The Curious Case of the Rollins Tattoo
I was out for a morning walk with Peggy today when a gentleman approached asking if he could pet my dog. I said he absolutely could, but beware of her vicious licks. He laughed at my remark, crouched down, and began petting her. As he did, I noticed a large ROLLINS tattoo on his forearm.
I have always been a fan of Henry Rollins’ work. He’s a likeable, sensible, talented guy. One of his earliest and best-known bands was Black Flag, which was certainly a major part of the soundtrack of much of my youth. I always get a little excited when I meet a fellow “grown-up” who is a kindred spirit, so I asked him about the tattoo.
I exclaimed, “You have a Rollins tattoo! Cool.”
”Ya,” he replied, “I’m a songwriter and really dig his stuff.”
“You must be a big Black Flag fan?” I asked.
“No, not really.” He replied while continuing to rub Peg.
“Oh, Rollins Band, then?” I inquired. It's another awesome band he launched years after Black Flag.
“No, I don’t really like his music much. I love his writing, though, I’m a huge fan.”
His reply completely threw me off. Say the words “Henry Rollins,” and I instantly think of this guy. Say the words “Henry Rollins” to Peggy’s new friend, and I expect he would think of this guy. We both aren’t wrong. Henry Rollins was a fantastic singer and frontman, as he is an author and spoken word artist. But I found this moment awkward because of how we both enjoy the same guy for different reasons in our contrasting worlds.
This got me thinking about personal brands and how we can be different things to different people. I sometimes get stuck in my own head thinking about my persona as it applies to my work. By being too many things, I fear this fogs my brand, leaving people wondering what it is I do. It’s especially important that everyone knows what I do, so they recommend me or hire me. I am self-employed, so this is crucial.
Rollins is a singer, poet, author, photographer, spoken-word artist, actor, radio broadcaster, and record label owner. He is many different things to many different people, and he makes his living from all of them combined. How punk rock is that?
Maybe I should cool my inner thinking and instead focus on my life work. This ramble has inspired me to focus on a new project that has been on my backburner for a bit. It's time to shift gears a tad, but I also need to remember what feeds my family.
“I believe that one defines oneself by reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself. To cut yourself out of stone.”