The Return of Roky Erickson Part 2

The 13th Floor Elevators were the highly respected pioneers of psychedelic rock. Chet Helms, the rock promoter of the once famous Avalon Ballroom gives Roky Erickson credit for much of Janis Joplin’s stage presence. Singer/poet Patti Smith says that she would play her 13th Floor Elevator LPs over and over, going to sleep to them and, waking up to them.

I was a bit leery to watch the documentary You're Gonna Miss Me because it's about someone extremely wounded--by both mental illness and the mental healthcare system itself. I didn’t want to see that beautiful front man for the Elevators turn into someone broken. I'm very curious to know what hurt Roky the most: the LSD and other drugs he took, the potent medications (drugs) and electroshock therapy the "doctors" gave him, or the mental illness that was a part of Roky's makeup. But I will delve into this question in Part 3.

Although You’re Gonna Miss Me is a sad story, there is sweetness to this documentary that begins in 2001 in a Travis County Texas courtroom as Roky’s brother Sumner petitions the court for guardianship of Roky. He wants to lift Roky out of poverty and get him medical care. He dreams of Roky playing music again.

In the years that their mother took on the job of caregiver, Roky has declined further into isolation, poverty and nothingness. At the point this movie begins, Roky will only speak to his mother and no one else. When the mother testifies before the judge, she seems more concerned about the sadness of her own life than the outcome of the court hearing.

The demons of this family with five sons are large, and all five brothers were without a role model. Details of their childhood are vague, but evidently, the father was a quiet man who withdrew and quit talking to his family. The children grew up in a deteriorating filthy house, filled with rats. Sexual abuse is alluded to. The whole family is splintered. After 12 years of his own therapy, Sumner has prepared himself to not only fight for his brother, but to model how to live for Roky; he feels strong enough to be an anchor for his oldest brother. Toward the end of the film, we see the beautiful progress that Roky has made at the one-year mark under his brother’s guidance and care, and with Roky's own resolve.

The story of Roky stays with me. Much of what happened to him is puzzling. How can the mistakes of youth that most of us make turn out so badly? How can the possession of one joint lead to a punishment that destroys much of a man’s life? There were probably several instances where Roky could have been saved earlier in his life, had the right cop or social worker or mental health provider come along. I'm guessing that this story upsets a lot of people, and that's why Roky's story is now a documentary. This story has all the heartache and reckoning, injustice and recompense to become a great movie, especially as Roky revives his career.

Fortunately for everyone, Roky Erickson is playing music again. He still has many fans around the country and all over the world. Noted Hollywood actor Johnny Depp praised the Elevators in a 2005 interview with Esquire Magazine Depp:

"Roky Erickson and the 13th Floor Elvators, a band out of Texas. They were basically the first psychedelic rock band. 1965. And if you listen to old 13th Floor Elevators stuff—Roky Erickson especially, his voice—and then go back and listen to Led Zeppelin, you know that Robert Plant absolutely copped everything from Roky Erickson. And it’s amazing. And Roky Erickson is sitting in Austin, Texas; he’s just there. And Robert Plant had a huge hit. It always goes back to those guys, you know? I love those fucking guys."

Fans are discovering Roky's new music. On April 20, 2010, he will release True Love Cast Out All Evil, his first album of new material in 14 years. You can find his tour dates at Roky Erickson's Website.