The love affair between Henry Rollins and the sound of his own voice must surely rank high on the list of great romances of the modern era. It seems that any time someone’s looking for an opinion on something (particularly pop culture), Rollins is there. From appearances in films like “Dogtown and Z-Boys” to VH1 programs, Rollins always seems ready to make his opinions known.

The former vocalist for punk-rock pioneer Black Flag has spent much of the last few years on a series of spoken-word tours, and Sunday night Rollins brought his act to Liberty Hall, 642 Mass.

In a three-hour performance before a sold-out crowd, Rollins turned part stand-up comedian and part social commentator, remarking on (and often cracking jokes about) American culture, politics and current events.

“The news is very ‘Dr. Strangelove’ these days,” Rollins quipped, referencing Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 comedy about nuclear annihilation.

But many points and stories Rollins tried to convey were often obscured by his tendency to go off on tangents. Eventually, of course, he got back on topic and finished whatever point was being made. Lucky for him, the enthusiastic crowd didn’t seem to mind — it’s part of what makes Rollins such a charismatic speaker.

Rollins is something of an icon himself, but he was very humble and modest discussing other icons such as musician Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer, the recently deceased leader of The Clash. He also lamented the deaths of important musicians such as Dee Dee Ramone and John Entwistle of The Who.

Despite these recent losses, Rollins said he refused to accept the statement that American culture was in decline.

“Art and culture is fine if you don’t get it from a strip mall all the time,” he said, encouraging the audience to seek out independent music and film and not just accept what was force-fed to them by major corporations.

Rollins ended the night with a call for unity and an anti-war statement, as he voiced his hope that America could find a peaceful solution to current conflicts in Iraq and North Korea. Rollins claimed if Americans could only put aside differences of race and sexual preference, that type of unity would make the country stronger than ever.

“I know you guys have my back,” Rollins said. “And I know you’re not going to let me down. And I hope I never let you down.”