Henry Rollins has revealed that he and his longtime friend and fellow punk legend Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat) are working together again on a “great project.” The news comes as a welcome — and surprising — development for fans who have long mourned Rollins’ departure from music.
In a post on his website, Rollins shared that the two had been recording at the historic Inner Ear Studios in Washington, D.C. — “[It’s] where we made our first records decades ago and mixed a four-song session with the great Don Zientara at the board,” he wrote. “This is the same studio where the Teen Idles, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, and many others recorded. It was amazing to be back there with Ian and Don.”
“Part way through the mix, none other than Eddie Janney — he of the Untouchables, Rights of Spring [sic], One Last Wish, Happy Go Licky, Skewbald, and other great bands — joined us. The session benefited greatly by his presence,” Rollins added. “As to the tracks, I had them mastered several days ago, and I’m now working on the layout and design for the record. When it’s ready, I’ll let you know. We are extremely excited by this one.”
For Rollins, this marks a significant — and unexpected — return to the studio. The singer hasn’t recorded a full album since Weighting (2004) with the Rollins Band, and although he’s made occasional guest appearances with acts like The Flaming Lips and Ruts DC, he’s often dismissed the idea of fully reentering the music industry. “I have not thought lyrically since about the year 2000, 2001,” Rollins told Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong. “I’m smart enough to not come back for the encore. ‘Hey, you missed me?’ I never asked that question. I just leave… I don’t quiet quit. I don’t fade. I just split after every obligation has been met.”
Though his last band tour was in 2006, Rollins has remained incredibly active over the past two decades — hosting a regular radio show, producing podcasts, releasing books, and embarking on spoken word tours.
His friendship with MacKaye stretches back to their teenage years in Washington, D.C.’s hardcore punk scene of the late ’70s and early ’80s, when MacKaye fronted The Teen Idles and Rollins sang for State of Alert. Both would go on to become towering figures in punk history: Rollins joining Black Flag in 1981, and MacKaye founding Minor Threat in 1980 and later Fugazi.
There’s no word yet on when — or in what format — the songs they recorded will be released, but given the return to their earliest studio roots, it’s safe to assume the project will be steeped in pure punk spirit.
