Red Mosquito

Here is the first song of the set. Henry Rollins let me shoot his band at the Cat Club in NYC. I think this was just their 5th show. I had to borrow a camera and it had to be plugged in, so I had to shoot from the back. The camera had an exrernal VHS recorder that you strapped on like a purse. SO this is off that VHS tape. This was such an intense show and The band sonic youth were there in the audience too! I often kick myself for not finding A/C up at the front and getting better footage. By the way..No One has seen this footage except for me, untill now.

Since Life Time was the Rollins Band's first album, what was the greatest thing you learned about working together in the studio for the first time that helped shape the band's working relationship on subsequent recordings?

That Andrew would always be an asshole. That never changed and proved to be the “thing” about every recording we ever made. A distinctly unenjoyable experience every single time.

After Come in and Burn (1997), you formed a new version of the Rollins Band with the guys from Mother Superior. What changed in your working/creative relationship with the original band – especially Chris and Sim – that necessitated moving forward with new musicians after spending so many years together?

It was great working with people who were into it, ready to go, were happy to travel, didn’t whine and didn’t talk about money all the time. Playing with the Mother Superior guys is probably the only time I was in a positive environment making music. It was great to be in a band without drama or cliche adult rockstar problems and just play really hard every night.

With the exception of Andrew, the original Rollins Band lineup reunited for a tour with X in 2006. Why didn't this incarnation of the band continue beyond that point?

Because it was a bad idea of Chris Haskett’s that I said yes to. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to fall back in with those people. That’s a summer I’ll never get back. It should have never happened. The playing was good, but the experience was awful. I blame myself only.

Birds in Hell wrote: