An archive of rare content surfaces as punk rock legend Henry Rollins drops his new four-hour-long show titled "The Cool Quarantine," now available on the KCRW website and app.
The former "Black Flag" frontman launched the new program to offer "aural respite from these stressful times." He added that they started "The Cool Quarantine" to have a show reminiscent of hangouts where friends bring records to someone's house and have a jamming session for hours. He added that since people now spend a long time inside their homes, he wanted to make "a show that conformed to that."
Rollins' earlier statement explained that he already had the idea for a "long-form show" but was aware that the extended airtime would mean "crowding other shows out." He then said that if his program were online, there would be no problems with the number of songs to play and the language. The page for "The Cool Quarantine" already has a disclaimer that reads: "Some language may not be suitable for all audiences."
"Now that many of us are under some kind of confinement, we might as well get some good listening happening," Rollins added.
The former punk rock icon also promised personal anecdotes, bootleg recordings, deep cuts, and other musical rarities. Over the program's four hours, fans can also expect full streams of albums and EPs.
The KCRW host also shared that he handpicks the tracks so he could share the stories behind those songs before playing them. Among the content he had on the first episode included a bootleg recording of The Cramps' live performance from 1979, sharing that it is the first cassette Rollins ever copied.
Another treat in the debut episode is a live Led Zeppelin track that Rollins and a friend saw personally.
Aside from "The Cool Quarantine," Henry Rollins also hosts another show on KCRW, occupying a two-hour slot. Born Henry Lawrence Garfield, Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, as well as a comedian, activist, actor, and radio show host. He is best known as the frontman for the hardcore punk band "Black Flag," from 1981 to 1986.
Following their recognition from "Black Flag," Rollins started making TV appearances, landing several guesting and starring roles. Some of his biggest roles include the antagonist A.J. Weston on the second season of the FX TV series "Sons of Anarchy," as well as providing the voice for Zaheer, the main antagonist for the Book Three of the Nickelodeon animated series "The Legend of Korra."
Henry Rollins also wrote columns for U.S. publications such as the LA Weekly and The Huffington Post, as well as the online portal of the Vanity Fair magazine. His columns usually discuss music, but also express his opinion on national issues such as politics and society. Aside from publication columns, Rollins has also written and published books, most notably his "Black Coffee Blues" series of books that contains a collection of his writings.
He went on tours around the world, sharing the contents of his books as a live spoken poetry performance. These "Black Coffee Blues" anecdotes, as well as his spoken word performances, usually cover a variety of topics and genres - from comedy to his personal experiences in the music industry.
