Henry Rollins: The Column! Stop Whining About How Today's Music Sucks

By Henry Rollins Thu., Jun. 7 2012 at 3:30 AM

[Look for your weekly fix from the one and only Henry Rollins right here on West Coast Sound every Thursday, and come back tomorrow for the awesomely annotated playlist for his Saturday KCRW broadcast.]

I am lucky to be someone who is easily contented. For me, listening to music is the best thing. I don't need company or even a very high-end system. Just to be able to spend some time listening to music and not have to jump and do anything for a little while, this is as good as it gets for me. Truly, this is the best thing I know.

Listening to music at night: If there is anything that is perfect, it is this. Sitting alone, with music filling the air, I disappear completely into the night, into the sound. I am no longer weighted down by the concerns of the day. In these moments, I am beyond time.

While I would like to think that I have a wide appreciation of music, at this point I am perhaps a music snob, with an ear for what some might find objectionable, precious or just plain awful. This is absolutely fine with me. I am not looking for consensus or camaraderie.

Tonight, some records have been committed to the turntable. The first was a one-sided 12" by the Neokarma Jooklo Trio, called Meditative, which is on the excellent Italian label Qbico. At its core are three players, Virginia Genta, David Vanzan and Luca Massolin. They are self-taught multi-instrumentalists -- Genta is a monster saxophone player. Their material is not all that easy to procure, as their albums are pressed in small numbers. Nonetheless, they are a great favorite of mine right now.

Next was a collaboration between Golden Jooklo Age and Peaking Lights on the Holidays label. Peaking Lights is a duo, Aaron Coyes and Indra Dunis, which I know little about but I have one of its records, Imaginary Falcons, which I really like. This is all very ambient, avant, droning, noisy stuff that might send some packing but for me is perfect nighttime listening.

I have been back in Los Angeles for a few days now. The days have been taxing, often starting before 0700 hrs. I am basically here to shamelessly promote my Canadian dates, as well as three specials I shot for National Geographic called Animal Underworld, not to mention go to meetings, pretape upcoming radio shows and do some voiceover work. It's not much of a break, but it did allow me some rare LP listening time.

Tags:

Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Heavy Blanket, Henry Rollins, High on Fire, J. Mascis, KTL, Peaking Lights, Young Prisms

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spirit cherokee

Well in truth it does suck!

spirit cherokee

Cheese, Why do you exist at all?? To be a dumb ass moron with a name like cheese.

Cheese!

THANK YOU FOR SHARING.

Cheese!

So, bad music = easily made music. Good music = music that's hard to make. Okay, thank you Grand Puba of Music. Did not know that. By the way, you and Garfield here should get along great, kvetching and discussing the epic extent of your mutual butthurtness.

Cheese!

Says the same idiot who made fun of electronic music because it's made with a computer.

Lancaster Nellie

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spirit cherokee

So it can piss you off!

quazi

oh hells yessss i did..........

Cheese!

Garfield will be mad. And yet, calling him a dork, insults dorks everywhere. More like a meathead. A douchey meathead pretending to be smart and cultured. Sell more Gap, Garfield. You're so suave and intellectual.

Leonard Lawrenc

my co-worker's sister made $14187 past week. she gets paid on the computer and moved in a $426000 condo. All she did was get fortunate and follow the clues explained on this website lazycash42.c()m

uncledude

Why does Rollins always have to inform us of his fucking work schedule?

Cheese!

Why does 'Henry' exist at all? To be the dumb person's philosopher... telling them what to like and what to hate. It's simple really. Like Rollins.

Julian

my co-worker's sister made $14187 past week. she gets paid on the computer and moved in a $426000 condo. All she did was get fortunate and follow the clues explained on this website http://x.co/hCkG

wetcasements

oh no you di-int. . .

Blondahontas

DAN SARTAIN - TOO TOUGH TO LIVE - its new & its tight!

Jennie Vasquez

Apparently Henry did not watch the CMT music awards last night. I couldn't sit through 5 minutes. I kid of course, but I did used the words this sucks as I changed the channel. Obviously there is still plenty of good country being made, the mainstream stuff right now just isn't my thing. I think that often times we have a tendency to get stuck in a time warp and think that any music made after a certain time all sucks. For many of us, the best music was whatever music we listened to as teenagers when were developing our musical tastes and individuality. It is very easy to just listen to the same thing over and over and not try out different music and especially different genres than we are used to. On top of that with modern technology, there is almost a music overload in that it is difficult to listen to everything that is released and take the time to let it sink in and get a feel for it to see if you like it. Plus often times the stuff that is played in mainstream media over and over again, is not any where near the best stuff. That makes it all the easier to just say tell ourselves that music just sucks nowadays. There is always something new out there that we will like. When I listen to Henry's radio show, there is often something that catches my attention that I would have never found on my own. Often times the new to me isn't new at all. My favorite stuff on Henry's shows is always the doo- wop, usually songs and bands I've never heard before. That's another thing about searching for new music, sometimes the new is classics from the past. Often times we get in a rut and never seek out the music that came before our time. I cry a little inside whenever I mention Sam Cooke and I get a blank stare from a young person. In today's day and age with so much music available at our fingertips, there is no excuse to not explore and expand our listening horizons.

100watts

Hi Jennie Vasquez,

In addition to having good insight, I thought your writing was strong. If you ever thought of writing for an online music magazine, please check out WAXWIRE Magazine on stamptheband.com and select "Contact Us" in the bottom footer and let us know. Thank you!