Rollins Finds Ways to Channel His Anger

AUSTIN, Texas -- Veteran rocker Henry Rollins says he still harbors the anger of his punk roots but has found new ways to channel it off stage.

"My anger is more civically rooted," Rollins, 45, said Sunday in an interview at the South by Southwest Interactive festival. "To be an American without some anger, you're sleeping on the job."

A vocal critic of the Bush Administration and the Iraq war, Rollins said he supports the troops, and he has met many while touring with the USO, the private organization that entertains U.S. troops overseas.

"These people are incredibly human. They're like, 'I have a job to do sir and I really miss my wife,' and that's when it becomes very personal," he said.

The former Black Flag front man now hosts his own film-focused television show on the Independent Film Channel, aptly called "The Henry Rollins Show." He also hosts a radio show in Los Angeles.

He's not so sure music has the power to change the world anymore.

"What does change things is people voting," he said.