Rollins With the Punches

Many people are, but Rollins claims that these barbs don't faze him. His 2.13.61 firm has a busy year in front of it. Music-wise, Rollins has just reissued several albums by Nick Cave's original band, the Birthday Party, and plans to roll out the red carpet for efforts by revered free-jazz players such as Matthew Shipp and Charles Gale; on the publishing end, he's enthusiastic about a collection of violent short stories by Vietnam veteran Bill Shields and a potpourri of material from Cynthia Geller, whom he describes as "an ex-prostitute, ex-porno actress and very talented writer. She's very lucid, very sharp, and one of the most brutally honest people I've ever met."

With so much on his plate, Rollins could easily decide to put his musical efforts on the shelf. But he swears this won't happen, no matter how much his critics might wish that it would. "The band isn't a moneymaking proposition," he says. "I make all kinds of money doing speaking dates, but with the band, I make a tiny little salary. So I'm not doing this for dough. I'm doing this because I like to rock out with the guys. I show up for work and do my thing with all the guts I've got, and I've been doing it for seventeen years. So after a certain point, I don't give a fuck anymore."

Rollins Band, with Skunk Anansie. 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, Ogden Theatre, 935 East Colfax, $17.50, 1-800-444-