Note to Governments Everywhere: Don't Play with Henry Rollins or You're Playing with Fire

Henry Rollins -- DC native, punk pioneer, author, actor, coffee drinker, body builder and living canvas -- is to my knowledge the only person who opposes the Iraq war yet still visits combat troops abroad and injured vets at home. He's as well-spoken and well-read as anyone in music. It's the latter, though, that has him in trouble Down Under.

US rocker and writer Henry Rollins was reported to the National Security hotline during his recent Australian tour because of a book he was reading on [a] flight to Brisbane.

A furious Rollins was informed he was "nominated as a possible threat" for reading Jihad: The Rise Of Militant Islam In Central Asia.

The incident happened on a flight from Auckland on the recent Big Day Out tour.

Rollins received a letter from the Australian government about his choice of in-flight reading. He replied:

I was reading a book called Jihad by Ahmed Rashid which is a history of Central Asia... Please tell your government and everyone in your office to go fuck themselves. Tell them twice. If your boss is looking for something to do, you can tell him I suggest he go fuck himself. Baghdad's safer than my hometown and your PM is a sissy. You have a nice night.

Check out the New York Times bestseller that got him in trouble here. Link to last month's Washington Post online chat with Rollins here.

Buy one of his great books -- I especially like Black Coffee Blues -- spoken-word CDs, and other stuff here.

[Thanks to Nobody's Business frequent commenter Greg in Oz for the tip.]