Henry Rollins Said What All of Us Were Thinking About Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’ Back in 2017: “An Absolute Masterpiece”

It’s not exactly possible to have a thorough conversation about post-punk without talking about Joy Division. Despite being so short-lived as a band and coming to an end when frontman Ian Curtis passed away, and with just two albums, Joy Division has become known as one of the most influential groups at the edge of the 1970s. Punk was still in full swing. And yet, this group managed to look past that evolution of rock into something totally new with Unknown Pleasures. Plenty of their contemporaries agree that Joy Division changed everything, including former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins.

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Henry Rollins actually dished on his love of Joy Division on several occasions, most notably in a video for The Sound Of Vinyl in 2017.

Henry Rollins on Joy Divison: “You’ll Be Lost Without Joy Division. They Were That Good.”

Some might find Henry Rollins’ love of Joy Division to be surprising. Rollins is a massive figure in hardcore punk, starting with his time in State Of Alert through his tenure in the 1980s with the hardcore outfit Black Flag, and later with The Rollins Band. Joy Division, naturally, leaned more toward the post-punk vibe of gothic rock and new wave. But Rollins knows good music when he hears it. And he had nothing but praise and reverence for the legendary band.

“I cannot recommend this record to you more strongly,” Rollins beamed while holding up a copy of Unknown Pleasures. “It is the introduction to what will be your long and very happy relationship with Joy Division. […] As good as any debut album to have ever existed.”

This isn’t the only time Rollins has spoken so reverently about Joy Division. In one Quietus interview, Rollins went as far as to say that Joy Division should be up there with the massive greats, like Led Zeppelin and The Beatles.

“When someone finally writes the book on rock & roll – the one that gets it right – that gets this thing that we’re doing right?” said Rollins. “Well, Joy Division will – in my opinion – be right there with The Beatles and Miles Davis and Led Zeppelin and David Bowie because what you wanna mention – as far as staggering genius – you will not be able to have that conversation without including Joy Division. You’ll be lost without Joy Division. They were that good.”

In the video interview, Rollins also sings the praises of other artists and bands, like Black Sabbath and Jimi Hendrix. Naturally, he goes in with a ton of input that one would expect from an enormous music nerd. I strongly recommend watching the other clips of his interview with The Sound Of Vinyl when you’ve got the time.

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