Rollins in the Wry [Soundtrack]

Henry Rollins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 20, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Quarter Stick
• ASIN: B000056O2O
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #106,886 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #95 in Music > Children's Music > Stories

Track Listings

1. Intro

2. Death to Poets

3. Journal

4. Clintonese

5. Language

6. Never Again

7. The United Colors of West L.A.

8. Rite Aid

9. Israel

10. Maturity

11. Men in Make Up

12. Future Parents

13. Encore

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

On the track "Clintonese," Mr. Henry Rollins sums up the former United States president's Paula Jones case deposition: "Basically, he had 800 spears a minute thrown at him for five hours, and dodged every one of them." Rollins throws plenty spears of his own on his latest spoken-word album, recorded from a series of weekly shows at the Cafe Luna club in Los Angeles. He nearly always hits his targets--which range from people who shop at Rite-Aid to his own tired pick-up lines--and he does so with a dexterity and penchant for free association that is both brutally funny and honest. A Rollins in the Wry is, without a doubt, a comedy album. While he may not be quite as incisive as Dennis Miller, as prone to screaming as Sam Kinison, or as pissed-off as Bill Hicks, Rollins combines elements from all three in a way that assures you'll be laughing and, later, playing your favorite cuts for your friends. --Mark Huntsman

Product Description

Henry's eleventh spoken word album is a collection of rantsfrom his gigs at Luna Park in Los Angeles between July and August, 1999. Every Wednesday night, Henry would down a fewcups of Joe and regale the crowd of 300 with his insightfulanecdotes. 13 track

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy it for what it is, March 8, 2001

By 

Boon Sheridan "boonerang" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rollins in the Wry (Audio CD)

I'm intrigued by the backlash Rollins seems to be experiencing as he gets deeper into his 'speaking tours' and turns his back on more structured material. I stopped listening to Rollins' musical output years ago, although I still cherish some of his older work, and enjoy his spoken material almost as much. There is something to be said for actually SEEING Rollins perform as opposed to hearing him - so much of what makes the man a myth is his sheer physical presence. It's slightly less humorous to hear his portrayals of himself when you aren't observing what a raw slab of humanity he still is (especially when he goes on and on about women to a roomful of women who are practically hurling themselves at him.)

Sure, the material here isn't even what you would call true 'spoken word' - it veers around, tries to be funny at times, serious at others and lacks cohesion. At times it almost resembles some of Robin Williams' closings, when he would put aside the jokes and try to deliver the moral to his madness (something he did surprisingly well, as does Rollins.) Could it be that Rollins is slowing down a touch and realizing he is just as powerful talking normally as when he's bellowing? This disc certainly seems to point to that. Enjoy it for what it is - a series of humorous commentaries from an intelligent man.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dont believe everything you hear, April 12, 2002

By 

Rage Reset (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rollins in the Wry (Audio CD)

This CD is fine. It's not wall-to-wall laughs like most of Think Tank. It doesnt get deep like sections of Big Ugly Mouth. It's not the absolute pick of the bunch (depending on what you're looking for) but it's not a waste of money either. RITW is a stand-alone performance and the biggest thing wrong with it is the lacklustre crowd, who seem to respond quite well to the mention of their own town's name and not much else. I believe Henry gives his best performances when the crowd is responsive (both with Rollins Band and spoken word) and the crowd at this gig sound like they are half asleep and more interested in eating their meals than getting into the show.

I won't dissect the CD and sing the praises of each individual track. If youre a fan, this is a worthy addition. If youre a first-time listener, its worth a go but probably isnt his best work in terms of outright comedic content or the make-you-think observations that characterise his previous offerings. That said, its not a dog either - I listen to my copy from time to time and certainly dont regret buying it.

One last note for the Henry-is-past-it gang; I saw Henry in Melbourne a year ago and it was about the best thing I've heard him do. Stories like The KISS Army were just brilliant and outshone even some of the best stuff on Think Tank. His take on the way people behave, coupled with the clever references and links to things mentioned earlier in the show had the crowd falling about laughing. Stuff from that show will hopefully be released soon and prove that Henry is only getting better at Spoken Word as time goes by.

Oh, and if any of the Powers That Be at Pioneer are reading - give us a spoken word DVD that isn't Zone 1 exclusive.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Hank's best, but still very funny, March 5, 2002

By 

"fredfenster" (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rollins in the Wry (Audio CD)

Most of the tracks on this album are very funny, especially "Death To Poets," a highly-justified rant about self-indulgent poetry readings, and "Clintonese," a funny comment on how Bubba used word games to weasel out of confessing. I especially like this track because it gives Bubba his due without brown-nosing him like most Democrats love to, with observations like "They should teach 'Clinton' in college." Also not to be missed: his encore, a short but absolutely hysterical rant on male-female relations. The album's only weak link: the "Maturity" rant, which goes on WAY too long and isn't particularly funny. Overall, it's still a great album, but it can't beat "Think Tank," Hank's funniest and smartest spoken-word album.