Is This News?

I'd like to look back at Henry Rollins' time at LA Weekly where he was a featured writer, mainly to examine the distinction between a journalist and a columnist. Rollins is an interesting case: he writes purely from opinion and personal experience, though with a life and lifestyle that are inordinary when compared to the average journalist. There could be some thought-provoking and insightful commentary. For example, when a Leonardo da Vinci painting sold for $450 million last November, Rollins wrote, "I would hate to think that as the years go on, more and more art will disappear into private collections and rarely, if ever, [will] get to be enjoyed by we the rabble." Additionally, when he ventured into "Trump Country" during a speaking tour, he unpacked an exchange he had with a shuttle driver, which offered itself as a case study of sorts on the miniscule perspective of a Pennsylvanian citizen. Regardless, it is a stretch to attribute journalistic merit to Rollins, but if there ever was a need to examine current events through the lens of a grizzled artist and world traveler, Rollins is essential.  [1 image, 4 links, 1 quotation, 187 words]