Henry Rollins
A punk rock evangelist who transformed himself from a Black Flag frontman into a globe-trotting spoken word artist and relentless cultural critic.
Born 1961 (age 65)·American musician·Birthday: February 13·Baby Boomers
Biography
Henry Rollins is a force of disciplined will. He erupted into public consciousness as the tattooed, screaming nucleus of Black Flag, bringing a terrifying physical and intellectual intensity to hardcore punk. When the band dissolved, he refused to fade. Instead, he built his own empire, founding the 2.13.61 label to publish his writing and spoken word albums. The Rollins Band delivered a heavier, more muscular rock sound, but it was his solo spoken word tours that revealed his true depth—a hyper-observant, funny, and fiercely principled raconteur. Rollins has since become a modern itinerant, traveling to conflict zones, hosting radio shows, writing books, and acting, all driven by an insatiable curiosity about the world and a unwavering commitment to speaking his mind.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Henry was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Henry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Henry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the frontman for the influential hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1981 to 1986.
- Founded the independent publishing company and record label 2.13.61 to release his own work.
- Led the Rollins Band, which earned a Grammy Award for the song 'Liar' in 1995.
- Authored dozens of books, collecting his tour diaries, essays, and spoken word material.
Did You Know?
He worked at a Haagen-Dazs ice cream shop before joining Black Flag, where he was famously discovered by the band.
He has traveled extensively as a journalist for publications like Vanity Fair, often visiting war-torn regions.
He voiced the character Mad Stan in the animated film 'Batman: Arkham Asylum'.
““I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.””
