Customer Reviews

Human Butt

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Henry's spoken words were my first real introduction to him. I had seen him in movies and on MTV before and figured him to be another marketing gimmick. I was wrong.

His spoken words are hard hitting, eye opening and sometimes downright funny. And I'm talking laugh-yourself-to-tears funny, when I say funny.

This particualar album has some really good material on it. I do prefer Think Tank and Big Ugly Mouth to this one, but it is still really good.

The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because the sound quality is really terrible. I can barely understand him with my cd player turned all the way up. I ended up having to listen to it on my computer with headphones. Other than that, this is really worth the money.

By essential, I mean as in 'The essence of..' rather than 'A must buy for everyone who reads this'. Appalling recording quality aside (I think this is another recording-by-walkman job) this is a good CD for a couple of reasons.

The biggest one is that, like a lot of his early offerings, this performance is more bittersweet and poignant than later ones. It's not funny for funny's sake; it's Rollins speaking about things that have happened in his lifetime, and it is his delivery and perspective on these events more than anything that creates the humour.

Another plus about this album is that it has the small-show (and somehow more realistic) dynamic that the later sellout theatre-hall CDs lack. It's a record of where Rollins' shows have come from; hand-to-mouthing it across the country, doing these shows just to buy food and fill in time till the next time he tours with the band. One can gain a much broader insight into the man himself from these CDs as opposed to more recent outings.

Another one that is more suited to the fans than the casual first-timer, but certainly not a worse CD for it.

If you're a fan of hardasses with brains, you'll love just about anything Rollins does. His storytelling style is reminiscent of William Burroughs and his "pull no punches" judgement of the world around him puts him right up there with Robert A. Heinlein. (Which, I expect, would horrify Mr. Rollins were he to find out).

"Human Butt" is a supurb example of Rollins' personal experiences distilled into the storytelling art form. Do yourself a favot and buy this one.

This is one of my favorite Rollins album, simply for the story "Donate Your Bodies to Science, You Fools!" If you think that Rollins is the screaming front man of Black Flag and the Rollins Band...well, you're right. But he's also dead-on funny, and a wide-awake commentator on American life. In "Donate," he runs from nostalgia to his youth to disgust with his youth, from awe at the neighborhood bum to gut-wrenching pain. Rollins is in prime condition here. Buy this record. You'll dig it.

It really doesn't matter if you have never heard any of Rollins' music, or you have and you didn't like it. His spoken word performances are the stuff of legend, and if you have never heard what he has to say, I suggest you start here. The opening story, "The Adventures of an Asshole", is not for the faint of heart, but it will make you laugh your *&* off, as will all his stories. Buy It!

"Donate Your Bodies To Science You Fools!"

I was laughing so hard during that story, I had to stop the tape..!!!

Why only four stars? The rough bootleg style of recording makes this release pale in comparison to his later work.

I've never heard the guy sing for either Rollins Band or Black Flag but I think he is so interesting. Every story is hilarious and so intruiging. You will wake up in the middle of the night wanting to listen to this. It's just like a book with actions & profanity. You must have this or his latest release Think Tank. They are really funny and very inspiring.