A Preferred Blur: Reflections, Inspections, and Travel in All Directions

Really enjoyed the book. It goes over the coaster of emotions that I think anyone goes through and Henry-style remedies that help overcome the tough times. However, it's filled with relatable musical and political history that I think has been overlooked by the general public's eye. Being from a military background and traveling as a diplomat through several "impovered" countries; I can respect the face-to-face experience that Henry subjects himself to. It makes his viewpoints credible and in many cases I found myself chuckling during similar experiences. This book has encouraged me to record my daily whereabouts as well to help cope with the mundane routinw of working for the man.

I love how Henry never breaks from his aesthetic of being alone and never letting relationships get in the way of his work. I really enjoyed how he talked about travels, all the beautiful scenery he sees and some of the locals being really friendly to him and making him laugh. It's very touching when he talks about his friends back in DC. How he's always in awe at being in their presence and really blessed that they remained in his life throughout years no matter how long he's been gone traveling throughout the world. There's definitely a sweet, passionate side to Henry along with his brute intensity that keeps me always reading books. Henry is never boring. You always learn something new engaging in his world.

I have to preface this review by saying that I really enjoyed Rollins' previous book "A Dull Roar", which documented the 2006 reformation of the Rollins Band line-up from the 1990's and Henry's continued work on both his radio show and his I.F.C. interview show. I couldn't wait to read this follow up book to that period, and I was underwhelmed to say the least, and actually have never said that about reading one of Rollins' books before. What I found the most interesting about this book was Rollins' journal entries on his travels to Jordan and the Middle East, and his perceptions about how the locals feel about America and Americans, and what his feelings were as an outsider visiting those parts of the world. I was also very interested in Henry's thoughts about singing for the band The Ruts after they reformed for one show after their guitar player was diagnosed with cancer, as well as his ruminations about his hometown of Washington D.C., which he writes about very frequently throughout "A Preferred Blur". As Rollins has stated in many of his previous books, D.C. represents a jumping off place for him; emotions run high when he spends time there, especially when he visits in the autumn months, as he did during the writing of this book. He writes frequently in "A Preferred Blur" about the recent death of his friend Ian Mackaye's mother, which affected him very deeply. Some of Rollin's descriptions in this book of his love for his friends from D.C. and the feelings that the city evokes in him struck me as some of his most powerful and heartfelt writing. That's the plus side of this book in my opinion. Unfortunately though, much of "A Preferred Blur" was just repeated sentiments about how much Rollins detests the Bush administration, how much he hates human contact and the thought of being close to anyone, numerous statements that his work is all that matters to him, and his annoyance about his perpetually lost luggage during his travels. After pages upon pages of these same sentiments repeated over and over I actually found myself getting bored, which as I've said is a first for me while reading a book by Rollins. I still think that "A Preferred Blur" is worth reading if you are a fan and want to hear more about Henry's international travels, but I wouldn't rank this as among his best work.

Excellent book. Also thicker than I expected (a nice surprise). The version of Rollins I like the best. Him just waxing on random things kind of like the better parts of Get In The Van. But definitely a different Rollins than before; If you are familiar with his work you will notice some changes in his personality, which is actually interesting to read. The only thing wrong with this book is that is has a last page.

I enjoyed this book not because the writing is fantastic but because the book doesn't try to be something it's not. Henry is totally authentic and truthful in exactly the way you'd expect Henry to be. It's definitely not for everyone but if you're a fan of Rollins, this book is worth checking out. It's essentially a collection of journal entries covering his tour and travels in 2007.

This book really broke my heart. Hank is so bitter in this one, it makes all his other books look like children's literature. From yelling at fans who say hello to calling his former band members names, he comes off as being petty and miserable in his old age. This book made me never want to approach him in real life or go to a show of his again. This being said, I still love the man!

I've always been a huge fan of Rollins writing and his performances. In this book it's excerpts from his diary, which in many causes are stories from his spoken word or are found in articles. It seems like I am constantly rereading what I've already read. For much of the book Rollins is depressed, which makes you depressed. To me it was not very enjoyable, especially since he has so many books that are brilliantly written. Some of his other books are written in a similar style to this one, but this one pales in comparison.

It's Hank, I mean what more do you need to know? Depressed? Read This...Happy? Read This...Rich? Read This...Poor? Read This.