Thursday, April 27, 2006

We Sell Soul

The psychedelic sixties meets the naughties (or whatever we call this time that we inhabit). I have just returned from seeing the documentary You're Gonna Miss Me, shown as part of the Triptych festival. A Film centered around Roky Erickson, guitarist and lead singer of pioneering 60s Texan band The 13th Floor Elevators. Before taking my seat I knew enough to expect some tragedy to unfold. Mainly I expected a music documentary. A documentary that would tell the story of one of the most overlooked and innovative bands of the sixties. I was hoping to be indulged by new footage and anecdotes that would fill in the gaps of my knowledge about a band long since split, but nevertheless, long appreciated by myself. Sure, the first 15 minutes fulfilled this hope. After that the documentary was an engaging, if not tragic human story of one man's descent into mental oblivion. A story told in the context of a family that eventually was to fight in court over his welfare.
The 13th Floor Elevators released their debut album The Psychedelic Sounds of The 13th Floor Elevators in 1966. By 1969 having released their 3rd studio album - the bizarrely produced, but still excellent Bull of the Woods - the Elevators were a spent force. The title of the first album gives a clue as to what was fuelling this band (i.e. copious amounts of acid meted out by band "leader" and jug player Tommy Hall). The content of the first album leaves no doubt as to the otherwordliness of the musicians responsible. A truly unique recording to this day (leaving aside Clinic's almost verbatim lifting of Reverberation for Internal Wrangler), it owes as much to Buddy Holly as it does Lysergic Acid Diethylamide. The second album, Easter Everywhere takes it one step further. The opening track, Slip Inside this House was later covered by Primal Scream, whilst the classic period piece Levitation was covered by the UK's very own celebrity acid casualty Julian Cope among others.
The influence of LSD on the latter half of the decade has been widely documented. However, these were uncharted waters and the film documents how Roky Erickson was on a ride that he would have difficulty getting off of. You name it, he had taken it.
Another flipside of the sixties - particularly in a conservative state like Texas - was that the authorities were genuinely shitting themselves at the growing confidence and propensity to rebel amongst the young. In the UK the Stones were targets resulting in the imprisonment of Jagger and Richards. In the U.S. live ammunition was used on students at Kent State. Meanwhile back in Texas, the Police had files on a certain Roger Kynard Erickson. By their own admission they were out to get him. Get him they did in late 67. Found in possession of a small amount of marijuana, in order to avoid prison and at the behest of his lawyers he claimed mental instability due to repeated LSD use. Eventually he was sent to Rusk State Mental Hospital. It was here that the damage was really done. Repeated electric shock therapy succeeded in grinding him down. In the film, transcripts from his time there relate his feelings of utter hopelessness. It is heartbreaking to hear a talented and articulate human reduced to this. He left Rusk in far worse shape than when he went in. While there, as part of therapy, he was in a band with fellow inmates. Apart from minor drug offender Roky, the band included a child murderer, a serial killer and a rapist / murderer. The equivalent in the UK would be to send Julian Cope away to live with Fred West, Peter Sutcliffe and Denis Neilson. This was an injustice that Erickson suffered for playing rock and roll as much as it was for ingesting drugs. An injustice born out of the fear and ignorance of a frightened older generation.
The film features Roky's mother heavily too. Whilst in her guardianship, Roky spent much of his day generating white noise via numerous tv sets, radios, keyboards and various other electrical goods. Essentially a man child in need of care, Roky sat with shades on basking in the aural cacophony. When the shades are removed it is hard to decide whether his eyes are dead or sad. The former seems the most likely given his apparent oblivion. His mother has her own issues - she is a whole story to herself. Whilst she is not malicious it is apparent that she is doing her son no favours.
When his brother Sumner - a musician himself with the Pittsburgh Philharmonic - wins custody there is a glimmer of hope. There is footage of Roky playing a song - his eyes lift from the fretboard to engage his brother and his therapist. There is some life in his eyes and a smile on his face. The last shot is in his brothers. He has rigged up a white noise device of various electrical goods. This time however,he lies on a bed reading - his eyes alive darting across the lines. A postscript is provided when I saw 11 seconds of footage featuring Roky playing SXSW this year on the internet. I sincerely hope he is on the mend and not just getting peddled as a song monkey. His brother's stated intent was to give Roky his life and music back. I hope he succeeds.


Here is Mr Erikson and the rest of the band performing their best known song. You're Gonna Miss Me. It would take another post to extol the virtues of Stacey Sutherland and Tommy Hall. The Elevators were no one man band, but there is no doubting that Eriksons voice, and indeed writing were (hopefully are) unique talents.

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