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Henry Rollins' Letter to a Young American
Bigthink.com ^ | April 27, 2012 | Henry Rollins

Posted on 04/27/2012 6:46:42 AM PDT by Daffynition

http://bigthink.com/ideas/42675

Transcript

Henry Rollins: Young person, you’ll find in your life that sometimes your great ambitions will be momentarily stymied, thwarted, marginalized by those who were perhaps luckier, come from money, where more doors opened, where college was a given--it was not a student loan; it was something that Dad paid for--to where an ease and confidence in life was almost a birthright, where for you it was a very hard climb. Okay, that happens all the time. Some of the greatest Americans, some of the greatest thinkers, artists, architects, politicians and other movers, shakers and creators all over the world have come from very meager beginnings like my favorite American Abraham Lincoln. And so, just because you come from nothing you must not let that be something that holds you back.

And you will encounter people who never have to pay in full. They get to wreck the room and never have to clean it. They can get all the way through high school and never understand where a dollar comes from because they just get it given to them. I went to school with guys like that. You’ve had presidents like that. You’ve had friends like that and you’ve suffered.

[snip]

(Excerpt) Read more at bigthink.com ...


TOPICS: Society
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Could have picked better models, Henry. :(

I look at this as a production aimed at the OWSers delivered by Anthony Bourdain.

1 posted on 04/27/2012 6:46:44 AM PDT by Daffynition
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To: Daffynition

But:
>> Your president right now is a man who got where he is through very hard work and scholarships, mainly hard work and application and discipline.

Um, Obama?!?!?


2 posted on 04/27/2012 6:51:55 AM PDT by raccoonradio
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To: Daffynition
Rollins comes close to getting it in a lot of ways, then he steps off the cliff each and every time.

Photobucket
3 posted on 04/27/2012 6:54:09 AM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: cripplecreek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaysTVcounI


4 posted on 04/27/2012 6:54:48 AM PDT by Salamander (Hey blood brother, you're one of our own. You're as sharp as a razor and as hard as a stone.)
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To: cripplecreek

Rollins wrote what should have been Obama’s Theme Song:

Liar

You think you’re going to live your life alone
in darkness and seclusion... yeah, I know
you’ve been out there and tried to mix with those animals
and it just left you full of humiliated confusion
so you stagger back home and wait for nothing
but the solitary refinement of your
room spits you back onto the streets
and now you’re desperate and in need of human contact
and then you meet me and yur whole world changes
because everything I say is everything you’ve ever wanted to hear
so you drop all you defenses, I’m perfect in every way
‘cause I make you feel so strong and so powerfull inside
you feel so lucky
but your ego obscures reality that you never bothered to
wonder why things are going so well
you want to know why?

‘cause I’m a liar, yeah, I’m a liar
I’ll tear (rip) your mind up, I’ll burn your soul
I’ll turn you into me, I’ll turn you into me
‘cause I’m a liar, a liar, a liar, a liar...

I’ll hide behind a smile and understanding eyes
and I’ll tell you things that you already know so you can say:
I really identify with you, so much
and all the time that you’re needing me is just the time
that I’m bleeding you, don’t you get it yet?
I’ll come to you like an affliction
then I’ll leave you like an addiction
you’ll never forget me... wou wanna know why?

I don’t know why I feel the need to lie and cause you so much pain
maybe it’s something inside, maybe it’s something I can’t explain
‘cause all I do is mess you up and lie to you
I’m a liar, ooh, I’m a liar
but if you’ll give me another chance
I swear I’ll never lie to you again
‘cause now I see the destructive power of a lie,
they’re stronger than truth
I ca’t believe I ever hurt you, I swear I will never lie to you again
please, just give me more chance, I’ll never lie to you again, no,
I swear, I will never tell a lie, I will neer tell a lie, no, no
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Sucker! Sucker! Sucker!

I am a liar, yeah, I am a liar, yeah, I am a liar
I lie you, I feel good, I am a liar, yeah
I lie X4 ooh, I lie, yeah, I lie
I’m a liar, I lie, I like it, I feel good, I like it, and again
I like it again and I’ll keep lying, I’ll promise


5 posted on 04/27/2012 6:56:26 AM PDT by dfwgator (Don't wake up in a roadside ditch. Get rid of Romney.)
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To: dfwgator

Thats a great video.


