Henry Rollins: How Jimi Hendrix's 'Are You Experienced' changed my life

Henry Rollins is many things: hardcore punk icon, poet, actor, comedian, TV and radio host, all-around music fanatic … and an obsessive vinyl collector. His listening tastes are as eclectic as his resume, ranging from Afropop and musicals to '60s avant-garde, '70s heavy metal, '80s post-punk and beyond.

When we talked to the ex-Black Flag frontman about the 10 albums that have shaped him as a person and an artist, he hailed Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 debut Are You Experienced. Below, Rollins shares the profound connection he had with that album.

“As a player, an innovator and young badass, Mr. Hendrix states his case rather well on this album. I identify heavily with the alienation in the lyrics. It’s the first thing that I noticed about his songs.”