Henry Rollins @ Le National

The longest relationship I have been in to this day has been only 16 months and that is being generous. I believe punk rock to be my first love, my family to be my undying love and strength and Henry Rollins to be my future husband.

Realistically, especially now that I have finally seen him speak, I can say that my standards are adequately high and that there IS in fact a man out that not only meets those standards, but surpasses them. It has been a long time since I first listened to Black Flag. Ten years in fact. Many things, including my taste and standards in men, have changed. But my love for Henry has never faltered.

Monday mornings are usually difficult, but this one was the easy. It felt better than my last day of university. It was the much anticipated day that I would get to see Mr. Henry Rollins in person, but to profess my undying love to him after I hear him speak about his travels over Europe and Asia in the last few years. I have read and heard so much of his spoken word, but I had no doubt that I would be hanging off each and every last breath he spoke. But what would he say? I spent Sunday night dreaming that he would talk of the days of Black Flag and how he spend afternoons as a young punk reading with Ian Mackaye and talking about politics and music in Washington D.C. Then he would tell the audience about why he isn't married; which would be my segue into our discussion after. I would relate to his similar situation of heartbreak and we would talk about it all night long. Sigh.

The reality is that Mr. Henry Rollins is some sort of talking beast, capable of going a full three hours without taking a sip of water. His on-stage stance suggested that he was ready to throw down and had me on the edge of my seat laughing for the entire time. He spoke of many wise things including his friend Ian Mackaye, politics (including "beloved hockey mom Sarah Palin"), Obama nation and a host of other subjects framed around his many travels. The highlight was listening to his stories of Washington D.C., Ian Mackaye, Mackaye's family AND the Bad Brains. It was like hearing your dad tell stories he is animated about, except about things you actually care about. It was like hearing the lead singer tell you about the show he played instead of hearing it from your buddy that was there. This time, I got to be there and it was fucking great. He was funny, clever, outspoken and brilliant. This is hardly a bias opinion. If it were, I would have mentioned what a sliver fox he is, with his old-school Vans and fitted Dickies pants.

After the show, we waited around for Hank outside the venue. Though I didn't make too much of an ass of myself, I didn't quite get the chance to propose either.