on, however, I found that there was true emotion and heart-felt anguish that the reader could relate to. The best part was when he talked about drug-addiction. There was no more wrenching part in any book that I can think of. Well-placed references to his life in one of the most popular punk bands of the 80's gave insight to the trials and tribulations that he must have endured living as such. There is no better book for the modern poet to read and learn about how real reflections into life are, not sonnets and ballads to your loved ones, but pain and fury.