Turning 50 is a big deal. But what do you get the punk icon who's done everything? The decades have made hometown hero Henry Rollins more than the sum of his many tattoos: Years after fronting the legendary band Black Flag, he's published a slew of books, hit the big screen in more than 15 films and, most recently, turned into a TV personality — appearing in the "National Geographic Explorer" special "Born to Rage" this past December and in a "Snake Underworld" episode of "Nat Geo Wild" set to air early this year.

"All of these things allow me to be this jagged, schizophrenic mosaic that I am," he says.

And on Sunday, Rollins will get a special birthday wish: celebrating his 50th before an audience at National Geographic Live!, "waxing psychotic" about adventures past and future.

Ahead of his appearance Sunday, Express pressed Rollins about his long and varied career.

20110210-henryrollin-250.jpgThe Punk Rocker
After a very short tenure with D.C. punk act State of Alert, Rollins moved in 1981 from D.C. to Los Angeles, where he joined hardcore band Black Flag as the group's new front man. Over five years and countless perilous live shows, he developed a reputation as a brutally blunt lyricist and aggressive performer, prowling the stage in nothing but a pair of loose black shorts that accentuated his muscular physique and extensive tattoos.

Today, Rollins has all but retired from music. "I don't even think about it anymore," he says. "If we can say that music is a bell, I rang it really hard, very frequently, and with a great sense of urgency — to the point of breaking it. But I didn't ring it with any great deal of distinction or finesse. So, there's really nothing more for me to do in music but be a hackneyed character."

The Actor
In the 1990s, Rollins landed bit parts in a string of high-profile films, including Michael Mann's "Heat," David Lynch's "Lost Highway" and, for some reason, the Michael Keaton kiddie flick "Jack Frost." In recent years, Rollins has won meatier roles on television, including a stint as an incredibly threatening neo-Nazi on FX's "Sons of Anarchy."

"It's pretty obvious that I'm not a neo-Nazi, but I am when I'm on that show," he says. "It's an interesting intellectual process to deal with, because the only way to put that part over is to really believe in it at that moment."

The Writer
Rollins founded his 2.13.61 publishing imprint in 1984 to put his journals and spoken-word performances in book form. His prose — including the gut-wrenchingly beautiful "See a Grown Man Cry/Now Watch Him Die," which dealt with the murder of his best friend in 1991 — is as bare and provocative as his music.
More recently, Rollins has gone the journalist route, penning a current events column for Vanity Fair and covering music for L.A. Weekly.

"That allows me to do what a lot of people do in this country: Be a pundit," Rollins says with a laugh. "I supply useless content to the already overburdened Internet. I don't care if it needs more or not — I'm giving it more."

The World Traveler
After gloriously misspending his youth in a smelly tour van, Rollins has a deep-seated aversion to gathering moss. "That's what I do with my hard-earned money: I buy plane tickets and I go," he says. "I force myself to go into these environments that are either semi-threatening or relatively untraveled. I know it's going to be interesting and I'm going to learn something."

A recent trip took him to Pyongyang, North Korea — a vacation that was treacherous but revelatory. "I wondered if I knew more about North Korea than the tour guide, because he can't read anything critical of the country," he says. "With no hint of irony, these guys tell you how great Kim Il Sun was and how great Kim Jong Il is."

One of Rollins' favorite destinations remains Africa, which he visits every chance he gets. "Once you connect with that continent — and I've been pretty far and wide — it gets in your blood. When I come back from Africa, I go into withdrawals. I miss it so badly."

Rollins has also spent some time doing color commentary for a blog that dedicates itself to Michigan cycling and the alternative culture of its authors.
"this outlet lets me give a little back to the grass roots of my followers, not to mention i enjoy the time away from my normal everyday life"