6 posted on 04/27/2012 6:58:23 AM PDT by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: cripplecreek

And his “godfather” for VP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL1kQQbhmY8


7 posted on 04/27/2012 6:58:28 AM PDT by Salamander (Hey blood brother, you're one of our own. You're as sharp as a razor and as hard as a stone.)
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To: Grizzled Bear; TheOldLady

Woops.

Obligatory ping.

:)


8 posted on 04/27/2012 7:01:34 AM PDT by Salamander (Hey blood brother, you're one of our own. You're as sharp as a razor and as hard as a stone.)
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To: raccoonradio

Hmmmmm...I’m wondering about the *convenient* timing of the popularity of this video. Must be a coincidence. Yeah, that’s it.


9 posted on 04/27/2012 7:01:42 AM PDT by Daffynition (Our forefathers would be shooting by now.)
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To: Daffynition

I disagree with Rollins’ politics (BIGTIME) but the man is very intelligent otherwise.

I saw him with Black Flag back around 1985. Wow, what a show.


10 posted on 04/27/2012 7:02:53 AM PDT by Peter from Rutland
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To: Peter from Rutland; TheOldLady

Have you seen the movie “SUCK”?

He’s in it along with Alice and Iggy.

Henry’s got a really funny “bit” part.


11 posted on 04/27/2012 7:08:16 AM PDT by Salamander (Hey blood brother, you're one of our own. You're as sharp as a razor and as hard as a stone.)
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To: Peter from Rutland
I saw him with Black Flag back around 1985. Wow, what a show.

I used to like them and you are right -- they were good then. Its funny though. I had a friend who was friends with Rollins around that time and so I met him a couple times. He was quiet, respectful and into poetry (at least the couple of times I saw him). Nothing like I thought he'd be. As for his politics -- "shut up and sing" comes to mind.

12 posted on 04/27/2012 7:09:21 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: Salamander

No, but now of course I will have to!


13 posted on 04/27/2012 7:09:42 AM PDT by Peter from Rutland
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To: Peter from Rutland

Oh, you are just going to *love* it to death.

:)


14 posted on 04/27/2012 7:11:08 AM PDT by Salamander (Hey blood brother, you're one of our own. You're as sharp as a razor and as hard as a stone.)
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To: Peter from Rutland

A little something to whet your appetite.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNJyqbJvwEM

V-V


15 posted on 04/27/2012 7:17:17 AM PDT by Salamander (Hey blood brother, you're one of our own. You're as sharp as a razor and as hard as a stone.)
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To: Daffynition

>>And you will encounter people who never have to pay in full. They get to wreck the room and never have to clean it.

Kinda like what you did to Black Flag?


16 posted on 04/27/2012 7:42:08 AM PDT by struggle (http://killthegovernment.wordpress.com/)
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To: Daffynition

As an old school punk (1976 Los Angeles) myself, I never liked the preachy, anarcho-leftists (Dead Kennedy’s, Black Flag) and had no trouble giving them hell, right to their lying faces. At 16 years old in ‘76 I already hated the hippies and yippies and when Reagan came along at just the right moment I wanted to die on the Russian Front while mowing down commies. Most of the punks from those places are dead or dying, and to give him some credit Rollins kept himself together physically, but watching him come on like a professor of poetry is grotesque.


17 posted on 04/27/2012 7:42:31 AM PDT by februus
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To: Daffynition

Obama is a “LIAR!”


18 posted on 04/27/2012 7:53:31 AM PDT by ConservativeStatement (Obama "acted stupidly.")
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To: Peter from Rutland; Salamander
Salamander is right. If you like Alice, you're going to love "Suck."

Thank you for the ping, Sal.
19 posted on 04/27/2012 8:15:04 AM PDT by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list)
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To: dfwgator

An awesome tune back in the day


20 posted on 04/27/2012 8:29:50 AM PDT by ßuddaßudd
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