What's it about short version?
Henry Rollins first book of raw, thought provoking anecdotes and observations.
What's it about long version?
Black Coffee Blues by Henry Rollins is part tour travelogue, part diary and part musing by a pretty unique voice of alternative culture. Told through personal experience it captures observations and interactions by the musician and spoken word performer who is, by his own admission, always in motion.
I first experienced the intensity of Henry Rollins at a concert. A muscular, tattooed punk rock front man dominating the stage, stripped to his waist, soaked in sweat and giving everything into a performance that was nothing short of captivating. From there I read his books and years later went to see him give a spoken word performance... he had lost none of his deep-seated passion.
The book was published in 1992 by Rollins' own publishing house, it is set in 7-parts and based on his writings from 1989 to 1991. Some of it is written in the third person, other autobiographical, some short and some longer form. All of it thought provoking and 'Exhaustion Blues' being a personal favourite.
What comes through in this book is the observation of the ordinary in someone living a quite extraordinary life; sometimes by choice and other times by accident, but always interesting. The importance of discipline, the struggle to create, and the necessity of confronting fear encourage you to embrace individuality and perhaps pursue your passion through adversity.
If you have ever found yourself as an outsider, or perhaps felt you didnt quite belong, this book will resonate. Thoughts on loneliness/solitude, art and the creative mind, the search for the authentic among the mundane all feature but it is the pure, raw honesty that stands out.
'Don’t let them scar you with their weakness. They will cripple you with their lives. They will make you want to die just to get away from them.'
'What goes best with a cup of coffee? Another cup.'
And there is always Black Coffee Blues Pt 2 & 3.
9/10 Recommended.