A "no frills" presentation of Henry Rollins doing "the talking thing", in which he projects himself as a kind of hardcore drill instructor of righteousness and self improvement: a tattooed Anthony Robbins if you will. As with most populist commentators, he can claim to simplify the message through the use of aphorism and anecdotes in order to reach as wide an audience as possible. Often though, this is really symptomatic of a consistent inability to relate individual experience to a wider social context in an indepth and interesting way. One gets the disturbing impression that this stage act cannot maintain its illusion of spontaneity and loosening up. It seems carefully contrived, like Henry's weight lifting and rigorous work schedule, to render his responses automatic so as to eliminate any anxiety associated with uncertainty. This might explain the perfunctory character of this performance and its effect on the viewer. Regardless of what Rollins recalls in his anecdotes, there is a curious equivalency which renders them indistinguishable. While not without its charms, the main impression "Talking Out the Box" leaves behind is simply that Henry was there and lived to tell another tale.
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