Rollins sure has crammed a lot of living in 50 years. A multi-careerist of sorts, he’s an author, actor, publisher, radio DJ as well as a spoken-word artist as well as a musician, fronting his own Rollins Band as well as seminal punk outfit Black Flag.

Rollins turns 50 Feb. 13. While many of us might view that personal milestone as a marker denoting that life is half over, for Rollins it’s only a beginning.

Rollins embarks on his “50” spoken word tour in mid-March. Playing intimate venues, the artist plans to fill his evening monologues with reflections on his first half century as well as stories and the personal observations that have made his speaking tours a must-see for almost 20 years.

“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime occasion than by doing some shows,” Rollins said. “Hopefully, I will be able to evince some imperfect pearls of ancient wisdom to the audience, having made it this far.”


(Warning! Soundtrack may be NSFW)

The fun starts with a few pre-tour appearances, beginning with his “Henry” five-night residency in New York City at Joe’s Pub Feb. 8-12. After playing two shows on his b-day Feb. 13 at National Geographic Live in Washington, D.C., Rollins takes his “Henry” show to Los Angeles for a five-night stand at Largo Feb. 16-20.

The actual tour begins March 17 in Harrisburg, Pa., at the Whitaker Center March 17. Other stops include Philadelphia at the World Café Live March 18; Cambridge, Mass., at the Brattle Theater March 20; Annapolis at Rams Head On Stage March 21; Norfolk, Conn., at Infinity Hall March 23 and Toronto at The Great Hall March 25.

Other cities on the journey include Chicago (March 26), Kansas City (April 2), Seattle (April 6), San Francisco (April 9) and Sausalito (April 10).

Rollins will also appear at the Rubin Museum of Art in NYC, appearing with neuroscientist David Eagleman on Feb. 7 for “The Assassin Of My Dreams,” the first in the museum’s “Brainwave 2011” series.

Rollins will also appear on National Geographic in “Snake Underworld” where he’ll explore, well, snakes. Sometimes you can judge a show by its title.

Meanwhile, Rollins continues to do his weekly radio show on Los Angeles NPR outlet KCRW and writes about politics and the shape of the world in his “Straight Talk Espresso” blog on VanityFair.com. And, if that wasn’t enough to keep most men busy, he recently started contributing a music column to LA Weekly’s West Coast Sound” blog. He may be turning 50 in a few weeks, but he works harder than most people half his age.

A ticket presale for Rollins’ “50” tour has already begun and the general onsale launches Jan. 28. For more info, click here for the artist’s website.