There may be only one thing punk rock icon Henry Rollins enjoys more than screaming into a microphone, and that’s simply talking into a microphone. Although he is primarily known as front man of groups like Black Flag and the Rollins Band, he has also been conducting spoken word performances since the 1980s. His energetic rants encompass everything from his own touring experiences to politics and literature, all infused with an edgy dose of sardonic humor. 

Seacoast fans can get a taste of Rollins’ ravings on Sunday, May 17, when he takes The Music Hall’s stage in Portsmouth. It’s part of a swing through the northeast before Rollins takes off for a European tour in June.

Branching far beyond his music career, Rollins has several books, DVDs and spoken word CDs under his belt. One of those discs, “Get in the Van,” received a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Recording in 1995. Rollins’ latest book, “A Preferred Blur,” is due out in September. He also hosts a radio show.

Although much of Rollins’ writing and speaking focuses on his own experiences as a rock legend who didn’t always lead the healthiest of lifestyles, he doesn’t hesitate to air his views on topical issues. Blog entries on his Web site include notes on his upcoming music video and new CDs he’s excited about, right alongside his thoughts on torture and veteran affairs. No matter how somber the subject matter, Rollins rarely fails to inject his own scathing sense of humor into his talks. (In one bit, he compares making fun of former President Bush to punching out an 8-year-old—“Satisfying, yes, but nothing you wanna make a career out of.”)

The show begins at 8 p.m. at The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, 603-436-2400. Tickets are $25. Visit www.henryrollins.com. —

editors talk literature at RiverRun

The editors of two prominent literary journals will be at RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth on Friday, May 15, for a reading and conversation about Granta: The Magazine of New Writing.

John Freeman is the American editor of Granta, a literary magazine originally founded in 1889 by students at Cambridge University and reintroduced in 1979. The publication’s contributing writers have included literary giants like Milan Kundera, Raymond Carver, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Saul Bellow, Angela Carter, Salman Rushdie and Tobias Wolff. Freeman is also former president of the National Book Critic’s Circle.

Joining Freeman at RiverRun will be William Pierce, a contributing writer for Granta and senior editor at AGNI Magazine. AGNI has published more than 60 issues of contemporary literature and art over the last 35 years and is currently based at Boston University. Pierce contributes a series of essays called “Crucibles” to AGNI and has also appeared in several other publications.

The event begins with wine and a discussion at 7 p.m., followed by a reading at RiverRun Bookstore, 20 Congress St., Portsmouth, 603-431-2100.