Former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins hasn’t released any new music in more than a decade and it appears like he doesn’t plan to do so in the future either. In a recent chat with iconic producer Rick Rubin, Rollins opened up about his music career and all but confirmed his retirement.
“The smart thing I did as a younger man was one day I woke up in my bed, and I went, ‘I’m done with music,” said Rollins while appearing on Rubin’s Broken Record podcast. “I don’t hate it. I just have no more lyrics. There’s no more toothpaste in the tube.”
Rollins continued by sharing a discussion with one “major rock star” that continues to tour on the back of his past works and explained why he isn’t interested in following the same path.
“And I’m sure in the last few years he has sung that one, that one, that one and that one for the five hundred and seventy millionth time. And 50 thousand people went ‘yay.’ That’s just not for me. I’d rather take the risk,” he added.
Henry Rollins is viewed as one of the most influential punk rock performers thanks to his work with Black Flag and Rollins Band. Throughout his music career, he made close to 30 studio records and live albums. His most recent release containing original music was 2001’s Nice with Rollins Band.
Since retiring from music, Rollins has been working as a radio host, columnist, and actor, among other ventures.
