In December of 1991, I was asked to do a photoshoot with Henry Rollins for SPIN. The majority, if not all, the photos I had seen of Henry had presented that intensity and punk-like rage he was known for. I planned to capture images that went beyond that facade while remaining true to the Rollins mystique.
The photo session was scheduled for a few days after Christmas. But on December 19th, Henry and his closest friend and housemate Joe Cole were on their way home from a Hole concert, when they were held up by two men at gunpoint, just outside their house in Venice, California. One gunman told Henry, “If you yell or scream, I will blow your head off”. Henry replied. “Okay.”
As Henry was unlocking the door to their house, he felt strongly that they would be executed once inside the house. Then Henry heard a scuffle, and a gunshot. Joe Cole was shot in the face and killed. Henry was able to run through the house and out the back, running until he found a phone to call the police. When the police arrived, they detained Henry, and when he asked about Joe, they coldly responded, “He’s dead.”
I was shocked that he didn’t cancel, but I thought, this Rollins is tough and highly disciplined. It is not just an act or a facade. He’s the real deal, and now the challenge was on me. I couldn’t dwell on the event or his state of mind, yet I couldn’t ignore it either.
The day before the shoot. LA Weekly published Joe Cole’s obituary, written by Henry. I wanted to do a shot with Henry, somewhat abstractly holding the obituary, but be clear in the shot that he had just watched his best friend murdered. That helped break the ice and let things go where they needed.
How was Henry on the day of the photo session?
Deep down, I can’t begin to imagine. But I got to see a guy who came to do what he had to do. I got the “angry and strong” Henry Rollins on film and eased into the pained, lost, heartbroken, authentic man who would do what he does — put it all out there on that day, that’s Henry Rollins.
This photo from that day has never been published. But it tells the whole story.
The killers were never caught.