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Summary: This book is the story of life on the road with Black Flag.
Review: Get in the Van is a summary written Henry Rollins, former member of Black Flag, and it details the good times and bad times on the road touring with them. In the book Rollins explains how he was brought in to the band, what he did before he joined, and why they broke up. Get in the Van first debuted as a spoken word reading on compact disk by Rollins. The cd won Rollins a Grammy Award, so he made it into a book.
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Summary: A punk rock diary for your coffee table
Review: Henry Rollins goes back as does this book. One interesting point is that this really isn't his first release of his "Flag Memoirs." Way back in 1986 Henry released "Hallucinations of Grandeur" on Illiterati Press. I have gone through each book to compare matching dates. Apart from one being a small, 2nd rate paperback printed on pulp papper and held together with glue and the other being a rather large, hardbound book printed on some rather expensive paper and an expanded time frame in which the story begins and ends... add a random assortment of photographs to punctaute the text with images of the narrator in a variety of situations... and with the exception of a few lines here and there, they are essentially the same book. "Get in the Van" should not be taken to be either a comprehensive history of Black Flag nor should it be construed as a complete profile on Mr. Rollins. Two singers [Chavo Pederast and Dez Cadena] had preceeded Rollins in the Flag personel and Rollins had fronted a local D.C. band called S.O.A. (State of Alert.) Incidentally enough during the S.O.A. days Henry had not yet traded in his his last name "Garfield" for his current moniker. This book chronicles Henry's tenure with Black Flag. The book starts with a first person narrative of a young man very much fixated with a band. Not fixated in the way teenage girls cover their walls with magazine photos of their favorite heart-throbs, but completely floored by the inertia one band is able to deliver with each song. Circumstance has it that our young protagonist be presented with an oppertunity, one that Henry tackles more out of desperation than jubilance. Throwing caution to the wind, Henry quits his job and moves to L.A. He had been drafted to front for his favorite band - the mighty Black Flag. From then on it is straight journal entries and reads like "Easy Rider vs. The Bad News Bears: Breaking Training." Each entry serves as a good lesson in what a young band had to do to get themselves across, not to mention feed themselves, fuel the van, load in equipment, not get hit by the beer bottles people are throwing at you, maybe get a few hours sleep and repeat the process all over again in the next town. It was this constant vigilence under such adverse conditions that honed the groups sound musically and also added to the legend. The group spans the globe, equipment breaks down, friends become enemies, the line-up changes, someone gets there nose broken while the others try to avoid getting arrested and strangers remain strangers. There is certainly a great deal of adventure to be had by some kids with some musical equipment and a van. For Black Flag, however, the Van was the norm and this is what made them so exceptional. Much to his credit the narrator makes no attempt to validate why anyone would want to live this way. Mr. Rollins often sounds confounded by it himself. Hungry, smelly and exhausted is certainly not how most people would choose to live their lives, but then again how many people honestly live and work on their own terms? If Black Flag's time among us had any lesson it would be that if you want to do it YOUR way, expect no mercy and give none in return. That was over ten years ago and it is sad to say that nothing comparable to Black Flag has surfaced since the bands sudden break-up. Perhaps their significance is granted them solely from the fact that such occurances are so damn rare. It's hard to imagine anyone reading this book and not walking away with something, regardless of your affiliations. It at least gives an account of a time before punk rock made cash registers chime in the heads of advertising and record executives, before the counter-culture became over-the-counter-culture... before it's author found a job on the side as a voice-over in adverts for Merrill Lynch and GMC Trucks.
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Summary: The truth hurts, but it makes a great book!
Review: Henry Rollins has a gift for making me incredibly pissed off and making me laugh (sometimes in the same sentence). In "Get in the Van," he has managed to let his readers look beyond punk rock's image of anarchy and apathy to see that, yes, even people in hardcore bands have feelings. This book not only documents the years that Black Flag endured police corruption, skinheads, poverty, and band disagreements, but lets you feel the isolation and anger that Rollins experienced when faced with such setbacks. Fortunately, he survived those years, possibly thanks to his sense of humor and great (though sometimes almost scary) imagination, which shine in his journal entries
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Summary: Love 'em or Hate 'em...
Review: Henry Rollins is the only person I have ever had a love/hate relationship with. No, I don't actually know Henry Rollins, but I feel I do through his writings (how cheesy does that sound?). Through a series of journal entries, this book (obviously) chronicles Henry's life while in the band, Black Flag. I marveled at the trials and tribulations of this great punk band - Joy and heartache, pleasure and pain, it's all here. Many are quick to criticize Rollins' writing style, but hey - this is a journal! It isn't some great literary masterpiece; it's raw thoughts and emotions! The writing style only adds to the character of the book - I find it quite interesting. Rollins writes in a very real, raw fashion (and if you've ever read Rollins, you know he's quite outspoken). One minute I love the guy, the next I want to smack him. That's life. Whether you agree with his views or not, I think you'll respect his honest, frank approach to... well, everything. For a taste of Henry Rollins' fiction, I also suggest picking up the compilation novel, 'The First Five'.
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Summary: The life of a bunch of Rock Stars
Review: Henry Rollins tells it all......this book is the journal accounts of rollins life with the infamous Black Flag. The LA hardcore band he helped make legendary. Funny, clever, informative and complete. Tons and tons of great photos. Rollins talks in a straight forward intelligent manner we can all relate to. A witty read which shows rocking and rolling is not always peaches and cream.....
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Summary: The humanity!
Review: I already liked Mr Rollins before reading this book, but now I also have an enormous respect for him! The unspeakable things that he goes through for the music he loves is beyond belief. Interesting, eye-opening, and always entertaining, this book is chock-full of Rollins' touring experiences, wit, and philosophy of life. A definite must-read for anyone even remotely interested in the life of an underground musician.
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Summary: A mixed read.
Review: I have mixed feelings on this one. On one end it is a fascinating account on life on the road with one of Punk's most infamous bands. Black Flag was an enterprise onto itself, but also conversly an alienated, former punk band growing into something so new and different that the punk audience started to turn against them, then the burgeoning "alternative" movement started to embrace them again towards the end of their tenure. One who reads this feels that Rollins is a bitter, jaded person who cannot come to grips with his fame or adulation from others. That said, I still am a fan of the man, and his art has grown and changed since the old days, as he has become more outward seeking in his writing and mindset.
One thing I get from this book is the feeling of being inside Rollin's mind as he toured year after year with the band. It was well worth the money in that respect. Black Flag seemed to splinter in part because of Rollin's growing celebrity in face of Greg Ginn's years of hard work put into HIS band. This is not Rollin's fault but Ginn in recent years has seemed to blow off any praise that Rollins shows him out of a warped paranoid jealousy. Its not Rollin's fault that he can successfully run his book business, and that people find him a fascinating draw. That said, it is understandable from Ginn's point of view that when you work hard for something, and then another member of the band is getting all the "Credit" and chicks, then one feels frustrated and alienated from said band member.
The book has these revelations but also a lot more. It could have been better but this is, after all, an internal monologue. Recommended.
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Summary: Mind Blowing
Review: I have never read a more emotional book in my life. Most people think that the life of a "Rock Star" is women, beer, drugs and loads of money. But the harsh reality is that it is filled with 24 hour long drives, sleeping in trucks, vans and on the floor of someone's basemnent. It's also not knowing where your next meal is coming from. And people spitting on you and cops making your life a living hell, just for the way you look. I don't think that ther is another book out there that describes the life of a touring band as well as this one does. It should be required reading for all of the up and coming "Rock Stars" and fans alike
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Summary: An amusing, straighfoward account of Henry's Black Flag days
Review: I read this book in high school, at the hieght of my Henry-mania. It was the first of his books I was able to find, and solidified my respect for him. Henry tells how he first joined Black Flag, and what is was like to tour in the 80's punk scene. It's a very testeroney book. Henry takes himself a little too seriously, but his fans (and I still am one) will love it. Just don't expect your girlfriend to like it.
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Summary: Great story of life as a touring musician...
Review: I recommend this book to bands I work with who think they want to go out on the road. Like Henry Rollins or not, I think there are some really good lessons here for anybody who wants to get involved in the music business. This isn't American Idol...
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