Punk icon Henry Rollins is already a pretty fiery guy, so bringing him on First We Feast’s “Hot Ones” to suck down the hottest wings on the planet was a tricky proposition. Luckily, Rollins keeps his cool through each tasting, though the heat does seem to tighten his every muscle, making Rollins burrow into himself, and, at one point, veer into an odd tangent about zombies, which he caps with a hoarse scream.


Otherwise, Rollins flaunts his formidable skills as a storyteller, offering insight into his eating habits, what it’s like to open for Ozzy Osbourne, and why Tehran is his favorite city to visit. Most interesting, however, is a round of questions asking Rollins to dissect the meaning of punk through the lens of multiple companies and personalities.

For him, punk is more or less incompatible with any corporation or brand, though he does bestow the designation upon the likes of Lady Gaga, whose distaste for “reality” appeals to him, and Bernie Sanders, a man who, in Rollins’ estimation, is very much “on his own” in the political arena. Rollins’ punk credentials are further fortified here. No matter how hot the sauce, he never bats an eye.