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Punk legend Henry Rollins will make a stop on his Provoked tour at the McDonald Theatre on March 23. Rollins, who rose to fame as Black Flag fan turned lead singer, recently took some time out from touring and hosting his TV and radio shows to speak with the Emerald about the upcoming performance, politics and what keeps him grounded.

Oregon Daily Emerald: What can people expect from Provoked? What do you hope the audience will take away from the show?

Henry Rollins: Hopefully they get some inspiration from the evening and at least something to talk about on the way back to the house. As far as what they can expect, I will be on stage talking about where I've been, what I've seen and what I thought about it.

ODE: What are the major differences between doing an all-talk tour and playing rock shows?

HR: The talking tours are much harder to do. It's only you and your mind up there and it's easier to screw it all up than not. The band has its own demands and that's hard to achieve sometimes as well, but the song is the song and a few weeks into the tour, you have it pretty nailed down. The talking shows, for me at least, are never nailed down.

ODE: Can you tell me about your recent experiences touring in South Africa?

HR: It was extremely eye-opening. I met some extremely human people and some really brave and strong folks who are dealing with some insane challenges.

ODE: You've done several United Service Organization tours. Why do you think it is important to entertain American soldiers overseas?

HR: I think it's a good thing for them to know that there are people who don't support the war but are OK with them. I think they should know what is happening back in America as far as attitudes about all this.

ODE: What do you think about the current presidential campaign? Are you endorsing anyone?

HR: I will be voting for the Democratic candidate.

ODE: Do you think of yourself as an activist, for human rights or otherwise?

HR: No, I don't actually. I just hope to do the right thing and be part of the solution and not the problem. If everyone who could would help a little, America would be a different place very quickly.

ODE: You have so much going on in your life - tours, music, TV and radio shows - how do you stay grounded?

HR: I just work. I don't know many people. I don't do much else but the work, so that keeps me where I should be.

ODE: Do you have any new projects you want the people of Eugene to know about?

HR: Hopefully (I will have) a couple of new books out this year. Past that, I have a lot of shows and travel this year.

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