Henry Rollins was born Henry Lawrence Garfield on February 13, 1961, in the nation's capitol where he quit college in his first year to immerse himself in DC's emerging hardcore scene.

By the late 1970s, he was a fixture at local shows. And in the '80s he would emerge as an iconic figure for both fronting Black Flag and later Rollins Band.

Later, when he wasn't yelling in a mic with a band behind him, he was speaking into it alone. First on global storytelling tours. And then as one of the most insightful and delightful DJs on the FM dial in Los Angeles.

Before he became a frontman, Rollins worked behind the scenes, starting off as a roadie for local hardcore bands.

Because life is weirdly beautiful, he and another straight edge punk legend who shared many of his values, Ian MacKaye worked with Rollins at the bougie Haagen-Daz ice cream shop in the early '80s.

Scooping ice cream would be the last typical job he'd ever have. He joked it was the only real-world labor skill he has. But it's not something he wanted to return to.

In 1981, Henry bounced from Haagen-Daz to the hardcore band SOA where he recorded the No Policy EP.

That caught the attention of Southern California's Black Flag who had gone through three singers in three years: Keith Morris (1976–1979), Ron Reyes (1979–1980), and Dez Cadena (1980–1981).

Suddenly there was 20 year-old Henry fronting the aggressive group and recording the group's first full length LP, Damaged, whose cuts “Rise Above” and “TV Party” became underground anthems.

Being the singer of Black Flag wasn't just a gig that allowed him to hang up his apron. He loved them. It was a dream come true.

"Black Flag was my favorite band," Rollins wrote in Spin in 1986. "I constantly played what few records they had out.

"I met them in the spring of 1981 and hung out with them for most of their brief stay when they visited Washington, D.C., to play two sets at the 9:30 Club.

"Chuck Dukowski gave me a demo tape of their unreleased music. Every morning before I went to work, I would play that tape: 'Damage,' 'Police Story,' 'No More,' and their version of 'Louie, Louie.'

"I loved and hated the tape. The tunes were great and the words said what I was feeling. But I hated it because I wanted to be the singer! I mean, Dez was great, but still…"

Once Dez left and Rollins was in, he fronted the group for about 650 shows through June 27, 1986, when the band broke up. Their final song together was "Louie Louie."

Me gotta go, indeed.

Never one to stand still, the year after Black Flag dissolved, Henry formed Rollins Band, whose most recognized lineup features guitarist Chris Haskett, bassist Andrew Weiss, and drummer Sim Cain.

The core Rollins Band releases were: Life Time (1987), Do It (EP, 1988), Hard Volume (1989), Turned On (EP, 1990), The End of Silence (1992), Weight (1994), Come In and Burn (1997), Get Some Go Again (2000), Nice (2001), and Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three (2003).

The single “Liar” from Weight became a fixture on MTV, separating Rollins from early '80s punker to alternative-era mainstay.

Even Beavis and Butt-Head had to chime in.

If Henry seems intimidating and intense while fronting bands, he's the polar opposite in his writing -- often sensitive, introspective, and uncertain.

He has published several books including See a Grown Man Cry (1988), Now Watch Him Die (1988), and Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag (1994).

While he no longer rocks in concert because he doesn't want to rehash old songs, he still listens to lots of music and sees shows. But don't expect him to get Rollins Band back together or reunite any incarnation of Black Flag.

"When I see Jane’s Addiction get back together, when I see these bands reunite, like the Buzzcocks, who I love, who go out and play that same set every night for the 30th year–I guess it’s a paycheck. I’d rather starve, personally," he told The Village Voice in 2010.

"I’m not putting down Ozzy who goes out and sings 'Paranoid' every night of his life. And I’ve had a chance to talk to Ozzy about that, and I say, 'You go out and play all those songs every night' and he goes, 'Yeah, I like to make people happy.'

"I understand. It’s a different head. It’s an older-school show-business head. I don’t want to do it. And most of the time, I don’t want to watch. The only time I’ll watch is when Iggy goes out and does Stooges songs because he’s still terrifying," Henry explained.

Now at 65 it might seem like he's retired.

But, no, he still does his long running weekly radio show on KCRW in Santa Monica, California. His next episode will be his 880th. You can hear it here and read his notes about the episodes here.