Get in the Van

           For my outside reading I read Get in the Van by Henry Rollins. It is a raw and uncensored look at the rise and fall of the band Black Flag from 1981when Henry joined the band to 1986 when the band broke up told through his daily journal. Get in the Van opens up in the spring of 1981, Henry had yet to start writing a journal but recaps his few months before joining Black Flag with vivid detail. He was "a slave to the man" working at Haagen-Dazs 50-60 hours week and wanted a change. Henry and his friends drove from Washington DC to New York City for a Black Flag show, before leaving Henry asked the at the time lead singer to play a song for him because he had to leave for work. He said "This song is for Henry, he has to go to work, this is 'Clocked In'." He handed the mic to Henry, who got up on stage, sang the song and left for work. He had a taste of what it was like to be on stage and wanted more. It was all he though about. He went to see Black Flag play again a few weeks later in DC and hung out with the band. A week later they called him up and asked him if he wanted to sing for the band. Henry quit his job, sold his car and went out to follow this dream. After

practicing with the band for a few weeks they moved to LA and started to tour. The rest of the book is filled with his experiences on the road, people he meets, and thoughts in his head as he grows more distant from members in the band and even the human race. The pages are littered with pictures from performances, candids and flyers from their many shows making this 300 page behemoth seem like a short read.

I'm honestly not sure what I would identify as the theme is of this book, it's non fiction and it's a journal that he wrote. There is no real ending, just 300 pages of captivating day by day struggles of the everyday life for the lead singer of a hardcore punk band in the 1980's. One thing that I thought was special about this formatting is the imagery that is portrayed. As henry writes his memories down he is capturing them with vivid detail that can only come from experiencing these events in his life. His ability to put simple situations into mental pictures develops his story through out the years. When you read page after page you feel his lack of sleep from on the road in the van. "Last night I slept on the hump of the wheel well in the van. I stared at the plywood of the upper level if the shelf. A guy on either side of me. A guy in Sac Trust blowing his beet breath on me all night. No room, no sleep and eighteen more shows to go." The images you have in your head of these shows, dressing rooms, sleeping situations, and people are backed up by the black and white photographs strewn across the pages of the book. You can put a face with Henry and the other band members, when he speaks of a sketch show promoter there is a picture on the next page buried somewhere in the text so you can see him. Not only is his imagery in the novel stunning but his tellings of his take on everyday experiences and thoughts on the human race give a candid insight to how his brain works. You get an inside look at the passion that he has for playing shows and what really motivates him. He is faced with an over active brain. "With each breath, I think. My thoughts are like moths around a street lamp at night. 
They flit and hover around the glow but never land." His want to tour and constantly move is exhausting. He is always moving on to the next, wether it is city to city on tour thought after thought sitting in the shed he lives in between tours. "I think about killing myself sometimes. Blowing my head all over the place. Laughing, getting up, picking my head up and patching it onto place. Wiping my hands off on my pants, relieved, saying 'OK, what's next?'" He sees no limit, he sees no end, he only sees progression, and constant movement. "OK, what's next?" is right.

I think that this book being published exactly how it was written down is a huge part of its success. The diary format of the book makes reading it seem quick and simple as you follow years of one mans life and hours fly by in yours with out you even realizing. The first say I picked up with book I read 125 pages of it is a few hours and it only left me wanting more. Henry's sick sense of humor mixed with brutal honesty is incredibly interesting to read. His writings have such an attention commanding way of hurdling emotion at you that the book is hard to put down. In a few entries it is had to tell the difference in where he is talking about real life and merging into random thoughts and day dreams, but those times just support the raw, unabridged format of "Get in the Van." I loved this book, I was reluctant to finish it knowing I would have to return it to it's owner and not be able to pour through the pages when I'm bored. (Luckily the person I borrowed it from bought me my own copy as a gift, not to mention he is the same person who took me to go see him live.) It's rare for me to read a book and actually want to finish it, let alone read it again. I felt a drive to read this book, and when I wasn't reading it I was thinking about the pages I had read previously. Henry Rollins is one of the most captivating people I have ever come upon. His thoughts, drive for work, and hate for a conventional life style push you to think about where you are in your own life

and where you want to end up. Where he has taken his life since he sold his car and moved to LA on a whim to where he is now inspires awe. He has broken the mold, definitely not a "slave to the man." I would recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in the American Hardcore revolution that was short lived in the early 1980's. Also to anyone who enjoys real life insight on someones life. You find this book shocking at times but also relatable and heart felt. You will laugh, tear up, and think twice about the life style you want to take part of. "Get in the Van" will encourage you to break the mold in your own daily life.