Henry Rollins talks Asbury Park return

Asbury Park, like many cities around the world, is in a constant state of flux. To those of us who call the area home, some changes are subtle; they're the gradual shifts in economics, demographics and trends.

Other moments, like the demolition of the landmark Baronet Theatre on Fourth Avenue in 2010 and beloved Fast Lane in 2013, followed by the October closure of Asbury Lanes, are shocking in their cold swiftness.

But in this world there are constants, too, and among those is Henry Rollins. The iconic singer, actor, writer, raconteur and provocateur has been visiting Asbury Park, and observing the city's changing landscape, for nearly 35 years.

“I’ve had some interesting times in Asbury Park. I’ll be honest with you, it has quite the reputation as a tough piece of real estate," Rollins recalled. His first visit to the city was in 1982 when the Washington, D.C., native played the Fast Lane during his tenure as the lead singer of iconic West Coast hardcore band Black Flag.

"We’re broke and there’s nothing to do all day. You just sit around waiting for the gig," Rollins said. "So I’m sitting on the front steps of that place and I watch two men in white tank-tops, two Archie Bunkers, stand there toe-to-toe and slug each other in the face. It was intense.

“That night, I barely got on to the stage because the bouncer didn’t believe I was in the band. I ran out to the van to get something, the band’s on stage and I’m walking in and he’s like, ‘Where are you going?’ I convinced him and he said, ‘If I don’t see you up there, I’m gonna find you,’ I went, ‘Ah, yeah, OK, that’s fine.’ So the first time I was there I was like, ‘Damn man, this is heavy.’"

Rollins, who now lives in Hollywood, has returned to the city time and again over the years, including performing with his Rollins Band at the city's waterfront as part of the Vans Warped Tour in 2001.

“While it was always kind of a rough venue wherever we were, the audiences were always fantastic; they were great that night in ’82," Rollins said. "And so, over the years, whenever I’d get a show in Asbury Park I’d be like, ‘OK, yeah, tough town, but good people.’"

Asbury Park will welcome Rollins back later this year when he becomes one of the first performers to take the stage at the new House of Independents on Cookman Avenue in the city's downtown area. Rollins will bring his spoken word show to town for two sold out performances on Dec. 11 and 12.

These days, Rollins is as busy as ever. He's starring in "He Never Died," a supernatural film noir now looking to finance a theatrical release through crowdfunding website Indiegogo, and he appears alongside Iggy Pop, Grace Jones, Tom Araya of Slayer and Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister in the new silent film "Gutterdammerung."

He'll be arriving in Asbury Park following a period of travel that will include spending the second half of November in Antarctica, visiting Buenos Aires and catching seven shows by alt-rockers Dinosaur Jr. at New York City's Bowery Ballroom.

“Basically, I’m on tour, in the world and on the move from basically now — I’m on an airplane tomorrow morning at some stupid hour — until Christmas of next year with little breaks in between. But basically just stop-gaps between the next leg of something," Rollins explained. "So I’ve got about 14 or 15 months of things coming. But what will inform the shows in December in Asbury Park will be all of the things I’ve been up to for the last few years leading up to those nights.”

His world travels, Rollins said, also afford him the opportunity to observe, first-hand, the changing faces and cultures of communities across the globe, including Asbury Park.

“I see cities in jump cuts all over the world, from here to Johannesburg, and I’ve become pretty astute at noticing changes," he said. "Even in my own hometown of Washington, D.C., I go back to my old neighborhood like once a year and there’s an old block of what used to be bars and delis, a typical East Coast street, and now it’s condominiums and Whole Foods. It’s cool, it is what it is, but the demographic is different. It’s like young, tough guys and their wives and their three-wheeled baby carriages and Dockers pants and backwards baseball caps where there used to be delightful, harmless drunks and barfly types."

Lots of cities, Rollins said, are engaged in “a huge-budgeted revitalization of the downtown. Quite beautiful, but with that you lose the flavor of what was. But if what was was kind of gnarly and you’d stick to it if you leaned up against it, then maybe it should go. You just hope that what comes in its place is somewhat tastefully rendered and not just made to generate money or get people in and out after parting them with their cash. That’s what I’ve noticed. These places become really anonymous and it’s all about getting you parked, fed, caffeinated and out so they can get the next butt in the seat.”

HENRY ROLLINS

WHEN: 8 p.m. Dec. 11 and 12

WHERE: House of Independents, 572 Cookman Ave., Asbury Park

TICKETS: Sold out

INFO: www.houseofindependents.com