Spoken word artist, renaissance man, and self-described ageing alternative icon Henry Rollins was recently in the country to promote his upcoming mammoth-sized tour and to present the Australian Music Prize to winner Courtney Barnett.
However, no visit to a country would be complete for the former Black Flag frontman without a visit to a record store or two. Rollins, who’s described himself as a “vinyl cat-lady“, famously has a house just for his records and buys at least one every day.
In the latest instalment of his weekly column for LA Weekly, entitled ‘I Went All the Way to Australia to Get a Thee Oh Sees Record‘, Rollins not only details his visit to two of Australia’s best record stores, but describes his ardent love for Australia.
“I was so happy to finally be in Australia,” Rollins, who’s made more than 30 trips here, writes of first visit Down Under back in 1989. “That afternoon, I decided I wanted to visit Australia as often as possible. I have never reacted to a country this way before or since.”
“The last few days here in Sydney, I feel like I have won the lottery. I am where I am supposed to be,” he adds of his most recent trip, which saw him linking up with Rice Is Nice operative Julia Wilson and hitting the town for some “food, caffeine and vinyl”.
The duo first hit up Repressed Records in Newtown, where Rollins was introduced to the likes of “Nun, Tyrannamen, Thigh Master, Red Red Krovvy, Brando’s Island, Terry, [and] Cured Pink, to name a few” by store co-owner Chris Sammut.
The two spent the rest of the day “hitting store after store”, including “the very sturdy Red Eye Records”, which Rollins describes as “Well stocked and assiduously curated, it is a mandatory visit”.
“You may have heard or read me preach the gospel of the greatness of the Australian music scene,” Rollins writes. “It’s true, mate. The number of excellent bands here is more infestation than phenomenon. They seem to be everywhere.”
However, Rollins wasn’t just interested in hitting up some record stores for impulse purchases. He was a man on a mission and that mission was centred on a rare, Australia-only issue of Thee Oh Sees’ Mutilator Defeated at Last.
[include_post id=”473289″]
“What some Oh Sees fans might not know is that last year, the Australian label Flightless made a thousand-copy run of Mutilator in ‘ultra clear with orange blob,'” Rollins writes.
“The chance to get a limited pressing in the country in which it’s pressed is too good to pass up, so I didn’t. I was so excited to see what it looked like, I opened the sleeve while still in the store.”
Now that, folks, is what we call a true music fan. Check out Rollins’ chat with Double J’s Myf Warhurst below.
Henry Rollins Australian Tour Dates
Friday, 2nd September 2016
Springwood, Blue Mountains Theatre & Community Hub
Tickets from bluemountainstheatreandhub.com.au or phone (02) 4723 5050.
Wednesday, 7th September 2016
Milton Theatre
Tickets from thelittleboxoffice.com/miltontheatre or phone (02) 4454 3636
Thursday, 8th September 2016
Canberra Theatre Playhouse
Tickets from canberratheatrecentre.com.au, phone (02) 6275 2700 or in person at the Venue Box Office.
Friday, 9th September 2016
Wollongong Town Hall
Tickets from merrigong.com.au or phone (02) 4224 5999
Saturday, 10th September 2016
Newcastle, Wests City
Tickets from westsnewcastle.com.au or phone (02) 4926 6200
Sunday, 11th September 2016
Darwin Entertainment Centre
Tickets from yourcentre.com.au, phone (08) 8980 3333 or the Venue Box Office.
Tuesday, 13th September 2016
Lismore, Star Court Theatre
Tickets from starcourttheatre.com.au or phone (02) 6622 5005.
Wednesday, 14th September 2016
Brisbane, Tivoli
Tickets from ticketmaster.com.au, phone 136 100 or in person at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Thursday, 15th September 2016
Brisbane, Tivoli
Tickets from ticketmaster.com.au, phone 136 100 or in person at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Saturday, 17th September 2016
Hobart, Theatre Royal
Tickets from theatreroyal.com.au, phone (03) 6233 2299 or in person at the Venue Box Office.
Monday, 19th September 2016
Arts Centre Melbourne’s State Theatre
Tickets from artscentremelbourne.com.au, phone 1300 182 183 or in person at the Venue Box Office.
Tuesday, 20th September 2016
Arts Centre Melbourne’s State Theatre
Tickets from artscentremelbourne.com.au, phone 1300 182 183 or in person at the Venue Box Office.
Wednesday, 21st September 2016
Alice Springs, Araluen Arts Centre
Tickets from the Araluen Box Office, phone (08) 8951 1122
Thursday, 22nd September 2016
Adelaide, Thebarton Theatre
Tickets from ticketmaster.com.au, phone (08) 8443 5255 or in person at all Ticketmaster outlets.
Friday, 23rd September 2016
Perth, Regal Theatre
Tickets from regaltheatre.com.au or phone (08) 9388 2066
Saturday, 24th September 2016
Perth, Regal Theatre
Tickets from regaltheatre.com.au or phone (08) 9388 2066
Sunday, 25th September 2016
Margaret River Cultural Centre
Tickets from artsmargaretriver.com or phone (08) 9758 7316
