Henry Rollins Wrestles Alligator + More in ‘Animal Underworld’ Documentary Series

Onetime Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins is hosting Nat Geo WILD’s three-part ‘Animal Underworld’ documentary series, which airs tonight (May 28) at 8 PM ET. The singer, public speaker and activist looks at the unusual connections between animals and people, which might terrify some. Rollins wrestled an alligator and drank snake blood for the series, so he certainly pushed his own limits.

In a chat with Paste magazine, Rollins detailed some of the activities he engaged in for the show, all of which make it “must see” TV.

First of all, Rollins thinks you should watch the show since “it’s good for at least Americans to get more information about other cultures and other parts of the world. You look at American media, and basically, you’re taught to fear other cultures and believe that the people of a country are necessarily in league with the leadership of that country.”

Second of all, there’s lot of action and adventure in which he participates. Riding an alligator’s back when the beast is 50 percent muscle and tossing back a shot of reptile plasma is certainly thrilling to watch, even if you are wretching or end up covering your eyes part of the time. Rollins admits that the alligators “are not tame” and “there’s no familiarity.”

He adds, “They might not scare you, but it is a very big animal. I had never done anything like that before. But basically I just tried to stay very present and very aware of what I was doing. I have not seen the footage but I’m sure my face was a study of concentration.” He was warned that this particular killing machine was more of a runner than a biter beforehand. Good to know!

Rollins immersed himself, culturally, when on location and in foreign countries for the doc. Swallowing snake blood seems to be something he did for unification purposes. He said, “I think the more cameras go into countries and watch with the locals, learn everything from culture and religion to water acquisition to food acquisition, I think that clears some ignorance and draws the world together.”

The entire three-part doc airs tonight (May 28) on Nat Geo WILD. Check your local listings to find out what channel you can find Nat Geo WILD on via your cable provider.