Henry Rollins insists on defining himself strictly on his own terms.

Henry Rollins — constantly reinventing himself. Photo: WireImage.

By Matt Hanson

The forever wired Henry Rollins is many things: former lead singer of the seminal hardcore punk band Black Flag and of the underrated Rollins Band, diarist, journalist, poet, comic, actor, and activist, among others. His eclecticism is arguably his greatest asset —  you never know his next move, which keeps his constant reinvention fresh and compelling.  In a celebrity culture that commodifies the idea of self-creation to the point of meaninglessness, Rollins is one of the inspiring few who insists on defining himself strictly on his own terms.

With a C.V. like that it should come as no surprise that he’s also a passionate traveler, having visited over a hundred countries and all seven continents.  His incessant globetrotting has included many USO tours as well as hosting documentaries on National Geographic and the History Channel. Rollins is currently touring across the country presenting a slideshow of his photographs taken from his adventures abroad, telling the stories of the road as only he can.

His current tour makes two stops in Massachusetts this month, first at The Academy of Music in Northampton on January 19 and then The Wilbur in Boston on the 24th. The Arts Fuse caught up with him via email to talk about the show, rocking out in Mali and Helsinki, pumping iron, and being recognized in Siberia.

Arts Fuse: You’ve already done quite a bit of traveling in your life — touring with your different bands, performing comedy and spoken word. If anything, it seems like you’ve only been piling on the mileage.  What do you still get out it?

Rollins: Going to a new place has never gotten boring for me. I think over the years, I’ve become a better traveler. I’m able to find more interesting places and things faster, I can find the story in all the things I am seeing with more clarity. Also, not being young, things have taken on a bit more gravity. I don’t take myself seriously but I do take the things around me seriously. If you want to do something, you do it. That’s what goes through my mind all the time. I work with some urgency as I look at how limited my time is.

AF: What made you decide to do the tour with a slideshow format?

Rollins: A lot of my tours are informed by travel. On this tour, I’m bringing the photos from those travels and basically illustrating those journeys. I thought it would be interesting to do something different on tour.

AF: You’re fairly well known, but people wouldn’t necessarily associate you with being a worldwide celebrity.  Where was the strangest place you were ever recognized?  How did it go?

Rollins: I had gone all the way across Siberia, from Moscow to Vladivostok. I got off the train and went looking for a taxi as I was going to be on a plane going back to Moscow in a few hours. I find the only taxi at the station. The guy says, “You’re the guy in that video, right? ‘I’m a liar!’ that’s you, right?” His name was Alexander. Cool guy.

AF: Where did you hear the most interesting local music?

Rollins: Probably Mali. I went to music festivals of bands from the region. They were all amazing. Also, Finland. An amazing local psyche/folk/noise scene in Helsinki and the surrounding area.

AF: Veering off track a little bit, how do you feel about “The Iron and the Soul”, the essay you wrote about what lifting weights means to you, going viral on social media?  Is it gratifying or annoying?  Both?  Neither?

Rollins: It’s neither. I’m glad that it has been an asset to people. Honestly, I don’t think about it much. I do get asked about it a lot but like I said, I’m just glad that it does people some good.

AF: What place or country do you want Americans in general to reconsider — what country has gotten a bad rap?

Rollins: The Middle East.  The levels of hospitality and sophistication I’ve encountered there showed me how different the image of the region is in America.

Matt Hanson is a critic for The Arts Fuse living outside Boston. His writing has appeared in The Millions, 3QuarksDaily, and Flak Magazine (RIP), where he was a staff writer. He blogs about movies and culture for LoveMoneyClothes. His poetry chapbook was published by Rhinologic Press.