Henry Rollins "Think Tank" DreamWorks Records DAMD2-50054 1998
disc 1 (51:44)
1. How I Got Here (2:21)
2. Airport Hell (14:35)
3. Television (12:43)
4. World Peace (2:58)
5. El Nino (2:30)
6. Weatherman (2:14)
7. The Gay Thing (13:51)
8. Vegas (:34)
disc 2 (74:22)
1. Nothing Can Go Wrong (8:37)
2. Brazil (9:21)
3. Russia (21:35)
4. Marius (15:20)
5. No One Is Fax Exempt (19:28)
Overall impression: excellent. Rollins, self-professed "aging alternative icon", is back with 2 more discs of live spoken word. Hank has been on stage in one form or another since 1981. When not on the road with Black Flag (in the early/mid-80's) or the Rollins Band, he always fills in days off with spoken word gigs the world over. In recent years however, Rollins has alternated between band and spoken tours. "Think Tank" is the first live spoken set since 1992's "The Boxed Life" and the first to be released by the Rollins Band's mega-label DreamWorks rather than Rollins own 2.13.61 imprint (which also releases his and other artists books and cds). Disc 1 was recorded 2/13/98 at the House of Blues in Chicago and disc 2 was recorded in the fall of 1997 in Australia. Hank may be "hurtling towards 40", but he's still as engaging as ever. "Think Tank" gives you 2+ hours of classic Rollins' social/political commentary and stories. He seems particularly comic now, almost in a Denis Leary or Dennis Miller mode, as most of the tracks are laced with humorous anecdotes. Topics include: stupid people at airports, stupid television shows and the media, homosexuality, live mistakes, visiting Brazil/Russia with the band, visiting an Australian teenager in the hospital and harassing the throat doctor. Rollins lets his own life's travels and experiences "write" his material for him. You may or may not agree with his point of view on the stories with moral points, but it really doesn't matter, there's something here for everyone. These sets are the next best thing to seeing his 3+ hour live shows (and great for jogging memories of the shows you've already seen). Both discs have excellent sound, the best of any of the dozen+ spoken disc back catalog, and the artwork/photography/design gets my thumbs up. Two minor complaints: disc 1 has enough space leftover for another 22 minutes (why?) and a couple of really great stories from the '98 tour are missing: hanging with Black Sabbath/vacation in Kenya and Madagascar and layover in Thailand with the band, but alas these would require a 3rd disc. It was a bit strange having already heard all the material on this set live prior to the cd's release, but it's another great one to add to the pile and I'll listen to it as frequently as the others. I thank Rollins for sharing his keen insight and humour with his fans ...