Henry & Larry

A few Black Flag tunes excepted I've never been a fan of much of his music, but I have a lot of time for Henry Rollins, the man. I can say hand on heart that since witnessing one of his extraordinary spoken word shows in Nanaimo in 2009 - at which he entertainingly spoke solidly for over three hours, taking just one sip of water after two - I have changed my way of thinking about topics he covered that evening. In a positive, productive way, that is, making tweaks to my life in how I regard, speak to and treat people. I am obviously not the first or last to be inspired by Rollins' street philosophy and punk ethics, but do genuinely draw great strength and inspiration from his worldview. As Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world," and as a result of Rollins' philosophies I am trying to be just that, at least as best as I can.

This delightful short film nicely illustrates how Rollins is simply a man from a humble background who appreciates the value of opportunity and the platform he has worked hard to create in order to effect change. If you are somehow new to this great man, I feel confident you will really, really like him. If you like and understand him already, just enjoy.

While on the subject of punk rock, I simply must mention the astonishing Larry & His Flask. I've blogged about this fantastic punk-bluegrass outfit before, so won't go too deeply into it here, but after having seen them play for the second time last night, as part of the Victoria Ska Festival, I cannot let this blog posting pass without saying that, at all costs, go see a Larry & His Flask show at your earliest opportunity! There is just nothing to compare with the incendiary live show they present, and the sense of unity they create with their audience is as inspirational as the man in the film above. The photo you see here is one tiny moment from the incredible hour-long performance we were privileged to be party to last night ('party' being the operative word), and just under 24 hours later the adrenaline it whipped up is still pumping!