Henry Rollins

Actor, writer, activist, photographer, satirist and musician Henry Rollins brings his spoken word show here in August. Grant Smithies talks to him.

You have been described as ‘‘the epitome of a Renaissance workaholic’’. Fair call?

‘‘I am always looking for something to do. I am not trained to do anything, so I just go after whatever seems interesting. My attitude is I have to come from the truth. I have to really want the work. So, it can’t be for the money – it has to be that I want to go in 100 per cent.’’

You travel a lot. Your schedule looks knackering.

‘‘I do get worn out but not by shows or travel. The hardest part of what I do is meeting so many people while on the road. It’s a lot of voices, an incredible amount of input. What keeps me going is I find what I do very interesting and I realise I have been given an extraordinary opportunity and it would be a shame to not utilise it.’’

You have said that your punk rock career is done. Do you still listen to music, go to shows, seek out new music?

‘‘I do. I have two radio shows, which take a lot of work to keep going. My rule is that I try to buy one to three records every day, so there’s always something coming in. I’ve been to record stores in 14 countries this year alone, and I see as many shows as my schedule allows.’’

What do you see as some of the most pressing issues affecting our planet?

‘‘The world is full of people who’re a lot like you. They want food, water, shelter, safety and so on. For millions of people, water supplies are becoming more insecure. At best, their lives will be challenging. As wealth steadily moves upward into ever fewer hands, vast numbers of people will experience incredible hardship.’’

The world is watching the United States in one of its most historic elections. What’s your take on US politics right now?

‘‘I don’t think a majority of Americans will ever be ready for Bernie Sanders. You’re looking at Clinton v Trump, and neither candidate is loved all that much by their respective parties. The US deserves every single bit of this grinding electoral misery. What you’re seeing is the result of 40 plus years of the systematic dumbing down of the American citizen.’’

This is your fourth visit to New Zealand as a spoken word artist. What can we expect of An Evening With Henry Rollins in 2016?

‘‘I have a lot of travel stories. Antarctica, Central Asia, South America. I have stories about hanging out with Lemmy and Bowie. I will, as always, be as compelling as possible. What you hear me say onstage is how I see things. I think humour is one of the best ways to approach some of the bigger stuff without being overwhelmed by it.’’

An Evening With Henry Rollins plays Dunedin’s Otago University Union Hall on Friday August 26, Auckland Crystal Palace on Saturday, August 27, and Wellington Paramount Theatre on Sunday, August 28. Tickets via UTR.co.nz and venue outlets.