Get in the Van | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1994 | |||
Genre | Audiobook | |||
Label | Quarterstick | |||
Henry Rollins chronology | ||||
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Author | Henry Rollins |
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Language | English |
Publisher | 2.13.61 |
Publication date | 1995 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print Paperback Spoken Word |
Pages | 247 |
ISBN | 978-1-880985-24-3 |
OCLC | 31955393 |
782.42166/092/2 20 | |
LC Class | ML421.B56 R65 1994 |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Get in the Van is a memoir by singer, writer and spoken word artist Henry Rollins first published in 1994 by Rollins' own company, 2.13.61 Publications. The book is composed of journal entries that Rollins kept while he was lead singer of the band Black Flag from 1981 to its breakup in 1986. Other text includes recollections of times when he had yet to start, or had lapsed in, his journal-keeping.
The book won a 1996 Firecracker Alternative Book Award. [2] Sections of the book were read and recorded by Rollins and released as a 2-CD set, which won a Grammy in 1995 for Best Spoken Word Album. The tracks are broken up into "1981–1983" and "1984–1986".
The entries begin in the spring of 1981, and document the time surrounding Rollins' personal introduction to and joining of Black Flag. From there, Rollins recounts a string of violent shows, long hours on the road, and abuse by police while immersed in the poverty-stricken bohemian lifestyle the band had maintained. A major part of the writings about 1982 is dedicated to the band's first tour of England, which Rollins paints as a mostly ugly affair. As the narrative continues, Rollins describes the band as being alienated by its audience and how he alienated himself from the band. July 12, 1986 is the final entry. Following it is an afterword by Rollins describing the effects that his experiences with Black Flag had on him and the time immediately following the band's breakup.
Photos are prominent in the book, and include work by Glen E. Friedman, Ed Colver, and Naomi Peterson as well as flyers by Greg Ginn's brother, Raymond Pettibon, and drawings by a member of Black Flag's crew called Davo. The cover photo, taken by Gary Leonard, depicts a squad of Los Angeles police officers marching on a show featuring The Ramones and Black Flag on November 17, 1984. The back cover features a photo taken by Peter Gruchot at a February 19, 1983 show in Berlin, Germany at the SO36 club, depicting everyone—band and crowd—singing along to the song "TV Party" after the PA was turned off.
An appendix of Black Flag line-ups and tour dates, starting with Rollins' joining, is included.
A re-issue of the book was made available in late 2004. It includes extra journal entries, artwork and two afterwords, dated 1994 and 2004. One of the afterwords mentions a journal authored by Rollins' friend Joe Cole, who had been murdered when the two were robbed in 1991, and published by 2.13.61 titled Planet Joe which offers an alternate recount of the same dates as the Rollins offering.
Rollins states, in the introduction, that he began work on compiling the book some time in 1990. He also explains that many of the journal entries were written while living in The Shed, a construct in the back yard of Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn's parents' house.
Henry Lawrence Garfield, known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Rollins fronted the California hardcore band Black Flag from 1981 to 1986. Following the band's breakup, he established the record label and publishing company 2.13.61 to release his spoken word albums, and formed the Rollins Band, which toured with a number of lineups from 1987 to 2003 and in 2006.
Gregory Regis Ginn is an American musician and songwriter, best known for being the leader, primary songwriter, and the only continuous member of the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led from 1976 to 1986, and again in 2003. The band announced another reunion in 2013. Since the breakup of Black Flag, Ginn has recorded solo albums, and performed with such bands as October Faction, Gone, Confront James, Mojack, and others. He was 99th on Rolling Stone's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Black Flag is an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. Initially called Panic, the band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band. They are widely considered to be one of the first hardcore punk bands, as well as one of the pioneers of post-hardcore. After breaking up in 1986, Black Flag reunited in 2003 and again in 2013. The second reunion lasted well over a year, during which they released their first studio album in nearly three decades, What The... (2013). The band announced their third reunion in January 2019.
SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was first founded in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Transmitters, a small business through which he sold electronics equipment. Ginn repurposed the company as a record label to release material by his band Black Flag.
My War is the second full-length studio album by American punk rock band Black Flag. It was the first of three full-length albums the band released in 1984. The album polarized fans due to the LP's B-side, on which the band slowed down to a heavy, Black Sabbath-esque trudge after establishing expectations as a faster hardcore punk band on their first album, Damaged (1981).
Slip It In is the fourth studio album by the American hardcore punk band Black Flag, released in 1984 by SST Records.
Damaged is the debut studio album by the American hardcore punk band Black Flag. It was released by SST Records in November 1981.
Family Man is the third studio album by the American hardcore punk band Black Flag. Released in 1984 through SST Records, it features spoken word tracks by vocalist Henry Rollins and jazz-indebted instrumental tracks. It is also the first album to feature bassist Kira Roessler. "Armageddon Man" is the only track on the album in which Rollins and the instruments are together.
The First Four Years is a compilation album by the American hardcore punk band Black Flag. It was released in 1983 on SST Records. The compilation consists of all of the group's material released before Henry Rollins became the band's vocalist in 1981. It essentially collects the extended plays Nervous Breakdown (1979), Jealous Again (1980), Six Pack (1981), and the single "Louie Louie", with two tracks from various artists' compilation albums.
Live '84 is an album released by Black Flag in 1984 on SST Records. It is a live recording of a show played in 1984 and features mostly tracks from My War and Slip It In. A video was shot simultaneously and was briefly available through SST; the now-out-of-print video has been widely bootlegged.
Rollins Band was an American rock band formed in Van Nuys, California. The band was active from 1987 to 2006 and was led by former Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins. They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and "Liar", which both earned heavy airplay on MTV in the early-mid 1990s.
In My Head is the sixth studio album by American punk band Black Flag. It was released in 1985 on SST Records, and was their final studio album before their breakup in 1986. The CD reissue adds three of the four songs that later appeared on the I Can See You EP, replicating the original 1985 cassette release which came out concurrent to the LP.
TV Party is the fourth EP by American band Black Flag, released in 1982. It was self-produced with Ed Barton and originally released by SST Records on the 7" vinyl format. The title track is a satire of boredom, drinking and America's obsession with television; the original version was also released on the band's 1981 album Damaged.
2.13.61, Inc. is a publisher and record company founded by American musician Henry Rollins and named after his date of birth. The company has released albums by the Rollins Band, all of Rollins' spoken word work, and numerous books. It is based in Los Angeles, California.
Andrew Weiss is an American musician, composer, audio engineer and record producer.
Gone is a three-piece punk-based instrumental rock band, formed by Greg Ginn in late 1985. Originally, Gone was a side project to his main group Black Flag.
October Faction is an album by October Faction, the improvisational all-star punk rock band featuring Black Flag members Greg Ginn and Chuck Dukowski and Saccharine Trust guitarist Joe Baiza.
The Nig-Heist was a punk-comedy-shock rock band led by Steve "Mugger" Corbin, a roadie and live sound engineer for Black Flag and employee of SST Records. The Nig-Heist featured a revolving-door roster of members of the bands who were on tour with Black Flag at the moment. The band used to open for Black Flag on tour and recorded a 7", an LP and had tracks on compilations. They were notorious for their risqué stage antics, including band members playing naked, Mugger wearing a long-haired wig and insulting the crowd. Their songs were overtly vulgar and explicit in a funny way. Their motto was: "The band that cums in your mouth, not in your hands".
The Complete 1982 Demos is an unreleased set of demo tracks intended for a follow-up album to Black Flag's debut album Damaged (1981). The tracks recorded show the band moving in a riff-driven, heavy metal-inflected direction, away from the pure hardcore punk of the first album. Due to legal issues, the album was never recorded, though most of the tracks were re-recorded for later albums. Though never officially released, the recordings have been widely bootlegged.